Dr. D.W. Gilbert was one of northwest Dallas County's first physicians. He purchased tracts of land in the area and operated a large farm and orchard, as well as a dairy farm. In addition, he was a physician and owner of a drug store in the Sowers community.
This prescription pad's letterhead reveals that Dr. D.W. Gilbert served as a druggist, as well as a doctor, in the Sowers community. Morphine was used as an effective pain reliever in the early 20th century but was found to be very addictive.
Dr. D.W. Gilbert began his career making calls on horseback, then the automobile became the revolutionary new method of transportation. Dr. Gilbert, medical bag in hand, poses in front of his car before making his rounds.
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D.W. Gilbert was a notable figure in Irving and northwest Dallas County from the early 1880s until his death in 1930.
T.G. Robinson opened Irving's first drug store, The Palace Drug Store, in 1906. This prescription was written by Dr. Gilbert on the store's prescription pad. The drug store was directly across the street from Dr. Gilbert's office.
The Palace Drug Store, Irving's first brick building, is front and center.
In 1906, Major T.G. Robinson built Irving's first brick building and made it the home of The Palace Druge Store. It was also the location of Irving's first gas pump in 1912.
Dr. John Roberts, stepson of Dr. D.W. Gilbert
Etta Williams Roberts
After the death of her husband, Dr. Joe Roberts, Etta raised her three sons by working as the town postmistress and operating a boarding house. She ran the boarding house into the 1950s. She passed away in Irving in December 1960.
Dr. F.M. Gilbert at the rear of an ambulance during his internship at City Hospital of New York, 1920.
In addition to his medical practice, Dr. F.M. Gilbert served as Irving's mayor from 1933-1937. He was also on the school board from 1921-1931.
Continuing the family tradition, F.M. Gilbert had two sons who also became Irving doctors in the 1960s.
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Dr. F.M. Gilbert poses with his medical bag as he prepares to make his rounds, c. 1952.
Dorothy Grace Bald Brandon Gilbert
Dorothy Grace Bald Brandon Gilbert, daughter of Lillian Mallette Bald and Louis F. Bald, was born on October 4, 1901, in Jersey City, New Jersey. On November 10, 1908, Louis Bald died, leaving Lillian with three children, Ray, Dorothy, and Lewis. Four years after the death of her husband, Lillian met and married Ernest Brandon. Dorothy and her youngest brother were adopted by their stepfather and took his last name.
Dorothy Brandon graduated from Girls High School in Brooklyn, New York, in May 1918. In September of the same year, she entered nursing school at City Hospital of New York. There she met Dr. F.M. Gilbert, who was an intern at the hospital. The couple were married on November 17, 1920, and moved to her husband's hometown, Irving, Texas.
In this 1955 photo, Dorothy Gilbert (right) poses with her neighbor Virginia Schulze. Virginia and Dorothy were charter members of many of Irving's social and civic organizations beginning in the 1930s.
Dr. F.M. Gilbert, behind the desk, visits with his family, son Francis M. Gilbert, wife Dorothy, and son Clay Gilbert, c. 1947. Both sons became doctors, creating a third generation of members of the Gilbert family to engage in the medical field in Irving.
As a nurse, Dorothy Gilbert assisted her husband and his father, Dr. D.W. Gilbert, in their medical practice, often with obstetrical cases.
Dorothy Gilbert was an active member in Irving's social and civic life. She was a charter member of the Irving Garden Club, the Garden and Arts Club, the Twentieth Century Book Review Club, and the Irving Heritage Society.
She died on January 2, 1990, at the age of 88 in Irving, Texas.
Joe Roberts, born in 1914, was the son of Dr. John Roberts and Mary Etta Williams. He graduated from Baylor Medical School in 1939. During World War II, Dr. Roberts served as commander of a medical battalion in the 36th Infantry Division. He received the Bronze Star for meritorious service while stationed in Italy.
Dr. Joe Roberts served in North Africa and Italy during World War II.
Joe Roberts married Jeanne Caldwell, also an Irving native, in 1948. The couple had three daughters.
After the war, Dr. Roberts went into practice with Dr. F.M. Gilbert. The two opened Irving's first modern medical facility, the Gilbert and Roberts Clinic, in 1949.
The Gilbert and Roberts Clinic, Irving's first modern medical clinic, was located on the southwest corner of Irving Blvd. and O'Connor Rd.
In 1964, Dr. Roberts became Irving Community Hospital's first chief-of-staff. He served on the staff of the hospital for 30 years. Dr. Roberts passed away at the age of 80 in 1994.
Dr. Joe Roberts was Irving Community Hospital's first chief-of-staff.
The Gilbert/Roberts family of doctors cared for Irving's sick for three generations and saw medicine grow from its primitive days in the late 19th century into the sophisicated, cutting-edge field that it is today.
The Irving Community Hospital opened in 1964 with Dr. Joe Roberts as chief-of-staff. The building has been expanded many times through the years and today is part of the Baylor, Scott, and White medical system.
