Forty years and one month after Dr. John McGuckin put out his medical office sign at 14 Winter St. on Aug. 8, 1977, he’s still seeing new patients as well as those who have called him their doctor for years.
All told, he’s been the physician for more than 15,000 folks in Sanford, Springvale village and the surrounding area.
He’s the doctor who treated your illness and our parents’ illnesses — and very likely their parents’ maladies, too.
And he’s still at it.
On Tuesday, Sanford City Council paused to mark McGuckin’s ongoing care.
“He is one of our last small-town doctors, a well-known staple in this community,” Mayor Tom Cote said, reading from the City Council’s proclamation.
McGuckin graduated from medical school in Ireland and completed his residence in Rochester, New York. He married, and the McGuckins’ moved to Sanford to open the medical practice.
He was surrounded by family, friends and co-workers for the City’s Council’s recognition.
“I’m truly honored by your graciousness,” McGuckin said. He said he was overwhelmed by the recognition.
“None of this would have been possible without my darling wife, Sheila, whose steadfast encouragement has been my anchor, my mainstay and my rock,” McGuckin said.
He also recognized his children and grandchildren and the staff at his medical office for their support.
“I am proud to see new patients every week,” McGuckin told the city council. “I give them my time and consideration, and a diagnosis comes in handy every so often. I don’t aim to please people. My job is help them get better. My discourse is with the patient, not the computer.”
McGuckin said the three A’s of medical practice remain: availability, affability and ability. “And not in administration — some things don’t change,” he said.
City Councilor John Tuttle pointed out that McGuckin has been his physician for more than 30 years and reckoned he’d saved him at least three times. McGuckin has been his parent’s physician, his wife’s physician and is soon to be his grandson’s physician, Tuttle said.
“From the bottom of my heart, John, I’d like to thank you for your years of service as a physician for the citizens of Sanford Springvale,” Tuttle said. “May God bless you, John McGuckin.”