Tulsa World: Blood by the gallon

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Blood by the gallon
Tulsan may be nation's most generous donor

Darwin Eaton, 87, donates his 41st gallon of blood as phlebotomist Anne Blair helps him. Eaton got started giving blood when he was credit manager for Warren Petroleum. After a while, he got into a rhythm of giving every 56 days. Stephen Pingry / Tulsa World

By KIM ARCHER World Staff Writer
Published: 11/27/2009 2:20 AM
Last Modified: 11/27/2009 4:03 AM

Tulsan Darwin Eaton may actually hold the national record for the most blood donated — giving the last pint of his 41st gallon Tuesday — and Tulsa's American Red Cross is trying to make sure that honor is bestowed on the 87-year-old man.

"I believe he is the longest consecutive donor, and I believe he's probably the top whole-blood donor in the country," said Jan Hale, communications manager for blood services' Southwest Region in Tulsa.

"But that's not really important to him. Darwin just does it because he says it's the right thing to do."

When a retired St. Louis railroad inspector was reported in September to be the record-holder, Hale said she asked Eaton offhandedly if he had any documentation of his donations. Two days later, he showed up with a stack of donor cards dating back to February 1949.

She was shocked.

"I guess what just stuns me is he has done something for 60 years so regularly," Hale said. "What I also realized is that he has been donating 18 months longer than the Guinness Book of World Records holder."

Hale is working to set the record straight with the Guinness folks. For the most part, Eaton has given a pint of whole blood every 56 days for 60 years, she said.

When asked about his donations, he deadpanned, "It's the only place I know where you get rewarded for lying down on the job."

His tiny wife, Georgia Eaton, said she would have given blood throughout the years, too, but has never weighed enough. Donors must weigh at least 110 pounds.

When Eaton first started giving in 1949, they made him lie still on a stretcher as the blood flowed through a tube into glass jars on the floor.

Harry S. Truman was president of the United States.

The New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series.

"South Pacific" opened on Broadway that year.

And Eaton and his wife had been married for five years.

"Considering my wife's father gave us six months to last, we're doing pretty good," he quipped.

Eaton got started giving blood when he was credit manager for Warren Petroleum.

"Mr. Warren sent a memo out to all the employees. He said he would give us time off and transportation if we needed it to go give blood," he said.

After a while, Eaton got into a rhythm of giving every 56 days like clockwork.

"A pint weighs a pound, and I've lost 328 pounds and you can't even tell it," he said.

A former Army Air Force pilot and instructor during World War II, Eaton is known as "Darlin' Darwin" by nurses at the Red Cross, said Clara Holderman, a Red Cross nurse for nearly 39 years.

"And he's always an easy stick," said Anne Blair, a Red Cross phlebotomist for 20 years.

The Eatons are diehard University of Oklahoma football fans and until recently were season-ticket holders. After attending the calamity that was the Boise State win over OU in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl of 2007, Eaton caught a cold and couldn't give blood right on time.

Given his stick-to-it nature, that was hard for him, Hale said.

"Just trying to get him to give today instead of Thursday was hard, because last Thursday was Day 56," she said earlier this week.

"We just want him to know how amazingly grateful we are to him."

The Red Cross' Tulsa Chapter had a rare 41st-gallon pin flown in overnight from St. Louis.

Apparently, it was the one meant for the record-holder, who is unable to give blood now due to a chronic illness, Hale said.

Eaton wants people to know they don't have to give 41 gallons to make a difference. His daughter has given five gallons.

"The first donation is just as important as Darwin's 41st gallon," Hale said.

Kim Archer 581-8315
kim.archer@tulsaworld.com By KIM ARCHER World Staff Writer

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Some reader comments for this story were copied from "Tulsa man may be record blood donor," which was published on 11/26/2009.

	Report Comment Rocketman, Tulsa (11/26/2009 8:32:47 PM) Wow! Way to go Mr. Eaton! The Red Cross sells the plasma for about $50 a unit, 8 units to the gallon, 41 gallons that should work out to about a $16,100 donation!
	Report Comment Bullhead, Tenkiller (11/26/2009 9:47:51 PM) Cool as cool can be.
	Report Comment Corvetteguy, Tulsa (11/26/2009 10:48:02 PM) Truly,........ a very good man.
	Report Comment FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (11/26/2009 11:25:25 PM) A lifesaver
	Report Comment Elusive, Owasso (11/26/2009 11:28:40 PM) A man with a big heart and generous spirit, a role model for others.
	Report Comment jonas x3, Tulsa (11/26/2009 11:42:19 PM) Sincere appreciation to this generous man!!!
	Report Comment 2nTulsa, Tulsa (11/27/2009 4:52:56 AM) Good man.
	Report Comment FUTURE WORLD, Tulsa (11/27/2009 5:00:18 AM) Yes he is a good man. And you have to wonder how mnay lives his blood has saved.
	Report Comment forkandknife, Tulsa (11/27/2009 9:01:51 AM) God bless this man.
	Report Comment gadfly, Broken Arrow (11/27/2009 9:08:57 AM) With a name like "Darwin," one might be tempted to conclude, that this "giving" person is, perhaps, not a Chrsitian. But, with the "anti-not-Christian" opinion of many in the Oklahoma, it's possible "Darwin" didn't want to answer the reporter's question about how "Darwin" got to be named "Darwin" 87 years ago. The "anti-evilutionists" dispise Darwin, because Darwinism negates their Bible. So anyone named Darwin usually has something to explain. Remember: "Natural selection" (aka, evilution) is the greatest idea ever.
	Report Comment Corvetteguy, Tulsa (11/27/2009 10:02:59 AM) it never fails.................
	Report Comment Kim Archer, medical writer, (11/27/2009 10:11:36 AM) gadfly, the reporter never asked Darwin how he got his name because that isn't what the story is about. It is about this wonderful man who has been so generous for 60 years.
	Report Comment Few Clothes, America (11/27/2009 10:17:04 AM) He did all of this without fanfare. Thank you Mr. Eaton.
	Report Comment owen, Tulsa (11/27/2009 12:52:43 PM) That was weird, gadfly.
	Report Comment heydiddy, Tulsa (11/27/2009 1:36:41 PM) I though Congress held the world record for giving blood...oops that's taking it... sorry!
	Report Comment Twilight in Paris, near the water in SE OK (11/27/2009 4:14:39 PM) I think it is a GREAT thing to do to donate blood. Unfortunetly I can't as I am anemic, but if I could I would donate. I know how important it is to give so that others may live. It would be cool to know how many lives his blood saved, but I'm pretty sure no one tracks things like that. Way to go Mr. Darwin!! gadfly....stop talking and commenting on here, you ruin nice moments with your random and harsh comments.
	Report Comment Twilight in Paris, near the water in SE OK (11/27/2009 4:15:06 PM) Mr. Eaton....sorry it's been a long day!
	Report Comment Tulsan since '72, Tulsa (11/27/2009 10:38:42 PM) MR. Eaton you walk the walk, thank you. Oh yea.. there is a fly in the house, where did I put that fly swatter?
	Report Comment Sanity, Broken Arrow (11/28/2009 5:45:12 AM) Gadfly, Christians don't hate Darwin, his science, or any true science. They hate the false conclusions atheists draw from Darwin's findings - which is evolution. They hate other people like you telling them what they believe - such as "Darwinism negatges the Bible." FALSE!
	Report Comment PhoenixIX, Jenks (11/28/2009 6:44:31 AM) Gadfly, RE:" "Natural selection" (aka, evilution)" Was our spelling of evolution a freudian slip i.e. evilution??
	Report Comment medic, (11/28/2009 1:19:19 PM) Thank you sir! No telling how many lives you have saved!
	Report Comment fld11, (11/30/2009 10:44:08 AM) This is impressive. Donating blood to save lives is wonderful. It's too bad that hospitals have to charge several thousand dollars for "processing and handling" every unit of blood that has already been processed and delivered to their facilities. Just another medical cost run-up for no reason.
	Report Comment Elusive, the burbs (12/2/2009 2:51:48 AM) Excellent role model for others.
	Report Comment japplegate, (12/3/2009 8:43:26 AM) That man is awesome! Gadfly- Stop trying to make a point about something that has nothing to do with this story-it makes no sense and you just sound dumb.

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