Get your own Free Home PageDr. Harold Eugene 'Gene' Ragle is shown in this photo, probably from 1917, taken at the beginning of his long Navy career. He was a great great great great grandson of Thomas and Hannah (Brockman) Bastin of Caswell County, NC. The following text and photo is with permission of his cousin, John L. Ragle, owner of the. Ragle Family Genealogy page .
"Harold Eugene Ragle was
b. April 09, 1894 in Colorado Springs, CO. but received his primary and secondary schooling in Independence Co. KS. He graduated from the University of Kansas at Lawrence Kansas. His M. D. was from the University of Kansas Medical School in
Kansas City Kansas, 1917. His long career as a medical officer
in the U. S. Navy included 3 years as Chief of Medicine at
the US Naval Hospital, Pearl Harbor and many other posts.
He d. February 27, 1981 in Palo Alto, CA.
On January 21, 1920 he married Etta Auguste Smith, and there were two children of this union: Mary Elizabeth Ragle, now Soule, and Emily Gene Ragle, now Eilertsen.
With the help of William Eilertsen, Gene Ragle wrote a small booklet on the genealogy of the Ragle family. [He also wrote small booklets on the BLACK and BASTIN families, too. -- Gary Bastin] An autobiographical sketch is included below, as written to his cousin Richard Charles Ragle shortly before his death.
"I was graduated from the Montgomery County High School in Independence Kansas in 1911, I obtained an A. B. degree from the University of Kansas at Lawrence Kansas. My M. D. was from the University of Kansas Medical School in Kansas City Kansas (1917). World War One was just starting so 7 of my class were commissioned in the United States Naval Reserve as Junior Lieutenants and called to active duty 10 days later. I did not intend to remain in the Navy longer than the War. I was stationed at the US Naval Training Station in San Francisco Calif. The station was on Yerba Beuna Island in San Francisco Bay. We replaced doctors in the regular service. In order to get some place [illegible possibly "other than"] France I took the examination for the Regular Navy. I made second place in the examination. Within four weeks I was order[ed] to the Phillipine Islands for duty. On my return to the states I was stationed at the US Naval Hospital, Mare Island California. Having quite a bit of laboratory training I was put in charge of the laboratory doing clinical laboratory work and pathology. I remained in laboratory work for 14 years. I put in 3 years as Chief of Medicine at the US Naval Hospital Pearl Harbor. Then I was ordered to the US Naval Medical School in Washington D. C. where I did the Pathology for the US Naval Hospital Washington D. C. as well as [specimens?] for diagnosis from all over the world. I also taught Pathology to the doctors newly entering the service. I also taught Haematology and was consultant in Pathology ad Haemotology for a number of the civil hospitals in Washington D. C. I was also elected president of the Washington Pathological Society. I was in Washington 5 years. Then having to take a turn at sea duty I was ordered to the Battleship USS West Virginia which was stationed in the Hawiian Islands. Then I was ordered a Medical Officer of the US Naval Submarine Base, Pearl Harbor. Was there when the Blitz hit in Dec 1941. I [was] then ordered to Mare Island California as surgeon of the Navy Yard, and also at the Navy Yard at Hunter Point San Francisco. Lived in quarters at Mare Island and made a trip to Hunter Point once a week. We built 2 dispensaries at Hunter Point and I kept them supplied with doctors and medical supples from Mare Island. Then I was ordered to Astoria Oregon to build a Naval Hospital there and to have command of it when finished. The war ended while I was there and I had 30 years in the service so put in to retire and came to Palo Alto to live. I am licensed to practice medicine and surgery in the State of California but I fell and broke my left hip in 1971 so I have retired from practice but still keep my license alive. I will be 81 April 9 1975. My hip was operated on and I now have a metal hip joint both the ball and socket. I get around pretty good by using a cane. Got my drivers license recently renewed for 4 years but leave most of the driving to my wife.
You never mentioned how old you are. I visited Uncle
Horace in 1905 so I don't think you ever saw me.
Your mother's brother [Davis] was there that summer working
for his Master's degree in Entymology. He worked for the
Bureau of Agriculture in Washington D. C. and was loaned
to the US Public Health Service (next door to US Naval
Medical School) to investigate the prevalence of
trichinosis. I used to do the pathology on specimens sent
from the various US Public Health Hospital which were
sent to Washington. In return, the Public Health Service
used to examine dog heads for me for rabies. They were
all experts there. One day I was over to the Public
Health Service laboratory and met a Dr. Davis. He asked me
if I was any relation to Horace Ragle. I told him he is my
uncle. He said I am his brother in law and we quickly
placed each other when I was at Uncle Horace's in 1905. In
1938 your mother came to visit her brother in Washington
and came out to see us. She said she had a son Richard in
Alaska but expected him back before too long.
s/Harold E. Ragle
(Gene)"
"
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