Dr. James B. Field

May 28, 1926 - March 8, 2023 Hilton Head, SC - Dr. James B. Field, a world-renowned endocrinologist, passed away peacefully at home in Hilton Head, South Carolina, on March 8, 2023. Born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on May 28, 1926, he was 96 years old and had a long, distinguished medical career.

Dr. Field excelled academically and received a scholarship to Harvard College. During World War II, he fought with the 3rd Infantry Division in Germany and received both a Purple Heart and Bronze Star. He graduated from Harvard Medical School in 1951, where he was awarded the Boylston Prize, the Massachusetts Medical Society prize, and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He did his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital, and while in Boston, met Dorothy "Sunny" Spivey, the woman who became his life-long partner and loving wife until her death in 2013.

Dr. Field started his medical research career at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. In 1958, he received the American Diabetes Association's Eli Lilly Award for his contributions to diabetes research, followed by the American Thyroid Association's Van Meter Award in 1961.

In 1962, he became the head of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism and Director of Clinical Research at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. In 1978, he was appointed the Rutherford Professor of Medicine and the head of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Baylor School of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and Director of its Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center. From 1970-2010, Dr. Field served as the longest-running editor-in-chief of the medical journal Metabolism. He was the Chairman of the National Diabetes Advisory Board and also sat on the editorial board of numerous other medical organizations and journals.

After retiring, Dr. Field and his wife moved to Boston, where he became a lecturer at Harvard Medical School. He also served as the Chairman of the Massachusetts Medical Society Committee for Senior Volunteer Physicians and spearheaded the creation of free medical clinics to serve patients who would otherwise not be able to afford medical care. In 2002, the Massachusetts Medical Society recognized his contribution to this program by honoring him as the Senior Volunteer of the Year.

When he and his wife moved to Hilton Head in 2001, he joined Volunteers in Medicine (VIM), a non-profit medical clinic serving low-income and uninsured families. At VIM, he was known for the time and individual attention he gave to each of his patients.

While Dr. Field will be remembered and valued for his research contributions, perhaps his greatest legacy is his volunteerism in medicine, his passions for tennis, historical non-fiction, Fareed Zakaria GPS, and ice cream, and the support and love he gave his family, friends, and patients.

He lived simply and cared little about material possessions, but prized education and intellectual curiosity. He was a man of great intellect, integrity, and principles. He pushed himself to be the best doctor he could be and inspired others to be their best selves as well.

Dr. Field is survived by his four children, Carolyn Field Guth, Nancy Field MD, Douglas Field, and Susan Hodgkins, four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren.

A celebration of Dr. Field's life is planned for later this spring at The Cypress of Hilton Head in Hilton Head Plantation.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in his memory to Volunteers in Medicine, 15 Northridge Drive, Hilton Head, South Carolina, 29926.