FSU College of Medicine News

FSU COLLEGE OF MEDICINE HONORS DR. RAY BELLAMY

When the Florida State University College of Medicine brought retired Tallahassee surgeon Ray Bellamy to its central campus for a recognition ceremony on September 2, he didn’t realize he’d be part of an impromptu history lesson.

Not many people remember how precarious the college’s accreditation process had become in the early years of its development. Nor did many outside the college’s leadership recognize the magnitude of Dr. Bellamy’s behind-the-scenes contributions.

A few dozen friends and supporters heard the full story during the Thursday-evening ceremony held in his honor.

Dr. Myra Hurt, professor emeritus at the College of Medicine, and the school’s initial acting dean, told the crowd how eager the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) had been at that time to deny the medical school’s accreditation. “They were looking for an excuse,” Hurt said.

And they almost found it when FSU accepted a large donation from a group interested in opening a ‘school of chiropractic medicine’ within the FSU College of Medicine.

“They flat out told me, ‘Myra, if you do this, we will kill your accreditation,’” Hurt said.

Bellamy, outraged at the idea, rallied other local physicians and began to strategically lobby against the proposal. He led a systematic submission of letters-to-the-editor pointing out the folly of asking a medical school (especially a new one struggling to gain full accreditation for the first time) to align itself with a chiropractic school.

Ultimately, Bellamy’s efforts prevailed. The plan was scrapped, the large donation was returned, and the FSU College of Medicine overcame the last of the obstacles blocking its path to accreditation. The rest, of course, is history. College of Medicine Dean John P. Fogarty thanked Bellamy and his son, Dr. David Bellamy, for their generous support over the years. After speeches by Hurt, Bellamy and his son, the college unveiled a storyboard plaque permanently affixed in the atrium that tells the story of Bellamy’s contributions.

Well, not the entire story. You had to be there for that.

Below is the plaque’s full inscription:

(L-r) Dr. David Bellamy and Dr. Ray Bellamy (Photo credit: Mark Bauer/ FSU College of Medicine)

Ray Bellamy, M.D.

As a leader in the medical community and beyond, he spoke up at a critical juncture to help preserve the FSU College of Medicine’s focus on its mission. While our community-based approach and vision as the nation’s newest medical school was being hotly debated in the court of public opinion, Dr. Bellamy had our back.

Our commitment to patient-centered primary care, the equitable treatment of all people, and evidencebased research improving the lives of many is a result of the leaders who stepped forward to help chart our history. Among his contributions were timely advocacy and influential teaching as our surgery clerkship director in Tallahassee. Dr. Bellamy’s words at that time resonate today in the compassionate care FSU medical alumni are providing to patients throughout Florida and across the country.