NOLIE MUMEY PAPERS

Nolie Mumey was born February 8, 1891 in Shreveport, Louisiana, the son of French parents, Mitchell and Mary S. Mumey. Mitchell Mumey, a veterinarian, served with the French Foreign Legion in Beirut, Lebanon, before emigrating to Quebec, Canada. The family name, Mumoux, became Mumey shortly after the family's move to the United States. The Mumey family moved from Shreveport to Joplin, Missouri and then to Jenny Lind, Arkansas, where Mumey grew up the oldest of five children. Though his mother hoped he would become a priest, Mumey showed an early interest in medicine. By eighth grade, for example, he could name all of the bones in the human body. Mumey graduated from the University of Arkansas School of Medicine in 1916. He interned at City Hospital in Little Rock and then enlisted in the Army, where he attended the Army's neuro-surgery school in Chicago. Mumey served eighteen months in France during World War I. Prior to deploying to Europe, he married his college sweetheart, Viola Lee on February 23, 1918. Following his discharge on April 22, 1919, Mumey returned to the U.S. to discover that his wife suffered from tuberculosis. Seeking a better climate, the couple moved to Grenville, New Mexico, where Mumey practiced medicine from 1921 to 1924. When his wife's health improved, Mumey moved east where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Pennsylvania. Moving to Denver, Colorado, Mumey studied at the University of Denver and began his surgical practice. He joined the Colorado Meical Society in 1924 and eventually became the society's oldest and longest-term member. He joined the medical staff at Denver's Preysbyterian Hospital in 1926 and remained on staff seeing patients until his death at age 92.

With his formal education completed, Mumie developed an intense interest in Western history. One of his favorite anecdotes involved his inability to provide directions to Denver's downtown post office. This proved to be such an embarrassment, Mumey vowed to learn everything there was to know about Denver. In the process, he wrote nearly 100 books, many of which were devoted to Western history and medical topics. Twenty-nine of Mumey's books were volumes of poetry. In addition to interests in woodworking, jewelry making, coin collecting and book binding, Mumie was a licensed pilot with over 2,600 flying hours, and he served as flight surgeon for the 120th Observation Squadron of the Colorado National Guard. Mumey taught numerous classes and was in constant demand as a speaker and lecturer.

Mumey's wife, Viola, died in Denver in 1942. On June 16, 1943, Mumey married Ruth Hanrahan in Denver. She died October 5, 1979 following an automobile accident, in which Mumey was also seriously injured. On September 13, 1980 Mumey married Norma Flynn, his longtime literary assistant.

Mumey served as chairman of Denver's 1953 Easter Seals Campaign. In 1956, he temporarily suspended his surgical practice to serve as medical director for the Red Cross at a Hungarian refugee camp near Salzburg, Austria. As a member of countless organizations, Mumey served on the Boards of Directors for many of them. Colorado Governor, Richard Lamm, proclaimed May 28, 1978 to be Nolie Mumey Day. Mumey always attributed his ability to accomplish so much to the fact that he allowed himself no more than four or five hours sleep each night.

Mumey passed away January 22,1984 in Denver, Colorado.