CLASS NOTES: 1950's

Dr. Joe Johnston (1953) of Mount Olive, retired from family practice on July 1, 2013.

Johnston, who received his Medical Certificate from the medical school in Oxford before UMMC opened in Jackson two years later, is now traveling and dividing his time between homes in Mount Olive and Pass Christian.

"I miss my patients," he writes, "but son Word is taking good care of them, so they tell me!"

Dr. Fred S. Evans  (1957) of Pensacola, Fla., retired since 2001, has been doing volunteer work at St. Joseph Medical Clinic for patients without medical insurance

Evans was a member of the first medical school class to graduate from UMMC. He attended the last two years on a U.S. Navy scholarship and served in the Navy until 1981.

An ophthalmologist, he practiced in Pensacola for 20 years before his retirement. He and his wife Pat, a Belzoni native, have two sons and several grandchildren. 

1960's

Dr. Jerry Adkins (1960) practiced general surgery in the Biloxi area for 40 years before retiring after Hurricane Katrina struck the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2005.

He is now the medical director of the Healing Center, an outpatient wound care and hyperbaric oxygen therapy clinic, at Biloxi Regional Medical Center.

 He has three sons and three grandchildren. "Life is good," he writes.

Dr. John R. Jackson Jr.

Dr. John R. Jackson Jr. (1962) of Hattiesburg retired in 1998, after 30 years of practice in pediatrics.

Jackson, who finished his residency at the Baylor College of Medicine in 1964, has five children and more than a dozen grandchildren.

His interests include golf, flying, duplicate bridge, travel and taking bike tours in Europe.

Dr. Albert E. Breland

Dr. Albert E. Breland (1963) of San Diego, Calif., retired from his neurology and psychiatry practice in 2009.

A winner of the Bronze Star and Purple Heart during the Vietnam War, the U.S. Army veteran also worked with intelligence officers overseas as a medical officer from 1983 to 1992.

His interests include travel, bridge, ham radio, sailing and piano. 

"Over the past three years, I've finally indulged a lifetime desire to take piano lessons," he writes. "Although I was in the Laurel band in high school - played the clarinet - I never learned to read the bass clef. 

"I've now finally arrived at a level where I can play some of the Beethoven sonatas and other pieces, mostly from the 1950s, I've liked over the years."

Dr. James Clegg (1963) of Fort Myers, Fla., retired in 2013 after practicing family medicine in Santa Rosa Calif., for 45 years.

After earning his M.D., he interned at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Oakland, Calif., and then attended the U.S. Naval School of Submarine and Nuclear Medicine. Clegg then served as medical officer on the USS John C. Calhoun out of Charleston, S.C., and as medical officer of a submarine squadron in San Diego.

Afterward, he started practicing family medicine in Santa Rosa. Board certified, he also served as chief of staff at Warrack Hospital and was president of the Sonoma County Medical Association.

His wife, Donna Fulton Clegg, died in 2001. They had two daughters and four grandchildren. In 2007, he married Mary Jane Page Hoos, an RN from Tupelo.

Dr. Milton John "Jack" Arras (1964) has been the pathologist lab director for Colleton Medical Center in Walterboro, S.C., since 1999.

He had previously served in the same position at Glynn-Brunswick Memorial Hospital in Brunswick, Ga., for 18 years, following two years of active duty in the U.S. Navy.

Arras was also an instructor of clinical pathology, clinical chemistry, at the SUNY Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse University, New York, for a year after completing his pathology residency in 1968 at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.

After finishing his M.D. at UMMC, he did a rotating internship at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

Dr. James Lockhart Jr. (1964) of Tulsa, Okla., is retiring after 43 years in the practice of surgery.

He completed general surgery training in 1971 at Parkland Hospital, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas.

Lockhart spent a year in Vietnam with the 1st Marine Division and a year at U.S. Naval Hospital in Pensacola, Fla., before joining Surgical Associates Inc. in Tulsa.

He has been active with the American Society of Breast Surgeons, representing the organization on the Commission on Cancer for the American College of Surgeons, primarily practicing breast surgery the past 20 years.

Dr. S.J. "Jobe" Wilder (1964) of Clinton retired several years ago, as did his wife Peggy.

His practice specialty was anesthesiology.

His interests include Ole Miss sports, singing in church choir and more.

Dr. Gary Nye

Dr. Gary Nye (1965) of Orinda, Calif., closed his private psychiatric practice in 2009 to be able to travel more with Ann, his wife of 42-plus years. 

After a two-year hiatus, he returned to work a couple of days a week at a community mental health center and continues to teach at the University of California at San Francisco. He remains active in professional organizational projects focused mostly on physician wellness/well-being. 

A few years ago, the California Medical Association created the Gary S. Nye, M.D., Award, given annually to a California physician who has made notable contributions to physician wellness. 

Some years ago, he and Ann became dual citizens with Ireland to facilitate their travels in Europe. Ann, who is active in civic affairs, started the local community newspaper, The Orinda News, nearly three decades ago. 

Nye's hobbies include movies and fly fishing. He and Ann enjoy visiting their two grandchildren in New York City.

Nye is able to keep in contact with a fellow UMMC graduate, Dr. Fred Parris, another prominent psychiatrist in the San Francisco area.

1970's

 Dr. James S. "Judge" Hicks (1970) of Oregon City, Ore., is clinical professor of anesthesiology at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) in Portland, and is active in the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

Hicks is the former director of obstetric anesthesia at OHSU.  He served in both the U.S. Navy and U.S. Army for 26 years, retiring in 1997 with the rank of colonel, having commanded the 396th Combat Support Hospital (Reserve) in Vancouver, Wash. 

He has ratings as an Airline Transport Pilot and Flight Instructor.  He and his wife Sally enjoy cooking, especially Southern barbecue, beer-making, gardening and travel.

"I'm fortunately better at flying airplanes (which I've done since before starting medical school) than I am at golf (also a 50+ year endeavor) but enjoy both, as well as being the department barbecue chef," he writes.

Dr. Jerry Stephens Chase

Dr. Jerry Stephens Chase (1971) of Salem, Ala., is the medical director for three juvenile detention facilities operated by the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice. 

Chase closed his office practice in October 2010 to spend time with his wife. He was widowed in July 2013 after "35 years of a wonderful marriage," he writes.

Dr. William C. "Bill" Hopper Jr. (1971) of Oxford has retired and is traveling by motor coach throughout North America, spending summers in the North Carolina mountains, visiting Santa Fe, N.M., and areas out West with his "bride of 46 years."

After earning his M.D. at UMMC, he completed an orthopedic residency at the Medical Center and a pediatric fellowship in Atlanta. He then served two years as chief of pediatric orthopedics and spine at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. 

Afterward, Hopper returned to the Mississippi Gulf Coast to join the Gulf Coast Orthopaedic Clinic. He also was involved in teaching rounds at Tulane University and Children's Hospital in New Orleans. He has been active in the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America.

Dr. Paul Gee

Dr. Paul Gee (1973) of Tucson, Ariz., joined the faculty at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson, in the Division of General Medicine, Geriatrics and Palliative Care as an assistant professor in September.

Gee, who is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, did his internal medicine residency at Highland General Hospital in Oakland, Calif.

Dr. Billy Long (1973) of Madison retired from clinical medical practice in December 2013.

In April 2014, he completed the 80-hour course at the Health Care Delivery Institute, which provides training to improve the delivery of health care. He also attended the Health Catalyst Summit in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Long enjoys traveling and spending time with his family and his grandchildren. In January and February 2014, he took a three-week trip to Australia and New Zealand. He also enjoys attending Ole Miss sports events "as often as possible," he writes. 

Dr. Olin Mauldin Jr. (1973) of Jacksonville, Fla., is semi-retired from nearly 40 years of pediatric practice, spending the last 22 with the University of Florida in Jacksonville with '73 classmate Dr. Skip Wilson. 

He enjoys working in the yard and spending time with his toddler grandson Adrien. "I haven't quite figured out the Grampa routine yet," Mauldin writes.

"Still unsure what to do when I grow up," he writes, Mauldin has been "proudly married" for about 28 years to Vicki Mauldin, "the only Lamaze-certified RN educator within about a 100-mile radius."

An Ole Miss football fan, Mauldin reports that he "will holler for (Mississippi) State except in the Egg Bowl (drat LSU)."

Dr. Gilliam S. "Swink" Hicks (1975), UMMC professor of medicine, was selected Teacher of the Year for the 2013-2014 academic year by the internal medicine residents.

Hicks did his internal medicine residency at UMMC and at the VA Medical Center.

Board certified in internal medicine, he is a member of the American College of Physicians. At UMMC, he serves on the Intern Selection Committee for the Department of Medicine.

Dr. C. Ron Cannon (1976), an otolaryngologist in Flowood, is serving as treasurer for the American Board of Otolaryngology.

He is the former chair of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

After earning his M.D., Cannon completed an internal medicine internship at the City of Memphis Hospital and a surgical and otolaryngology residency at UMMC.

He served as chief resident of the department of otolaryngology, head and neck surgery, at the University of Virginia Medical Center in the early 1980s. 

Dr. Glenn C. Cockerham

Dr. Glenn C. Cockerham (1979) of Palo Alto, Calif., is National Program Director of the VA Ophthalmology Service in the San Francisco Bay area and is associate professor of ophthalmology and pathology at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

He has also served as chief of ophthalmology at the VA Medical Center, Stanford University; and chief of corneal and refractive surgery, external diseases, Allegheny Ophthalmology and Orbital Consultants in Pittsburgh, Pa.

Cockerham, who did his ophthalmology residency at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., has held various positions with the United States Air Force, including chief consultant in surgery for the Air Force Surgeon General.

Dr. M. Sandra Scurria

Dr. M. Sandra Scurria (1979) of Bellaire, Texas, was in private, family medicine practice for nearly 30 years with more than 3,000 patients when she became affiliated in 2011 with MDVIP, a company that supports concierge-style practices.

She now has fewer than 500 patients. "Now I have a small, comfortable office where I see every patient myself, offer same- or next-day appointments and give more personalized, one-on-one medical care," she writes 

With MDVIP, she is focusing more on wellness and prevention.

Scurria has remained active in her local medical society and has served as president. Among the community organizations she's involved in are the Chamber of Commerce, several professional women's groups and some non-profit social organizations.

Although she has given up snow skiing, she still plays golf, travels and socializes with friends, and is building her own custom-made home.

1980's

Dr. Arthur E. Wood III (1980) of Waynesboro is a general practitioner. 

He is married and has five children.

Dr. Brenda P. Hines (1982) of Flowood became board certified in sleep medicine in 2013.

Limiting her practice to that area, she is the associate medical director of Somnus Sleep Clinic in Flowood, treating patients with obstructive sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, narcolepsy and more. 

Her special interest is sleep disorders of women and children.

Dr. Darden North

 Dr. Darden North (1982) of Flowood is serving as the director of the Woman's Hospital Chapter of the American Institute of Minimally Invasive Surgery (AIMIS).

North completed his ob-gyn residency at UMMC in 1986, the year he became physician partner at Jackson Healthcare for Women, PA, in Flowood.

Also an established author, he is writing his fifth mystery/suspense novel. His author website is www.dardennorth.com.

Dr. John Mark Pierce

Dr. John Mark Pierce (1984) of Knoxville, Tenn., is in private practice, general internal medicine, in the Summit Medical Group, Knoxville.

He is also assistant professor of medicine, Division of Internal Medicine, at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

Pierce earned his undergraduate degree from Mississippi State University, majoring in biomedical engineering.

After receiving his M.D., he completed an internal medicine residency at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis in 1987. He worked as an emergency room physician and instructor of medicine at the Regional Medical Center in Memphis.

He has also practiced emergency medicine and internal medicine at Western Baptist Hospital in Paducah, Kent. 

Dr. Ralph C. Atkinson III

Dr. Ralph C. Atkinson III (1985) is president of Nephrology Associates, a 28-physician nephrology practice serving Nashville and middle Tennessee.

He is also medical director of the Centennial Medical Center Renal Transplant Program, FMC Acute Dialysis Program, FMC Lawrenceburg and FMC South Nashville Dialysis Clinics.

He serves on the board of directors for Centennial Medical Center in Nashville and the Nashville Academy of Medicine, and is chair of the Network 8 Medical Review Board, and an at-large member of the Network Forum board of directors.

Dr. Ben Douglas (1985) of Tillamook, Ore., practices Family Medicine with Adventist Health Tillamook Medical Group.

He is also Hospice Physician for Tillamook County.

In 2013, he was voted Physician of the Year in Tillamook.

Dr. Jim Phillips (1986) of Gates Mills, Ohio, was recently honored as the Cleveland Clinic's Critical Care Medicine Surgical Intensive Care Unit Staff of the Year and Teacher of the Year for the second year in a row.

He left UMMC in 2011 to complete a critical care fellowship at Vanderbilt University.  Since 2012 he has become board certified in anesthesiology critical care, pediatric anesthesiology and neurology critical care.  He had previously earned board certifications in anesthesiology, pain management and emergency medicine. 

Phillips also earned a Master of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pa., in 2012. 

He enjoys competing in ultra-running races and Iron Man Triathlons, and is active in the community, particularly in his church.

He is married to Alison Phillips, who is also active in the community. 

Dr. John Proctor

Dr. John Proctor (1986) of Franklin, Tenn., is a diplomate of the American Board of Emergency Medicine in emergency medicine and pediatric emergency medicine.

He is also president of TEAMHealth Central Group, one of the nation's largest providers of hospital-based clinical outsourcing.

After graduating from medical school, he completed his residency in emergency medicine at UMMC in 1990. He finished pediatric emergency medicine training and sub-board certification at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where he served as director of emergency department operations from 1993-96. 

Proctor received his MBA from Vanderbilt in 1998.

Dr. Carol F. Akin

Dr. Carol F. Akin (1988), after serving in the Jackson area for 21 years, has relocated to Collierville, Tenn., where she joined the Medical Anesthesia Group, which provides anesthesia in the Methodist Hospital systems.

Her husband, Dr. Mark Akin, who operates Akin Equine Veterinary Services, is an equine veterinarian specializing in lameness.

Dr. Patrick E. Tucker

Dr. Patrick E. Tucker (1989) of Corinth was featured in a leadership and entrepreneur article in the Oct. 23, 2014 edition of the Mississippi Business Journal.

Tucker is the founder and president of Physicians Urgent Care, with locations in Booneville and Corinth, where he lives with his wife Suzanne Cox. 

1990's

Weisenberger with pediatric residents Dr. Elizabeth McKey, left, and Dr. Josef McLean.

Dr. Sara J. Weisenberger (1991) of Jackson works in the UMMC Department of Pediatrics' Division of General Pediatrics.

Besides seeing patients In the Children's North Clinic, Weisenberger and her partners teach residents, medical students and nurse practitioner students. 

Her interests include advocacy work with the Mississippi chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She also focuses on obesity in children and immunizations advocacy, working with the Mississippi Division of Medicaid to assist in promoting managed care, outcomes and services for children's health. 

Weisenberger is also involved in neighborhood organization and advocacy, gardening, young adults' ministry and her church.

She has been married for 27 years. Her son John is a sophomore at Ole Miss.

Dr. Lucius "Luke" Lampton (1993) of Magnolia recently purchased the second-oldest weekly newspaper in Mississippi, The Hinds County Gazette, established in Raymond by the great-grandfather of the late Mississippi author Willie Morris.

The Gazette joins another award-winning weekly newspaper he publishes: The Magnolia Gazette, established in 1872.

He and Dr. Scott Anderson of Meridian, a radiation oncologist, edit and produce the new Southern literary journal, China Grove. Two other UMMC alumni are involved in the journal: poetry editors Dr. Dwalia South of Ripley and Dr. John McEachin of Meridian.

Dr. Stacey Gatlin Frohn (1994) is practicing general pediatrics at the Bartlett, Tenn., office of the Memphis Children's Clinic, which she joined in 1997.

At UMMC, she received the Blair Batson Award for Excellence in Pediatrics before beginning her pediatric residency at the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children & Women in Orlando, Fla.

Frohn completed her pediatric training at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital in Memphis and is board-certified in general pediatrics.

She has enjoyed medical mission trips to India and several trips to Honduras.

She is married to Billy Frohn; they have five children.

Dr. Harriet L. Jones

Dr. Harriet L. Jones (1998) joined UMMC in 2011 as an associate professor in the Department of Medicine, where she was tasked with developing a clinical wound management program.

The Wound Management Services Clinic officially opened May 12, 2014 in a newly-remodeled clinical area located in the University Medical Pavilion.

Jones focuses her practice on treating patients with skin and soft-tissue wounds and infections, including, but not limited to, diabetic food wounds, post-operative infections, as well as other difficult-to-heal wounds.

Dr. Stacey Gatlin Murray

Dr. Stacey Gatlin Murray (1994) practices general pediatrics with Memphis Children's Clinic, which she joined in 1997.

She graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1990 with a B.A. in biology. At UMMC, she received the Blair Batson Award for Excellence in Pediatrics. 

Murray began her pediatric residency at the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and Women in Orlando, Fla., and completed her pediatric training at Le Bonheur Children's Medical Center in Memphis.

Murray is board certified in general pediatrics. She is married to Billy Murray; they have five children. Murray has enjoyed medical mission trips to India and several trips to Honduras. 

Dr. Danny L. Sanders (1998) of Tupelo is a member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons.

Sanders, who has a special interest in breast cancer treatment, has an office in the Surgery Clinic of Tupelo.

He is affiliated with the North Mississippi Medical Center.

2000's

Dr. Jennifer Hussey Garrett

Dr. Jennifer Hussey Garrett (2001) of Corinth, a refractive surgeon certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology, has been in private practice for nine years. 

She earned her B.S. degree in biochemistry and molecular biology from Mississippi State University.  After earning her M.D., she completed her residency training in ophthalmology at UMMC.

In the summer of 2005, Garrett decided to return to her hometown of Corinth to practice ophthalmology.  In addition to performing Z-LASIK, LASIK, and PRK in her practice, she performs cataract surgery

She has two boys, ages 7 and 3. 

Dr. Emily Vigour (2003) of New Orleans gave birth to Andrew Prentice King on Aug. 20, 2014.

She works as a general pediatrician at Westside Clinics in Marrero, La. She and her husband Brian King also have an older son, Martin, age 2.

A native of Winona, she graduated from Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass., before earning her M.D. at UMMC.

Board certified by the American Academy of Pediatrics, she completed her pediatric residency through the Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, where she worked at the Children's Hospital of New Orleans, Charity Hospital and University Hospital. 

Dr. Christine Reitano Cook

Dr. Christine Reitano Cook (2004) of Glenn Allen, Va., has worked at St. Mary's Hospital in Richmond, Va., for the past six years.

Her husband Dr. Greg Cook is a 2005 graduate of the UMMC School of Medicine and is an adult endocrinologist at Richmond Diabetes and Endocrinology.

They have two children, Hannah, 6, and Aaron, 4.

2010's

Dr. Jeremy Taylor (2012) of Madison will begin his endocrinology fellowship at UMMC in July 2015 after completing his internal medicine residency here.

The Gulfport native is married to Dr. Charlotte Taylor (2014), a UMMC resident pursuing radiology.

His hobbies include tennis, the Atlanta Braves, fantasy baseball and swimming.

Dr. Chasity Lynne Torrence (2012) of Jackson is in her third year of psychiatry residency at UMMC.

After completing her fourth and final year of residency, she plans to practice general adult psychiatry in the Jackson area.