Dr. J. Allen Whitaker Memorial Scholarship Endowed at NCC
The Dr. J. Allen Whitaker Memorial Scholarship was established in 2018 by George Whitaker to honor the memory of his father, a medical doctor, who served as director of the Rocky Mount Health Department for many years.
Dr. Whitaker was born in Nash County. When he was one year old, his father, who was the Nash County Register of Deeds, passed away and he moved with his mother to Middlesex to be closer to her family. Years later, Dr. Whitaker and his mother relocated to Zebulon. Upon graduation from the University of North Carolina School of Public Health, he accepted a job in Mount Airy where he was Public Health Officer for Surry County. In 1935, Dr. Whitaker accepted the position as Nash County Public Health Officer and relocated to Rocky Mount to be near his mother who resided in Zebulon and to be near to the family farm. During the 1940s, Dr. Whitaker completed his residency at Presbyterian Hospital, affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. Thereafter, he practiced Urology in Rocky Mount at the Rocky Mount Sanitarium Hospital and Nash General Hospital until his retirement.
Dr. Bill Hill, Nash County Health Director, recalls working with Whitaker. “He was a true pioneer of public health in North Carolina. His devotion was exemplary as a visionary developing ways to improve the healthcare of the community.”
The Great Depression had a remarkable impact on Dr. Whitaker’s career in medicine with the prevalence of malnutrition, communicable disease and infant mortality. He took an active role in improving the lives of his neighbors with the initiation of The Well Baby Clinic, a free medical service for mothers, infants and children. He also helped establish a sanitarium in Nashville, NC for tuberculosis patients who could not be seen at the state sanitorium and he implemented blood testing for local enlisted military members during World War II helping prevent the spread of communicable diseases.
“It is fitting that we remember his legacy and distinguished career and his interest in this area by supporting students in their pursuit of a career in public health in Nash County,” Hill said.
Dr. Whitaker passed away in 2006 at the age of 101.
