On this day in 1992, the Dakota Clinic and Hospital in Fargo celebrated Dr. Blaine Amidon’s 50 years as an OB-GYN. The celebrated doctor had delivered an estimated 18,000 babies during his long career.
Dr. Amidon was a legend in Fargo, known as a war hero, healthcare leader, fencing champion, and the builder of a spectacular midcentury modern home. But he was a modest man, always saying his patients were the true heroes in the delivery room.
Dr. Amidon grew up in East Syracuse, New York. He received his medical degree from Syracuse University in 1942 and began his career in New York City. After completing his internship, he joined the Army and served in the Army Medical Corps.
He was among the American soldiers who landed on Normandy Beach on D-Day.
A few days later, the drama of war took a different turn. A French farmer approached Dr. Amidon’s camp in a panic, his wife was in labor. Dr. Amidon rushed to the farmer’s home and delivered a healthy baby, named Virginie, after Dr. Amidon’s wife, Virginia.
Fortunately, home delivery was a requirement when he was in medical school from 1938 to 1942 but Dr. Amidon later said he was relieved that this D-Day baby was the last home birth he ever performed.
He moved to Fargo in 1950, drawn by his dislike of hot weather and his desire to practice medicine with a group. The Dakota Clinic offered just what he was looking for.
Dr. Amidon’s career quickly took off. He was one of the founding physicians of Dakota Hospital in 1964 and later served as chief of staff. He also led the North Dakota Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, chaired the state’s Maternal Mortality Committee, and taught at the University of North Dakota’s medical school.
In 1984, the Dakota Clinic honored him by naming its new perinatal birthing suite after him. His humility shone through in moments like the time a woman told him he was a hero for delivering her baby. He responded, “I didn’t do anything, YOU did all the work.”
Outside of work, Dr. Amidon took up fencing, and in 1962, he won North Dakota’s foil championship.
In 1959, his wife designed a striking midcentury modern home with high vaulted ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows. It's still known in Fargo as the “Dr. Amidon House.”
Dr. Amidon retired in 1994 and passed away in 1997. One patient remembered him simply as “a nice man, a modest man, a good doctor, and a good friend to all moms and babies.”
Dakota Datebook by Trista Raezer-Stursa
Sources:
- Author Unknown. “Blaine F. Amidon, M.D.,” The Fargo Forum, March 30, 1997, pg. F3.
- Brant, Marilynn. “A modest Man, a Good Doctor,” The Fargo Forum, September 21, 1992, pg. A4.
- Briggs, Tracy. “He Delivered a Baby at D-Day,” The Fargo Forum, August 30, 2023, pgs. B8-B9.
- Mauk, Cathy. “Dr. Blaine F. Amidon: After 43 Years of Obstetrics, New Life Still Brings Him a Thrill,” The Fargo Forum, July 16, 1984, pg. A6.
- Springer, Patrick. “Fargo Doctor Delivers 18,000 Babies During Past 50 Years,” The Fargo Forum, August 26, 1992, pg. C1.
