Part One

William D. Purser was born on a tobacco farm in eastern North Carolina on January 23, 1922. He was president of his senior class in high school and graduated during the Great Depression at the age of 16. He left home to join the Navy, but after discovering there was a waiting list, and yet eager to experience life, he worked for a year as an usher in a big theater. There, wearing a tux with a bow tie, the young woman playing the theater organ caught his eye.

Lois “Boots” Blakemore was a few years older than Doc and he assumed she was much too good for him; so he hesitated to ask her out. However, she had other ideas and the day before Thanksgiving she asked him if he was working with her on the holiday. He said yes and quickly agreed to stop by and get her before hopping the fivecent streetcar. They began dating but with very little money they would go windowshopping and stop for a nickel Coca-Cola at the local drug store.

Doc’s uncle encouraged him to apply for a four-year apprenticeship at the shipyards and to check back every two weeks so they didn’t forget about him. Soon, he was accepted and in 1944 was sent to Wilmington, North Carolina to build ships for war. However, one of the apprenticeship rules was that if you got married you were kicked out of the program. So he and Boots continued their relationship from a distance while he started his new career, making 38 cents an hour.

In 1946 Doc was drafted and served two years in the Philippines. During that time he developed back trouble and was helped by a chiropractor. The success of his treatment fed his interest in ultimately becoming a Doctor of Chiropractic. In 1948, Doc returned to the Newport News Shipyard and made the decision to apply to Logan Basic College of Chiropractic.

At that time, Doc thought he had it made. He was making 88 cents an hour and had a car. He was accepted at Logan, quit his job and married Boots. The newlyweds moved to Saint Louis in 1950 where Boots played the organ at local hotels and Doc enrolled at Logan on the G.I. Bill.

Doc says that in the beginning he was a serious student but not a particularly good student, and credits a classmate and friend with teaching him to study. He was so intent about being the best chiropractor he could be that he took a local course in massage in order to develop a better sense of touch. He finished in 1954, second in his class, and was president of the Student Council. He took State Boards in Virginia, North Carolina and Florida, thinking those might be places he would live.

Doc Purser has lived by his motto: “Be the best you can be.” He states that everything he has done in his life was to this purpose. From high school to chiropractic college, becoming a pilot and building his private practice, he has worked hard to do his best every step of the way.