In
Memoriam: Dr. Joseph M. Still Jr.
His healing touch eased the pain of thousands, and his generosity ensured a lasting legacy to humanity.
Dr. Joseph M. Still Jr., a 1965 graduate of the Medical College of Georgia School of Medicine and stalwart supporter of his alma mater, died Feb. 1 at age 67.
After earning his medical degree from MCG, Dr. Still completed a general surgery residency at MCG, a plastic surgery residency at Duke University Medical Center and a hand fellowship at the Kleinert Institute in Louisville, Ky. Dr. Still founded MCG’s Section of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in 1972 and went on to found the Joseph M. Still Burn Center at Augusta’s Doctors Hospital.
“He built the center up to a 58-bed unit serving more than 2,000 patients a year from throughout the southeast,” said MCG President Daniel W. Rahn. “He was tireless in his efforts to help patients regain not only their health, but their quality of life. His contributions to health care—and to the well-being of countless individual patients—are enormous.”
In 2005, Dr. Still and fellow MCG alumnus Dr. Robert F. Mullins pledged $600,000 over five years to MCG’s Joseph M. Still Jr. Endowed Chair Fund in Plastic Surgery. The donation established a permanent fund to support an established clinician, researcher and educator in plastic surgery.
“This generosity was typical of Dr. Still’s commitment to patients of today and tomorrow,” said President Rahn. “A gift like this means his influence will be felt for many generations to come. This type of philanthropic support helps provide the resources needed to move MCG forward as a premier academic medical center. We are extremely grateful.”
Dr. Still founded and served on the board of the Southeastern Firefighters’ Burn Foundation and founded its Research Consortium, Inc. He was on the advisory board of the National Burn Awareness Task Force and received the 2002 Hardman Cup from the Medical Association of Georgia, given annually to an individual who has solved public health problems or made discoveries in surgery, medicine or other areas of science.
Dr. Still received Augusta’s 2004 Small-Business Person of the Year Award and the 2004 Philanthropist of the Year Award from the Augusta chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
Survivors include wife Susan and 10 children, including a daughter, Susan, who has earned national acclaim as an astronaut. Memorials may be made to the Southeastern Firefighters Burn Foundation Inc., 3614 J. Dewey Gray Circle, Augusta, Ga., 30909; the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Augusta, 2177 Central Ave., Augusta, Ga., 30904; or the Columbia County Humane Society, 119 Davis Rd., Martinez, Ga., 30907.