Hendrick Medical Center
Abilene, Taylor County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1915, Millard A. Jenkens (1872-1962), the new pastor of Abilene’s First Baptist Church, saw a need for a hospital that prioritized serving all people, whether or not they were able to pay for treatment. His congregation shared his vision and donated $35,000 to establish a Baptist hospital. A committee formed of First Baptist congregants and officials from Simmons college (now Hardin-Simmons University). Judge Clifton Mott Caldwell and his wife, Cora (Keathley) Caldwell, donated six acres for a Baptist hospital. David S. Castle designed the 52-bed facility, which opened on September 15, 1924, as the West Texas Baptist Sanitarium. The hospital’s modern facilities included three operating rooms, three elevators and an x-ray department. The hospital also hosted a nursing school. Notable early leaders include Earl Matthew Collier (1898-1981), the longest serving superintendent from 1929-1970. The new hospital experienced strain during the Depression. In 1936, Thomas G. Hendrick (1862-1946) and his wife, Ida (Nations) Hendrick (1866-1946), paid off the hospital’s existing debt and financed a four-story east wing, including two specialty wards for children. The hospital was renamed Hendrick Memorial Hospital in their honor. Regular additions followed, including a four-story west wing (1943), a four-story north wing (1946), a six-story service wing (1957), student nursing housing (1959), the Millie L. Anderson building (1963), Mary Meek School of Nursing building (1966), and more. In 1971, the facility was renamed Hendrick Medical Center to reflect its regional healthcare role. For 100 years, Hendrick has committed to provide high-quality healthcare in west central Texas. (2023)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1915 Abilene's First Baptist pastor Millard Jenkens envisioned a hospital that would treat everyone, paying or not, and his congregation raised $35,000 to make it real. Opened in 1924 as the West Texas Baptist Sanitarium with 52 beds and a nursing school, the hospital nearly foundered in the Depression until Thomas and Ida Hendrick paid off its debt and financed a new wing in 1936 — earning it their name. Wing after wing followed, and in 1971 it became Hendrick Medical Center, the regional hospital it remains today.
Why it matters
Hendrick's story shows how faith communities and local philanthropy built the healthcare backbone of small-city America, one donated wing at a time.
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Related people
- · Millard A. Jenkens
- · Thomas G. Hendrick
- · Ida Nations Hendrick
Themes & tags
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