Dr. John "Jack" Eberts

Early on the morning of Sunday, February 27 John Paul Eberts, M.D., FACR slipped the bounds of this earthly world to be cradled in the arms of God. Many knew him as “Jack” or “Dr. Jack.” Dr. Jesse Ibarra always called him “Jackie.” To others he was “Daddy Jack” or “Uncle Jack” or “Gran-pa Jack” or “Jackiebear.” He was blessed to be loved and revered by many classmates from Temple High School, associates from Scott and White, and friends from church and the community.

He was born at Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, November 27, 1935 to John J. Eberts and Eunice Meyer Eberts. In l945, when Jack was nine, his father died. Three years later his mother married Dr. Arno W. Sommer, a family physician from Elmore, Minnesota who brought the family to Temple as he began a Radiology residency after 20 years in general practice..

Dr. Sommer's quiet, firm demeanor, demanding intellect, and unparalleled work ethic served as dominant influences on Dr. Eberts. Their bond of love and friendship grew through the years and intensified when they had the opportunity to work together in the Radiology department of Scott and White.

Dr. Eberts graduated as valedictorian of the 1953 class of Temple High School. While in high school he was involved in basketball, track and number sense. He graduated from Rice University with a B.A. in 1957. He was a senior at Southwestern Medical School and president of his medical fraternity Theta Kappa Psi when he met Joyce Allison. They married on June 3, 1961. Five days later he was graduated from medical school with an M.D. Joyce always said that she put him through medical school.

He spent an internship at the Southern Pacific General Hospital in San Francisco, a residency in Radiology at Baylor University Medical Center on Gaston Avenue in Dallas. In the summer of 1965 he did “locum tenens” at Scott and White before beginning his military obligation..

He served as a radiologist at the United States Army Hospital, Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands. 1965-67. For those too young to remember, it was a hot time in Vietnam.

For a time he was the only radiologist on the island--on call 24 hours a day with 100,000 Air Force, Marines, Army but as a reserve office he still had to take emergency room call on the weekends with the coral poisonings from scuba divers and knife fights from young soldiers. As the only one on the island with nuclear credentials, he also had to interface with the regular army generals.

In 1967 Jack rejoined the Scott & White senior staff as a radiologist. His first year on staff provided the opportunity to refresh his skills in Radiation Oncology and Nuclear Medicine. He earned ABR certification in June 1968. Through the years he served in many capacities. From 1972-1996, he was Director of the Division of Diagnostic Radiology. He also was Associate Professor of Radiology in the Texas A&M University College of Medicine. For several years Dr. Eberts was an examiner in Gastrointestinal Radiology for the American Board of Radiology He represented Scott and White as a charter member of the American Society of Clinic Radiology and served as president of that organization in 1981. This society is now part of the Intersociety Commission of American College of Radiology. He was instrumental in developing the mammography section now an important division of Diagnostic Imaging. He was a member of several clinic/hospital committees and chair of the records committee.

He was not prejudiced. Each person was treated equally regardless of race or sexual preference or money or importance.

Jack held numerous positions in local, state, and national medical organizations. For his contributions to radiology and medicine, he was named a Fellow of the American College of Radiology in 1998. He earned the AMA Physicians Recognition Award from 1970-2000. He was inducted into AOA at Texas A&M medical school in 2007. The plaque recognizing that honor hangs in the Sommer-Eberts Radiology Library. He authored numerous publications and led many educational presentations, but his main teaching efforts were in small-group sessions with his residents.

Jack held strong Christian beliefs. In the early fifties being influenced by Harold Oden, the pastor of the First Presbyterian Church, he strongly considered going into the ministry. He was first baptized on April 2,1944 in the Oakland Avenue Evangelical Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota and but later became a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Temple. For many years he sang in the choir, was a deacon, elder and clerk of the session. When First Presbyterian Church folded in August 2018, he and Joyce joined Grace Presbyterian Church.

He was an active member of the German Shepherd Dog Club of America and a breeder with Joyce of AKC German Shepherd Dogs. He was also a board member of the American German Shepherd Dog Charitable Health Foundation, a non-profit organization which funds research projects to improve the health of the GSD.

Like Dr. Sommer before him, Dr. Eberts was more than just a teacher. He became mentor, councilor, and family to many of the residents who passed through the department during his years of service. This is without a doubt his greatest legacy.

Jack leaves behind Joyce Allison Eberts, his wife of almost 61 years, his sister Jean Carol Eberts Withers (John Ed.) of Santa Fe, New Mexico, his step-sister Pat Sommer Lilley of Roswell, New Mexico, and the three wonderful gals that he and Joyce call their “adopted daughters.” in addition to many dear and cherished friends.

Locally he was a strong supporter of the Ralph Wilson Youth Club, the Temple Rotary South, the Temple Symphony Orchestra, the Temple Civic Theatre, the Cultural Activities Center, the Ronald McDonald House, and, of course, the Arno Sommer Radiology Education Fund at Scott and White.