Col. Irving Wallace Rand Biography - 1

Colonel Irving Wallace Rand (1866 - 1944)

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Dr. Irving Wallace Rand (1866 – 1944) was raised in Portsmouth, NH, where his family had lived since before the Revolutionary War.  

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Rand served as a surgeon and administrator in the Army Medical Corps at bases in both the US and abroad. In 1899, he served as the Executive Officer of a Manilla Hospital during the Philippine occupation. In 1900, he was chosen by General McArthur to command the US Army hospital in Nagasaki, Japan.

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In January 1918, Rand was placed in command of the base hospital at Camp Travis Texas, “in the throes of a measles and mumps epidemic”.  By October 1918, the Spanish Flu pandemic had spread to Camp Travis; he was commended by Texas Governor Hobby “for his success and unflagging devotion to duty during the pneumonia and influenza epidemics.” His staff treated over 50,000 patients from January until the November Armistice.

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In December 1918, Col Rand's staff presented him with a 14K gold Gruen ("Watch Specialties") wrist watch, engraved "Presented To  Col. I. W. Rand ~ by ~ Officers ~ Base Hs'Pl ~ Camp Travis ~ 1918"