HOISINGTON — Avid outdoorsmen, hunter and photographer, Dr. Dan Witt of Hoisington has announced that he will retire from his job after 38 years as a urologist. He will devote himself full-time to his first three hobbies.

Like he does with all of his interests, Dr. Witt threw himself into the doctoring profession, continuing long after many his age had retired. However, the cost of being in practice no longer exceeded the benefits, and Doc decided it was time. He and his wife will continue to live in Hoisington in between travel.

The primary reason that the Witts came to Hoisington 21 years ago, was so that Doc could hunt and fish at Cheyenne Bottoms. Having grown up in Broom, Texas, hunting and fishing with his dad, he wanted to be closer to the outdoors.

"I turned 50 and couldn’t grow a pony tail," Witt said laughing. So, he came to Hoisington.

The healing profession was a tradition with the Witts. "My father was a doc and practiced 42 years," said Witt. Dr. John L. Witt was a doctor of the old-fashioned variety, and did about every kind of medicine from delivering babies to other surgeries.

The younger Witt was inspired by his father, and began assisting him in surgery in the late 1940s. "From five years old, I knew I wanted to be a doctor," said Dr. Dan. " My old man was smart, kind and fun. He was good at what he did. I admired him."

Dr. Dan admired his father so much, he chose to do his medical rotations with him while in med school.

The small town boy from Broom, Texas became the only southern boy to learned urologic surgery at Cherry Hill Medical Center in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. Dr. Witt was then offered a teaching appointment at the University of Health Sciences in Urology in Kansas City. The Witts moved to Hoisington in 1990.

"I would like to thank all the docs who referred patients, and most of all, I would like to thank the patients who trusted us with their care," he said. "It has been a happy journey."

The distance between the patient and the doctor has become too large, Dr. Witt said. "I remember when I worked for the patient. Patients are depersonalized." And so, Nov. 1 will mark the official day of Dr. Witt’s retirement from medicine - and his labor of love.

A public reception will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 18 at Central Kansas Urology, 353 W. 10th St. in Hoisington.