JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. – Johnson City Medical Center’s laboratory team won’t be the same without Robert Cross, who retired after 56 years of service – with a team member ID number of 9. He ranked as the fourth-longest-serving team member across Ballad Health.
He began his career as a medical technician at Johnson City Memorial Hospital in October 1963, after a short stint Emanuel County Memorial Hospital in Swainsboro, Georgia. JC Memorial later became Johnson City Medical Center, and he moved to the new facility.
A graduate of Dell School of Medical Technology in Asheville, N.C., Robert later obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in health education from East Tennessee State University in 1971.
One of his most memorable stories during his tenure at JCMC revolves around John Melton, former CEO of hospital. Melton used to make rounds down to the lab and often spoke with Robert. He called one day and asked Robert if he knew any log cabins he could photograph. Robert was excited to share the location of his birthplace. This picture is still displayed on the third floor today.
One day when Robert was upstairs looking at the picture, a visitor walked up beside him and said, “Can you imagine living there?” Robert replied, “Yes, I can, and you see that log right there? I was born right behind it.”
Robert has seen a lot of changes in the laboratory throughout five-plus decades, recalling the days when mouth pipetting was standard practice as well as using tilt tube to identify clotting time in coagulation tests. His knowledge and laboratory skills are unmatched in coagulation, cell identification and instrument troubleshooting. He will be sorely missed by his co-workers because they will no longer be able to call on his knowledge. Robert has been in the field so long he can even take a tube of blood and, with remarkable accuracy, tell what the hemoglobin is just by tilting the tube back and forth.
Robert has enjoyed sharing his passion in hematology, specifically coagulation, where he has been the guru of second shift for many years. He has been involved in training multiple team members.
JCMC laboratory is losing a wonderful asset and a wealth of knowledge. He will be missed, but we congratulate Robert and wish him a very happy retirement!
