Dr. James Dudley Whitehead Sr.

LAKE CITY " Dr. James Dudley Whitehead, Sr., beloved physician and widower of Maria Anderson Weaver Whitehead, died Tuesday, August 31, 2004, at the Presbyterian Home in Florence after a long illness. Born in Lake City on May 16, 1906, he was the son of the late Dr. J. Dudley and Gertrude Thomas Whitehead.

Dr. Whitehead was a graduate of Lake City High School, where he was Valedictorian of his class, graduate of the University of South Carolina (Magna Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa) and received his doctor of medicine degree from the Medical University of South Carolina, where he was first honor student each year. He completed an internship at Spartanburg General Hospital and did post graduate studies at hospitals in New York.

Dr. Whitehead followed his maternal grandfather, father and uncle in the practice of medicine. Known to his patients as Dr. J.D., he practiced medicine in Lake City for 55 years and was the owner and administrator of TheWhitehead Infirmary, a 14 bed hospital, for over 20 years. He delivered over 3,000 babies and performed thousands of surgical procedures.

Dr. Whitehead was one of the first trustees of the University of South Carolina in Florence (now Francis Marion University) and the Lake City Library. He was a former member of the Lake City School Board of Trustees and a past president of the Parent Teacher Association. He was instrumental in the establishment of the Lower Florence County Hospital (now Carolinas Hospital System/Lake City), served as the first Chief of Staff and on the Board of Trustees.

Dr. Whitehead was a former member of the American, Southern, South Carolina and Florence County Medical Associations. He was a Red Cross Volunteer, Trustee for the Lake City Cemetery Association, member of the first Committee for the Housing Authority of Lake City, and a member of the Big Brother Program. He was awarded Life Memberships in various medical associations and received an Honorary Membership award by the Florence County Medical Society in 1982.

Dr. Whitehead was a lifelong member of the Lake City Presbyterian Church where he was a former Deacon and Sunday School teacher. The J. D. Whitehead Sunday School Class was named in his honor. As a talented craftsman, he made the wooden altar cross and the bell pull for the church sanctuary.

Dr. Whitehead was honored as Citizen of the Year for Lake City in 1979 and Father of the Year in Lake City (1987-88). He was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame for Florence School District No. 3 in 1996. He was honored by the Medical University of South Carolina as one of the 100 physician graduates selected by their peers as recipients of special recognition in 1992 (these 100 physicians were selected from all graduates for the period 1892"1992). He received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Medical University of South Carolina in 2002, and in 1981 received a certificate from the Medical University in appreciation for service and faithfully serving the people for 50 years, upholding and furthering the high ideals of the profession. Dr. Whitehead received the Order of the Palmetto from Governor David Beasley in 1997.

Dr. Whitehead was predeceased by his wife of 65 years, Maria Anderson Weaver Whitehead, on December 21, 2003. He is survived by two sons: Dr. James D. (Retta) Whitehead, Jr., of Lexington and Dr. Alva Weaver (Ida) Whitehead, Sr., of Florence; two daughters, Maria Thomas Whitehead and Harriett Gertrude Whitehead, both of Lake City; four grandsons, Dr. James D. (Crissy) Whitehead, III, of Lexington, Dr. Alva Weaver (Emily) Whitehead, Jr., of Florence, Evander McIver Ervin Whitehead of Mt. Pleasant and Henry Edmund Ravenel Whitehead of Florence; two granddaughters, Virginia Whitehead (Craig) Summerall of Lexington and Dr. Maria Whitehead (Will) McKibbon of Greenville; three great-grandsons, James D. Whitehead, IV, Anderson Gray Summerall and Nowell Ridgell Whitehead, all of Lexington; two great-granddaughters, Maria Anderson McKibbon of Greenville and Amelia Taylor Whitehead of Florence; and a devoted friend, Rufus Lee Canteen of Lake City.

Memorials may be made to: The Presbyterian Home of South Carolina, 2350 Lucas Street, Florence, SC 29501; Lake City Cemetery Corporation, P. O. Box 657, Lake City, SC 29560 or the Lake City Presbyterian Church Building Fund, P. O. Box 477, Lake City, SC 29560.

Graveside funeral service will be at 11:00 A.M. Friday, September 3, 2004, in the Lake City Cemetery on North Church Street. The family will receive friends after the service at the cemetery.

Brockington Funeral Home, Lake City, is in charge.