Everett Lloyd Dargan, MD, died in hospice in Washington, DC, in April. He was 95.

A native of Columbia, S.C., Everett led an inspiring life of remarkable achievement and grace as a scholar, surgeon, sportsman, gentleman, public servant, husband, father, mentor and friend to many.

As a youth during the Great Depression, he helped support his family by shining shoes, delivering newspapers, waiting tables,and working summers on his uncles’ family farm. At age 15, sponsored by a Pepsi-Cola Company scholarship, he entered Morehouse College in Atlanta. He later graduated with honors from the University of Buffalo in New York, and received his MD from Howard University College of Medicine, with high honors, in 1953.

He trained in general surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine under the tutelage of David State, MD, becoming chief resident. He interrupted his residency to serve in the US Air Force during the Korean War, becoming captain and commander of the 3910th USAF Hospital at RAF Base Mildenhall and RAF Base Lakenheath in the UK.

Following his service, he became associate professor of surgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. During rare breaks, he explored Martha’s Vineyard with brothers Wanza Davis, Jr (later a longtime teacher at the Tisbury school) and Francis Davis, Sr, friends from Morehouse and military service.

He met Carol Poyner, a registered nurse and flight attendant, in 1964 while both worked at New York’s Lincoln Hospital. They married in 1965 and moved to Boston. He completed board certifications in thoracic and vascular surgery at B.U. Medical Center. Later in New York, he served as director of surgery at Lincoln and Sydenham hospitals, where he advocated for quality medical care for indigent patients and veterans.

Martha’s Vineyard became a favored place for both Dargans, sharing happy times with their children, grandchildren and legions of loved ones.

He returned to South Carolina with his wife and family in 1978, became associate clinical professor of surgery at the University of South Carolina, opened a private practice with partners, and worked at Dorn Veterans Medical Center for decades. He was a founding member of Physicians’ Health Plan of South Carolina, a network of providers committed to serving Medicaid recipients, and also worked for the South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners.

He was the first African American to serve as chief of surgery and then chief of staff at Richland Memorial Hospital (now Prisma Health). He delivered papers at medical conferences in Africa and throughout the U.S., often at meetings of the American College of Surgeons, where he became a Fellow, and for the National Medical Association. He was renowned for his knowledgeable and kind patient care.

A devoted father and husband, he and his wife loved spending as much time as possible with their grandchildren, gardening, visiting museums, dancing and spending time on Martha’s Vineyard or in South Carolina’s Lowcountry. During decades of summers and autumns in Oak Bluffs, he enjoyed fishing at Wasque, patiently teaching the children in his life how to fish, and convincing reluctant children to grow vegetable gardens.

In a final act of service, he donated his body to Howard Univeristy, to aid in the training of future medical professionals.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Annie and Thomas Dargan, Sr., and his two older brothers, Thomas, Jr. and Julian.

In addition to his loving wife of nearly 60 years, he is survived by his sister, Goldia Hodgdon; two daughters and a son-in-law: Jennifer Dargan, Catherine Dargan and Peter Phelps; three grandchildren: Addison, Morgan, and Landon Phelps; two sisters- and brothers-in-law; nephews, nieces, cousins, and legions of friends and patients. He will be dearly missed.

Those who wish to honor his memory are asked to kindly consider the Everett L. Dargan, MD, Scholarship Fund at U.S.C.. or simply encourage the young people in their lives to dream big, work hard and help others.