John Henry Bell M.D.

BELL, JOHN HENRY, M.D. - a Scotch-Irish, first-generation American, was born on May 28, 1933, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and spent his early years in Cape May Court House, New Jersey. His parents were Mildred Payne Bell and Henry "Harry" Glasgow Bell. The family later moved to High Point, North Carolina. As a young man, he excelled at golf and became an Eagle Scout, attending the International Scout Jamboree in France. After high school, he enrolled in Duke University where he would spend 13 years preparing for his eventual career as an orthopedic surgeon. There he met Jane Louise Phillips, whom he married in Duke Chapel on June 23,1956. In 1967 he entered the U.S. Army Medical Corps and was assigned to duty at William Beaumont Army Hospital in El Paso, Texas. He was honorably discharged in 1969 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In 1964, he began practicing surgery in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the East Tennessee Orthopedic Clinic and retired in 1996. He cared deeply for his patients and received various honors and awards in his practice of medicine. He was a member of the Board of Directors of Ft. Sanders Presbyterian Hospital in Knoxville, where he served as Chief of Staff in 1978. Dr. Bell was an avid, life-long golfer and belonged to the Cherokee Country Club in Knoxville, the Elk River Club in North Carolina and the Legends Club in Franklin and played golf in Scotland and Ireland on numerous occasions. He was an elder in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and was especially active in facilitating the work of global missions. Notably, he served as Chairman of the Board of MAP International, a relief organization that has delivered more than $2.6 billion in medicines and critical supplies to impoverished countries. In retirement, Dr. Bell moved to Franklin, Tennessee, and enrolled in religion classes at Vanderbilt University. Recently, he relocated to the Richland Place in Nashville and joined Westminster Presbyterian. He died on April 24, 2009, from complications related to multiple myeloma. John is survived by his wife Jane and his three children, Elizabeth Bell Riley, John Henry Bell Jr., and Anne Bell Snider and their spouses, six grandchildren and one sister, Susannah Bell Panz. Family will receive visitors Friday, May 1, from 1-3 p.m. in the parlor at Westminster Presbyterian Church. A memorial service follows in the sanctuary at 3 p.m. Donations should be sent to MAP International, 4700 Glynco Parkway, Brunswick, GA 31525-6800.