Drs. Hughes, Davis celebrate 30th year
Physicians have also hosted Christmas party for senior patients the last 14 years
Village of Sussex — Since late 1980, a constant in Sussex has been the presence of Drs. Terrance Hughes and James Davis. They came to Sussex as a pair and opened up in central downtown Sussex a block east of the Sussex community hall in the Sussex Professional Building. They stayed there until they took over a Sussex-Lisbon antique, the 1866 former Lisbon Town Hall, a block west of Maple Avenue and Main Street.
They were in their mid-20s when they first came to Sussex. In 1987-88 the doctor's office at the Sussex Professional Building was becoming too small and the pair looked for an alternate site. They were both into the history of the community and soon acquired the 30 by 40 foot, then 122-year-old former Lisbon Town Hall.
They had University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee architects Harvey Rabinowitz and Jeffrey Ollswang produce a Sussex jewel. The renovated historic building was made into their Sussex Family Practice office, waiting room and clinic that has now evolved into the Wheaton Franciscan Medical Group Sussex branch.
The grand opening was held on July 10, 1988, and as time marches on 14 years later, the doctors came up with the idea of having a Christmas party for their senior citizen patients.
In 1997, they collected a waiting room banquet event for about three dozen senior citizens. The youngest attending was around 65, but most invited were in their late 90s and some were even 100 years or older. Needless to say there was a lot of white hair and good appetites coming from those who received invitations. The staff acted like hosts and the doctors mingled with the guests. This year, no less than 43 senior citizens came to Friday's luncheon and enjoyed light music and a dessert.
Hughes acted as emcee and told of the business' 30 years and also of the last 14 hosting the Christmas party. He said that 14 years ago the two thought it would be nice to have their longtime senior citizen patients over for a Christmastime dinner and a little entertainment in the waiting room. He then pointed to Paul LeTendre saying, "Paul has been with us all 30 years and maybe has attended all 14 of these meals."
This caused LeTendre to pipe up saying, "I have a very complicated medical problem and I keep coming here to find out what it is and take care of it … but whatever it is, I still got it," he joked. LaTendre thanked the doctors for their long devotion to his care.
When the practice first opened there was an original display of historic photographs of historic Sussex on the walls. It has become a habit of longtime patients to bring forward more old photos of days gone by and create a nostalgic trip on the walls for all to enjoy.