FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
October 6, 2008 Janet M. Caldwell
615. 500.0632
Meharry Medical College Mourns the Loss of 6th President Lloyd C. Elam, M.D.
(Nashville, Tenn.) – Meharry Medical College legend and giant -- Dr. Lloyd C. Elam, the distinguished sixth President of Meharry passed away on the morning of October 4, 2008 while traveling in Mississippi.
Dr. Elam will be sorely missed. His personal commitment and contributions to Meharry Medical College are legion and legendary.
“I considered Dr. Elam to be one of my most recent mentors who welcomed me warmly and supported me upon my arrival to Meharry Medical College,” said Wayne J. Riley, M.D., MBA, MPH, FACP, President and CEO of Meharry Medical College. “He was a personal friend whose kind and gentle nature and engaging personality led me to seek his advice and counsel frequently.”
Dr. Elam served the college over 25 years as faculty member, Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry, Interim Dean of the School of Medicine, Distinguished Service Professor and Chancellor as well as the 6th President of Meharry Medical College. Under his able and effective leadership, the “modern day” Meharry emerged in the 1970’s with the addition of several new buildings on campus, including the S.S. Kresge Learning Resources Center, the Harold D. West Basic Sciences Building, the George Russell Tower of Hubbard Hospital which is now Nashville General Hospital at Meharry Medical College, the Meharry Ambulatory Care Building, the BioMed Building and numerous programs that continue to benefit our students and faculty. He assumed the Meharry Presidency at the impressive age of 39.
An avid golfer, Dr. Elam sought to combine his love for the sport with opportunities for raising funds for Meharry. He was co-founder of the Duffers Golf Club which hosts an annual golf tournament to benefit our College’s Sickle Cell Anemia programs. Dr. Elam was also the first past-president to support the Presidential Portrait fundraising project. His portrait is currently on display in the MMC library.
Dr. Elam held several important board appointments and memberships including serving on the Board of Directors of Merck, Bellsouth, and was active in the National Medical Association, the Black Psychiatrists of America as well as 100 Black Men of Nashville. In addition, he served a member of the Metropolitan Nashville Davidson County Hospital Authority. After serving in the military, he graduated from Roosevelt University in Chicago and was the first African American to graduate from the Washington University School of Medicine in Seattle, WA. He was a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated.
In 1973, Elam was presented an honorary Doctor of Laws from Harvard University. His other awards include honorary degrees from Meharry Medical College and St. Lawrence University; the 1988 National Board of Medical Examiners Distinguished Service Award; induction into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society; the 1972 Nashville Club Man of the Year Award; the 1976 Human Relations Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews and the 1988 Eleanor Roosevelt Key, Roosevelt University's highest alumni award. Meharry Medical College established the Lloyd C. Elam Mental Health Center in his honor and that building now bears his name. Elam and his wife, Clara Elam, R.N., have two daughters: Dr. Gloria Elam-Norris of Chicago and Dr. Laurie Elam-Evans of Atlanta and two grandchildren.