A couple of Shreveport orthopedic surgeons who’ve seen their share of breaks deserve one.
Careers of 40-plus years in their rearview mirrors, Dr. Eddie Anglin and Dr. Craig Springmeyer, a one-two punch for Highland Clinic/Orthopedics and Sports Medicine and a pair of heroes for ligaments, tendons, bones, and nerves throughout the area, are hanging up their stethoscopes and scalpels.
Major Stud Alert here, Retirement Division. Job well done.
If our area high schools and colleges gave letters to team physicians, each of these guys would need an extra closet, just for letter jackets.
You’ll hear more about this pair in the days to come, but just know that as players “back in the day,” they were very good. As doctors, they might have been even better.
Lucky enough to know them, I can tell you that whether you wanted to get back on the field or court or if you just wanted to be able to play pain free with your grandchildren, get through a golf ball, cast a fishing rod, or mow your grass, this was a great pair to visit. They’ve helped famous athletes and renowned entertainers (same thing, really), along with the rest of us who just wanted to move around with less pain after we’d pulled this or fractured that.
Athletically, they came by it honest.
Anglin is part of Haynesville High’s rich tradition; he was a running back on back-to-back state champions in 1970 and 1971. Lettered at Tech as a defensive end in 1973-75. Nice work if you can earn it.
Springmeyer starred for an infant Captain Shreve High before earning letters in each of the four years of the Golden Era of Tech Football, 1971-74. Noseguard. He operated in tight spots, something both he and his friend Anglin have managed to do well for four decades as they’ve treated this meniscus and reconstructed that anterior cruciate ligament.
But they were smart, too. And passionate about their calling. It’s a doctoring thing.
Ask any of a thousand bum wrists, sore backs, broken collarbones or screwed-up elbows that Anglin and Springmeyer have ambled onto the football fields across Louisiana, south Arkansas and east Texas on any given autumn Thursday, Friday, or Saturday night since the early 1980s, and they’ll take a moment, gather themselves, maybe wipe a tear or two and say, “Those guys … they’re the best.”
Bona fide.
Plaques can’t express everything in our hearts, but they’re a start, and often they’re the best we can do to express how much someone’s work has meant to us. It’s something to hang on the wall to illustrate a gratitude that can’t be framed.
And so it was, on a recent prep football Friday before an Evangel football game, that these two were honored. If you’ll “direct your attention to midfield,” we’ll first listen to the PA announcer and …
“Orthopedic specialists Dr. Craig Springmeyer and Dr. Eddie Anglin have spent the past four decades patching up athletes, weekend warriors, and the general population in our area with great skill and compassion. The Evangel family wants to personally thank both of these men for taking care of them and the rest of the Ark-La-Tex. We honor them tonight as they retire from their practices.”
And then, The Reading of the Plaques:
“In recognition of a career defined by dedication and compassion, we honor you for the countless lives you have touched with your hand and with your heart. With exceptional expertise and unwavering support, you have been a servant leader for us all. With our deepest gratitude, we thank you for your many years of service on the field. Your legacy as a trusted physician and advocate will continue to inspire and uplift generations for years to come.
Contact Teddy at teddy@latech.edu