Dr. Myron Gananian

The Clinic was truly "family" for retired family practitioner Myron Gananian, who met his wife – a receptionist for several doctors – when he came as a patient. "It was the first week of medical school. I was born with a cyst in my breast that flared up then for no good reason. So I came to see Bud North at the [Stanford] Student Health Service. He said, ‘I don't know much about these things but I'll send you to somebody who does.' So he called George Wood, who was [the Clinic's] general surgeon.

"I came down and parked with a brand new pickup truck, crew cut, saddle shoes and Gray's Anatomy under my arm. My wife-to-be is Wood's receptionist; she's looking out the window and she sees me get out. She turns around, and there I am. In those days, the receptionists had their name on a nametag, and my mouth dropped open and I'm shifting from foot to foot trying to strike up a conversation.

"George Wood took a look at me and kicked me out; he said, ‘Don't worry about it, you won't have to come back.' But I wanted to come back. So Russ Lee was having a freshman party at his place – he had a pagoda where Foothills Park is now – the next week. My future wife had been to several Clinic parties, and she wanted no part of doctors. So when I realized I wasn't going to have a return appointment, I went right down to Lytton and Alma, where there's now a Shell station. There was a phone. I called her up and I said, ‘Do you remember me?' And I asked her to go to Russ Lee's party and she refused. Well, George Wood's and Bob Jamplis's nurses were standing there and they knew my family. They heard her refuse and they just beat her up something awful. So the next time I called, I asked her to go to a violin concert at Sequoia High School. And it was all over."