George F. Zerzan, M. D. With his home and practice at Holyrood since 1905, Doctor Zerzan is a man of conspicuous success not only in his profession but by the rapidity with which he had accumalated important business interests. Doctor Zerzan is not yet forty and it would seem that his substantial achiovements to date predieate a splendid success as the form of his life’s activities.
Doctor Zerzan was born at Schuyler, Nebraska, August 23, 1878. He is of Bohemian parentage and ancestry. His grandfather, Joseph Zerzan, was born in Bohemia in 1818, served his time in the Bohemian army, was a tailor by trade, and in 1851 brought his family to America and settled at Cedar Rapids, Lows, where he continued to follow his trade until his death in 1888. His son, Joseph Zerzan, father of Doctor Zerzan, was born in Bohemis, Austria, in 1849, and was three years of age when his parents brought him to America. He grew up and married at Cedar Rapids, Iowa, moved from there to Omaha and later to Schuyler, Nebraska, and in that town was a hardware merehant and afterwards in the real estate and insurance business. He died at Schuyler in 1915. He gave much time to the two great fraternal orders, the Modern Woodmen of America and Ancient Order of United Workmen. He traveled as an organizer for these fraternities quite extensively, and established the Bohemian Branch of the Modern Woodmen of America. He was actively affiliated with these fraternities and also with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Knights of Pythias and C. S. P. S. He and his family were devout Catholies. Joseph Zerzan married Mary Shonka, who was born in Bohemia in 1853 and is still living at Schuyler, Nebraska. Their children have become well established in homes and honorable positions. Josephine, the oldest, is the wife of Charles J. Safarik, a druggist at Schuyler, Nebraska; Mamie married M. J. Bouse, now county clerk at David City, Nebraska; Emma is the wife of L. Stopka, a resident of Chicago, where he is connected with the Commonwealth Edison Electrie Company; Ed is manager of the Farmers Grain Company at Schuyler, Nebraska; the fifth in age is Doctor Zerzan; Charles, the youngest, is now captain in the United States Reserves and had entire charge of the defenses at San Francisco, California.
Doctor Zerzan secured his early education in the public schools of Schuyler, Nebraska, finishing the junior year in the high school in 1895. In the fall of that year he entered the University of Michigan, where he was a student in the pharmacy department until June, 1896, and in 1897 completed his course in the school of pharmacy of Northwestern University at Chicago. Thus he is a skilled pharmacist as well as a physician. In the fall of 1897 Doctor Zerzan entered Rush Medical College of Chicago and completed the course and received the degree Doctor of Medicine in June, 1900. He had grown and kept in close touch with medicine ever since. In 1904 he attended the Chicago Post-Graduate School of Medicine and in July, 1916, pursued another post-graduate course in Harvard University Medical School at Boston.
From September, 1900, to July, 1905, Doctor Zerzan practiced at Milligan, Nebraska, and since July, 1905, had been located at Holyrood, Kansas, where he is the leading physician and surgeon of a large community. He owned his residence and offices on Barbeck Street and also had 160 acres of farm land in Oklahoma. Doctor Zerzan is city health offieer at Holyrood, is local surgeon for the Santa Fe Railway Company and is a member of the Ellsworth County Medical Society, the State Medical Society and the American Medical Association.
His extended business interests are represented as a stockholder in the Aetna Building and Loan Association at Topeka, the Farmers and Bankers Insurance Company at Wichita, the Jones Motor Company at Wichita, the Sterling Oil Company of Wichita, the Wichita Independent and Consoldated Company, the Combination Oil and Gas Company of Wichite, the Kramer Oil Company of Wichita and the Uncle Sam Oil Company of Kansas City, Kansas. He is also the local treasurer for the Aetna Building and Loan Association of Topeka.
Politically Doctor Zerzan is a demceret. Besides other local offices he had served as a member of the local school board at Holyrood. He is present consul of Holyrood Camp No. 1696, Modern Woodmen of America, a member of Great Bend Lodge No. 1127, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of Bohemian Lodge, Z. C. B. J., at Holyrood and had been treasurer for a number of years of Holyrood Lodge No. 343, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons.
Doctor Zerzan married at Milligan, Nebraska, January 28, 1902, Miss Julia Hromadka, daughter of John and Anna (Kral) Hromadka. Her parents live on a farm near Milligan. Doctor and Mrs. Zerzan have two bright young children, Georgia, born January 1, 1903, and Helen, born March 17, 1906.