Dr. Dwight J. Nichols was born and grew up in Throckmorton. While attending Throckmorton High, he worked every summer for the highway department laying roads. "There was no laser technology then. My job was to show the paver the guidelines to make sure he got it straight."

After attending and playing football for West Texas A&M for a year, Dr. Nichols took off for the oil fields for three years before joining the Air Force, where he learned Russian and eavesdropped in Alaska. "There, I got introduced to a husband and wife physician team, who really encouraged me to go into medicine. I watched how dedicated they were to patient care, and that really took hold."

Dr. Nichols gave up a military language career, and returned to UT Austin for his undergraduate studies, and then completed medical school at UTMB Galveston. He did his residency in Ohio. He then practiced medicine in Houston for 10 years, then 10 years in Breckenridge, one in Alaska, and returned to Breckenridge in 1986.

Dr. Nichols says he believes the new medical center will provide a great service for this area. "In a private practice you are all you've got. If you are not there, the patient has to wait, or try to go somewhere else. Now, in a group practice of family care, you can coordinate with the other providers. When a patient needs care, someone is always available."

"The new Breckenridge Medical Center can improve the care of patients of Stephens County because of the local expertise now available. Most problems of patients needing medical care are not beyond the scope and experience of our group. This means that local needs get local expert care, when they need it."

"Years ago, progress came out to the small communities slowly. Today with the help of technology, it is a lot easier to keep up with medical progress which is essential to the health of Stephens County patients."