Dr. Winsel O' Neal Black

Dr. Winsel O'Neal Black, also known as "Jack," was born on June 10, 1931, in the Blue Ridge mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. He was the firstborn of seven children to Robert L. Black and Jessie Lee Freeman Black. Raised during the early 20th century, Dr. Black's childhood was shaped by his father's work as an electric company employee and cook and his mother's dedication to childcare. Their example instilled in him a lifelong commitment to hard work, education, and personal integrity.
Dr. Black graduated from Stephens-Lee High School in 1949 and soon enlisted in the United States Air Force. He served three and a half years during the Korean Conflict as a Medical Laboratory Technician, an experience that deepened his respect for human life and strengthened his resolve to pursue a medical career.
Upon returning home, Dr. Black attended Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry with a minor in Zoology in 1957. He subsequently completed his Doctor of Medicine at Howard University College of Medicine in 1961. During his college years, he became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, Beta Chapter, where he found mentorship and developed a strong sense of leadership, scholarship, and service.
His medical training continued at Katie Bitting Reynolds Hospital in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, followed by a three-year surgical residency, which included a year as Chief Resident.
During his internship, he met Louise Johnson, a surgical nurse from Durham, North Carolina. After a persistent courtship, they married in September 1961 and began a loving partnership dedicated to healthcare and community service.
In the early 1960s, Dr. Black and his wife moved to Salisbury, North Carolina, where he opened a general practice above Purcell's Drug Store at 101½ North Main Street in 1965. He made history when he admitted his first patient to Rowan Memorial Hospital, becoming the first African American physician to practice there. Dr. Black recognized the significance of this achievement as not just a personal milestone, but as a doorway for others to follow. For thirty-five years, until his retirement in 2000, Dr. Black served Salisbury and surrounding communities with unwavering compassion, dignity, and respect, focusing especially on individuals facing barriers to care.
Outside his medical practice, Dr. Black devoted time to community programs, youth mentorship, and outreach efforts supporting education and opportunity. He was also actively involved in Moore's Chapel AME Zion Church. Throughout his life, Dr. Black was honored with several awards, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award in 1984 and the NAACP Humanitarian Award, and recognition as a charter member of the Livingstone College President's Club. He served on the Consultation Staff of Rowan Regional Medical Center and held memberships in the Old North State Medical Association, the National Medical Association, and the National Black Hypertension Association. Dr. Black was a life member of the NAACP, an Alpha Phi Alpha brother, and a member of the J.C. Price American Legion Post #107.
Dr. Black and his wife Louise built a loving home and raised three children: Jacquelynn (Bunny), Winsel Jr. (W.O., with his wife Sharyne), and Derrick. He was the proud grandfather of Allison Nicole, Nicholas O'Neal, and Lauren Sinclaire. Dr. Black enjoyed encouraging others to pursue higher spiritual and secular education, reading, learning about computers, boating, and tending his yard.
Dr. Black's life was marked by courage, perseverance, and a deep sense of gratitude for his family and community. His legacy endures in the patients he cared for, the students he encouraged, and the many barriers that he helped break.
He is survived by his wife of sixty-four years, Louise Johnson Black; his children, Jacquelynn, Winsel Jr., and Derrick; his siblings, James Black (Joanne), Eula Black Dickerson (William), and Leonard Black (Emogenne); his daughter-in-law, Sharyne; his grandchildren, Allison, Nick, and Lauren; his in-laws, Omagene Black, wife of his brother Charles, and Daisy Black, wife of his brother Alphonso; his wife's sister, Eva Geer, and her brother and his wife, Rev. Clyde and Alice Johnson; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
He is predeceased by his parents, Robert and Jessie Lee Black; his siblings, Alphonso Black, Charles Black, and Robert Black and his wife Faye; as well as many beloved family members and friends.
Lovingly submitted by the Black Family.