Week 43: Dr. C. L. von Pohle
- Chandler Museum
In 1933, during the depths of the Great Depression, Chandler was a dusty town of a little more than 1,000 residents. Two doctors served the town, and according to the pharmacist of the Arrow Pharmacy, “One need(ed) help, and the other isn’t that busy.” Into this situation entered Dr. C. L. von Pohle, a young doctor fresh out of medical school looking for a place to start his career.
Charles, or Lawrence as he was alternately called, had a unique background. His parents were missionaries for the Seventh Day Adventist church, and he spent much of his youth in South America. He admitted that when we returned to the states to work on a general Bachelor’s degree he spoke better Spanish than English. He attended Columbia Union College in Maryland, where he met Maxine Ross. The two were married, and upon graduation they moved to Cuba, where he taught school for four years. Teaching wasn’t what von Pohle was meant to do, however. His father and his brother were both doctors, and soon he returned to the States in order to attend medical school.
When he arrived in Chandler in 1933, von Pohle went into practice with Dr. James Meason, who had been one of Chandler’s first doctors. Meason immediately handed all obstetric duties over to von Pohle. At that time, there was a hospital in Mesa, which was generally too difficult for people to get to. Therefore, most births occurred in the home. Von Pohle covered an area “15 miles east, 15 miles west, and 15 miles south, and everything in between” from his office in Downtown Chandler, going to people’s homes to help them give birth. His son, Carlos, who became a doctor himself, recalled that his father delivered “hundreds and hundreds” of babies.
In 1934 von Pohle enlisted in the Army Reserves. He said he and a pal enlisted because they both liked horses, so they joined the cavalry in order to ride. In 1942, however, he was called into active service. When he arrived in Washington, D.C. to receive his orders, he was given the option of going to Paraguay or Bolivia. He chose Bolivia because he had lived there with his parents as a child.
Bolivia, von Pohle explained in later years, was of strategic importance to the Allied war effort. Bolivia provided tin and other natural resources that Allied forces wanted to secure. Additionally, there was concern that the Germans or Japanese might invade South America in order to draw Allied forces away from Europe and the Pacific. Finally, Germans played an integral role in several Bolivian institutions, including the national airlines, schools, and the military. Complicating matters was the fact that Bolivia was extremely unstable, and seemed to “change presidents about every year.”
Von Pohle’s role in Bolivia was to develop health and sanitation programs in the country and create a “safe health situation. If we were invaded from the east or the west there would be health personnel there to help our personnel. And, at the same time, help the people build up their own programs.” The mission was a success, and, despite frequent political upheaval, Bolivia was not invaded and remained with the Allies throughout the war. Von Pohle also did similar war in Colombia before being discharged in 1946.
For his service in Bolivia and Colombia von Pohle earned several awards. Bolovia honored him with their The Condor of the Andes award; Colombia bestowed upon him The Order of the Cruz de Boyaca; and the United States honored him with the Legion of Merit.
Von Pohle returned to Chandler, though he spent the rest of his career travelling the world. He worked on health projects in Lebanon, Korea, Guatemala and Peru before heading to the Republic of Chad to work on school health projects. He retired to Chandler in the late 1960s. Though he was retired from the medical field, he continued to be an active member of the Chandler community, serving on the Rotary Club, Chandler Chamber of Commerce, and the Chandler School Board. Dr. Von Pohle passed away in 1996 having made an imprint on Chandler and the world.