Dr. Dewitt C. Alfred Jr.

News Obituary Article

ATLANTA: Dr. Dewitt Alfred, one who 'thought outside the box'

By KAY POWELL

Dr. Dewitt C. Alfred Jr. entered Morehouse College at 14, graduated at 18 and returned to become dean of Morehouse School of Medicine.

The same precocious mind that got him admitted to college after the 10th grade kept absorbing and retaining information throughout his life, whether it was history he used in his lectures or facts that amazed his friends.

"He was known for knowing all types of trivial things," said his wife, Leticia Alfred of Atlanta. "He was a walking encyclopedia."

His influence reached far beyond the medical school. During two five-year terms on the state Board of Human Resources, which sets policy for the Department of Human Resources, he served one term as chairman.

The funeral for Dr. Alfred, 68, of Atlanta, who died of complications from heart problems Monday at Emory University Hospital, will be 2 p.m. Saturday at Radcliffe Presbyterian Church. The body will be cremated. Murray Bros. Cascade Chapel is in charge of arrangements.

Dr. Alfred was a professor of psychiatry at Emory University for 13 years.

While there, he established a community mental health center at Grady Memorial Hospital and designed the psychiatry curriculum for the new Morehouse School of Medicine.

He was immersed in academics but had a fondness for community psychiatry and forensic psychiatry, his wife said.

"He can certainly be given credit for making major advances in our clinical program," said Andrea Fox of Atlanta, Morehouse School of Medicine director of planning. "He was a very intelligent guy, a great problem solver. He thought outside the box."

After joining Morehouse School of Medicine's faculty in 1984, he was instrumental in securing multimillion-dollar grants and in gaining approval for clinical services and various residency programs.

By 1992, the medical school was teaching family medicine, internal medicine, general surgery, psychiatry and obstetrics.

In 1993, after four years as dean, Dr. Alfred returned to the classroom, where he was a favorite faculty member.

"I think he had a special rapport with students," said his colleague, Dr. Bill Biggers of Atlanta. "The students really liked him. He made learning fun."

He retired in 2000 but kept up his interests in working crossword puzzles and reading---which fed his love of trivia --- dancing, tennis and watching television, especially game shows, cop shows, medical shows and "Jeopardy," his wife said.

"He enjoyed mental calisthenics," she said. "All the time, that brain was going."

Other survivors include a daughter, Leticia Garrick of Columbia; a son, Dewitt C. Alfred III; and three grandsons.

© 2006 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution