Dr. James Spencer, Sr.
"Doc" retired from the Contact For Health physician staff in 1995.
Dr. Jim Sr., or 'Doc' as he is known, was born on a farm in Maumee, Ohio on January 19, 1933. He attended Maumee High School, where he played football. His family's farm (located on the land occupied now by Southwyck Shopping Center in Toledo, OH) had a dairy operation, and potatoes were a favorite crop. Doc served in the Ohio National Guard and the Army during the Korean Conflict. In an effort to get away from the ever-expanding city of Toledo, his family sold the farm and moved to rural Williams County in Northwest Ohio. Doc married Beverly A. Halpin in June of 1958, in Pioneer, Ohio. He worked at farming, and also drove semi-truck. Soon tiring of driving semi-trucks and "getting kicked by cows," Doc and Bev moved to East Moline, Illinois, so that Doc could attend Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa.
Doc worked full-time at the John Deere plant in Moline, Illinois, and attended Palmer College on a full-time basis as well. He was active in the Pi Kappa Chi professional chiropractic fraternity, and served as the organization's Sergeant-at-Arms. In March of 1968, Doc graduated from Palmer. After earning diplomate status with the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners, he decided to practice in Archbold, Ohio. After nearly one year, Doc decided to move the practice to Hudson, Michigan, where it has been located ever since. A significant post-graduate program in radiology (300 hours) was completed by him at Oakland Community College in Rochester, Michigan.
Doc was very active with sports teams throughout his career. He served as team physician for the Hudson Area High School Tigers football team, which set the national record for consecutive victories at 72 in 1975. The record still stands today for public schools. The book 'Wave the Flag for Hudson High,' a chronicle of the teams who set this record, makes several references to Doc's work with the team. He also served as team physician for the Jackson Jaguars and Jackson Bombers semi-pro football teams (located in nearby Jackson, Michigan) for three years. He maintained a steady membership with the Michigan Association of Chiropractors as well.
In the years that followed Doc's graduation, the Spencers had three more children including Dr. Daniel D. Spencer. In 1982, Doc opened a satellite clinic in nearby Reading, Michigan. Doc retired in 1995. Doc's wife, Beverly, passed away on July 20, 1996, from complications of cancer treatment. He married Gloria Peterson in Hudson in July of 2000 and had 13 fantastic years with her before he passed away January 24, 2014.
Jackson Bombers
semi-pro football team