Attempting to encapsulate the legacy of the late Thomas Macdonnell — a Marshfield stalwart affectionately known as Dr. Tommy — is a task in some ways tougher than he was.
His gallantry in the throes of World War II warranted two Purple Hearts and the military’s third-highest combat decoration, the Silver Star.
As an obstetrician, Macdonnell’s calloused, gentle hands delivered more than 4,500 babies. Alongside with his father, he founded what’s now known as Marshfield’s CoxHealth Center.
Macdonnell, who died July 10 at the age of 99 after a bout with aspiration pneumonia, also helped implement change when he stepped into the political arena.
The four-term Missouri state representative penned the Clean Indoor Air Act, a bill that banned smoking in public spaces and outlawed the sale of tobacco to minors.
“By prohibiting the sale of tobacco to minors, we will stop them from getting in the habit of using tobacco products when they’re young and they’ll be less likely to start using them as adults,” a persistent Macdonnell said in 1992, during his third — and ultimately successful — attempt at passing the bill.
A renaissance man and, part community pillar, Macdonnell earned a level of local reverence that spanned generations.
“He did more than most three men put together,” said Jeremy Macdonnell, the youngest of Dr. Tommy’s eight children. “From the war, to becoming a doctor, being dedicated to his family, and his time in the state legislature, he did so much.”
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When the 1949 Missouri University graduate wasn’t in a suit, he was a jeans-wearing farmer raising cattle.
Macdonnell performed house calls, big and small. He was a member of several clubs, often donating to several causes and ventures in his beloved community.
Webster County’s folklore hero was buried July 16 following a celebration of life filled with awe-inspiring stories and tributes.
“Everyone had a Dr. Tommy story,” Marshfield Senior Center administrator Chris Parker said. “Young, adult, it didn’t matter. He was connected to all.”
The senior center’s dining hall is named after the doctor and his late wife, Ann, who passed away in 2013. The town’s aquatic center also bears the Macdonnell namesake.
Marshfield native and former state representative Joe McCracken said Macdonnell delivered his two sisters before forging a longtime friendship with the fellow Democrat.
“He was a paragon, a model of perfection and a man’s man,” McCracken said.
‘God saved his life so many times’
A decorated marksman in the U.S. Army, Macdonnell kept a wartime journal. One of his entries conveyed htraded his rifle for a stethoscope:
October 1945 – Summoned to General Patton’s headquarters and was interviewed by a brigadier general, a lieutenant colonel, and a captain. I was offered a 2nd lieutenant commission to be a hospital administrator. My reply was, I have made peace with man and God and am not going to kill anymore. I’m going to go home and start medical school and start saving lives.
“God saved his life so many times,” said his daughter, Sally Alexander.
Thousands of Americans perished during the storming of Normandy on Omaha Beach, but Macdonnell fought through a shrapnel injury. Macdonnell also survived a serious landmine injury at the Battle of the Bulge in Germany.
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During a 2014 visit to France on the 70th anniversary of the D-Day, the one-time soldier was given a hero’s welcome.
Macdonnell was featured by NBC’s Brian Williams in an emotional anniversary piece, but that’s not what Jeremy Macdonnell remembers most about the trip.
“I was pushing him in his wheelchair, and an older French gentleman came up beside him and said ‘Because of you, I am here today,'” Jeremy said. “It gave me chills. They treated him like a rock star.”
Macdonnell was 63 in 1986, when he made the move into the political arena. His sterling reputation is said to have vaulted his initial campaign.
“We had a call-out in Seymour for potential supporters in the November election,” recalled McCracken, who spoke at MacDonnell’s funeral. “Seventy-one people appeared and signed up, which was more people than hopped in Seymour the entire week.
“(Macdonnell) could have filed under any other banner — Independent, Green Party, Blue Star, or the one that starts with an R. He would have been elected and re-elected.”