Saving Lives, Making Friends: The Flying Physician Who Kept His Promise To Tangier Island

32.3 miles from Mathews across the Chesapeake Bay lies the island of Tangier. More than two-thirds of it has become submerged since 1850, and it is estimated that the encroaching waters of the Bay could drown it completely within a few decades. Those who are familiar with the history and people of the Island note that this daunting future has not dampened the spirits of its residents.

Among those documenting this courageous story is Richmond Times Dispatch feature writer, Bill Lohmann, whose most recently published work, DR COPTR, contains the story of the flying physician, Dr. David Nichols, who flew from his office in White Stone each week to serve the people of Tangier. Lohmann’s story evolved through a close relationship that developed over the span of writing the story, both with Dr. Nichols and his family following the death of the beloved and revered physician.