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Ms. Kate Oliver Thomas tells about her grandfather, Dr. W. H. Oliver, and his views on education

Ms. Kate Oliver Thomas: Well, he did build a hospital in 1913 and he hired probably the first female doctor, I'm certain in Brazos County. Her name was Dr. May MacAdams.

Interviewer: Wow.

Ms. Kate Oliver Thomas: And she was a pathologist. Thus, the Pigs Is Pigs book. She raised so many guinea pigs in the hospital that he got upset. They were overrunning the hospital and our aunt Jane said she could never understand as a child why she couldn't play with those guinea pigs. But ultimately, Dr. MacAdams got back at him by giving him this book, Pigs Is Pigs, which is about guinea pigs. But I think he really appreciated education and women getting educated because Jane, his daughter told us the story that she and her cousin, Kate were having this fabulous time at the University of Texas until he called her in and said, "All right, Jane, what is your major and what are you going to graduate in?" And she thought it was partying.

Interviewer: He expected a little something different.

Ms. Kate Oliver Thomas: He expected something different. So she said, okay. So she checked her credits and found out she would have enough to get a degree in English, which she did get. But I think that he shows that he had an early appreciation of education and women. And I was very surprised to find out that Dr. MacAdams was here until she died.