Dr. Tommy King Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
4/2/2015
Hattiesburg – Dr. Tommy King, President of William Carey University, was recognized Saturday with a Lifetime Achievement Award, as selected by a panel of physicians in association with the regional symposium, Cardiovascular Update for the Primary Care Provider and Wesley Medical Center. The prestigious award recognizes long-term achievements in developing and promoting innovation, advancement and peer recognition in the healthcare field.
“Dr. King has shown visionary leadership,” said Mike Neuendorf, Chief Executive Officer of Wesley Medical Center. “He represents the highest level of achievement and excellence, and his vast contributions have served as a catalyst for the transformation of healthcare in this community.”
Under his leadership, William Carey has established a College of Osteopathic Medicine and a College of Health Sciences. The Doctor of Physical Therapy program will begin in fall 2015, and the University is also seeking funds to establish a School of Pharmacy on the Tradition campus in Biloxi, also constructed under his leadership. Also added during King’s tenure are a medical complex of four state of the art buildings, Sarah Ellen Gillespie Museum of Art, Joe and Virginia Tatum Theatre, School of Business, a new wing in the School of Nursing, a maintenance building, a batting facility, a new tennis complex and a field house for tennis and soccer.
King’s contributions to the campus and to his community do not start or end there.
Dr. King, became the ninth president of William Carey University in February 2007. King, the first graduate of Carey to be named president, came to the position with 30 years of experience in public education from elementary to university levels. At Carey, he served as dean of the school of psychology and counseling, vice president for graduate and off-campus programs, professor of psychology, and executive vice president. He was recognized for his service to Carey by being named Alumnus of the Year and is a member of the Alumni Hall of Fame.
In addition to a Bachelor of Arts degree from William Carey College, King also holds four graduate degrees, including a doctorate from the University of Southern Mississippi.
King has a strong record of leadership in civic affairs including serving on the Laurel Planning Commission, the American Cancer Society boards in Jones and Marion counties and the Laurel-Jones County Library board.
Among his honors, Dr. King was named Columbia’s “Outstanding Citizen.” He has served on the local, state and international levels of the Lions Club and is an International Foundation Melvin Jones Fellow for Outstanding Humanitarian Work. He established the Mississippi Lions Deaf Camp and was inducted into the Lions Hall of Fame in 2002. In recognition of his service to the Lion’s Club he has received numerous awards including the Ambassador of Goodwill award, the highest honor the association bestows upon its members. King was a recipient of the prestigious Hub Award in 2010 and the Promotion of the Arts Award from the Historic Hattiesburg Downtown Association in 2014.
King holds the honor of being the Cardiovascular Symposium’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award winner.
The symposium, chaired by Raghotham R. Patlola, M.D. of the Cardiovascular Clinic of Hattiesburg and Craig Walker, M.D. of the Cardiovascular Institute of the South, seeks to educate healthcare professionals about new developments, treatments and technology available for diseases affecting the heart and vascular systems.
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