The Desert Doctor Who Flew for His Patients:
By Thomas R. Drummond
In every family, there are individuals whose lives shine as examples of courage, service, and vision. For mine, one of those is my paternal granduncle, Dr. Thomas “Tom” Arthur Drummond, MD — known to many throughout the Mojave as the Desert Doctor.
A Family of Distinct Gifts
Tom was one of four siblings, alongside my grandfather George Drummond, their brother Ron Drummond — the gifted athlete and surfer — and their sister Charlotte Drummond-Light, a talented pastel artist whose still lifes and portraits still hang in my home today. Each of the Drummond children carved a unique path, yet Dr. Tom’s journey into medicine set him on a course that would make him both a regional pioneer and a beloved hero.
From UCLA Athlete to Young Physician
Athleticism seemed to run in the Drummond bloodline. Tom was a standout swimmer at UCLA, later earning his medical degree from USC in 1932. With his sights set on Reno, NV, fate intervened during a stop in Red Mountain, California — a bustling mining town in the Rand District.
While gassing up, Tom learned of a barroom brawl the night before and the urgent need for a doctor. Instead of continuing to Reno, he treated the injured miners. Persuaded to stay, he established his practice in Red Mountain. For ten years he served the mining communities of the Mojave — rugged, isolated people who desperately needed a physician who understood their lives. Having grown up in mining camps himself, Tom understood them well.
A Vision for Desert Medicine
In 1948, recognizing the explosive growth around the new Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lake, Dr. Tom built a hospital in Ridgecrest, CA — complete with an airstrip on the property. He soon became legendary as the doctor who flew into remote camps with his nurse, treating the sick and injured where no one else could reach.
Landing on rough desert strips or even open ground, he not only delivered care but also airlifted patients to better-equipped facilities when lives hung in the balance. Over his career, he delivered thousands of babies, performed surgeries, and offered hope across a vast, unforgiving landscape.
He was more than a doctor. He was a lifeline.
A Hero to the Desert Communities
For decades, Dr. Tom’s hospital stood as a vital hub for Inyo and Kern Counties. Beloved by patients and respected by peers, he became a pillar of the community. Eventually, in a final act of generosity, he gifted the hospital to the region for just one dollar — a legacy of service beyond his lifetime.
When asked why he stopped flying, he answered humbly:
“One day I nearly made a judgment error in landing my plane. That was enough flying for me.”
A Family Loss, A Doctor’s Burden
December 15, 1962, stands as one of the most heartbreaking days of my life. That day, my Uncle Ron Drummond, DDS — Tom’s nephew and a brilliant young dentist — was killed in a tragic auto accident near Ridgecrest.
It was Dr. Tom, serving as the attending physician in his own hospital, who received his nephew’s body. No one doubted Tom’s resilience; he had seen every manner of tragedy. But caring for family that day must have been crushing. Yet even then, he offered compassion and steadiness to my grandmother in her grief.
Remembering a Life of Service
I remember Dr. Tom proudly telling me of the thousands of babies he delivered, sharing poetry at my grandfather’s 80th birthday, and always radiating warmth, humor, and purpose.
He was admired not only for his medical skill but also for his character. To his family, he was larger than life. To desert communities, he was indispensable. To history, he remains a reminder of the power of one individual’s choice to serve where the need is greatest.
Dr. Thomas Arthur Drummond was, in every sense, everyone’s hero.
