Meade-Ford-Allen County KS Archives Obituaries.....Hill, Richard Hastings February 26, 2008
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David Hill Prairie_Mischief@Yahoo.com November 8, 2009, 1:14 pm

Meade County News, March 2008
Richard Hastings Hill, M.D. brought an ancestry traced to their arrival in 
this New World, through a late 1600's immigration at the Jamestown settlement 
in advance of increased religious belief persecution. Their provision, as 
recognized by the Daughters of the American Revolution, continued of non-
combative, battlefield care to both colonial and British wounded preceding 
General Cornwallis' Yorktown defeat. They continued their migration 
accompanying Daniel Boone in exploration of the Appalachian mountains, seeking 
passage routes from North Carolina up to the Ohio River Valley. This resulted 
in his family's late 1700’s migration to the Indian territories of eastern 
Indiana. They actively supported the escape and shelter of those seeking 
freedom of racial oppression by traveling the secret routes of the Underground 
Railroad. All of this helped guide him in establishing his own contributions 
to this society and his fellow man through his family’s religious influence 
among the Society of Friends, culminating with his achievement as a physician; 
a country doctor, specializing in obstetrics, who even made "house calls", has 
now passed away this 26th day of February, 2008, the age of 89, at the Manor 
of the Plains in Dodge City, Kansas.

His birth was June 16, 1918 in New Castle, Indiana to Elbert Nathan Hill and 
Laura Lee Hedges Hill. During his childhood, he achieved the rank of Eagle 
Scout with bronze palm, while working summers as a "gandy dancer" on the 
Indiana railroads. He began his preparatory educational studies at the 
Westtown School, Westtown, Pennsylvania, continuing his undergraduate studies 
at the Earlham University, Richmond, Indiana. He graduated at the University 
of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas with his Bachelor’s degree from the College of 
Liberal Arts and Sciences. Then continued his education, earning his Doctorate 
of Medicine from the University of Kansas Medical School, Kansas City, Kansas. 
He began his residency at the Kansas City General Hospital, Kansas City, 
Missouri and while delivering babies, he met his assisting Registered Nurse, 
whom now is his wife and widow after 63 years of marriage. He briefly was the 
resident physician at the Pembroke Country Day School in Kansas City, then  
completed his residency was at the George Washington Hospital in Washington, 
D.C.

He reported for his country’s service at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, serving in 
the United States Army during World War II as a Physician with rank of 
Captain, stationed at Manila in the Philippines. He treated surrendering 
Japanese and repatriated, allied prisoners recovering from the suffering and 
brutalities experienced at Bataan and Corregidor. Upon arrival in the United 
States through the port of San Francisco as a veteran of foreign wars, he 
returned to Kansas and chose to establish his private practice as a small 
businessman in Meade, Kansas, located upon the high plains of the southwest 
Kansas prairies, serving this regional area as a physician for nearly 45 
years. He is the first person whom nearly 3,000 newborn children first met 
from among the surrounding Kansas communities of Meade, Fowler and Plains and 
then, there were those home deliveries of infants in addition too!

He was a Fellow member of the Beta Theta chapter of Fraternitas Nu Sigma Nu. 
He actively served as President and member of the Iroquois Medical Society, 
representing southwest Kansas. He was a quarter-horse enthusiast; a challenged 
golfer; prior President of Meade Kiwanis Club; a USD 226 School Board member; 
dedicated contributor and leader in the expansion of physical and media 
resources at the Meade, Kansas library as a Board Officer and member for 
twenty-four years, and he was also a repeated graduation speaker at local high 
schools. He served as Meade County Coroner for twenty-five years and County 
Health Officer for fifteen years. He is a past Counselor for the 15th district 
of the Kansas State Medical Society and past board member of Kansas Blue Cross 
and Blue Shield. In 1975 he was chosen as "Man of the Year" by the Meade 
Chamber of Commerce, and he was an active member of the American Medical 
Society.

Dr. Richard Hastings Hill is survived by his widow, Rose Marie Peine Hill, his 
son, David Michael Hill, his daughters, Rebecca Jo Hill Bredfeldt and Carol 
Ann Hill Hatfield, recently deceased, and eight grandchildren, 32 great, grand 
children and 6 great, great grand children.

Public Viewing will be held Friday at the Fidler-Orme-Bachman Mortuary, Meade, 
Kansas from 9 a.m. until funeral services begin at 6 p.m. A private family 
burial will be at Graceland Cemetery, Meade, Kansas, located at the edge of 
the Jones and Plummer pioneer trail, while overlooking the spring fed, 
trickling of a meandering Crooked Creek. 

"Come, blessed of my Father; For I was sick, and ye visited me."



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