John was born on October 7, 1925 in Paintsville, KY. In 1943 John passed a 2-year college equivalency exam to quit high school in his senior year so he could enter the Army Air Corp as a cadet, and soon became a fighter pilot. After leaving the Air Force he continued his education and graduated in 1951 with a B.A. in Physics at Berea, an M.S. in Physics at Vanderbilt, and a Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. At ORNL, John was appointed as the Director of the Health Physics Division. John was then hired by the University of Texas where he coordinated and directed the Health Physics Program and was subsequently appointed Chairman of the Department of Physics and Engineering of the Radiobiological Laboratory. In 1955 John returned to ORNL as a researcher and was considered an expert in the areas of nuclear engineering and health physics. He directed research in the investigation of pathways of exposure and biological effects of pollutants, both nuclear and non-nuclear, and toxic agents safety, with emphasis on the needs of practicing health physicists. He participated in, and ultimately directed, successful efforts to obtain radiation doses for the survivors of the nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. He has been a consultant to the Radiation Effects Research Foundation of Japan.

Dr. Auxier's special consulting activities have included the President's Commission on the Accident at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant. Also, he was the head of the task committee health physics and dosimetry for this incident. He has been a member of the Advisory Committee to the U.S. Department of Energy for the Northern Marshall Islands and a member of the Department of Energy/Defense Nuclear Agency Inspection and Advisory Team for the Cleanup of Enewetak Atoll. He received many awards including being inducted into the Engineering Hall of Fame at Georgia Institute of Technology in 1996; receiving a Honorary Doctorate of Science, Berea College in 1987. He served on the Board of Trustees at Berea College for many years and at the time of his death was an Honorary Trustee of Berea College. He published over 100 papers and authored the Energy Research and Development Agency (ERDA-later to become the Department of Energy) Prestige Series book entitled ICHIBAN: Dosimetry for the Survivors of the Bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He served on numerous committees. In 1992 Dr. Auxier founded Auxier & Associates Inc, Knoxville, providing radiological health, safety and environmental consulting. But, Dr. Auxier’s proudest accomplishment was the founding of the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge in 2010. It all started in 2008, here is the history…

The genesis of the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge (FMCOR) was in the Clinics of Hope USA, of which Dr. John Auxier was a founding board member.   In the summer of 2008, John invited Dr. Tom Kim, medical director of a free clinic in Knoxville and a member of the Clinics of Hope board, to address his Sunday School class at First United Methodist Church (FUMC) of Oak Ridge to talk about the need for free medical service for the uninsured poor.  The interest generated by Dr. Kim’s talk propelled John to pursue his dream for the formation of a free clinic in Oak Ridge.  During that year the group subsequently visited several other operating free clinics to ascertain the range of facilities and medical support at those sites.  In  addition to local clinics the group gave special attention to the free clinics at Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Chattanooga, Tennessee.  The group also contacted the organization, Volunteers in Medicine (VIM), an enormously helpful national agency.  

The group decided that a formal association should be formed as a 501 (c) (3).  and the Clinics of Hope USA was incorporated, receiving the approval of the IRS and State  of Tennessee license and became an active organization.  The formative group included eight persons:  Randy Overbey (President); Carl Faught (Secretary); Edward Cate (Treasurer); Albert Auxier; John Auxier; Tom Kim, MD; B Ray Thompson; Hiroshi Toyohara, MD; and Randy Tyree.  The overall mission was the establishment of free medical clinics.  

Over the course of the next 18 months the Free Medical Clinic came to fruition as John recruited the initial board of directors plus medical and non-medical volunteers and used his connections to garner financial support for the project.  The former Trinity United Methodist Church education building was remodeled by the Kern Memorial Methodist men’s group into functioning clinic space;  Methodist Medical Center agreed to provide lab and imaging services for the clinic

After a discovery phase John Auxier asked for volunteers to meet at First United Methodist Church on July 19, 2009 and over 100 people attended.  After hearing about the possibilities and ideas those in attendance responded with positive enthusiasm.  The response was amazing.  After the initial publicity both individuals and organizations made monetary contributions that allowed for acquisitions of materials that were not otherwise donated.  The conclusion was clear  — a free clinic would be spawned.

A major factor in the preparation and startup of the clinic was the diligent work of Ed and Nancy Cate.  They had extensive experience with Dr. Kim’s clinic in Knoxville and they were strongly focused on the factors which could easily make or break the new clinic.  The countless hours that they devoted to the legal work and managerial details were crucial to the preparation for the operation of the clinic.  The Cates put together all of the procedures and educated a large group of volunteers about how to run the front office.  With their efforts, the efforts of Dr. Jim Michel and Dr. Tanya Vargas and the general support of the board, and the public a date to open was set.

The clinic opened for patients on January 15, 2010, with hours all day Friday and on Saturday mornings.  Volunteers were at the clinic every morning to answer the telephone and make appointments. John Auxier’s vision became reality.  The clinic’s grand opening was held with WBIR TV’s Bill Williams as master of ceremonies. 

September 1, 2010, John left the clinic board, saying he felt his usefulness to the clinic had about run its course.  John remained a faithful and enthusiastic supporter of FMC until his death in August 2020.  John’s efforts will forever be remembered and appreciated.  Without John, there would be no Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge.  

The original FMCOR board members were:  John Auxier, President; Jim Giles, Vice President; John Yarbrough, Secretary; Ann Munz, Treasurer; James Michel, MD; Tanya Vargas, MD; Dale Allen; Glen Arnold; Ed Cate; and Mayme Crowell .  Dr. Michel and Dr. Vargas agreed to be co-medical directors of the clinic.

When John left the FMCOR board the members of the board presented him with the following poem which epitomizes his leadership of the formation of the FMCOR: