John Harvey Felts III

John Harvey Felts III, M.D., 80, died Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2004. A native of Lumberton, "Jack," the son of the late John Harvey Felts Jr. and Mollie Bell Hollowell Felts, was born April 2, 1924. He served in the U.S. Army during and after World War II and was a graduate of Wofford College and the Medical University of South Carolina. After completing a residency in internal medicine at N.C. Baptist Hospital, he joined the faculty of Bowman Gray School of Medicine (now Wake Forest University School of Medicine). During his tenure at the medical school, he specialized in nephrology. He started the first renal dialysis program in Winston-Salem and, with the late Richard Myers, M.D., began the kidney transplant program. In addition, he served as associate dean of admissions from 1978 to 1986. He retired in 1993 as professor emeritus of medicine. He was a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, an emeritus member of the American Society for Artificial Organs and a 50-year member of the N.C. Medical Society. He served as editor of the North Carolina Medical Journal from 1974 to 1982. He was a frequent contributor to medical journals about research and clinical studies, and after retirement he continued to publish articles focusing on the history of medicine. He was recently honored by the endowment of the John Harvey Felts III M.D. Chair in the department of internal medicine, section of nephrology, at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He was a member of Centenary United Methodist Church, where he served on the administrative board and was an integral part of the Whitefield Sunday School Class for 40 years. He was on the board of directors of Arbor Acres United Methodist Retirement Home and was a longtime member of the Torch Club of Winston-Salem, of which he had been president. He was a member of the Wachovia Historical Society, serving as president for two years and beginning the quarterly bulletin, The Wachovia Tract. He was a true scholar with a lifelong love of learning. He was well-read and known among his friends and family for his wit and his ability to provide quick, accurate answers to questions about many subjects. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Elizabeth "Kitty" Burrus Felts; two daughters, Betsy Felts Ellison and husband, Mark F. Ellison, M.D., of Athens, Ga., and Margaret Felts of Winston-Salem; and two grandsons, Mark F. Ellison Jr. and David Felts Ellison of Athens, Ga. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 9, at Centenary United Methodist Church. The family will receive visitors from 5 to 7 p.m. today, Oct. 8, at Vogler's Reynolda Chapel. Memorials may be sent to the Wachovia Historical Society, P.O. Box 20803, Winston-Salem, NC 27120-0803; Arbor Acres, 1240 Arbor Road, Winston-Salem, NC 27104-1197; or the John Harvey Felts III M.D. Chair, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, the Department of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1015.