April 26, 2004
Sisters of Charity Providence Hospitals inducted three physicians into its Society of St. Luke program at a ceremony held on April 22. The Society of St. Luke celebrates and honors selected members of the medical staff for their distinguished service to their patients, the mission of the hospitals and their service to the community.
The following physicians were inducted as 2004 members of The Society of St. Luke:
G. Badger Humphries, Jr. M.D., was appointed to the Providence medical staff in 1977 and specialized in Radiology. Dr. Humphries was a well-respected physician who performed the first peripheral balloon angioplasty in Columbia. Until his retirement in 1993 for medical reasons, Dr. Humphries was known as a perfectionist with a keen intellect and an uncompromising commitment to medicine. Colleagues regarded Dr. Humphries as a brilliant, innovative and tenacious physician with a legendary drive to do the very best for his patients.
James McKnight Timmons, M.D., was appointed to the Providence medical staff in 1955 and specialized in Otolaryngology. For Dr. Timmons, practicing medicine was a family affair, as he worked with his father, H.L. Timmons, a medical missionary in Korea, his brother, John, and John’s wife, Frances. Dr. Timmons had an extraordinary skill for restoring hearing through microscopic surgeries, notably stapes surgery and tympanoplasties, to repair damage due to abnormalities of the small ear bones. Dr. Timmons’ accolades and honors are innumerable, yet he never lost sight of the hand that guided him.
R. Greggory Jowers, M.D. (deceased), was appointed to the Providence medical staff in 1978 and was a family practitioner. In 1980, Dr. Jowers fulfilled a lifelong dream of joining his father, Dr. L.V. Jowers, in the family practice. Despite the demands of a busy practice, he served as chief of staff at Providence and as a board member of the Free Medical Clinic. He also won the Amateur Division of the Bassmasters Megabucks Fishing Tournament in 1993, earning him the unofficial title, “The Fishing Physician,” just five years before his untimely death. Dr. Jowers left an indelible imprint on every life he touched.
The Society of St. Luke does more than honor Providence physicians, according to Stephen A. Purves, president and chief executive officer of Sisters of Charity Providence Hospitals. “In addition to recognizing and honoring our outstanding physicians, The Society of St. Luke maintains lasting relationships between active and retired medical staff at Providence,” he says.
Inducted in 2003, as charter members of The Society of St. Luke, were Lawrence V. Jowers, M.D. (deceased), Hugh H. DuBose, M.D., J. Frank Martin, Sr., M.D., Charles H. Peebles Jr., M.D., Samuel R. Shannon, M.D. and John P. Sutton, M.D.
Known statewide for its compassionate care, Sisters of Charity Providence Hospitals provide medical and surgical services through three entities: Providence Hospital, Providence Heart Institute and Providence Hospital Northeast. Providence Hospital, located in downtown Columbia, is a 311-bed hospital founded by the Sisters of Charity of St. Augustine. The facility is best known for the expertise in cardiac care it provides through Providence Heart Institute. Providence Hospital Northeast is a 64-bed community hospital that includes a transitional care unit for newly discharged patients who require skilled nursing and rehabilitative care.