17 December 1910 – 19 November 1997

Gladys Welch was born at the family ranch near Bandara, TX. When she was 16 years old, her mother and father were killed in a carriage accident. Gladys became the ward of her maternal Aunt Nancy and Colonel William Faulkner. He was from Virginia and a veteran of the Spanish-American War. They had no children and raised Gladys like a princess.

Gladys was pretty, fun loving, and smart. She graduated from high school at the age of 16. At about the same time Gladys developed sever thyroitoxicosis and underwent a thyroidectomy done by Major Raymond Bliss—who later became the Army Surgeon General.

Gladys went to live with an aunt in California to study pre-med but was so depleted by the thyroid disease that she had to give up and returned to Uncle Bill & Aunt Nancy. She went to business school and obtained a job with the Otis Elevator Co. When she received her first paycheck she made a down payment on her camphor chest. It was her Hope Chest.

Mrs. Simpson was “instrumental in establishing the tumor registry at Brooke Army Medical Center, in 1947. She was the first tumor registrar and helped other registries in the area get started. She was awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Award for her dedicated and loyal work on behalf of cancer registration in the Army.”

From the Fort Sam Houston News Leader November 20, 1997

Portrait dedicated to honor BAMC’s first cancer registrar

The Brooke Army Medical Center Cancer Registry is observing its 50th anniversary this year. It is the oldest cancer registry in San Antonio, as well as the Department of Defense, and is the central part of BAMC’s nationally accredited cancer program. We recently honored the person who was instrumental in establishing the tumor registry in 1947.

Mrs. John W. Simpson, the former Gladys Krukowski, was BAMC’s first tumor registrar and helped other registries in the area get started. She was awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Award for her dedicated and loyal work on behalf of cancer registration in the Army.

Mrs. Simpson passed away last year, and in her memory, her husband, retired Col. John W. Simpson, donated an oil portrait of her to Brooke Army Medical Center. Dr. Simpson himself is well known ad respected in the military medical community for his many years of obstetrics and gynecology practice.

To the numerous physicians he trained and mentored, he is known as the “Father of Army Ob-Gyn.” The painting was accepted by Brig. Gen. Harold Timboe, BAMC commander, and Col Johnny Alvarez, representing the Chief of the Department of Surgery, during a recent ceremony and will be placed outside the Cancer Registry on the second floor of the hospital. Numerous friends and colleagues of Dr. Simpson ad the late Mrs. Simpson were present for the portrait dedication.

From the Fort Sam Houston News Leader, November 20, 1998.