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By Francisco Garcia III
To say Dr. J. Wayne Kyle’s career is a distinguished achievement is somewhat of an understatement. The man has so many accolades under his belt with 50 years of veterinary experience and diligent community involvement; it would be a crime for him not to be the recipient of this prestigious award.
Those who have had the privilege to work with Dr. Kyle consider him a great veterinarian, a community leader and a humanitarian. His continuous efforts to promote and preserve animal health reflect his passion for nurturing the bond between humans and animals.
When Dr. Kyle first began his career in his hometown of Carthage, Texas, he worked mostly with large animal cases. By the time he retired in 2006, his patient ratio had shifted significantly to become 75 percent small animal and 25 percent large animal. To Dr. Kyle, however, the classification of his practice was extraneous.
“I always just thought of my work as a small-town rural veterinary medicine, serving the best people in the world,” he says.
Those humble words do little justice to the scope of Dr. Kyle’s influence and high regard held for him by his friends and colleagues. Listening to Dr. Kyle speak about his home and his practice makes it easy to understand why he has such an appreciation for his work and his home and why he has put so much effort into both of them.
After graduating in 1956, in a class of 54 students, from what was then known as A&M University’s School of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Kyle admits he didn’t feel completely adequate in his abilities fresh out of college. So, he began working for Dr. Jack Clayton in Kilgore, Texas. For three years, he gained the confidence and experience he felt he needed to succeed and open up his own practice.
When that day came, Dr. Kyle operated directly out of his home for six months. He later built his clinic adjacent to his home where it stayed for ten years. His hours were 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. six days a week and 8 a.m.-10 a.m. on Sundays. His concept of a successful practice is simple: “The best way to establish your practice is availability.”
That seemed to be no problem after he purchased property outside of Carthage and built an animal clinic which was expanded upon at least five times. His clinic is known to have been of the first in East Texas to have computers. He remembers people in 1959 were not as aware to the abilities of veterinary medicine for domesticated animals like dogs, which is why his patients were at first mostly farm animals. “A lot of people in Panola County had small herds of cattle,” Kyle says. He eventually bought a two-way radio to coordinate his large animal practice with the growing need for small animal care. Through the years, he added more equipment like ultrasounds, laser surgery and improved radiology, constantly trying to stay ahead of the curve.
After he noticed an alarming number of stray dogs around town, Dr. Kyle added an extra wing to his clinic specifically to shelter those dogs. This went on for several years until he could no longer adequately hold and care for the animals, at which point, the Panola County Humane Society took over the task of sheltering the dogs.
“I started letting people bring these puppies in so I could find them a home. Sometimes there was a box full of puppies waiting for me. I couldn’t turn anybody down. I just took the dogs and absorbed them until I couldn’t do it anymore and the Panola County Humane Society took over after that.”
Panola County has a lot more to thank Dr. Kyle for besides sheltering dogs. While living and working in East Texas, Dr. Kyle was a member of many organizations—some of which he was elected President—and there is no doubt his presence is greatly appreciated in the county, especially in the city of Carthage. It is obvious he cares deeply about where he comes from and the people who live there.
For starters, he served as Secretary of the East Texas Veterinary Medical Association in 1959 and as President in 1960. He also served as President of The Panola County Cattleman’s Association for a year and Chairman of the Cattleman’s Rodeo Committee for six years. Other memberships include the Panola County Chamber of Commerce, the Carthage Noon Lions Club and the Panola County A&M Club. Wait, that’s not all. Dr. Kyle has also been selected as an honorary Chapter Farmer for both the Carthage and Gary FFA chapters and is a designated Friend of 4-H in both Panola and Shelby Counties. His work is even recognized in Louisiana, where he was given a life membership in the Louisiana Veterinary Medical Association.
But Dr. Kyle may be best recognized for his work with advancing education. He was a member of the Carthage Independent School District Board of Trustees for 36 years, serving as President for seven years before retiring in 2004. The following year, he was inducted into the Carthage ISD Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame. For Dr. Kyle, it seemed more effective to be more involved as a member of an organization rather than be president, having only the ability to monitor. His efforts to advance education in Carthage prove why he is a trusted member of his community who deserves nothing but praise.
“One of the nicest things about home is that I know a lot of kin folk. Being on the School Board, people could always come to me if they had problems, and they knew that.”
In the 36 years he served on the School Board, Dr. Kyle’s chair was contested no more than five times, and he never lost an election. One of the experiences that resonated with Dr. Kyle while he was on the School Board was during the 1960s, when racial integration in schools was coming about. In a place and time when the idea was not so easily accepted, Dr. Kyle remained a strong advocate for voluntary integration and was as progressive in his endeavors to further education as he was in his profession.
While a member of the Carthage ISD Board of Education, Dr. Kyle initiated the movement that formed the Carthage Independent School District Education Foundation. The Foundation solicits and receives contributions from the private sector, providing educational advancement opportunities for Carthage students studying science, technology, medicine, mathematics, fine arts and literature. Funding also provides state-of-the-art equipment, musical and drama presentations, field trips to medical facilities and much more.
Since the inception of the Foundation nearly seven years ago, the goal of raising $150, 000 for Carthage schools has been surpassed every year. Dr. Kyle genuinely admits of all the things in which he has been involved, the Foundation ranks close to the top.
So much time during his career went to the advancement of education. For years, Dr. Kyle offered scholarships to FFA students and gave presentations on the care and management of animals, career opportunities in veterinary medicine and animal science to high school students, FFA and 4-H club members. He confesses a satisfaction in being around kids and explaining to them what veterinarians do and why before he jokes about a student who went to study human medicine instead. “As a matter of fact, that former veterinary student is now my family physician. I guess he decided it was easier than being a veterinarian.”
Today, Dr. Kyle is semi-retired and has sold his practice to his three associates. In 2000, he had triple-bypass surgery. In 2004 he had surgery for ruptured discs in his neck and developed arthritis in 2005. Because of these sobering experiences, as he calls them, he had to stop large animal cases, but he is still performing certain cosmetic surgeries in the animal hospital in Carthage.
Nonetheless, the father of three—all grown and successful in their own right—has found other ways to contribute to the community. He and his wife of 50 years are members of The First United Methodist Church of Carthage where he sings in the chapel choir. He also teaches a class at Mission Carthage, a shelter for the homeless, on coping and communicating. Currently, Dr. Kyle is training to become an outreach minister to provide comfort and counseling for people in need.
As if his story could not get any more admirable, even after all the sacrifices, all the surgeries and all these years, Dr. Kyle has one more good deed up his sleeve. Once a month, every month, he drives 55 miles out of Carthage to visit and care for a 94-year old man. “I feel good about seeing him. It uplifts me and I’m sure it uplifts him as well.”
In retrospect, Dr. Kyle is more than a man with a distinguished career. He is a distinguished gentleman with a compassionate heart and an ambitious nature. His tenacious spirit is one that has inspired many in his profession and community and we sincerely thank him for it.
