MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2012 Regular Session
To: Rules
By: Senator(s) Burton, Fillingane, Blount, Frazier, Gollott, Clarke, Hopson, Butler (38th), Carmichael, Chassaniol, Gandy, Hill, Jackson (11th), Jackson (32nd), Jolly, Jordan, Lee, Montgomery, Smith, Tindell, Turner, Ward
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION MOURNING THE LOSS AND REMEMBERING THE MISSISSIPPI MEDICAL LEGACY OF DR. A. WALLACE (WALLY) CONERLY.
WHEREAS, former University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) leader, Dr. A. Wallace Conerly (76), hailed as an "icon in medicine in Mississippi," died January 10, 2012, at the University of Mississippi Medical Center hospital that bears his name; and
WHEREAS, Dr. A. Wallace (Wally) Conerly, M.D., retired from his position as Vice-Chancellor for Health Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, on June 30, 2003. From 1972 until 1974, he worked as the Mississippi Lung Association Fellow in Pulmonary Diseases. Starting on the UMMC faculty in 1973, he served in a variety of administration positions. Dr. Conerly served for 13 years as Assistant Vice-Chancellor for Health Affairs before he assumed his appointment on August 2, 1994. A professor of medicine, he served as Medical Director at the Department of Respiratory Therapy at the University Hospital for 21 years and as Director of the Medical Center Division of Continuing Health Professional Education from 1979 to 1993. His medical practice was in the field of chest medicine and critical care; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Conerly had a rare blend of courage, character, vision and ability that made him one in a great line of country doctors who have administered the University Medical Center; and
WHEREAS, a native of Tylertown, Mississippi, Dr. Conerly graduated in 1957 from Millsaps College with honors. Three years later, he earned his medical degree from Tulane University Medical School; and
WHEREAS, after an internship in South Carolina, he served for six years in the Air Force, working as Director of Aerospace Medicine at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia and of Base Medical Services at Vance Air Force Base in Oklahoma. After going to Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans on a Cardiology Fellowship, he returned to Mississippi in 1971 and worked at UMMC as a resident in internal medicine. Recipient of the United States Air Force Flight Surgeon of the Year Award in 1962 and the United States Air Force Commendation Medal in 1963, he was honorably discharged from the United States Air Force in 1966 at the rank of Major; and
WHEREAS, when the facility started the largest expansion project to date, then-UMMC leader Dr. Norman C. Nelson asked Dr. Conerly to oversee the building. When Nelson retired in 1994, Dr. Conerly was appointed to take his place; and
WHEREAS, Dr. James Keeton, Vice-Chancellor for Health Affairs, said Dr. Conerly will be remembered as a legend. "He put us onto the path of the 21st Century when you consider the facilities we have now and our accomplishments in education, research and health care in this state," he said in a news release; and
WHEREAS, former State Health Officer Dr. Alton Cobb, who worked with Dr. Conerly, said the physician "brought a whole new vision to the Medical Center," which included the expansion of off-campus services; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Conerly won awards far beyond the borders of Mississippi. In 2002, the American College of Chest Physicians recognized Conerly's pivotal role in the creation of the Jackson Medical Mall with its Governor's Award for Community Service. He became the first Mississippian to serve on the Board of Regents of the National Library of Medicine. Dr. Conerly served on the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross, Mississippi Chapter and the Capital Area United Way. He was past President of the Rotary Club of Jackson and past Chairman of the Board of Governors of the University Club. He was on the boards of the Metro Jackson Chamber of Commerce, Junior Achievement, the Jackson Medical Education District, the Community Bank, and was a member of the Community Advisory Council of the Junior League of Jackson. The Mississippi Division of the Multiple Sclerosis Society honored Dr. Conerly and the Medical Center with its 2001 Hope Award, the award given annually for outstanding community contributions. He received Millsaps College's "Alumnus of the Year" Award in 2002, and he and his wife were recognized as the 2002 People of Vision by Preserve Sight Mississippi. In 2003, the Boy Scouts honored him for his contributions to the state, and in 2005, the Tulane University School of Medicine named him its "Alumnus of the Year." In 2005, the Medical Center designated its new Critical Care Hospital, the Wallace Conerly Hospital for Critical Care, to recognize his many contributions to the growth and progress of the Health Sciences Campus. He received the Governor's Medal for Service to Mississippi in 2009. In 2011, he was honored with the Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce's Authenticity Award for his vision of the future of UMMC; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Conerly was a Fellow of the American College of Chest Physicians. His professional memberships also included the American Medical Association, Mississippi State Medical Association, Central Medical Society of Mississippi, American Academy of General Practice, Aerospace Medical Association, American and Mississippi Thoracic Societies, American Society of Internal Medicine, Association of American Medical Colleges and the Mississippi Academy of Sciences. Dr. Conerly served a three-year term as the American College of Chest Physicians' Commissioner on the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. He was a former examiner and member of the Board of Trustees for the National Board for Respiratory Care and served on the Mississippi State Medical Association Council on Medical Education, the Professional Education Committee of the American Heart Association, Mississippi Affiliate, and the Journal of Respiratory Diseases Editorial Review Board. He was also the state health contact for the Southern Regional Education Board; and
WHEREAS, survivors include his wife, Frances, and two sons, Al and Charlie, and his grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, Dr. Conerly's tenure at UMMC was marked by extensive construction on campus, expanded research and an increased endowment. Dr. Conerly used his medical, business and political skills to help all Mississippians; and it is with sadness that we note the passing of this absolute Icon of Medicine in Mississippi:
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING THEREIN, That we do hereby mourn the loss and remember the Mississippi Medical legacy of Dr. A. Wallace (Wally) Conerly, former leader of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, commend his record of achievement and legacy of leadership, and extend our sympathy and the thanks of a grateful state to his surviving family on his passing.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That this resolution be presented to the surviving family of Dr. Conerly, transmitted to the Chancellor of the University of Mississippi, the Dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Mississippi Medical Center and the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.