From Matagorda County History & Genealogy page
Dr. William Hicks Hadnott, Jr., the fourth child and first son of William Hicks Hadnott, Sr. and Marjorie O’Neil Hadnott, was born June 13, 1928 in Beaumont, Texas.
He departed from this life on Saturday, August 28, 2010.
Building on the solid foundation of love, strength and togetherness that his parents and tight-knit community provided, family was important, in fact, essential for William H. Hadnott, Jr.
He always took care of everyone, no matter the situation. He was absolutely devoted to his loved ones.
In 1961, Dr. Hadnott and Janis O. McDowell were married and led a joyful life of partnership, mutual support and understanding.
To this union were born Wanna Heileya, Wyneete Heillota, Marjorie LaVerne and William Hicks, III (Trey).
William Hadnott, Jr.’s parents were public school teachers and highly respected members of their community.
They both died prematurely at very young ages, leaving behind seven children, some of whom were very young.
William grew up during the height of Jim Crow and segregation.
These were embattled times.
In a recent interview, Dr. Hadnott recalled, “As I remember Beaumont in the days that I grew up, it was a bastion of racial hatred, racial segregation and racial discrimination.
“There was nothing nice about it. In our home, it was stressed that if we were to overcome some of these problems, we had to get an education.”
With determination and a clear sense of responsibility, Dr. Hadnott pushed through the social challenges he faced, “Racism, lynching, riots, sit-ins, freedom rides—.”
Hadnott remembers, “it was all happening in the world around us. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. propelled these events to the forefront of the world, but the world did not know about people like me.
'We were going to college and getting admitted to medical school. I wouldn’t let the color of my skin hinder me. I needed to outperform my competition, and I would not be denied. I, too, had a dream.”
In 1952, Dr. William H. Hadnott, Jr., graduated magna cum laude from Wiley College in Marshall, Texas with a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. In 1953, he entered medical school at the University of Texas Medical Branch, graduating in 1957.
After a rotating internship at Sacramento County Hospital, Sacramento, California, in 1958, he opened a state-of-the-art medical clinic in Bay City, Texas, where he began his medical career.
After nine years of operating a thriving family practice in Bay City, William H. Hadnott, Jr. was accepted into the University of Texas Health Science Center’s first Anesthesiology Residency Program in San Antonio, Texas.
Dr. Hadnott was the first graduate from this residency program.
He gave the first anesthetic at University Hospital (formerly Bexar County Hospital) the night before it opened.
Upon completing his residency in 1969, Dr. Hadnott joined the Anesthesiology faculty of the University of Texas Health Science Center-San Antonio full time for one year after which he became part-time faculty while pursuing a career in private practice as an anesthesiologist.
In 1971, Dr. Hadnott began teaching Anesthesiology at UTHSC-SA and became a clinical Professor of Anesthesiology. He served as Chief of Anesthesiology of the Baptist Memorial Hospital System from 1974-1988, Chief of the Anesthesiology Department at the Nix Memorial Hospital, and Chief of Staff at the Nix Hospital from 1993-1995.
Throughout his career as Professor of Anesthesiology, Dr. Hadnott was committed to the careful supervision of anesthesia residents and medical students in the operating room.
He retired from private practice in 1998, but continued his professorship for another eight years, before retiring from UTHSC-SA with 37 years of dedicated service.
Medical education was important to Dr. Hadnott, however, it was increasing diversity among students and faculty about which he was especially passionate.
His dedication was concentrated and goal oriented.
Dr. Hadnott worked to open doors and create structures that would help to ensure admission and support for students like him, a process which he began with the medical education of his two brothers.
He took pride in mentoring young medical students and they were always welcome in his home.
Further, Dr. William Hadnott, Jr. was a leader on important committees.
He served as a member of the Bexar County Board of Mediations Committee, the Presidential Advisory Committee on Minority Affairs at UTMB, and the Board of Trustees for the UTMB Alumni Association.
He was a member of the Diversity in Medical Education Committee for the UTMB Alumni Association.
The countless contributions of Dr. William H. Hadnott, Jr. to the field of medicine were recognized by his peers and conveyed in the numerous honors and prestigious awards he received.
These include the Ashbel Smith Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston in 2005 and the Outstanding Alumni Award by the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Department of Anesthesiology in 2001.
Moreover, William Hadnott, Jr. was the recipient of the Distinguished Service Award of the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists in 2007.
That same year, The Texas House of Representatives of the 75th Texas Legislature passed House Resolution Number 417 which served as official notice of the visionary leadership of Dr. Hadnott in the field of medicine.
In 2008, the William H. Hadnott, Jr., M. D. Endowed Chair in Anesthesiology was established at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
Dr. Hadnott was a Fellow of the American College of Anesthesiology and a Diplomat of the American Board of Anesthesiology.
Among other associations and groups, he was a member of the American Medical Association, Texas Medical Association, the San Antonio Society of Anesthesiologists, American Society of Anesthesiologists, San Antonio Surgical Society, the National Medical Association, and the C. A. Whittier Medical Society of which he was a founding member.
With all the achievements in hand and invaluable contributions made, Dr. Hadnott never lost the common touch.
He remained true to the values he had taught as a child; he had a keen sense of observation and rare ability to accept and respect people for who they were.
In other words, he was drawn to a person’s character.
William H. Hadnott, Jr. loved working in his yard, planting okra, tomatoes and peppers, often stilled by the beauty and possibility that nature creates.
Dr. Hadnott was immersed in contemporary issues and debates of the world and communities he inhabited.
He enjoyed reading, especially biographies. He was an avid, award-winning golfer. During his retirement, he helped to organize annual golf tournaments for the Eastside Boys and Girls Club of San Antonio. Dr. Hadnott loved sports; the San Antonio Spurs was his team.
William H. Hadnott, Jr. was a charter member of Gamma Phi Boule of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Inc., member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and founding member of the Bay City Friends Club. “Doc” loved his Bay City Friends Club, and, indeed, they loved him.
Dr. Hadnott was an active member of Asbury United Methodist Church and a Life Member of the NAACP.
Indeed, Dr. William H. Hadnott, Jr. was a magnificent force who touched many lives.
He was a religious man who believed in a loving God, eternal life, and everlasting love.
It comes as no surprise, then, that two of his favorite songs were, “Down Home Blues” and “The Old Rugged Cross.”
Dr. Hadnott had a good life, some would say it was legendary, yet, to his grandson, Harrison, who was the delight of his grandfather’s life, he was simply “Pops.”
William H. Hadnott, Jr., M. D. was preceded in death by his younger brothers, Harold Hadnott and O’Neil Hadnott, M. D. and his sisters, LaVerne Hadnott Mayes and Ethelyn Hadnott White.
He was survived by his beloved wife, Janis McDowell Hadnott, his daughters, Wanna H. Hadnott of Houston, Texas, Wynette Hadnott Keller and her husband Larry of San Antonio, Texas, Marjorie LaVerne Hadnott of San Antonio, Texas and his son William H. Hadnott, III, M. D. and wife Nicole and his grandson William Harrison Hadnott of Houston, Texas. He is also survived by his brother, James L. Hadnott, M. D. and wife Gwendolyn of San Antonio, Texas, and sister, Evelyn Hadnott Jackson of Beaumont, Texas. His memory will also be cherished by his loving nieces, nephews, cousins, sisters-in-law, brother-in-law, and friends.
Dr. Hadnott’s funeral service was held at 11:00 a. m., Friday, September 3, 2010, at the University United Methodist Church, San Antonio, Texas.
The Reverend Robert Ortiz, of Asbury Methodist Church and The Reverend Dr. Marcus Freeman, St. Paul United Methodist Church officiated at the service.