Dr. RO Raymond is nothing like the Renaissance man everyone thinks. Old photographs show a tall, slender, seemingly shy man looking up at the camera.

According to Pratt Klein, Raymond usually wore a three-piece suit with a derby hat. He is frequently spotted around town with his beloved Corgi, whose image is engraved on his grave marker. Elegant, educated and eccentric – yes. But was it ahead of its time?

There’s a whole other side to this doctor who came to Flagstaff in 1904. Born in 1876, Raymond received his medical degree in St. Louis before heading west for his health. Whether it was arthritis or lung disease, the dry climate worked its magic, and he founded a practitioner and oversaw the medical care of AL&T (the lumber mill). The house he built at 9 North Leroux Street doubled as a common doctor’s office in the 1900s. But it was his hobby that made Dr. Raymond memorable.

People who knew him said Raymond’s basement was filled with baskets of organic foods and grains. He championed the benefits of raw honey, delivering honey in jars along with freshly ground flour to his patients and friends. Klein writes that thousands of angleworms once lived in Raymond’s basement, but gave them to neighbors to enrich the soil. Good doctors are health enthusiasts and organic gardeners long before organic gardening became fashionable. He was one of the first to build a compost pile in Flagstaff and enjoyed exchanging tips with his fellow gardeners.

Dr. Raymond was the personal physician to many in town until he scaled back his practice. He gently preached to his agitated patients about the dangers of tobacco and encouraged moderation in their eating and drinking. He believed with all his heart in diet and its effects on overall health. His humor in responding to his advice speaks to the deep affection his patients had for him. He eventually shared his medical practice with his doctors. Sherman and Fronske have given him even more time to pursue other interests.

Around World War I, Dr. Raymond became deeply involved in sheep farming. He left the medical field for months at a time to devote himself to driving sheep, herding and shearing small shaggy beasts. Raymond was an admirer and friend of the Basque community of Flagstaff, and in the winter accompanied the Basque herds as they drove them south.

During these years, Raymond amassed many acres of land in northern Arizona. As he walked through the highlands, he was known to throw handfuls of grass and flower seeds to repopulate the forest. Klein wrote that Raymond had brought a crumpled newspaper and intended to use it to build an erosion-controlled dam in the forest. Like Arizona’s version of Johnny Appleseed, he was passionate about beautifying and making his community better.

Dr. Raymond left a tremendous legacy for those who followed. He founded the Flagstaff Education Foundation in 1951 for the purpose of providing scholarships to him. Upon his death in July 1959, he left an estate worth $1.5 million (more than his $15 million in today’s money). Half of it was designated for the Foundation. Renamed the Raymond Education Foundation, the organization is still alive and well and thrives, providing over $130,000 in local scholarships annually.

Much of Raymond’s subsequent wealth came from rising land prices, the stock market, and sheep farming activities. During his lifetime, he donated land to the state as a buffalo sanctuary in northern Arizona. He also facilitated the construction of the FMC by providing land in Nob Hill, on which the hospital would stand, to be exchanged with the Forest Service. The doctor bailed out many residents of Flagstaff (some called themselves “Raymond Babies” because the doctor gave birth) and discharged countless people’s debts.

Dr. RO Raymond was buried in the area’s pump house washhouse, which was renamed Raymond Park. His funeral was simply attended by hundreds of locals who knew and loved him. Part of the plaque marking his grave reads: “Ralph Oliver Raymond, pioneer, physician, stockholder, and humanitarian, dedicated his life to improving the medical and general welfare of the early inhabitants of northern Arizona…” One of his medical instruments and books section is exhibited. The Pioneer Museum is just off Fort Valley Road.