Dr Harry C Helm

View Memorial Service Webcast Dr. Harry Clay Helm, 97, retired Maury County physician, died Saturday, November 12, 2011 at Maury Regional Medical Center. Family and friends will gather for visitation Thursday at 4:00 p.m. at Oakes & Nichols concluding with a memorial service at 6:00 p.m. with Rev. Mark Proctor and Rev. Wilson Henderson officiating. A graveside service will be Friday at 11:00 a.m. at Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Nashville. The family suggests memorials to Highland Park Baptist Church, 1800 Highland Avenue, Columbia 38401. Notes of sympathy may be sent to www.oakesandnichols.com. Born June 13, 1914, he was the 13th child of the late Dr. William Boyd Helm and Cornelia Bales Helm of White Pine, Tennessee. He received a B. S. degree from Carson-Newman College in Jefferson City, Tennessee in 1935 and an M. D. degree from Vanderbilt University Medical School in 1940. After completing a rotating internship at Norfolk General Hospital in June, 1940, he was commissioned as a medical officer in the United States Naval Reserve. He acted as a surgical resident at the General Hospital in Greenville, South Carolina until called to active duty in November, 1941. He was sent to the U. S. Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida School of Aviation Medicine and completed flight training in open bi-planes known as "Yellow Perils" during the winter of 1941-1942. A "last chance" emergency leave was offered during the 1941 Christmas season. Dr. Helm received a three-day pass and on December 26th, he married the former Jean Lindsay Ewing of Nashville. Mrs. Helm died March 21, 1985. Dr. Helm served aboard the USS Wolverine on Lake Michigan, a converted coal-burning, hand-fired, side-wheeled aircraft-carrier used as a training ship. He was the only physician on the carrier for 43,000 aircraft landings. In 1944, he was transferred to Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands in the South Pacific and served with several Marine and Naval Air Squadrons ending the year in American Samoa. He was re-assigned for another tour of combat duty on Saipan in the Marianna Islands. Dr. Helm was a flight surgeon aboard the carrier USS Yorktown when World War II ended. In 1945-1946, he served as senior medical officer, U. S. Naval Air Station, Memphis, Tennessee and was discharged from active duty in March, 1946. He began private practice in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, but accepted an appointment as surgical resident at Thayer Veterans Hospital (staffed by Vanderbilt Medical School at that time) from 1947-1948. He returned to Oak Ridge where he remained until August, 1951 when he moved to Columbia, Tennessee and as a member of the medical staff of King's Daughters' Hospital. Dr. Charles Walton of Mt. Pleasant, accompanied by Dr. Helm, appeared before a State Legislative Committee and successfully obtained Hill-Burton Funds to be allocated to establish the Maury County Hospital. Throughout his career he made 17 medical mission trips to Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, administering inoculations for measles, polio, and tuberculosis. Trains fascinated Dr. Helm his entire life and he enjoyed working with and collecting Lionel Model Trains. He spent many years seeking restored steam engines and enjoyed traveling on both narrow gauge and regular trains. Dr. Helm retired from active medical practice in January, 1987 after serving the medical needs of Maury County for 36 years. He was a faithful member of Highland Park Baptist Church. Survivors include his wife, Marie Lemoine Gipe Helm of Columbia; four children, Anne Helm (Virginia Thibeaux) Towler of Novato, California; Clay (Wilma) Helm of Rocky Mount, North Carolina; John (Gail) Helm of Holland, Michigan; and Martha Helm (Mike) Redding of Columbia; four grandchildren, Dr. Edith Towler (Steve) Zemanick of Denver, Colorado; Elin Towler of Denver, Colorado; Nicholas Helm of Raleigh, North Carolina; Jeffrey Helm of Holland, Michigan; two step-children, Timothy (Pam) Gipe of Alexandria, Louisiana and Rosehn (Barry) Gipe of Albany, New York; and three great-grandchildren, Casey Zemanick, Benjamin Zemanick, and Brody Zemanick.