archives collection - American Academy of Family Physicians ...

Olin Austin Elliott, M.D. was born in 1906 in Griswold, Iowa, the son of an osteopathic physician
who was also an ordained minister. Originally intending to become a science teacher, he initially
enrolled in the Nebraska State Teachers College. However, as he was completing his second year, he
decided to go on to medical school instead, and was graduated from the University of Nebraska
School of Medicine in Omaha in 1930. After an internship at Iowa Methodist Hospital in Des
Moines, Iowa, Dr. Elliott went into general practice in Des Moines in 1931. During World War II, he
served as a captain in the Medical Corps of the U.S. Army Air Corps, and saw service at various
locations throughout the United States. Following the war, he returned to Des Moines, where he
practiced until his death in 1982. He was a member of the AAGP since 1948, and was elected a
fellow of the AAFP in 1975. Described by one colleague as “a delightful, well-rounded doctor,
loved and respected by patients, colleagues, family, and acquaintances alike,” Dr. Elliott was
renowned for his compassion and dedication to his craft. In 1957, when his wife was diagnosed with
ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), he became her primary caretaker while still continuing his medical
practice, providing her with medical treatment until her death in 1960. In later years he volunteered
at a clinic for the homeless in Des Moines, and even after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in
1981 he continued to care for his patients, up until the day of his death.
Dr. Elliott’s collection consists of his class notes (bound in 3 volumes) from his 1926 pathology
class in medical school; his medical license from the State of Nebraska in 1931, along with other
certificates and correspondence relating to his medical practice; professional appointment books
from 1935 to 1936; his commission as a captain in the Medical Corps in 1943; and several
photographs, as well as obituaries of Dr. Elliott. In addition, the Center also holds Dr. Elliott’s
medical bag, which also contains instruments and other items used by Dr. Elliott throughout his
years in practice.
Fleming, Michael O., M.D. (1950- )
2002-2004
1 slim document case—See also: Audio-Visual Collection; Museum Collection; and Photograph
Collection
Michael O. Fleming, M.D. was born in 1950 in Monroe, Louisiana. He completed undergraduate
work at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, and earned his M.D. from LSU School of
Medicine in Shreveport in 1975. After completing a Family Practice residency at LSU Affiliated
Hospitals in Shreveport in 1978, he entered a solo private practice in Shreveport for two years, then
established a group private practice there in 1980. He has filled several academic roles, including
assistant clinical professor in the Department of Family Medicine at Louisiana State University
Health Science Center and the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Tulane University
Medical School. Dr. Fleming served as president of the Louisiana Academy of Family Physicians in
1987-1988 and was named Louisiana Family Doctor of the Year in 1996. In addition to serving on
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