CMC recognizes two physicians with Distinguished Physicians Awards
The Medical Executive Committee of Conway Medical Center is proud to announce that Dr. Edward Proctor and Dr. James Adamson are the recipients of this year’s Distinguished Physicians Awards. This award recognizes medical excellence and the exceptional care provided to patients by physicians currently and retired from the staff of Conway Medical Center.
Dr. Proctor’s award, presented posthumously and accepted by his family, recognizes his service of 37 years to the Horry County community as a general surgeon at CMC. He was instrumental in the hospital’s move from downtown Conway to its current location and served as both chief of surgery and chief of staff. He was a World War II veteran who also served in the National Guard. He was an active part of the community, serving on many boards and organizations, including assisting in the founding of the Conway Medical Center Foundation and serving as a board chairman.
Dr. Adamson is a current member of the Conway Medical Center Board of Trustees after serving his country as an internal medicine physician in the U.S. Army. When he left active duty, he established a medical practice in Conway and was chief of medicine and chief of staff at CMC. He recently retired from Conway Medical Center as an attending physician for medical students, interns, and residents, though he continues to assist with our medical learners on an as-needed basis. He has served his community in numerous ways, including as a past president of the Conway branch of the NAACP and with various community health organizations.
“Dr. Proctor and Dr. Adamson embody service to others with their unwavering dedication to their patients, community, and nation. They helped to shape Conway Medical Center through decades of leadership, their contributions to boards and foundations, and a lifelong commitment to healing. We honor their legacy, which is woven into the fabric of CMC and the lives of those they served,” said Dr. Paul Richardson, CMC Chief Medical Officer.
Edward L. Proctor, MD
Dr. Edward L. Proctor was born on July 3, 1925, in Conway, SC to the late Clemson and Gussie Elnita Vaught Proctor. He was a beloved physician who served Horry County for 37 years. Dr. Proctor graduated from Clemson University and the Medical College of SC(MUSC) in Charleston in 1947. Upon completion of a general internship at Roper Hospital in Charleston, Dr. Ed did a one-year residency in Pathology and a four-year residency in surgery at Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia where he was a Fellow of American College of Surgeons and a member of the Southeastern Surgical Congress. He then returned to his hometown of Conway and practiced medicine at Conway Medical Center as a General Surgeon. Dr. Proctor served his country in the Army during WWII and the Virginia National Guard and then the SC National Guard from 1952-1976 and retired as a Brigadier General. He served his community and state of SC by serving in many civic organizations as a committee member, Chairman and President. Dr. Proctor was an active and dedicated member of First Baptist Church of Conway for 77 years and was an ordained deacon and served as Board Chairman several years.
He served as both Chief of Staff and Chief of Surgery at Conway Hospital during which time he was instrumental in moving its location from downtown to its present location. Dr. Proctor is an emeritus member of the Conway Hospital Foundation and was active from its inception and served as the Board Chairman. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Conway for over 60 years. Dr. Proctor was also a member of the MUSC Board of Visitors, Conway High School Educational Foundation Board, Conway Chamber of Commerce, Horry County Development Board, Horry District (PeeDee District Council) Boy Scouts, Coastal Carolina Educational Foundation, SC State Development Board, C&S National Bank Advisory Board, and Clemson University National Alumni Council.
Dr. Ed received many awards and decorations for his tireless work in these areas including Conway High School Outstanding Alumnus, Clemson University Distinguished Service Award, Coastal Carolina Founders Medallion, Field and Herald Man of the Year, Boy Scouts Silver Beaver Award, Horry County Tiger of the Year, Conway Chamber of Commerce Lavern Creel Lifetime Achievement Award, Rotary Club Paul Harris Fellow, and the American Legion Distinguished Service Award.
James Adamson, MD
James Wellington Adamson, DVM, MD, FACP is a graduate of Cades High School in Kingstree, SC. As a youngster, he worked the tobacco fields of his family’s and neighbors’ farms alongside his family. Later, he surveyed fields, working for the US Department of Agriculture. He then went to Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama, majoring in Agricultural Science. He received a BS Degree in Agricultural Science in 1971 and the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree in 1973. Upon his graduation, Dr. Adamson was honored as the Top Cadet for 4 years in the Army Reserve (ROTC). Upon graduation he was commissioned as a Captain in the US Army.
Captain Adamson served in the Army in the Veterinary Corps at Fort Meade Army Base in Fort Meade, Maryland and at the Naval Academy (1973-1975). He then entered the Health Professions Scholarship Program and began attending the Medical University of South Carolina, graduating in 1979. Captain Adamson received his post-graduate medical training in Internal Medicine at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. During this time, he was promoted to Major and went on to serve as Chief of Medicine at two military connected facilities.
In 1986, Dr. Adamson left active duty and entered into the private practice of Internal Medicine in Conway, SC, establishing Horry Medical Associates, PA. from 1991-2002, whereupon he also served as Chief of Medicine, Chief of Staff, and presently serves as a member of the Board of Trustees at the Conway Medical Center.
In 1990, Dr. Adamson was recalled to active duty and served in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm. He received the prestigious Bronze Star for “Exceptionally Meritorious Service” in Support of US Army Forces Central Command and the Multi-National Coalition during this campaign. Other awards include: “Service to Mankind” award by the Waccamaw Sertoma Club (1991), National Board of Medicine Certification (1980), Board of Internal Medicine Certification (1983), and Fellow of the American College of Physicians (2003). Additionally, his is a member of the American Medical Association, the South Carolina Medical Association, the Horry County Medical Society, and the South Carolina Chapter of the American College of Physicians, which awarded him their highest honor in 2008, the South Carolina ACP Laureate Award. He has practiced with the Conway Physicians’ Group of Conway Medical Center, with Heartland Hospice, as Medical Director at Pruitt Nursing Home, CareTeam Plus Family Health & Specialty Care and recently retired from Conway Medical Center as an Attending (Teaching) Physician for medical students, interns, and residents.
Dr. Adamson has been very active in his community serving as a past President of the Conway Branch of the NAACP and as a member of the 100 Black Men of Myrtle Beach. He has been active in area school athletics, churches, community health programs and with other civic organizations. He is a founding member of the Palmetto Missionary Baptist Church where he has served as a Sunday School teacher, sound man, and grounds keeper, among other duties. Dr Adamson has a special interest in his family’s genealogy, African American History, and the impact of the 13th, 14th, & 15th Amendments on American Democracy. He is a big fan of Coach Dawn Staley and the Lady Gamecocks and is also a great DJ at family gatherings.
Dr. Adamson has been married for over 48 years to the former Cheryl Alonzeta Moore (Reverend Cheryl Moore Adamson) of Conway, is the father of Mary Louise and James Jamaal, and the grandfather of Cheryl Asua and Jordan.
