Pediatric Associates, P.C.

The first thing you notice about John Pender is his gregarious nature. He enjoys people and it shows and it’s easy to see how his easy manner would set children and parents at ease. His story is impossible to tell without including his lifetime companion and ‘the love of his life,’ Kathleen, a registered nurse, and his wife of 46 years.  They met while Pender was completing his internship at John Gaston Hospital and Kathleen was in nursing school. They built the practice together in the early 60’s and still work together at the clinic.

“Originally, I wanted to go to Notre Dame. I also wanted to be a veterinarian but, of course, Notre Dame didn’t have a vet school. I ended up attending Christian Brothers College and credit Brother Dominic Dunn with encouraging me to go to medical school.” Pender had loving parents and his mother helped instill the confidence in her young son that he could do anything. She took him to see the family doctor who talked with him and agreed medicine seemed a good fit.

After attending the University of Tennessee medical school and completing his internship, Pender went to Shelby, Mississippi to help general practitioner Bob Hollingsworth, MD. The experienced practitioner and mentor exposed Pender to all aspects of general practice and laid the foundation for his subsequent choice of pediatrics. Delivering babies was memorable and Pender learned a lot from the women. “I delivered babies in Shelby, Cleveland, and Hushpuckena.” He learned quickly that for the women birthing their second child, delivery came much faster. So much so that they stayed close by and even nicknamed it “the flying secunda.”

His time with Hollingsworth was invaluable for preparing him for two years of service in the Air Force, running a clinic as a Captain in the Strategic Air Command (SAC). “I was serving during the Cuban missile crisis and was on standby to go if needed. I also was asked to accompany the commissioned officers on trips overseas to places like Madrid and Palma on Majorca Island in Spain.”

He speaks fondly of friends and relationships from his years in the service, having attended the last reunion, originally planned for the fall of 9/11, rescheduled a year later in 2002 at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. “We sat around and shared stories.”

“My claim to fame is that I have known some of the real ‘giants’ in pediatrics – Drs. James Etteldorf, Bob Allen, Bob Summitt, Sr., Pat Wall, Rushton Patterson, Sr., Hank Herrod, and Mike Roach, and there are others. Drs. Patterson and Roach helped me get started.” He remembers one evening hearing that Roach was looking for him to help deliver twins at St. Joseph Hospital. Pender was married by then and had also heard that he was the third pediatrician Roach, a close friend of the family, had called that night. “When I walked in, he said, ‘I was just about to call your mother!’”

“I was one of the first residents to rotate at St. Jude and was on call every other night. I received a call one night and the operator said, ‘Dr. Pender, you have a lady friend visitor.’ It was Kathleen, my wife, of course, and apparently they didn’t know that. Nowadays, no one would think anything about that but she came to eat dinner with me every night and spent the night sometimes.”

His most memorable case? Among the worst cases he treated were due to meningitis. “Back then, you didn’t know how it was going to turn out.” One of the positive changes Pender noted is that, years ago, he treated children with pertussis, red measles and chickenpox and saw reductions due to vaccinations.

“Today we’ve gotten away from prescribing so many antibiotics and other medications that may not be needed. The appeal of pediatrics is that, “I like treating the whole body and I like seeing kids get well. I like the mamas, the grandmamas…I enjoy the relationships.” He admits to getting depressed when the kids become very sick and require referrals to specialists. He prefers the gatekeeper role but, even so, likes to keep a child in the hospital an extra day after the specialists dismiss them after a serious illness, “…to make sure they don’t end up in the ER that night.”

He remembers one case where the mother had a child with a high fever and called him after giving her son 15 teaspoons of Tylenol. She said, “You’re going to put him in the hospital for fever?” Pender said, “No ma’am. I’m putting him in the hospital for the Tylenol overdose.”

“Obesity is the big thing now in pediatrics; nutrition is so important. Moms tell me ‘my kids want juice.’ I tell them to give the children an apple or an orange instead. And many kids are low in vitamin D.” He encourages kids to walk and has a ‘walking club’ with one of his granddaughters.

One of the things Pender stresses in the life of the children is that the parents, whether married or divorced, need to keep the communication channels open and not fight in front of the kids. “I’m not a psychologist but it affects the children. The parents need to get along.”

Although he has practiced for 50 years, Pender still enjoys attending meetings and seminars. “You have to adapt,” he said. The biggest change he has noticed over the years is the staggering amount of paper work. Fortunately, he has a competent staff that takes care of most of the administrative requirements. “One of my nurses said, ‘You take too much time with the mothers (without insurance coverage) answering all their questions.’ It’s an adjustment when people have to leave their physicians after so many years. Some physicians have stopped taking insurance altogether. Our practice adjusts. We try to do the right thing.”

Pender is full of praise and admiration for the six physicians he practices with (including five female physicians) and the interesting and amazing lives they lead, claiming, “They are the ones you should be writing about.” After 5 years of solo practice, he has enjoyed group practice for the past 46 years.

Pender and his wife have three children, Mary Helen, Kate and John, and six grandchildren ranging from 1 to 8 years. They keep him busy with calls about their young children and frequently seek his advice.

Off call, Pender likes to visit the Memphis museums, the Dixon, the Botanic Garden, Shelby Farms, the zoo and spend time in the library.

Being in a position of positive influence for his pint-sized patients is what keeps Pender going.  “I like making a difference. And a lot of things children have will get better on their own.”

A lovely affirmation of Pender’s dedication to his patients is expressed in a framed letter in his office written by a former patient, now a mother, whose two children are patients: (excerpts)

Dear Dr. Pender,

You are a legend… Words cannot express my sincere gratitude and admiration for the care you give. As a patient of yours and now as the mother of two of your patients, I have experienced your wisdom, thoroughness, and calming spirit. In each moment of despair and uncertainty, you have guided us to tranquility and understanding. For that I am indebted to you…and I must let you know how fortunate I have been and our children are to have you as their healthcare provider.

I am now pursuing a master’s in public health degree. I hope to influence others to model you and your practice in achieving efficient and superior care…thank you a million times for enriching our lives. 

His advice for young physicians? Pender acknowledges that not all physicians are born with a gentle bedside manner. “People have different gifts; it’s the same for physicians. Some don’t say much but always get the diagnosis.” As for his staff, he has a ‘7 minute rule’; he suggests that if someone gets upset, take seven minutes to get over it. “I like for everyone to be nice to each other.”

“When people ask me, ‘Are you going to retire?’ I say no, I am going to keep going as long as I can.” And then he presents them with an energizer bunny lapel pin, courtesy of his wife.

Pender loves what he does…and doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon.

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