STATES 90th

Newton H. States, known to his friends as “Newt,” is 90 years young. Through the years he has been a driving force in both health care innovation and the local church.

Newt was born on Feb. 5, 1928. When he was young, his father passed away and he survived illness. But he thrived and became independent at a young age working in various occupations.

In 1946, when he was 18, he met and married the lovely Esther Pack. During the next several years they had four sons.

He enrolled in college in 1959, without having completed high school, and graduated in 1961 as a registered nurse.

He worked in Boise, then Challis, Idaho. In 1963 he took employment at the Caldwell Memorial Hospital as an instructor and created several departments. He also launched Idaho’s first hospital-based home care service and was appointed director of nursing services. He was appointed as an associate administrator in 1965 and was instrumental in the establishment of the Idaho Commission on Nursing Education.

On his 40th birthday he applied for the position of administrator of the Walter Knox Memorial Hospital in Emmett, Idaho. He got the job and served there for 25 years until his retirement in 1993.

Community service has been a big part of Newt’s life. A number of local groups have benefited from his administrative abilities including the Community Service Optimist Club, Hospital Association Board of Directors, Kiwanis Club, the Southwest Idaho Conference of Hospital Administrators and the Southwest District Health Department.

Newt and his sons helped build the new Emmett Church, which was completed in 1972. He has served as an elder for many years and even now is an honorary elder. He and Esther have a strong commitment to spreading the gospel. For 15 years Newt has written a devotional column for the local newspaper, providing more than 600 articles.

Newt’s family includes Tim and Nancy of Payette, Idaho; George and Mary of Emmett, Idaho; Newton Jr. and Karen of Sandpoint, Idaho; Thomas of McCall, Idaho; 10 grandchildren and, at last count, 27 great-grandchildren.