About the Author: He may have taken care of your parents or grandparents as babies. That's how long Dr. Frederick Roberts has been practicing pediatrics in Central New York. In 69 years, he estimates caring for 400,000 patients.... He earned his medical degree around the corner at the Syracuse University School of Medicine, which today is Upstate Medical University, and then served time with the Navy before starting his pediatrics practice in 1945. Telephones were rotary dial back then, and no one had heard of beepers. Doctors dispensed their own medicines and made house calls, charging $3 or $4 per visit. Bills were done in pencil and paper. Penicillin was new. Measles vaccinations didn't exist. Roberts is credited with launching Central New York's first cystic fibrosis clinic and has received numerous awards for his teaching and clinical work.