Round Rock pays tribute to Dr. Peters

Friend and businessman Jon Sloan described Peters as a doctor genuinely committed to his Round Rock patients.

" He came here in the early [19]70s. At that time, we didn't have a doctor here in Round Rock. He came from a small town in East Texas, but he was working two or three days a week there and he would come here two or three days," Sloan said. "He became the town doctor. He also became the doctor for the football team."

Sloan said Peters was so dedicated to the Round Rock High School football team, he would attend not only all the home games, but also all the away games as well.

"He did a lot of work for people who couldn't afford it. Sometimes he'd trade stuff. He just took care of people in the old-fashioned way here in Round Rock," Sloan said. "Round Rock has grown to have four hospitals, but he was always the same. He took care of Medicaid and Medicare folks. He was practicing up until last week before he fell ill."

The community plans on showing its appreciation for Peter's dedication to his patients through a project that Peters got to be part of.

"We started a statue drive just a couple of months ago. We plan to build a statue of him," McGraw said.

McGraw said the statue will be of Peters and his dog, Honey Bear, sitting on a bench.

"The one consolation with him passing today was that he knew about it, and he's leaving this place knowing that he made such a contribution that they wanted to honor him with a statue," McGraw said. "There's just not many people in the world that you can say that about, but he was one of them."

The statue is being made, though a location has not yet been chosen.

"The final decision has not been made, but it's going to be somewhere very conspicuous, though," McGraw said.

He said he hopes the statue will get new generations of Round Rock residents to ask questions about Peters' legacy in the community and about his medical contributions.

"It will give the opportunity to tell his story about how he was recruited to Round Rock when no one else would come and how he took care of the community for so long," McGraw said. "It will offer an opportunity for his story to be told for years and years to come."

Peters was honored as a 2010 Local Legend by the City of Round Rock for his contributions to the community.

He served as chief of staff, vice chief of staff and chairman of the department of medicine and served on the board of trustees of Round Rock Medical Center. For nearly 40 years, he worked as the physician consultant for Round Rock ISD and as the doctor for the Round Rock High School football team.

He also served as physician for the Texas Baptist Children's Home.

In October 2011, after nearly four decades and serving thousands of patients, Peters closed his practice, Round Rock Medical Clinic. The closure came after a decision by the corporation that purchased the practice several years before.