Dr. Clyde Copeland Jr.

Dr. Clyde Copeland, Jr.
Jackso
Dr. Clyde Xenophon Copeland, Jr., respected Orthopedic Surgeon, died on May 3, 2007, at Hospice Ministries, Ridgeland, at age 71. Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. today and Tuesday, May 8, 2007, from 12-1 p.m. in Patterson Hall at First Presbyterian Church, in Jackson. Services will be held at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, May 8, 2007, at First Presbyterian Church, in Jackson, with grave side services to follow at Parkway Memorial Cemetery in Ridgeland, Mississippi. Services wil be officiated by the Reverend Brister Ware and the Reverend Larry Mills.
Better known to everyone as "Skip", Dr. Copeland was born to Clyde Xenophon and Dorothy Dean Copeland on September 3, 1935, in Jackson, Mississippi. He attended Duling Elementary School, Bailey Junior High School, and graduated in 1953 from Central High School. As a senior, he served as ROTC Battalion Commander. Interested in studying Medicine, he entered Millsaps College that same year in Pre-Med and was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity and Theta Nu Sigma Science Society. He graduated Cum Laude with a major in chemistry and membership in Alpha Epsilon Delta National Pre-Medical Honor Society receiving a bachelor of science degree. After graduation from Millsaps, he attended Tulane University School of Medicine and was a member of Phi Chi Medical Fraternity. There he earned his medical degree in 1959 at the top of his class and was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha Honorary Medical Society.
Dr. Copeland spent the next year in a rotating internship at the University of Mississippi Medical School, during which time he chose to specialize in Orthopedic Surgery. In 1960, at the completion of his internship, he married Elizabeth Ann Wise and left Mississippi for Gainesville, Florida, where he would be a first year resident in the new orthopedic surgery program at the University of Florida Teaching Hospital and clinics under his chief Dr. William F. Enneking. He would be the first resident to complete the four year orthopedic program. In his third year of the residency program, Dr.
Copeland, along with his wife, had the unique experience of accompanying his "chief", Dr. Enneking, and his wife, to Ennugu, Nigeria, the capitol city of the Eastern region. There the two doctors performed orthopedic surgery in a small hospital built by the British during their occupation in that country and also in the nearby Leper Colony. Along with their wives and two high school children, they worked for a month there and received a certification of appreciation from Medico, a service of CARE in the advancement of worldwide medical assistance.
Upon completion of his residency, Dr. Copeland enlisted in the U.S. Army to serve his two year obligation as a Captain and was assigned to the 97th General Hospital in Frankfurt, Germany. There he gained invaluable experience in practicing orthopedic surgery. Not only did he expand his surgical abilities, but also discovered a love for travel and learned an infinite amount about the European part of the world.
Following an Honorable Discharge from the Army in 1966, he returned to Jackson, Mississippi, to practice orthopedics with the Jackson Bone and Joint Clinic. In 1968, he passed the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery examination and two years later was elected a Fellow in the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. About five years into practice, Dr. Copeland saw a need for and decided to specialize in total hip replacement. He went to England where the Charnley Hip Surgery was developed and spent several weeks operating under the doctors who perfected that operation. He practiced orthopedics until his retirement in 2000, after which he continued to practice part time with the VA doing patient evaluations. During his practice, Dr. Copeland was a member of numerous medical organizations including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Mississippi State Medical Association, Central Medical Society, the Arthroscopy Association of North America, Mid-America Orthopedic Association, the Blue Cross Patient Advisory Board, and was a board member and officer in the Mississippi Orthopedic Society.
Dr. Copeland's surgical skills could also be seen in his excellent woodworking ability. He became interested in making furniture with the ball and claw foot in the Goddard and Townsend Group style, and constructed many beautiful pieces for his home, as well as a three level back yard deck. He thoroughly enjoyed sharing his woodworking skills with Habitat for Humanity and worked every year on church-based Habitat projects rebuilding homes in the Jackson area. In 1997, he and his wife worked on a Habitat project with St. Andrews and St. James Episcopal Churches to build houses from the foundation up in San Pedros Sula, Honduras – an unforgettable experience. In addition to working with wood, he also learned to work with copper and was able to build beautiful copper fountains for inside and outside his own landscaped yard.
"Skip" was definitely an outdoors man who loved deep and fresh water fishing with friends and duck hunting with his hunting club in Holmes County. He also appreciated good music and enjoyed performances by the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Copeland was very devoted to his church and was serving as President of the Singles and Doubles Sunday School Class at First Presbyterian Church when he became ill. He will be remembered as a caring doctor, very gifted person of high intelligence and with special surgical skills and talents. He was a wonderful and loving husband and parent and a faithful friend to all who knew him.
Our heartfelt thanks to all the clergy and friends who came to visit Skip during his illness and for the love and peace they brought to him and his family.
Dr. Copeland was preceded in death by his father, Clyde Xenophon Copeland.
Survivors include his loving wife of 46 years, Elizabeth Wise Copeland; mother, Dorothy Dean Copeland of Jackson; brother, Floyd Dean Copeland and wife Linda of Atlanta, Georgia; daughter, Elizabeth Copeland Wilmer and husband Wes of Roanoke, Virginia; son Clyde Xenophon Copeland, III and wife Tricia of Madison; daughter Dorothy Elise Spencer and husband Jonathan, of Seattle, Washington; six grandchildren – Katherine Chase Copeland and Clyde X. Copeland, IV of Madison; Aden Dean Spencer, Causey Marie Spencer and Ella MacKenzie Spencer of Seattle, Washington; and Ashley Elizabeth Wilmer of Roanoke, Virginia.
Honorary Pallbearers are Mr. John Anderson, Dr. Kendall Blake, Dr. Meredith Bradford, Dr. John Caden, Dr. John Gibson, Dr. Douglas Godfrey, Mr. James Irby, Dr. Dick Johnson, Dr. Julian Lee Owen, Dr. Joseph Robinson, Dr. McWillie Robinson, Dr. Jim Savage, Dr. Boyd Shaw, Dr. William F. Sistrunk, and Dr. Buford Yerger.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in his name to French Camp Academy, at One Fine Place, French Camp, Mississippi 39745-9989 and to Habitat for Humanity at 1260 Ellis Avenue, Jackson, Mississippi 39209.