By Gary Norman / Special to Mineral Wells Area News
Ladonna Tuggle reflects on five decades of service, growth, and loyalty at Palo Pinto General Hospital.
MINERAL WELLS, Texas — In 1975, gasoline cost 53 cents a gallon, Jaws was the highest-grossing movie of the year, and “Love Will Keep Us Together” by The Captain and Tennille topped the charts.
That same year, 18-year-old Ladonna Tuggle walked through the doors of Palo Pinto General Hospital and began what would become a 50-year career.
“Time has just gone by so fast,” Tuggle said. “I know it’s a long time, but it doesn’t feel like it has been a long time. One day I was eighteen, and the next day I was sixty-eight.”
Born in Wichita Falls, Tuggle moved to the Possum Kingdom Lake area at age 12. She attended middle school in Graford and graduated from Graham High School. After marrying, she settled in Mineral Wells.
“I married young, and my dad made this man promise I would not live there,” she said. “He said, ‘I know she will end up working and I do not want her to travel’ from Possum Kingdom to wherever it is that she is going to work’.”
Following a suggestion from a family friend, Tuggle applied for a position at the hospital. She was hired March 13, 1975, to work in the insurance section of the accounting department, specializing in Medicare claims.
“I loved it,” she said. But after 17 years, her supervisor told her she would be taking over payroll.
“I said, ‘I don’t know anything about doing payroll,’ and he said, ‘You’ll learn,’ and I was the payroll person.”
Tuggle recalled early days when hospital staff were cross-trained and often stepped into other roles. She considered becoming an emergency room nurse—until she helped assist families during a multi-vehicle crash.
“Participating in that experience first-hand convinced me to remain in my financial role,” she said.
Eventually, she was tasked with handling accounts payable in addition to payroll.
“I am a hands-on learner,” she said. “Once I figure out a system, I’m good, and that’s the way I’ve always been.”
In 1992, she was promoted to controller, overseeing all accounting functions for the hospital—her current role.
“I had some very, very good people teaching me everything,” she said. “The CFO at that time was Carl Hollingsworth. He would sit me down and say, ‘Ladonna, stop and think about it,’ and we would sit there and talk it out.”
“He was very much a mentor. He’s the one that threw me into everything I ever got into, and he didn’t ever ask me to do it. It was ‘You’re doing it’.”
Asked who else mentored her, she named Nona Ellis.
“I didn’t even know what an insurance premium was. She raised me. She was tough and not tough at the same time,” she said.
“She was really smart about insurance and she helped the public a lot back fiftyish years ago. We weren’t friends until much later in my work experience, and probably better friends after I left the department. She was just a wonderful person who gave me an opportunity and I tried to do my best with it.”
When asked her favorite part of the job, Tuggle said it’s the satisfaction of problem-solving.
“I feel like I know what I am doing. I’m comfortable. I like the challenge, too. When I’m off a penny, I can’t turn loose of it. I hunt and hunt, and I look until I find it. I don’t give up,” she said. “As a taxing entity, I don’t have the liberty to write off anything. My job is to find that penny.”
She called her current role her favorite job at the hospital.
“I have really enjoyed this position,” she said. “I’m a little more involved with what matters. You know, it all matters, but you just feel more a part of the decision making.”
“My kids were here. I didn’t want to be on the road for two hours a day. My fear was one of them would be hurt or sick and I needed to get back here,” she said.
“And then my parents moved here and they were elderly. At that point, I couldn’t leave because they were here. And I didn’t really want to leave, or I would have left. People threw money at me anyway. But there are other things to consider other than money.”
She has no immediate plans to retire but expects to do so within a few years.
“I don’t know [what I’ll do],” she said. “I think that’s the reason I keep saying I’ll retire in two or three years, because I have no clue. I’m going to find something.”
“If not, I may volunteer at the hospital or, if they allow it, I may do some consulting work. If they get in a crunch, maybe they can bring me back in for relief. I don’t want to sit at home.”
Tuggle has two daughters raised in Mineral Wells—one is an accountant and the other owns a restaurant and brewery. She has three granddaughters and enjoys reading and attending youth league soccer games.
“Ladonna represents the very best of what PPGH stands for—commitment, excellence, and heart,” said Ross Korkmas, CEO of Palo Pinto General Hospital. “Fifty years of service is more than a milestone; it’s a testament to her incredible impact on our hospital and everyone who’s had the privilege to work with her.”
“You have to admire anyone who has shown the dedication and commitment it takes to work at your trade, in the same place, for 50 years,” said William Whiddon, CFO of Palo Pinto General Hospital.
“As a veteran of the hospital business for 42 years myself, I can testify to the fast pace and the constantly changing rules we operate under; you have to be flexible and you never stop learning.
“Ladonna has encountered all of the challenges and changes required of her at PPGH for 5 decades. Through the years, she has adapted to a lot of different supervisors, men and women, who all want it done a different way.
“She has adapted to the ever-changing Federal government rules for reimbursement of hospitals, especially those unique to a rural Texas hospital.
“The depth of Ladonna’s experience and knowledge in accounting for hospitals is a huge asset for PPGH, and I hope she continues her contributions. She is the definition of loyalty and dedication and is a great example for any employee. Congratulations, Ladonna! I wish you many more!”