Dr. Paul Wallace Seavey

Paul Wallace Seavey, M.D., Professor of Medicine Emeritus of Emory University and Fellow in the American College of Physicians, died Friday, November 12,2004 at Emory Hospital surrounded by his family. He succumbed to prostate cancer, an illness he battled with the hallmark intensity with which he lived his life. He is survived by his beloved wife of 51 years, Mary Ann Seavey. The only child of the late Paul and Louise Seavey, Dr. Seavey was born December 1, 1926 in Needham, Massachusetts. The family moved to Dunedin, Florida, where he graduated from Clearwater High School in 1944. During World War II he enlisted in the Navy and served two years as a corpsman on the destroyer, USS Brownson. After his tour of duty, Seavey came to Atlanta and began a relationship with Emory that spanned over 55 years. He graduated in 1949 from Emory College, a member of Kappa Alpha Order. He then attended Emory School of Medicine, graduating in 1953. He completed two years of residency at Duke University under Eugene Stead, M.D., and returned to complete his training at Emory, including a Fellowship in Cardiology under lifetime mentor, Bruce Logue, M.D. He spent the first 10 years of his career on the staff at Watts Hospital in private practice, in Durham, NC. In 1967 he returned to Emory as a faculty member in internal medicine. He was Chief of Internal Medicine for ten years. He served on the boards of Wesley Woods and the Rollins School of Public Health and was chairman of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee for 20 years. His devotion to his patients and to excellence in his practice endeared him to the community and prompted many to make substantial gifts to the School of Medicine. In his honor the Paul W. Seavey Chair in Internal Medicine and the Paul W. Seavey Medical Endowment were established. Working with longtime patient and friend, John Rollins, he was instrumental in the development and construction of the Rollins Pavilion at Emory Hospital. In 1995, Seavey was acknowledged by the Emory Medical Alumni Association and presented with the Award of Honor. A nationally respected physician, he was recognized in the 1991 publication, The Best Doctors in the U.S. Seavey was as devoted to his family as to his medical practice. Family reunion vacations were a tradition, and his passion for living was evident in every corner of his life, whether he was gardening at Amelia Island, building his model boats, sailing in Maine, playing tennis, or playing football on the beach with his grandchildren. In addition to his wife, Seavey is survived by his devoted daughters and their families: Cheryl Lee and Fred B. Murphy of Decatur, Carol Ann and Steve Yeatts of Athens, and Susan and Steve Forte of Atlanta; and his seven grandchildren, Stephanie Yeatts Streer, Joe and Patricia Yeatts, Susie and David Murphy, and Christina and Michael Forte. A memorial service for Dr. Seavey will be held on Saturday, November 20, 2004 at Glenn Memorial Church at 2:30 p.m., Dr. James Laney officiating. A reception will be held following the memorial service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Emory University, designated for The Paul W. Seavey Medical Endowment, or to the Amelia Plantation Chapel, P.O. Box 8014, 1450 Bowman Rd., Amelia Island, FL 32035-8014. A. S. Turner & Sons