NORWICH – The late Dr. Thomas F. Manley, better known as Dr. TF, is once again being honored as one of the Norwich's most influential people early on in its beginnings.
Recently, a portrait of Dr. Manley that was painted by the artist Joseph Earl Schrack, was donated to the Chenango County Historical Society, by Dr. Manley's grandson Thomas Manley III.
“The only thing I'm interested in are protecting the portrait, since I live in Germany and would hate to have something happen to it in transit. The reasons I put the piece on loan are multifaceted. First and foremost, I think it's kind of selfish for me to spirit the picture away to a country where only one person would benefit from its. If it's in Norwich, there is a higher likelihood that people who want to see it, can see it,” said Manley III.
Dr. Manley was born in 1874, and more than 100 years later his mark and the role he played in the history of Norwich can still be felt throughout the city.
Dr. Manley is responsible for founding Chenango Memorial Hospital, as well as the Manley House on South Broad Street, which was then his office, but has since been converted to housing Nelson and Flanagan law offices.
“He is really known as the father of our hospital. He was the district surgeon for the New York, Ontario and Western Railroad and the Delaware Lackawanna and Western Railroad for many years,” said Dr. Manley's cousin Patricia Smith.
His estate was long ago liquidated after his death, however, some of the legacies he left behind still exist in his hometown community, as well as the Syracuse community.
According to a previous article by Dr. Manley's other grandson Patrick Manley he explains how his grand father, Dr. Manley was enrolled in Syracuse University in 1897 when he received one of the first ever baseball scholarships offered by their athletic department, he went on to play four years of varsity baseball on that scholarship while attending medical school there.
Syracuse University still boasts scholarships for specific students at the university, as well as the Manley Field House which was named after Dr. Manley and his brother George for their work with the university.
Upon the completion of his degree, Dr. Manley received numerous offers to play professional baseball, most notably by the Boston Red Sox, but would opt to pursue a medical career instead.
After an internship in Newark, New Jersey, Dr. Manley returned home to Norwich, and began his medical practice, where he establishing the Norwich Hospital in 1911 and ultimately became the first surgeon in Chenango County.
“He was the eldest of the Manley's, there were six of them,” recounted Smith, “he was a wonderful man with a great sense of humor and a real dedication to medicine and his patients. He often took his horse and buggy on calls at all hours of the night and never complained. Doctors aren’t like he was anymore, sometimes people couldn’t afford to pay him, but come Christmas time the baked goods and all the thank yous would pour in, he was a great man.”
Smith went on to explain that before his death she had discussed with Dr. Manley about keeping the portrait here in Norwich to help educate the community about what he did over his lifetime.
“Dr. T.F. was a significant contributor to Norwich history and I feel like my role was to bring him back home,” said Manley III.
The portrait can now be found at the Chenango County Historical Society which is located at 45 Rexford Street in Norwich, all are welcome to check out the portrait and learn about the history of the Norwich community.