[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 5]
[Senate]
[Pages 6793-6794]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           WALLY CONERLY DAY

 Mr. LOTT. Mr. President, I would like to take this opportunity 
to recognize and honor an outstanding citizen of Mississippi. On March 
5, 2003, Governor Ronnie Musgrove signed a proclamation declaring March 
19, 2003 to be officially known as Wally Conerly Day in the State of 
Mississippi.
  Dr. A. Wallace Conerly recently retired from the positions of Vice 
Chancellor for Health Affairs and Dean of the School of Medicine at the 
University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
  I have worked closely with Dr. Conerly since he was appointed Dean of 
the School of Medicine, and I am both proud and grateful that 
Mississippians can claim Dr. Conerly as one of our own.
  While I could spend hours going over Dr. Conerly's record of service 
and accomplishments in detail, I would like to take a few moments to 
touch on some of the highlights that are most impressive to me. Dr. 
Conerly has served as a faculty member of the University of Mississippi 
Medical Center for the past 30 years. He assumed an appointment as 
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs in 1981 before being 
appointed as Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs and Dean of the School 
of Medicine in 1994.

[[Page 6794]]

  As the chief executive officer of the State's only academic health 
sciences center, he leads an institution that employs more than 7200 
people and has an annual budget of more than $610 million. He is also 
the chief architect of the Medical Center's ongoing expansion program, 
the largest in the history of Mississippi higher education. Phase I, 
completed in 1999 and totaling $211 million, included a new children's 
hospital, a new women and infant's hospital, a building for the School 
of Health-Related Professions, an addition to the School of Nursing, a 
student union, two parking garages and an imaging center. A second $124 
million construction phase is currently underway and includes a 
critical care hospital, a new adult hospital, a classroom addition, a 
children's hospital addition, and an expansion to the Arthur C. Guyton 
Research Complex. It has been my honor to work with Dr. Conerly in 
support of this ambitious endeavor.
  Dr. Conerly has served not only the medical community of Mississippi 
honorably, but also the United States Air Force. For his service, he 
was the 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 in 1966 at the rank of major.
  As you might imagine, Dr. Conerly is also active in the Jackson 
community. He has served on the Board of Directors of the American Red 
Cross, Mississippi Chapter, and the Capital Area United Way. He has 
been President of the Rotary Club of Jackson and Chairman of the Board 
of Governors of the University Club. In 2001 the Mississippi Division 
of the Multiple Sclerosis Society honored Dr. Conerly and the Medical 
Center with its 2001 Hope Award, an award given annually for 
outstanding community contributions. He also 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.
  As I am sure you can see, Dr. Conerly has distinguished himself both 
personally and professionally, and he has been a valued asset to 
Mississippi. His record of service is not only a testament to his 
professional skill, but also to the quality of his personal character. 
He is most deserving of having this day named in honor of him, and I 
felt it was appropriate that I share this brief record of his 
contributions to Mississippi with all of you here today.

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