A Golden Window in Time:
Reflections of a Country Doctor
by Clinton E. Woodson (edited by Janis Williams)
Dr. Clinton Woodson is a retired M.D. who lives in Wharton, a medium-sized
town not far from Houston. For many years, he wrote a medical column
for the Wharton newspaper. As column followed column, Dr. Woodson
realized he was creating an anecdotal diary of medical practice in
small-town Texas during the last half of the 20th Century.
Before his beloved wife Nancy died a while ago, she urged him to compile some of these columns into a book. Eventually Dr. Woodson decided to follow through on this promise, and he started looking for a professional editor to walk him through the project. For advice, he called Sandy Sheehy, Director of Development at the Institute for the Medical Humanities of the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Sandy has published widely, including two books and numerous general interest articles, in addition to her work at UTMB. She and I are long-time writing colleagues, and she suggested that Dr. Woodson call me.
Over the following months, Dr. Woodson and I worked together closely, via e-mail, phone, and regular mail. We chose Eakin Press of Austin as the publisher, and once Dr. Woodson was happy with the manuscript, we began shepherding the book through the publishing process.
Dr. Woodson had in mind to give the book to three Wharton non-profit organizations for fundraising, and that’s what he did. The book sold out, and he ordered another printing. As of now, A Golden Window in Time is distributed among freshman medical students at UTMB, to allow them a glimpse of a vanishing way of life.
I really enjoyed getting to know Dr. Woodson. I made a new friend through the experience. My husband and I even had the privilege of driving to Wharton for his first reading and book-signing. There, we met his children and grandchildren, along with countless friends and townspeople.
"It is my privilege and a pleasure to recommend Janis Williams
as an editor. She was compassionate as well as flexible in editing
my manuscript. It is my feeling that her editing was the one element
most responsible for the success of this book."
—Clinton Woodson, M.D.
To order A Golden Window in Time, please contact:
Wharton County Historical Museum
3615 North Richmond
Wharton, TX 77488