To long-time Daily Home readers, Dr. Stephen Donald (S.D.) Palmer needs no introduction. In addition to his pediatric practice in Sylacauga, Palmer has published more than 14,000 columns on various health issues in this newspaper.

Although he retired from his medical practice a dozen years ago and now lives in the town of Magnolia Spring, near Foley, he continues to write.

“Writing that column is one of the great joys of my life,” he said. “That’s an unparalleled good group of people. (Former editor and publisher) Carol (Pappas) did a great job, and I’ve had the opportunity to work with (interim publisher) Ed Fowler as well. He’s a prince of a person.”

Palmer set up his practice in Sylacauga in 1980, and wrote his first column for the Sylacauga Advance not long after. It was on the importance of immunizing children, which was beginning to be a requirement for school enrollment.

The column became a regular feature of The Advance, and continued after that publication was purchased by The Daily Home, he said.

“I don’t think I really have a favorite column, although writing them was always a very positive experience, a lot of fun. I did one on birthmarks based on Gorbachev one time. I said the mark on his head helped him tell his top from his bottom.

Palmer Place, the Talladega County Children’s Advocacy Center, is named for him as well. “Having an advocacy center in Talladega County was a dream of mine for several years, but the real moving force behind that was (Alabama Department of Human Resources Director) Nancy Buckner. She’s the one who really made that happen. And I had no idea it was going to be named after me until the dedication ceremony. But it’s important to have something like this here, to let people know what’s going on and to help abused children.”

Early on in his medical career, Palmer had the opportunity to serve a year and a half long internship in Alaska. “I was working in a native village about eight miles north of the Arctic Circle. The Episcopal Church had set up a one doctor hospital there. That was a great experience for me, a great opportunity to help people.”

He also worked in Birmingham and with Frontier Nursing Services in Kentucky before coming to Sylacauga.

When asked for any favorite memories of his time in Talladega County, he said, “That’s easier said than done. I have many, many happy recollections. There are not that many people who have the opportunity to do something they love doing and get to help people at the same time. Pediatricians, I find, definitely fall into that category.”

Palmer’s sub-specialty was pediatric hematology, or the study of blood disorders. “I treated many children with leukemia,” he explained. “A lot of advances have been made there. Now, childhood leukemia is basically curable. You have an 85 percent survival rate now, whereas back when I started it was more like one in a thousand.”

He continued, “I also worked with the Sylacauga City Schools, which was a great opportunity, too. I will always treasure those interactions. I participated with (the Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement) from the beginning, and coordinated their efforts with what the schools were doing, making sure we were all on the same page for doing what was best for the children.”

Since his retirement, Palmer has continued to write both for The Daily Home and the local paper for his new community, and has taught continuing education classes for medical personnel with a private company.

“It helps keep my mind sharp, and it’s a lot of fun, too.”

Recently, Palmer suffered a fracture to his left hip and had to undergo surgery to replace it. During this interview, he was in a rehabilitation facility in Foley, but expects to be back home in Magnolia Springs by the time you read this.

And he should have a new column coming a couple of weeks or so, he added.