RealChoice: May 25, 1928: Precursor to More Deaths to Follow

Monday, May 25, 2026

May 25, 1928: Precursor to More Deaths to Follow

Dr. Guy E. Brewer

Dr. Guy E. Brewer was a 1906 graduate of the University of Louisville Medical School. He had practiced medicine in Garber, Oklahoma, for 21 of his 29 years as a physician. Widely regarded as a philanthropist, he supported young men through their university studies by providing housing for them.

While Brewer helped those young men build brighter futures, at least six young women lost their futures under his care.

The first known women to suffer the downside of Dr. Brewer's philanthropy was 23-year-old Elizabeth Shaw of Roxana, Oklahoma. On May 25, 1928, Elizabeth died after an abortion performed by Brewer.

Elizabeth appears to have been the first of at least six women who died following abortions performed by Brewer. The others were:

Ruby Ford, a 26-year-old homemaker, who died on April 1, 1934
Hermoine Fowler, a 20-year-old coed, who died Jun 27, 1934
Doris Jones, a 20-year-old mother of two, who died April 11, 1935
Wanda Lee Gray, age 20, who died April 9, 1935
Myrtle Helen Rose, age 21, who died December 23, 1931

When given the choice between supporting the young men Brewer had helped and seeking justice for the women he had killed, the Garber community made a clear choice in favor of the young men. Brewer's local influence was so strong that the husband of one of his abortion patients was reportedly fired from his job after notifying police of his wife’s death.

Brewer entered guilty pleas and was sentenced to six four-year sentences, to run concurrently, for the six abortion deaths. That's a mere 8 months in prison -- shorter than the length of a pregnancy -- for each woman who lost her life at his hands.

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