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Parkersburg pediatrician Dr. Charles F. Whitaker III retires after 41 years

PARKERSBURG -Well-known pediatrician Dr. Charles F. Whitaker III retired June 15, after the closing of his practice Affiliated Specialists, which he co-owned with his brother Dr. Joel Whitaker.

Joel is a dentist. He has closely worked with the former St. Joseph’s Hospital, working on antiseptic cases for severely handicapped children and adults.

The offices of Affiliated Specialists have stopped seeing patients and have begun the process of leaving its space in the former St. Joseph’s Hospital.

Charles said he was unable to find a pediatrician to come in and take over. He said that much of his family lives out of town and it has become difficult for him to practice pediatrics and go out of town.

“I’m having to spend more time out of town seeing grandkids and my mother-in-law. All of them are four to six hours away, ” Charles said.

Joel said with Charles retiring, he would need to get an office in a smaller location and buy new equipment. He said he plans to work four or five more years and does not think it would be beneficial to start over in a new location.

However, Joel said he has been speaking with a clinic in southern West Virginia about working three days a week. He said he hopes to do this for a few years before retiring.

Affiliated Specialists began in 1950 with Charles and Joel’s father, Dr. Charles F. Whitaker Jr. He was an ear, nose and throat doctor. He came here with S.W. Hoff, whom he met in the service, to start a practice.

Charles III said his father wanted to come to a small town, so he moved here. Charles has lived in Parkersburg since the first grade and Joel was born at the former Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital.

Charles said he also wanted to live in a small town and Parkersburg was his home. He started working for his father’s practice in October 1975. Joel came to work for Affiliated Specialists on April 12, 1978, where he helped design the office.

Charles Jr. retired in 1997. The three Whitaker doctors have seen more than 75,000 patients, Charles said.

“We get personal referrals,” Charles said.

Charles said he’s had three generations of the same family as his patients.

Charles said what he’ll miss the most about Affiliated Specialists is taking care of kids and interacting with the families. He said he’ll miss watching them grow up and become parents and grandparents.

Joel said he will miss the good quality care to patients and the ability to help families when they have dental problems.

“I used to do a lot of general antiseptic cases; no one does that on handicapped other than up to 5 years of age now. So unfortunately these people now have to go to Morgantown or Charleston,” Joel said.

However, these accomplished brothers are excited. Joel, in addition to potentially working part time at a clinic in southern West Virginia, he owns the Unicorn Wine Guild in Belpre, of which he beams with pride.

Charles said he is eager to visit family across the United States.

“He (Joel) and I are the only family that’s close. They’re spread from California to Washington, D.C.,” Charles said.

Charles’ daughter, Amy Ward, described her experience having a father as a pediatrician and an uncle as a dentist. She said it was convenient when she was sick.

However, she did not really begin to understand or appreciate the accessibility until she had a daughter of her own. She said her father and uncle are honest, caring and hard working individuals who loved what they did.

However, Ward said she is also excited for her father to retire. Ward said she is looking forward to spending almost a month with him in Michigan and for her daughter to spend that time with him as well. She said her father and uncle Joel both taught her what it means to work hard.

Now she urges them to enjoy their new found freedom.

When reflecting back on decades spent at the offices of Affiliated Specialists, Charles and Joel have no regrets.

“I’ve just enjoyed practicing in Parkersburg, the patients, community. I moved to Belpre 27 years ago when I married my wife. This is my hometown,” Joel said.

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