A concurrent RESOLUTION

 

to request the Department of Transportation name the portion of Ashby Road in Florence County from its intersection with Irby Street to its intersection with Douglas Street "Dr. James Duckett Hammond, Jr. memorial Road" and erect appropriate markers or signs along this portion of highway containing these words.

 

Whereas, Dr. James Duckett Hammond, Jr., the only child of the late James D. Hammond, Sr., and Vera Naggles-Hammond, was born on March 29, 1936, in Ridge Spring, South Carolina. He died on Thursday evening, September 15, 2005, surrounded by his loving family; and

 

Whereas, Dr. Hammond was raised in Florence where he attended and graduated from Wilson Elementary and High Schools. He attended Hampton University during the summer of 1953 and later transferred to North Carolina A&T State University where he became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. He received his B.S. degree and was awarded the honor of Cum Laude when he graduated in 1957; and

 

Whereas, James Hammond, Jr., earned his master's degree from Columbia University. He then returned to North Carolina A&T State University where he taught chemistry for two years. He loved teaching, but always had the desire to become a physician. Therefore, he entered Meharry Medical College in Nashville, Tennessee, where he earned his medical degree. While in Nashville, he met his then future wife, Donzaleigh Floyd. They were married on May 25, 1963. The young couple temporarily relocated to New Mexico. There, James interned and performed his residency at Bernalillo County Hospital in Albuquerque. When the Hammonds returned to Nashville, he joined the Matthew Walker Health Center and simultaneously served as a residency training instructor at Meharry. While working at the Matthew Walker Health Center in Nashville, Dr. Hammond volunteered for periodic trips to rural areas in Mississippi, where he treated patients in local clinics. This program was established in order to bring better health care outcomes to communities in need; and

 

Whereas, Dr. Hammond served his country with distinction as a captain in the medical unit of the United States Army from 1966-1968. He toured Vietnam for a year before returning stateside and accepting a yearlong post at Fort McPherson in Georgia; and

 

Whereas, Dr. Hammond and his family moved to South Orange, New Jersey, in 1973. There, he worked as a Clinic Physician at the Hospital Center at South Orange before assuming the role of chief of Internal Medicine at Central Essex Health Plan; and

 

Whereas, when he and his family moved to South Carolina in 1979, Dr. Hammond began his own private practice, while simultaneously serving on staff at all three local hospitals - Florence General Hospital, McLeod Regional Medical Center and Bruce Hospital. He served as chief of staff at Florence General from 1990-1991 and served as chairman of the Department of Medicine at McLeod in 1992 and 1993; and

 

Whereas, while in Florence, Dr. Hammond's generosity extended beyond his family and friends as he touched the lives of many people throughout the entire community. During his career, he served as ringside physician for local boxing at the Boys' Club, sideline physician for the Wilson High School football team, and medical director of Faith Nursing Home. Dr. Hammond's private practice and patients became the nucleus for the start-up of the Carver Community Health Center, where he served as medical director until his retirement; and

 

Whereas, he was chosen, along with ten other doctors from across the country, to participate in a Harvard School of Medicine research study pertaining to hypertension in the black community. In addition, he served as a member of several professional associations and organizations. These include the Florence County Medical Society, the South Carolina Medical Society, the American Medical Association, the Southern Medical Association, the National Medical Association, the Association of Black Cardiologists, the Urban League, and the Florence Chamber of Commerce; and

 

Whereas, it would be fitting and proper to recognize the stellar career of this son of the Palmetto State by having a portion of a highway in Florence County named in his honor. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

 

That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, request the Department of Transportation name the portion of Ashby Road in Florence County from its intersection with Irby Street to its intersection with Douglas Street "Dr. James Duckett Hammond, Jr. Memorial Road" and erect appropriate markers or signs along this portion of highway containing these words.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be forwarded to the Department of Transportation.

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