Francis Stevens Memorial Scholarship

Francis L. Stevens, M.D. (Doc) often told how he was called to be a physician when he was a child.  He also told of a time when he shared that dream with an aunt, who told him he was too poor to become a physician, which upset him deeply.  Sensing his distress, his mother asked him what was troubling him.  He told her about his conversation with his aunt.  His mother calmly assured him that if God wanted him to be a physician, he could be a physician.  From that day on, becoming a physician was Doc’s goal.

Dr. Stevens attended University of Cincinnati Medical School, graduating in 1956, and completed his internship from Cincinnati General (now University of Cincinnati Hospital) in 1957.  Upon completion of his internship, Doc enlisted in the United States Navy where he served as a physician on the Destroyer Force and USS Yosemite for 2 years.  He loved telling about his adventures at sea but was especially fond of telling how, during a violent storm, he successfully performed an appendectomy.

When Doc returned to the states, he traveled to Louisiana to further his medical education, completing a General Practice residency at Lafayette Hospital.  He returned to Ohio and began a medical practice in Bucyrus, Ohio.  In 1962, in response to his desire to be where could serve those in need, he moved to West Union and opened his last medical office, where he cared for patients for 45 years.  He became one of the most loved and respected physicians in the area, treating thousands of patients (sometimes being paid with chickens or homemade items) making house calls, delivering babies and continuing care at Adams County Hospital until 2007, when he sold his medical practice to Dr. David Parrett.

Soon after selling his medical practice, Dr. Stevens began caring for patients at Adams County Regional Medical Center After Hours Care, then accepted a position as an in-house physician with Adams County Cancer Center, where he loved talking with the patients, encouraging them, and telling them of God’s love.  He often would sing them on of his favorite songs “One Day At A Time”.  Dr Stevens officially retired from medical practice in 2015.

He was a member of the Ohio State Medical Association (OSMA), The American Medical Association (AMA), the Adams County Medical Society, The American Association of Family Practitioners (AAFP) and the Ohio Academy of Family Practice (OAFP).

 Doc loved life, his medical calling, his family, his friends, his community, his patients, his church, and all of nature, but most of all he loved his God.  If you knew him, you knew of his zeal for life and his goal to live for God.  More than likely when you met him you received of one of his famous “Dr. Stevens’ hugs”.

The Adams County Medical Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit organization 501 (c) 3 that was founded in 2005.  The Foundation is governed by a Board of Directors comprised of local community leaders, business owners, and health care professionals.