As the son of an agronomist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Ozark, Alabama, pediatrician Tommy Amason developed an early love of gardening and respect for hard work. For his sixth-grade science project, Amason grafted a pecan scion onto a hickory tree. He had a pecan harvest within one year. With his interest in science solidified, he decided on a career in medicine. He attended Auburn University on a music scholarship, playing brass in the marching band, and graduated in 1962.
Two career-related experiences helped Amason realize how much he loved working with children. "I wanted to get adjusted to Birmingham before med school," he said. "My father was friends with Dr. Jim Hicks, who arranged for me to work in the operating and emergency rooms of Children's Hospital, in exchange for a bed in the staff quarters and meals from the cafeteria." Then, between his second and third years of medical school, Amason served as camp doctor for the Children's Fresh Air Farm, run by Independent Presbyterian Church, under the direction of pediatrician Hughes Kennedy. Upon graduation from the Medical College of Alabama, he began his residency at Children's Hospital of Alabama.
Soon after marrying Yates Middleton in 1968, his training was interrupted by the Vietnam War. To fulfill his military duty, he served two years in the U.S. Navy as the doctor on a nuclear submarine, based out of Charleston, South Carolina. "We spent ninety days on the sub and ninety days on land before starting the cycle all over again. When I was on the sub, Yates didn't know where I was, or specifically when I was leaving or coming back. It was an interesting time for newlyweds," he said. When he was stateside, he worked with mothers and children in pediatric clinics in Charleston. Shortly after the birth of their son, Bert, the family moved to New York for Amason's final year of residency, at Montifiore Hospital, which is part of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
In 1971, they moved back to Birmingham where he formed Mayfair Medical Group in Homewood with fellow pediatricians Harry Register, MD, Harry Bagby, MD, and Frank Waldo, MD. "We built the building, set up our practice and we're in the same place, 37 years later," Amason said. He and Yates, however, have moved a few times. "The minute we moved back, I tried to establish vignettes of Versailles in the tiny little garden of our first home," he said with a laugh. After the birth of their daughter, Caroline, in 1973, they moved to a larger home on several acres where they created such a beautiful landscape with perennials, annuals, roses, herbs, and native and aquatic plants that their garden was featured on the Birmingham Botanical Gardens' Glorious Gardens Tour and twice in Southern Living magazine. The garden editors used their yard to test new plant cultivars sent to the publication. While gardening in his spare time, Amason also joined the Botanical Garden Society, forerunner to the current Friends of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, to share his hands and knowledge with the community. "My sister and I were raised in a volunteer-oriented family. We understood that you give back," he said.
Over the years, Amason served on the Board of the American Horticultural Society based in Washington, D.C.; was president of the medical staff at Children's Hospital; and published an article on horticultural therapy for children in an Alabama pediatric publication. He and Yates moved again in 1997, and their new garden was featured on the Glorious Gardens Tour. They both attend and devote time to various committees at St. Mary's Episcopal Church. He has become increasingly active in his volunteer efforts with the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, co-chairing the 2008 Glorious Gardens Tour in May, and after years of serving on the board, will take the helm of the Friends of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens as president in January 2009.
"My goal is to achieve public awareness that the Botanical Gardens, under the umbrella of Birmingham Parks and Recreation, is in partnership with Friends, which raises the majority of operational funds," Amason said. He will oversee the budget, staff and volunteer organization of the gardens, as well as supervise the development of a master plan for improving the conservatory, Japanese garden and main entrance. As president-elect, he has spent the last year and a half with experts prioritizing long-term goals.
Whether working with children, plants or committees, Amason learned long ago the importance of contributing. "I was taught as a child that our world is made better by the efforts of everyone in it. We should all work for the betterment of others," he said.
