The Brevard Connection to Trapper John, M.D.

By Helaine Kranz

In 1968, Dr. Dick Hornberger wrote a book using the pen name Richard Hooker. He based the book on his experiences in Korea, serving with the 8055^th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital. His book was MASH: A Novel About Three ArmyDoctors. One of the central characters in Dr. Hornberger’s book was based on fellow surgeon Dr. John Elliott Lyday, who grew up in Transylvania County.

John Elliott Lyday was born on October 21, 1921, the youngest of nine children, to Leon Lyday, Sr, a farmer, and Belle Wilson Lyday. He was raised on a mountain farm in Pisgah Forest where his grandfather and one brother were doctors.

John Lyday attended Western Carolina University and worked as a chemist at Ecusta before enlisting in World War II. During the war Lyday served in the U.S. Army’s Eighth Air Force in England from 1942-1945 as a Technical Sergeant. He flew 32 missions in Europe seeing combat as a radioman and gunner on B-24s in the 445^th Heavy Bombardment Group, one of only two American units awarded the French Croix de Guerre award. Lyday received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with three Battle Clusters, the European Theater Operations Ribbon with four Bronze Battle Stars, and the American Theater Ribbon with one Bronze Star for his service.

After the war, Lyday finished his undergraduate studies and a two-year medical program at UNC Chapel Hill. From there he completed medical school to earn his M.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. Lyday, now a U.S. Army Captain, went to Korea to serve as a surgeon where he met Dr. Hornberger in the 8055^th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital.

Dr. Hornberger created the character, “Trapper John” serving in the fictional 4077^th MASH and used Dr. Lyday as the prototype; Dr. Lyday had a 6-month-old daughter when he left for Korea, and Trapper John had a baby back in the States.

Trapper John was one of the more colorful characters in Hooker’s novel. According to the book, Trapper John got his nickname before the war when he “trapped” a beauty queen in the toilet of the Boston-Maine Express.

After Korea, Dr. Lyday returned to the University of Pennsylvania to complete his surgical internship and residency. When he finished, he returned to North Carolina and joined the medical practice of his older cousin Dr. Russell Lyday in Greensboro in 1958. John Lyday served as chief of surgery at Moses Cone Hospital from 1973 to 1975.

The novel was adapted into the Oscar winning 1970 feature film M*A*S*H. Two years later, the television series M*A*S*H was developed and aired from 1972-1983, winning 14 Emmys. A sequel, “Trapper John, M.D.,” ran from 1979-1986. Elliott Gould played Lyday in the movie, Wayne Rogers in the original television series, and Pernell Roberts in the sequel.

Dr. Lyday was more down-to-earth than the Trapper John character. He never bragged about his correlation to the character Trapper John, nor sought fame. Dr. Lyday was married to Irma Friedrich Lyday and had 2 daughters, Carolyn and Nancy. He died December 20, 1999, and is interred in the Blue Ridge Gardens Cemetery in Pisgah Forest.

Photos and information for this column are provided by the Rowell Bosse North Carolina Room, Transylvania County Library. This article was written by Helaine Kranz, Library Assistant. Sources available upon request.