CMC recognizes two retired physicians with Distinguished Physicians Awards
The Medical Executive Committee of Conway Medical Center is proud to announce that Dr. Peter Carlisle Kelly, III and Dr. John W. Wilson, Jr. are the recipients of the Distinguished Physicians Award. This award recognizes medical excellence and the exceptional care provided to patients by physicians currently and retired from the staff of Conway Medical Center. This is the first year the awards have been presented, and it will be an annual event.
Dr. Kelly’s award, presented posthumously and accepted by his family, recognizes the tremendous service he provided as the first African American physician in Horry County. As one of the only counties in South Carolina with an African American physician as early as 1950, Dr. Kelly carried an enormous patient load. In 36 years of service in Family Medicine, he was known as an influential member of the hospital staff, as well as a leader in the community.
Dr. Wilson, a Navy veteran, specialized in Internal Medicine and was among the first of what is believed to be the first group of formally trained internists in Horry County. Serving at Conway Medical Center for 55 years, he retired in 2011 at the age of 85. Three of his four sons also became physicians and two of them practiced at CMC.
“We cannot stress enough the importance of the impact Dr. Kelly and Dr. Wilson had on both Conway Medical Center and health care in Horry County. In CMC’s 95-year history in Horry County, we have had many outstanding physicians. Dr. Kelly and Dr. Wilson were certainly two of the best. We appreciate their service to the community and to the people of Horry County and surrounding areas,” said Dr. Paul Richardson, CMC Chief Medical Officer.
Dr. Peter Carlisle Kelly, III
Dr. Peter Carlisle Kelly, III was born in Georgetown, South Carolina on February 29, 1911, to Mr. Peter Kelly II and his wife Mrs. Catherine Ann Green Kelly. His siblings were Maudess, Majerie, Irma, Vermell, Wendell and Harold. Dr. Kelly attended Howard Grade School in Georgetown as well as Johnson C. Smith University in Charlotte, NC, Waters College in Jacksonville, FL, Howard University and received his MD degree from Howard University Medical College in Washington, DC.
Dr. Kelly was the first African American physician to serve African Americans in Horry County. He also served many poor Caucasian patients with the county. However, this practice was discouraged and periodically resulted in threats from organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan. Needless to say, he carried a tremendous patient load. Dealing with many citizens in the community who were poor and often farmers, he would accept crops as a form of payment and in some cases, no payment at all. While his practice was in general medicine, Dr. Kelly was also known for delivering many babies in the community.
Dr. Kelly was known as an active, influential, and vocal leader within his community. He was the founder of the Conway Civic Association and President of the local branch of the NAACP. He participated in many civic organizations and was a member of numerous medical associations. He was also an astute businessperson. His clinic, known as “The Drug Store,” was located at 601 Highway 378 in Conway, SC. The building housed his practice, a pharmacy, a soda fountain, a ballroom, a barbershop, a beauty parlor, and a law office.
Dr. Kelly played a role in the development of Atlantic Beach, which was also known as the “Black Pearl.” During segregation, Atlantic Beach was the only beach along the coast where black visitors could find accommodations. During WWII, a group of black professionals from Horry and other nearby counties formed an investment company to develop property in the town. J.W. Seabrook (President), Dr. Robert K. Gordon (Vice President), S. W Thaggard (Treasurer), and Dr. Peter C. Kelly (Secretary) incorporated the Atlantic Beach Company on March 29, 1943.
Dr. Kelly served as a physician for 36 years in Horry County. He set out to specialize in family practice and to encourage more African American students to enter the field of medicine. His motto was “Leave some marker to show you were born.” Dr. Kelly died on February 17, 1980.
Dr. John W. Wilson, Jr.
John W. Wilson, Jr. was born in 1926 and grew up in rural southeastern Tennessee in the area of Benton, the county seat of Polk County. At age 16 and during his high school senior year, the family moved to Chattanooga where he completed high school and enrolled as a pre-med student at the University of Chattanooga. While World War II continued and the draft age lowered to 18, he entered the Navy V-12 Officer Training Program through which he completed his pre-medical training at Duke University followed by medical school.
The war ended during his first year in medical school and thereafter he completed medical school as a civilian. By the end of medical school, the Korean War had begun, and, in need of income, he joined the Navy and spent an internship year at the base in Pensacola, Florida. This was followed by service on a Naval ship in Japan for about 18 months and completed the last six months of his three-year period of service in Washington D.C. at a military dispensary.
After completing his service in the Navy, he returned to Duke in 1952 where he completed a four-year residency in Internal Medicine. At the end of this training, he was recruited to Conway by Dr. Cathcart Smith and joined what is believed to be the first group of formally trained Internists in Horry County. He joined the active staff of Conway Hospital in 1956 and received board certification in Internal Medicine in 1957. He maintained an active medical practice and membership at Conway Medical Center for 55 years, retiring in 2011 at the age of 85.
