The True Story of Dr. John P. Weber by His Son Tom Weber
Several weeks ago, Tom Weber, a Subscriber to The Times Examiner from Utah sent me a copy of the book he had written and published about the life of his father. As a self-imposed rule, I only write and publish a book review after I have read the book. Sometimes that means a long wait.
Since I had made a commitment to Tom last year, and he had been so kind and patient, I committed myself to read the book this past weekend. I began reading after lunch on Sunday and although we had relatives visiting, I could not put it down for more than a few minutes at a time until I read the last page.
Not only is the book well written, the story is fascinating. Everyone who was an adult prior to the 1960s when the federal government began meddling in the practice of medicine will remember physicians who would go anywhere when called upon to care for the sick or injured.
As a youngster I knew a couple of dedicated doctors who would make house calls in northern Greenville County day and night, but none quite measured up to the dedication and commitment of Dr. J. P. Weber as narrated in the book, The Christmas Doctor.
I strongly recommend this fascinating snapshot of the people who sacrificed to make our country “exceptional” – to parents who are involved in home schooling or want to answer the question this grandfather and great grandfather gets from time to time, “What was it like in the olden days?”
There is no way a review by this writer can capture the brilliance of this book; therefore a few glimpses will have to suffice.
J. P. Weber was the son of Immigrants from Germany. The childhood hardships he experienced by age 16 and into adulthood that shaped his character and ethics would be unbelievable by the youth of today.
One amazing thing about this story is that hardship and mistreatment by others did not make John Weber bitter. It made him kind and considerate.
He described working on the railroad as a teenager for a foreman who “used physical force as his primary managerial tool” as “good survival training – if you make it through the course.”
After becoming the victim of a pickpocket, he wandered the streets of Portland, Oregon, looking for work and food. Every now and then he was charged with vagrancy and thrown into jail. One night while lying on the floor of a crowded cell, a cellmate asked what he was going to do when he grew up. “I’m going to be a doctor,” he replied. The other prisoners laughed.
He worked at night and attended medical school.
Tom describes in living detail his father’s care of two patients. One was a young girl thrown from a horse and landed on a pitchfork that stuck through her neck. The other was an elderly woman whom he traveled on horseback more than 20 miles through mountain trails in deep snow on Christmas Eve to care for.
If you can read this book with dry eyes and without a couple of laughs, you have missed something.
Dr. J. P. Weber was a remarkable man and his son is a talented writer.
Tom gathered comments from dozens of well-known Americans on stories in the book. There are several in the accompanying ad. One that grabbed my attention was from Coach Bobby Bowden:
“Thanks very much for your note and especially the story Christmas Eve 1927. Once I got started I couldn’t put it down, although I was in a hurry to catch a plane. That was an excellent story and shows you how much this country has changed in the last 65 years. Boy, what a man your dad was. I know where he is today.”
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The author may be reached at
Available on Amazon Softcover for $14.95 and Hardback for $23.99.