Albert L. Rhoton, Jr., M.D., 1932–2016

Early Years

Albert L. Rhoton, Jr. was born in the family home, a log cabin in Parvin, Kentucky, in the hills of Appalachia on November 18, 1932. He was delivered with the assistance of a midwife for the fee of one bag of corn. There was no other healthcare available in that region of Kentucky and once, when young Al was feared to have pneumonia, his father walked 20 miles to consult a physician who prescribed castor oil, as this was before antibiotics; fortunately, he made a full recovery. The home had no electricity and water had to be fetched from a nearby spring. The Rhoton children—Al, his brother, and sister—attended a two-room school house in the hills. Dr. Rhoton's parents understood the importance of education, and his mother and father traveled to attend Berea College to complete their secondary education. His father then attended the University of Kentucky, where he obtained a Master's degree in Chemistry. During this time, Al's mother taught in the local school house to support the family financially, even though she didn't have a formal degree. When Al was 10 years old, the family moved to Akron, Ohio, where his father was able to find employment as a chemist, and they became city dwellers. It was customary at that time that children from Appalachia were held back a grade when they entered the city school district, but Mrs. Rhoton would not allow it. Al Jr. promptly went on to fail the 5th grade which he then repeated and passed; in bemused retrospect, Dr. Rhoton once surmised he was the only neurosurgeon to fail the 5th grade and then go on to graduate at the top of his medical school class. Dr. Rhoton's father was fond of telling his son, “Every day you should go to work.” Al's first job was as a paper boy, and he held several other after school jobs in Akron. In 2010, Dr. Rhoton once commented on how his father's philosophy must have stuck with him, because in 40 years at the University of Florida he only took one sick day—a day in when he underwent a procedure requiring general anesthesia.