Dr. Claire G. Cayward has retired as of January 1 after serving New Ipswich, where he lived, and all the other towns of the area, for more than 38 years.
Dr. Cayward was born in Orleans, N. Y. and he attended the public school there. He received his secondary education at nearby Canandaigua Academy in Canandaigua, N. Y. He then attended the University of Vermont and received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1925. He then entered the University of Vermont Medical College from which he was graduated in 1929.
While in college he participated in athletics and earned varsity letters in four major sports, football, basketball, baseball and track; and at that time-1925-was the first man in the long history of the university to accomplish this.
He captained the basketball team the last two of the four years he played. In the 1924-25 season, Vermont won the New England College Championship and he was named on the All-New England team. He starred in baseball in college and in summer baseball when he played with the Saranac Lake team in the New York Lakes League. He was scouted by the Washington Senators of the American League and offered a contract, but he decided to enter medicine instead.
Medical School
After graduation from medical school, he served an internship at the New Britain, Conn. General hospital, and during that time applied to the Brooklyn Methodist k hospital for a Residency in Obstetrics. He was accepted, but for the of following year. At that time, he received a letter from a medical school friend, Dr. Donald Clark, who had been practicing for two and one-half years in New Ipswich, asking him to come to that town so that Dr. Clark could move to Dublin. This arrangement was agreed to, with the stipulation that Dr. Cayward be released after a year to accept the Brooklyn Methodist Hospital Residency.
When the time came, there was no question about the decision. He had grown fond of the area, the people and country practice, and he decided to remain longer. Thus t was that when he arrived in New Ipswich on September 1, 1930, It was the beginning of a long, un-Interrupted era of a large, active general practice which provided him with his earlier preference for obstetrics because over the years he delivered almost 2,000 babies.
Health Officer
During his career here he was school physician and health officer throughout. He was a member of the Hillsboro County, State of New Hampshire and American Medical Associations, and he served as president of the Hillsboro County Medical Society in the early 1950's.
He was one of the originators of the Recreation Field Projects in New Ipswich and when the idea was accepted at town meetings and the recreation complex completed, he served as chairman of the Recreation Commission for its first few years. He was also a long-time member of the Board of Trustees of Appleton Academy and the Mason Village Savings Bank, but he has recently resigned from both boards.
Sports
Dr. Cayward maintains a lively interest in sports, but confines his active participation in that direction to bowling ten-pins (he has a several 200-plus games to his credit) and golfing, for which he has his own electric golf cart. He keeps abreast of world news and enjoys gardening, spends a portion of each winter in Florida, but says that he can think of no place in the world which is better for summer living than New Ipswich, which he loves.
There have been many changes in medicine during his practice and he feels that most of them are for the better. When he started his practice, house calls, which are of little value either to doctor or patient, predominated, and office calls the exception. Now the re-verse is true, with more hospital participation, and patient care is definitely improved as a result. This, with sulfonamides and the antibiotics which originated during his career, have, as everybody knows, revolutionized medicine.
Small Towns
Dr. Cayward is not too optimistic about the possibilities of obtaining doctors to practice in small towns at the present, and he feels that with considerable adjustment on the part of the patients, it may be a blessing in disguise. Young doctors starting in prefer group practice where each one may have a weekend off every two or three weeks, have a day off during the week and have regular vacations which will allow a much more normal life for the doctors and provide better care by less tired men.
When asked about changing any part of his career if he had the possibility confronting him, Dr. Cayward, after a pause for reflection, replied that he has had his head-aches and heartaches, but that he has, undeniably, a good and full life in the country and would probably do it all again.
Dr. Cayward has had only one secretary throughout his career of nearly four decades. She is the former Thelma Dolan, now Mrs. Arthur Bernier of Greenville, who began working with him in 1935.
The doctor was first married to Miss Della Martin of North Ferrisburg, Vermont during the first year he practiced. They have three children, all married and raising families in Connecticut. John lives in Vernon and is employed by the Aetna Life and Casualty. Glenn lives in Ellington and is employed by the Travelers Insurance Co., and Carol (Mrs. David Church) lives in New London.
After his first wife died in 1950, the doctor married Mrs. Doris Ladd of Manchester, and after her death in 1960, he married Mrs. Toini Cotzin with whom he lives in their comfortable, 123-year-old home on Turnpike road in New Ipswich.
I too am one of the 2,000 babies delivered by Dr. Cayward. In the piece written by Oiva Anderson Oiva recalls Claire Cayward hitting what might have been the longest homerun ever hit at the old ball field next to the Smithville Cemetery.
As one of the 2000 babies Doc Cayward delivered, I am grateful for all he did for our family and his community.
I too am one of the 2,000 babies delivered by Dr. Cayward. In the piece written by Oiva Anderson Oiva recalls Claire Cayward hitting what might have been the longest homerun ever hit at the old ball field next to the Smithville Cemetery.