200 1st Avenue SE
Roberts-Philpott Eye Associates has been your
much as they gave it to me – I was the only Yankee in that program in Fort Worth .”
On a vacation north during his residency stay , Dr . Hall convinced him to stop by and have a look at Gravette . He couldn ’ t find Main Street , only to realize he was on it .
“ The main Steet was about two blocks long and it was a dry county at the time ,” said Dr . Tucker . “ And the main street where I ’ m from is probably six or eight blocks long , but quite a few of those storefronts were bars . So , if you subtract the bars there probably wasn ’ t all that much difference between the two towns .”
He came to look at the hospital , and wheeled around a corner to find a big , three-story hospital that was “ quite full and quite vigorous ” in his estimation . He came back in September and met some people from town and was treated to a Razorback football game . Right then , he decided this was a pretty good place .
“ It seemed like a good place to raise kids and people spoke very positively about the school system ,” he said .
The gentleman who enticed him to come to Gravette in the first place , Dr . Hall , actually moved on and joined the U . S . Air Force as a physician right after the first Gulf War . He stayed in Gravette for five years and then joined the war effort in 1991 , and stayed in the Air Force for more than 20 years . At that time in 1991 , Dr . Tucker and his family took a look at their situation : Were they going to stay or did they want to go somewhere else ?
“ The school system was great , the people here were great , the patients were great – so we stayed ,” he said . The Tucker Way There ’ s a train of thought in medical disciplines that there needs to be boundaries between a physician and their patient – you can ’ t be on a personal level with patients , because you need to remain objective . In a small town ,
especially a small town from 38 years ago , that ’ s impossible according to Dr . Tucker .
“ You get to know these people , you end up taking care of their entire family . I ’ ve delivered babies and taken care of greatgrandparents ,” he said . “ When you see people over a period of time , they become your friends , they become your social network . I ’ ve met some tremendous people here who are still my friends . You are part of the community and you ’ re part of the family for a lot of folks . They rely on you for guidance
HARPS
TM
HOMETOWN FRESH
200 1st Avenue SE
GRAVETTE
Roberts-Philpott Eye Associates has been your
Leading Team for Eye Care since 1974
We offer you HIGH QUALITY in a timely and courteous manner .
• Eye Exams
• Lenses
• Frames in a lot of things , sometimes not just medical . It ’ s sad when a patient dies , and you take it more personally . In talking with the family , a tear does form in your eye , you get choked up going to funerals . The teaching today is to not be like that , but for my generation and for a lot of doctors in small towns , it ’ s personal .”
One of the joys of Dr . Tucker ’ s work has been delivering babies . By his own estimate he ’ s had a hand in delivering 4,000 babies over his 38 years in practice .
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• Contacts
• Computerized Frame Fitting
7941-1
Greg Philpott , O . D . Leah Cate , O . D . Jordan M . Netzel , O . D .
Hours : Monday 8-6 , Tuesday 7-6 , Wednesday & Thursday 7-5 , Friday 7-4:30
Reta Wilkins Office Manager
Melanie Yeager Billing Manager
1008 1st Ave • Gravette , AR 479-323-7005 960 South Mt Olive Suite A • Siloam Springs , AR 479-524-5161 | 888-736-2020 www . robertsphilpotteye . com
GRAVETTE COMMUNITY GUIDE 2024 • 5