Texas surgeon celebrates 50 years in medicine

AUSTIN, Texas — Hung over, miserable from the heat and a relentless West Texas sun, Larry Don Greenway says he was 18 or 19 when he had his epiphany on a dusty summer day working as welder's assistant on a pipeline in Odessa.

"I figured there was a better way," said Greenway, who turns 75 in October. He decided to become educated in a profession that was fun and allowed him to be his own boss.

Greenway says he found that profession. He is marking his 50th year as an orthopedic surgeon — 43 of them in Austin. He's the oldest among his peers still working full time in the Austin area, and though the work is physically demanding, it's obvious he's still having fun.

"You're doing things with your hands," he said. "Ninety percent of joint replacements are successful. The patients are so grateful you fixed them, and it's very rewarding."

Now Greenway is thinking about retirement, and he's told his partners at Austin Bone and Joint Clinic that he just might do it next year. His patients and one of his sons, Austin lawyer John Greenway, 45, find that hard to imagine.

"All he knows ... is put the pedal to the metal and work," John Greenway said. "That's been his life for so long."

Finding work you love also is key and helps explain his father's longevity, he said.

The senior Greenway, who has a West Texas drawl that betrays his roots, does not have the appearance of a man on his way out the door. He takes pride in the fact that he can still endure long hours in the operating room performing joint replacements and other bone and joint surgeries.

He plays tennis, is an avid snow skier and loves dancing with Anne, his wife of 49 years, especially the cha-cha "and all the Latin rhythms," he says. He looks younger than his age and freely confesses to a little artificial intervention: "I dye my hair," he says.

He's a snappy dresser, and one day last month, he wore a bright orange shirt with a slightly darker orange tie with white polka dots. The colors complemented the orange Texas Capitol logo on his white lab coat as he examined patients at his clinic inside St. David's Medical Center.

After all these years, surgery remains the most fun part of his job, he says. And while he claims the office visits can be grueling, he appears to thoroughly enjoy the patient contact.