Clark County has two good reasons to remember Dr. John Brougher.

First, the late physician delivered more than 10,000 babies here during a practice that began in 1929.

Second, the descendant of pioneer La Center residents, Brougher was a moving force in creating and leading the Fort Vancouver Historical Society, helping preserve the history of the county he loved.

Born June 9, 1901, in La Center, Brougher was graduated from the University of Oregon Medical School in 1928 and started practice in Vancouver the following year. He established the Vancouver Clinic in 1939 and during World War II was one of the few physicians and surgeons who remained to care for an exploding wartime population.

In an interview shortly before his death in 1983, Brougher laughed about the thousands of babies he delivered, especially those during the Depression.

"My fee was $35, which included seeing the baby monthly for one year and daily house calls to the mother for six or seven days. Sometimes the $35 fee would be paid in milk, eggs or stove wood."

Local history was Brougher's second love after the medical arts. In 1973, he was named president emeritus of the historical society after he had served as its president for 14 years.

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