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Dr. Frank Maddox recently retired after serving the community for 42 years at Three Notch Medical Center and sold the medical practice to Dr. Corbin Ferguson.

Maddox bought rights to the practice from Dr. Don Perry in 1983.

“I am 75 years old, and it was just time to retire. It’s bittersweet but was time to walk away. For 50 years, I have known tomorrow where I’d be and what I’d be doing every day. I’m grateful of the community more than anybody will ever know,” Maddox said.

Maddox received his undergraduate degree from Auburn University and attended the University of South Alabama for his graduate studies. He completed a residency at the Medical Center in Columbus, Georgia, which was affiliated with the Medical College of Georgia and Emory University at the time.

“Don bought the practice from Dr. William Cumbie who had been here since the late 1940s and early 1950s until 1980. Dr. Perry decided he wanted to do anesthesiology, so I wound up buying the practice from him. Between Dr. Cumbie and myself, there are several families in this town that go back three to four generations who have had us as their primary physician,” he said.

Maddox was previously a retail pharmacist before he became a doctor.

“Retail pharmacists at the time were overtrained in the scientific fields and underutilized. Hospital pharmacists were much more utilized as far as their training, and I wasn’t happy doing retail pharmacy. My brother was a veterinarian, and his practice was intriguing, so I decided to go back to medical school,” Maddox said.

His retirement plans include watching his grandsons play baseball and spending time with his wife of 55 years, Teresa.

“I haven’t been able to see my grandboys play baseball that much. I would like to see them grow up and be a little more involved in their lives. I also hope to spend time with Teresa, fish, garden, woodwork, and find some hobbies,” he said.

Maddox and Ferguson signed paperwork and finalized the sale of Three Notch Medical Center on Wednesday, Feb. 19. Ferguson has been at the practice since June 2024.

“It was challenging to find someone who wanted to be his own boss. Most people getting out of residency want to work for somebody and don’t want to be responsible for running a business. Dr. Ferguson had some experience in business before medical school and wanted to be an independent entrepreneur. I think he will be happy here. The patients have accepted him quite well, and he has a really good staff of solid nurse practitioners. The transition has been smooth, and patients won’t miss a beat going forward,” Maddox said.

He described his staff as being “patient-centric” and wanting the best for their patients.

“Presently, we have the best staff ever. The nurse practitioners are really solid medically. I never hear a lot about ‘me, me, me’ but hear more of what’s best for the patients and what’s best for the practice. It’s fun to come to work with people like that, and I’ll miss them,” Maddox said.

Maddox expressed gratitude to all of his patients throughout the years.

“I am appreciative of the patients who have been here, trusted us, and used us to provide their medical care. We have had the greatest patients anybody could ask for. The hardest part of quitting is seeing a lot of those people who were a joy to me. A lot of them always wear some type of Alabama apparel when they come to the office. I have never lost a minute of sleep over an Alabama-Auburn game, and we have had a lot of fun with it through the years,” he said.