Edgecombe County NcArchives Photo Person.....Kornegay (Dr. Bob), Dr. Robert D. ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/ncfiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Grace W. Turner n/a January 5, 2009, 6:33 pm Source: Rocky Mount Telegram Name: Dr. Robert D. Kornegay (Dr. Bob) Photo can be seen at: http://www.usgwarchives.net/nc/edgecombe/photos/kornegay305ph.jpg Image file size: 23.3 Kb Rocky Mount Telegram, Sunday, March 12, 1995 By James Allen Whitaker, MD Robert Kornegay: Surgeon, Community Leader, Father The year was 1952; the patient, a young man, was an accident victim with painful, debilitating bone injuries in one leg. Following a series of operations to repair the damage, his doctor - Robert D. Kornegay - reached the conclusion that amputation was the only recourse. Prior to performing that extreme surgical procedure, the doctor advised this patient to seek a second opinion at Duke Hospital. The verdict by Duke specialists: "Young man, if your surgeon is Bob Kornegay in Rocky Mount, you're in excellent hands. We concur with his diagnosis and refer you back to him." Such personal affirmations about Dr. Bob Kornegay are legion. The integrity of an individual can be measured in large degree by the meaningful contributions he makes within his community. Dr. Bob, as he became known to his patients, touched thousands of lives in a remarkably positive way throughout many years as he practiced surgical medicine in Rocky Mount. From his boyhood days, he was committed to becoming a surgeon, following in the footsteps of his father, Dr. L.W. Kornegay, who had founded a private hospital, Rocky Mount Sanitarium. To prepare himself for this lifetime career, Bob Kornegay began his college preparatory education at Danville (Virginia) Military Academy, then entered Davidson College, a school widely acclaimed for the study of pre-med. During summer vacations, the young student returned to Rocky Mount to work in available jobs at the Sanitarium, primarily to become a shadow to his respected father. He observed and absorbed techniques utilized in that surgical-medical environment, as well as interactions involved in patient- doctor relationships. Completing his pre-med studies at Davidson, Bob applied to Duke Medical School, at that time in its infancy, having graduated only one class. Following his 1939 graduation from med school, he was accepted for a two-year residency at the prestigious Robert Packer Memorial Hospital in Sayer, Pa. As his formal education was nearing completion, international affairs were volatile with Adolph Hitler's German war machine running rampant in Europe. Dr. Bob volunteered for service in the United States Army shortly before the Japanese air attack on Pearl Harbor. He was assigned to the U.S. Medical Corps in the European Theater and served with the 11th Evacuation Hospital in the African, Italian, and Sicilian invasions as World War II raged. He operated in field hospitals, such as those later designated as M.A.S.H. units, immediately behind explosive battle lines. That war proved to be a catalyst in medicine, testing the young newly graduated doctor, forced by circumstances to become expediently and successfully innovative as he practiced wartime surgery for almost four years. According to his colleagues, Dr. Bob was a natural surgeon, possessing intuitive talents, and was highly adept with instruments and surgical techniques. He brought these finely honed skills with him to Rocky Mount in 1945 when he was released from the Army. That same year his father died, and Dr. Bob became chief of surgery and head of the Rocky Mount Sanitarium, assuming enormous responsibility for so young a person. When he returned to Rocky Mount, he brought his bride of a few months, the former Anne Ennis, and the couple subsequently reared their three children here, Robert, Jr., Judith, and William Ennis. World War II had created an explosion in medical discoveries, knowledge, equipment, techniques, and an advanced arsenal of drugs. It marked the advent of a Golden Age of medicine, and in this rapidly changing medical environment Bob Kornegay began his lifetime work in Rocky Mount. Always a medical scholar, Dr. Bob read and studied continually to keep pace with high technology advances in medicine. He immediately embarked on a renovation schedule for the Sanitarium, bringing the physical facility up to higher standards in an era of prevailing construction shortages. The building became the first totally air conditioned hospital in Eastern North Carolina. In addition to his inherent abilities in the practice of surgical medicine, Dr. Bob brought to the medical arena time-honored traditions in humanitarian values. He never refused anyone who called him for medical attention. His parents were always first priority. He frequently worked straight through a twenty-four hour period, under duress all night, yet maintained his composure and good humor. Regardless of unexpected demands upon him, he made hospital rounds both morning and evening, stopping to speak with all patients, even those under the care of other staff doctors. His professional colleagues quickly learned that Bob Kornegay was a man of absolute and total integrity, a man to be implicitly trusted. Always honest, he never compromised his principles. They learned, too, that Bob Kornegay was a totally devoted husband and father, who took pride and delight in his family, spending his free time in family activities. His compassion for and understanding of his patients is legendary. That combination plus is special gift for relating to people in all walks of life, led to the development of a tremendous and loyal following. His friendly, outgoing personality resulted in respect and love, not only from patients, but from all the hospital's staff. Dr. Bob's peers and colleagues relied upon his good humor and storehouse of jokes to present a balance in the daily serious responsibilities of treating the sick and saving lives. Throughout his practice of medicine, Dr. Bob exhibited a quiet confidence and victorious spirit in the face of crisis which ended his productive life. He leaves an invaluable contribution to the medical community of Rocky Mount, and a legacy of warm devotion, strength and courage to his former patients and multitude of friends. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/nc/edgecombe/photos/kornegay305ph.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/ncfiles/ File size: 6.7 Kb