James William Colbert, Jr.

James William Colbert, Jr. (December 15, 1920 in New York City—September 11, 1974 in Charlotte, North Carolina) was an American physician and the first vice president of academic affairs at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), serving in this capacity from 1969 until his death in 1974.

Early life and education

Colbert was raised in a devout Roman Catholic household, and attended St. Augustine’s School in Larchmont for junior high school and Iona Preparatory in New Rochelle, NY for high school. He received his A.B. from College of the Holy Cross in 1942 in philosophy, in which he was deeply interested; nevertheless, he later chose to pursue a medical career because, according to his daughter Margaret Colbert Keegan, “it just seemed to be the thing to do at the time.” Colbert was accepted into the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1942, and received his M.D. there three years later, with a focus on immunology and infectious diseases. He then completed an internship at Bellevue Hospital before joining the U.S. Army Medical Corps in 1946.^[1]

Career

Colbert spent a year in Europe working for the U.S. Army Medical Corps, after which he completed a residency at Yale University School of Medicine. In 1949, he rejoined the U.S. Army Medical Corps as a representative of the Armed Forces Epidemiological Board, Director of Hepatitis Research Team and Technical Director of the Hepatitis Laboratory in Munich, Germany. Also after 1949, he joined the faculty of Yale University School of Medicine, where he was promoted to Assistant Dean in 1951. In 1953, he left Yale to become the youngest-ever person (at the time) to serve as dean of the St. Louis University School of Medicine. He remained at St. Louis University until 1961, when he became Associate Director for Extramural Programs at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.^[2] He became the first vice president for academic affairs at the Medical University of South Carolina on February 1, 1969, and remained in that position until his death.^[3] His work at the Medical University of South Carolina has been credited with "la[ying] the foundation for MUSC's rise as a nationally renowned academic medical center."^[4]

Personal life

Colbert married his childhood sweetheart, Lorna Elizabeth Tuck, on August 26, 1944. They soon started a family, and had eleven children together. Of these, nine were still alive as of July 2009: Jim, Ed, Mary, Bill, Margo, Tom, Jay, Elizabeth, and Stephen.^[1] The other two, Paul and Peter, died in the same plane crash that killed their father in 1974.^[5]

Death

Colbert, along with two of his sons, died in the crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 on September 11, 1974 in Charlotte, North Carolina.^[6]

Recognition

In 2009, MUSC renamed its education center and library in memory of Colbert. Also that year, his surviving relatives established the James W. Colbert Endowed Chair, also at MUSC, in honor of his legacy.^[7]

References

External links

• James William Colbert, Jr. at Find a Grave