[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 151 (Thursday, November 18, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1984]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO SPENCER C. DISHER, JR. M.D.

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES E. CLYBURN

                           of south carolina

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 2010

  Mr. CLYBURN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to an 
outstanding physician and community leader as he retires and enters a 
new phase of his life. Dr. Spencer Disher of Orangeburg, South 
Carolina, has served the medical profession and his community admirably 
for half a century.
  Spencer Disher was born in Darlington, South Carolina, and graduated 
as Salutatorian of his class at Mayo High School. He earned a Bachelor 
of Science degree in Chemistry from South Carolina State College, now 
University, and entered Meharry Medical College in Nashville in 1956. 
Following graduation, he trained for a year at Kate B. Reynolds 
Hospital and served two years in the U.S. Army. While serving as an 
Army Captain, Dr. Disher was the Chief Physician for the Pentathlon 
athletes on the U.S. Olympic Team.
  In 1963, Dr. Disher returned to South Carolina and began his medical 
practice in Orangeburg. He has also served as the college physician at 
Voorhees College, Denmark Technical College and Claflin University, 
where he currently serves as Medical Director of Student Health 
Services. He also holds the position of State Grand Medical Director 
for the Masons of South Carolina.
  In addition to practicing medicine, Dr. Disher has been very involved 
in organizations that support and advance the profession. He has served 
as the Chair of the Grants and Proposal Committee of the Board of 
Trustees of the National Medical Association, and is a member of South 
Carolina Board of Medical Examiners. He was the Chief of Staff at The 
Regional Medical Center in Orangeburg. For eleven years, Dr. Disher 
served as chair of the Executive Board of the Palmetto State Medical 
Dental Pharmaceutical Association, PMDPA. He also served as president 
of the PMDPA in 1975. He chaired the Public Health and Consumer Affairs 
Committee of the National Medical Association, NMA, for over a decade.
  Dr. Disher is currently a member of the Meharry Medical College Board 
of Trustees, and has been a staunch advocate of the school. Two of his 
sons have graduated from Meharry. He has established the Spencer C. 
Disher, Jr., M.D. Endowed Scholarship to enable students from South 
Carolina to pursue their dream of studying for Medical, Dental or a 
Doctorate Degree in the Biomedical Sciences at Meharry Medical College.
  Dr. Disher has been recognized by many organizations including Alpha 
Phi Alpha and Omega Psi Phi Fraternities. He is a member of the New 
Mount Zion Baptist Church. In addition to his many professional 
affiliations, he is a 33rd Degree Mason, a Shriner, and a member of the 
NAACP. Dr. Disher is married to the former Annette Moorer, and is the 
father of eight children.
  Madam Speaker, I ask you and my colleagues to join me in celebrating 
the wonderful professional contributions of Dr. Spencer Disher. He has 
distinguished himself as doctor who cares not only for the patient but 
for the community as a whole. He has been a tremendous leader and a 
consummate professional throughout his career, and I am proud to call 
him a friend. I wish him Godspeed in retirement and know that he will 
continue to play an important part in the Orangeburg community for 
years to come.

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