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BCMS – TOGETHER
WE STAND

Dr. Voltz and wife enjoying the Auto
Show event and the Elvis Impersonator

Dolph Briscoe; San Antonio Mayor, Lila Cockrell and the Executive staff, a couple of years before he ran for US President. The Cancer Ther-
Director of BCMS was Sidney E. “Sid” Cockrell, Jr. apy and Research Center was opened in 1974. We have seen so much
Dr. Voltz was born in Pittsburgh, moved to Tennessee when he was working with a medical oncologist on what we can do for a patient and
seven years old and attended the University of Tennessee. He earned the combinations of therapy. With the newer machines and computers,
his medical degree at 22 years of age. Dr. Voltz came to Texas in 1959 we could better localize a tumor and therapy. We saw nuclear medicine
just out of residency. He joined the group at Christus Santa Rosa Hos- go from a tiny Geiger counter to a big stress test machine. Radiology
pital (CSR). His specialty was diagnostic radiology but also had a cer- has changed so much. Dr. Voltz said that he has an aortic graph, hip
tificate in nuclear medicine. As a physician, looking back, one of the replacement, hearing aids, stints, upper plates, and takes about eight
biggest hurdles was the change in separate billing. “The original way meds. “People like me shouldn’t be 93 years old. When I was growing
was that the hospital would bill and the physicians would get a percentage. up anyone that was 65 was old. I am alive because of the innovations
Patients were not use to getting a bill from the doctor. This was a big nui- in medicine. Medicine keeps us all running.”
sance because we then needed to provide collections for our services which Dr. Voltz message to future physicians and membership, “Pledge us
took more time away from patient care.” your time and your talents. Keep involved. The difficult can easily be
While in office, Dr. Voltz was able to get the administrators of all accomplished. The impossible will take a little longer.”
the hospitals to come to his house to start a blood bank. He said they
would have their administration meeting, watch TV, chat all while giv- References
ing blood. He said the funny part is that he often passed out during 1. The Medical News, Bexar County Medical Society, Volume 28,
these meetings, because after donating the amount of blood they gave Number 3, March 1975, page 4.
you were supposed to rest. At that time, he was the youngest BCMS 2. The Medical News, Bexar County Medical Society, Volume 28,
President and thought he was “good”. There were other doctors that Number 7, July 1975 page 3
passed out ending the home blood drive meetings. 3. Texas Medicine Volume 73, July 1977
Dr. Voltz acknowledged the BCMS programs and presentations that 4 The Medical News, Bexar County Medical Society, Volume 28,
occurred every week on different studies such as cancer, prostate, medical Number 5, May 1975 page 3
school scientific tests, estrogen positive or negative and so many more.
They were informative, educational and a way to socialize with your peers. Monica Jones, BCMS Chief Operating Officer
How has medicine changed through the years? “As far as the thera-
pies go, all we had was the old x-ray machine, and everyone said it
burned them. If you got the right treatment, you got a reaction. In the
years to come we got a Cobalt unit in the radiation center at CSR. The
dedication of this very expensive, revolutionary advanced radiotherapy
machine was done by Ronald Reagan. Former President Reagan was
the spokesman for GE and spoke to the CSR radiologist specialist and

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