Dr. Thomas F. Gilles of Fairfax says he was known in town for reaching a nearby hospital before his patient arrived in the ambulance.

He recalled providing medical services on a dime.

“I was on the No. 1 tee at the golf course when a teacher came up to me with a student with a broken nose. I straightened it out (without medication) and teed off,” said Gilles.

An intern at Hennepin County General Hospital in Minneapolis in 1968, Gilles was contacted by several Fairfax leaders about moving to town after Dr. Glenn Nelson moved to Redwood Falls.

“Fairfax was looking for a doctor. (Fairfax city leaders) Lloyd Erdal, Mark Marquardt and Leo Keller kept calling me about it,” said Gilles. “I said get me out of the Vietnam War draft. It came down to within four days of my being drafted before I decided to come to be a doctor in Fairfax with my new bride (Lois).”

He recalled a little bit of what it was like to be a doctor in Fairfax in 1968.

“Office calls were $2 at first,” said Gilles.

He made lots of house calls, which he continued to do when he felt it was necessary.

“He sometimes said it was easier for him to go to them (patient’s residence) than for them to come to me,” said Gilles’ wife Lois, a registered nurse.

Staff photo by Fritz Busch Dr. Thomas F. Gilles, M.D. is pictured with his wife Lois, a registered nurse, outside the Fairfax Medical Clinic. Gilles is retiring this year after 57 years of service in Fairfax. The couple said they plan to continue living in Fairfax.

Voice recognition was another big part of his medical practice.

“People would call me up and say ‘doc, you’ve got to come.’ Lots of people would never tell me their name when they called, but I could tell who it was by the sound of their voice,” Gilles said.

“That happened quite a bit. Callers never did say their names,” said medical secretary Becky Hess. “Or they’d just walk into the medical clinic without a knock. They knew ‘Doc’ would see them, so they just came.”

“It’s been a good ride. He (Dr. Gilles) has had less than 15 employees in his 57 years,” said Lois Gilles.

“It seemed like none of my employees would leave,” he said.

Gilles talked about other unusual things he did as a doctor.

“I saw 47 patients in Fairfax one day. I delivered a baby over the phone during a bad snowstorm. I rode a rescue squad ambulance following a plow to a woman in labor north of Franklin, only to find out she was in false labor. Another woman was in false labor in Fairfax the same day.”

He delivered a baby in the back of the rescue squad ambulance that picked up the mother, then picked up Gilles and headed to a New Ulm hospital.

“I delivered a baby on the river bottom road,” he said.

“When I first came to Fairfax, there were no ultrasounds, cat scans or MRIs. I learned that listening to the patient is how to learn the diagnosis,” said Tom Gilles. “That’s what we had to do. We didn’t have the medications we have now. I was on the phone a lot, talking to doctors for guidance. I’d write everything down on recipe cards.”

When the Gilles’ were out of town, they would tell patients to contact a nearby hospital for coverage.

Gilles is thankful. He and his wife plan to stay in Fairfax.

His medical career rubbed off on his sons Greg and Stephen. They’re both medical doctors.

Our patients are our friends,” he said. “Fairfax has been very good for our family. We’ll go have coffee at the bakery and have more time to ourselves,” he said.

“We really haven’t had a lot of road trips,” said Lois Gilles. “We always had to fly for vacations before because our time was so limited. We often took vacations around delivering babies. I’m really looking forward to traveling now.”

Gilles said a number of area medical providers are considering buying the Fairfax Medical Clinic.

Staff photo by Fritz Busch Dr. Thomas F. Gilles, M.D. is pictured with his wife Lois, a registered nurse, outside the Fairfax Medical Clinic. Gilles is retiring this year after 57 years of service in Fairfax. The couple said they plan to continue living in Fairfax.