Truckin' on the Western Branch

Dr. Arthur A. Kirk Arthur Kirk, an orthopedic surgeon, was born in Portsmouth in 1916 and grew up in Everets, graduating from Chuckatuck High School. His mother was a teacher. His father was a surveyor and civil engineer who worked for Virginia Chemicals before he owned a cotton gin and a sawmill that later became Kirk Lumber Company.

Kirk was interning at Walter Reed Hospital when Pearl Harbor was attacked. “I finished my internship at 5 p.m. and was in the army at 8 a.m.,” he said.

He served with the 7th Army supporting the 82nd Airborne in Europe and also treated survivors of the Ludwiglust concentration camp in Germany.

After the war he finished his residency in orthopedics (“I’d always liked working with wood and could fix a bone as well as anyone,” he said) and married Marie.

In 1951 he opened the first orthopedic practice in Portsmouth. Two years later he drew plans and built the house he lives in now off Garland Road in Churchland.

“The roads were paved, but it was only the fourth house in the neighborhood. It was a good place for kids to grow up,” he said. “But most of the neighbors came and went.”

His son, Russell Kirk, said, “When I was a little kid, my dad got on a kick that there weren’t enough signs pointing the way to Portsmouth. So every Sunday we’d drive a hundred miles or more looking for good places for signs. That sign on Route 17 outside of Fredericksburg that says 112 miles to Portsmouth? Thanks to my Dad.” Arthur Kirk volunteered with the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament and was a team doctor for both Wilson and Churchland High Schools. He also co-founded the Kirk-Cone Rehabilitation Center for Children in 1954 and volunteered for medical missions to Afghanistan. He retired from practice when he was 79. Later in life Dr. Kirk discovered gems, collecting and cutting them. He said some of his surgical skills—a steady hand and attention to detail—were helpful, but “You can take your time with stones—you have to finish fixing a broken hip right away.”

Dr. Arthur A. Kirk. Images by Sheally

Dr. Arthur and Marie Kirk

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