Music and Medicine

Powers witnesses Quillen history from first graduating class thanks to music

Choosing a medical school by way of marching band may not be the conventional route to becoming a physician, but that’s exactly what ophthalmologist Dr. Timothy Powers did.

A native of Clinton, Tennessee, Powers played euphonium in the nationally recognized Clinton High School band and happened to meet a tuba/euphonium professor from East Tennessee State University named George Jones at a national meeting. Upon hearing of Powers’ interest in medicine, Jones encouraged him to come to ETSU, which had a “dynamic” new band director named Joe Hermann and a brand-new medical school at the time. Powers followed his advice and attended ETSU with a Floyd Cramer Friends of Music Scholarship, enjoying not only marching band but also concert band.

During the three-and-a-half years it took for him to earn his bachelor’s degree, being in band gave Powers a front-row seat to witness the graduation of the first class of Quillen College of Medicine. “I remember those guys were like superstars on campus,” he recalled. “I saw their composite pictures all over campus, and we played at graduation and honors convocations. I learned a lot about the medical school as it developed. I had that desire to do medicine and be a part of ETSU, and I really wanted to stay in Johnson City, so it was wonderful that it worked out that I got to stay there eight years.”

Powers, who graduated with the Class of 1988, believes the quality of education students received from the fledgling medical school was excellent. “The school really wanted to make sure we were well-trained both in basic sciences and our clinical education,” he said, “because when students from a new school applied for residencies, they would get this –‘We’ve never had a resident from this school.’ But we studied under these ‘giants of medicine,’ extraordinary educators who knew their craft well and knew how to share it with us. And as fantastic as our education was then, it’s even better now. Residency programs that have had Quillen grads now say, ‘We want these people.’”

A high point for Powers in his career was returning to Clinton as an ophthalmologist and eye surgeon. He practices eye surgery with The Eye Centers and is on the medical staff of The Eye Surgery Center of Oak Ridge and Methodist Medical Center.

“For me, coming back to my home county and hometown, taking care of a lot of my old teachers and family friends, was a huge honor,” he said. “When people put their trust in you to take care of their health, that’s probably the greatest honor.”

Powers enjoys continued involvement with the school through the Quillen College of Medicine Alumni Society, of which he is a past president. He has been gratified to see attendance at college reunions grow from three to 15 people in the early years to hundreds today, and he believes in the importance of the society’s work in the areas of planned giving and supporting the college.

“In some groups, we’re all getting a little gray,” he said. “The school is doing that too, and that’s a good thing. Support is an important part of the maturation of the school, the ‘graying of Quillen.’ When I was in high school, the talk was, ‘Should there be a medical school in Johnson City?’ Now, you can’t measure it. The lives that have been touched and made better by this place, regionally and worldwide, are too numerous to count.”

Powers and his wife, Billy, whom he met in high school band, have been married for 33 years and have two children. He remains active in music, playing euphonium in two community bands in the Knoxville area. Their son, John Paul, is a doctoral candidate in music, and his wife, Hannah, is a music educator. The Powers’ daughter, Grace, who is studying elementary education, is a ballet dancer and dance teacher.