Alvin Benn, Special to the Advertiser 8:21 p.m. CT June 17, 2017

Dr. Don Overstreet of Selma originated the UAB Family Residency Program, a pilot project that prepared dozens of doctors to practice in rural areas of Alabama.(Photo: Advertiser file)Buy Photo

SELMA Dr. Donald Overstreet was a doctor who refused to retire, even as illnesses and injuries sapped his strength and macular degeneration dimmed his vision.

Osteoarthritis added to his personal pain as he tried to use his new titanium hips and knees. They didnt stop him, either. He just kept plugging along as best he could.

Overstreet and medicine had been carrying on a continuing love affair for decades and when he set up a small private practice as he entered his 80s it only seemed to rev up his batteries.

Father Time eventually took control of him as his 90th birthday neared. Nobody had to tell this doctor that enough was enough.

His heart finally stopped ticking at the age of 89 on June 1 and those who loved him the most knew there wasnt much they could do except mourn the passing of a physician who broke the mold in his profession.

His contributions to family medicine in the rural Black Belt are monumental, said the Rev. Jerry Light, who officiated at a memorial service for Overstreet on Saturday afternoon.

Friends and relatives from Alabama and neighboring states were on hand to honor him at Selmas First Baptist Church. Some had studied under him at the Selma Family Medicine Center.

Dr. Boyd Bailey succeeded Overstreet as director of the family medicine program and it was evident that he was still very much in awe of an amazing man.

He brought life to the program and those who studied under him have never forgotten him, said Bailey. Half of those who learned from him began their medical careers in Alabama.

A few hours before Overstreet was memorialized at the church, some of his former students were on hand for an annual program honoring those who had become resident doctors.

Dr. Melissa Behringer who directs the current family practice program said the number of physicians who successfully completed it now total 155 over a period nearly 40 years long.

She sounded a bit apprehensive as she mentioned Overstreet, Bailey and now me but those who have watched her direct the program give her high marks.

I can still remember when I ran into a tough problem Id stop and ask myself What would Dr. Overstreet do now? And then Id move on to handle it.

Overstreet was born in Flatwood, a tiny settlement in Wilcox County, and served in the Navy as a corpsman during World War II.

He used the GI Bill at the University of Alabama and then it was on to medical school. He eventually moved to Selma where he joined two veteran doctors.

Family practice doctors arent surgeons, but they are familiar with more than their share of daily challenges due to daily life in rural regions.

I was born during a gale and there wasnt a hospital anywhere near our house, he recalled one day during an interview at his clinic. My brother developed pneumonia and almost died. It wasnt like living in a city.

When he became a physician he soon developed a following with patients lined up for some healing in the boondocks where he practiced.

Bailey said family medicine is quite a departure from one involving specialists because thats what we are in so many cases.

Family physicians are able to take care of 85 percent of medical problems, he said. Thats the goal of family medicine and our patients shouldnt have to rely on specialists.

Dr. Don Overstreet felt the same way. Could be it was because he rarely had to call one.

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Dr. Overstreet made 'monumental' contributions to Black Belt medicine - Montgomery Advertiser