Bender B. Kneisley was born in Strasburg, Virginia. His father was a pharmacist, and Ben, as he was known, worked at the family drugstore throughout his years at Strasburg High School, never doubting that he was training for a future in medicine. He attended Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, and secretly hoped to be a doctor, rather than a pharmacist.
Ben switched his major to pre-med and following graduation, enrolled at the University of Pennsylvania. After graduation in 1921, he did his residency at Long Island College Hospital. After a year in the big city, he wanted to head back down south and on the way home, paid a visit to his uncle in Hagerstown, Maryland.
An older physician in Hagerstown was about to retire, but was reluctant to leave with no replacement. Now-Dr. Kneisley agreed to join the practice, and after a year, the physician retired and Dr. Kneisley stayed for the next seven years in the same office.
When a building that he’d long admired came up for sale, he leapt at the chance to obtain it. For many years, it had been the offices of Dr. J.W. Humrichouse, who was president of the Faculty in 1915.
The building eventually became both the family house as well as Dr. Kneisley’s offices, and the remainder of the building was rented out as apartments, as well.
For more than 40 years, Dr. Kneisley served as a physician in Hagerstown. He was honored as “Practitioner of the Year” in 1952. He was the President of the Washington County Medical Society in 1948 and the Medical & Chirurgical Faculty in 1954. He was the president of the Washington County Hospital staff for two terms.
Dr. Bender Balthis Kneisley died in Hagerstown on January 29, 1989.
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