Our Rotarian of the week grew up in West Covina, CA. then moved to Visalia where his father and uncle ran his grandpa’s farm/ranch. Not surprisingly, his first job was driving a tractor and grading onions for $2-3 a day for his grandpa. He was also a stand in for all of his friend’s paper routes, but he didn’t really want his own.
This Rotarian went to High School at Woodlake High, home of the Tigers with 84 students in his graduating class. He really liked school and that turned out to be a great thing because he went to school for a really long time.
After High School our special Rotarian went to Whitman College and earned an undergraduate degree in Economics, with minors in History and Biology. He earned an MBA from Cornell University, a PHD from the University of Iowa and finally his MD from the University of Ottawa in Canada. Dr. John Babson then joined the faculty of the University and lived in Canada for nine years. He also taught Economics at Manchester College in England, and was a Doc in Antarctica on McMurdo Airforce Base. He retired from the WY Air Guard as State air surgeon.
Dr. Babson has been Married for 40 years and raised his 5 kids here in Cheyenne. Now, his adult children are split between both coasts with his 11 grandchildren.
John’s most memorable Rotary moment was when he was a kid. His Father was a Rotarian and President of the Rotary club of Woodlake, California. John and his father drove from Southern CA to New York to attend the International Rotary Convention in 1959. John enjoys the camaraderie of Rotary and all of the people he has met. He has served on our International Grants Committee and loved it. Dr. Flick, a general surgeon sponsored John in joining our club in 1989.
Dr. Babson’s proudest accomplishment other than his family is the medical practice that he built here in Cheyenne. He started out with a receptionist, one nurse and himself and now there are 25 people working in his thriving practice. He has sold the practice and retired now but still helps out sometimes.
His hobbies are travel and old cars. John and his wife just returned from a 5 month world cruise which they really enjoyed. They are getting ready to drive to an old car tour in Princeton, New Jersey, John has a ‘28 model A, a ‘15 model T and a restored 1940 Lincoln.
Even though John has lived in WY a long time, he is not such a meat and potatoes guy. He really loves seafood but his favorite meal is lamb chops, rice and asparagus. Please join me in congratulating Dr. John Babson, our Rotarian of the week.
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