Charles Bell Upshaw, Jr. MD

Charles Bell Upshaw, Jr., M.D. died surrounded by family on Friday February 3, 2017, following an extended illness. He was born in Atlanta on November 18, 1928, the son of prominent obstetrician Charles Bell Upshaw, M.D. and Belle Porcher LeRoy Upshaw. Raised in Atlanta, he attended E. Rivers Grammar School from 1934 – 1941 and then spent two years at North Fulton High School before transferring to The Baylor Preparatory School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, graduating in 1945. He attended The Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, for four years, graduating in 1949, after which he taught English at North Fulton High School for a year before entering Emory University School of Medicine in 1950 and graduating in 1954. While at Emory he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society for high scholastic achievement. He spent fours years (1954 – 1958) in Internal Medicine training at the University of Michigan Hospital in Ann Arbor. He served two years active duty in the U.S. Army Medical Corps at Fort McPherson, Georgia, where he met his future wife, Laura Jean Landau. They married December 5, 1959, at the Post Chapel of Fort McPherson. After a cardiovascular fellowship at Emory, he entered private practice in 1961, in association with Dr. Bernard P. Wolff and Dr. Gregg Churchwell. He was a member of the American Medical Association, the Medical Association of Georgia and the Fulton County Medical Society, now known as the Medical Association of Atlanta. He was certified by the American Board both for Internal Medicine and for Cardiovascular Medicine. He was a Fellow of the American College of Physicians, the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Chest Physicians. He was one of the founders in 1982 of the Medical Association of Georgia Medical Insurance Company. Active in teaching, he was the instructor of Electrocardiography at Emory from 1962 – 1964. He rose to the rank of Clinical Professor of Medicine, and for 34 consecutive years taught Emory medical students at the Cardiac Clinic of Grady Memorial Hospital. He was cardiac consultant of the Atlanta Veterans Administration Regional Office 1965-1975.

Dr. Upshaw was chosen Laureate Physician of Georgia in 1998 by the American College of Physicians. Over a span of 52 years from 1957 to 2009 he was the author of 39 medical articles dealing mainly with the fields of Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Medicine, and was awarded the Montague Boyd Literary Award for writing excellence. He practiced medicine without interruption for 44 years, mainly at Piedmont Hospital Medical Center, retiring November 18, 2005, at age 77 years. Piedmont Hospital has honored him on two occasions: Dr. Upshaw Day on September 20, 1996; and a lectureship in his honor December 6, 2006. After retiring he continued to serve as preceptor of Emory sophomore medical students rotating through Piedmont Hospital. He was a member of and regularly attended the Sandy Springs United Methodist Church. He served from 1968 for 40 years as Trustee of Reinhardt College of Waleska, Georgia. He was an active member for many years of the Huguenot Society of South Carolina and Georgia, serving as President of the Georgia Society from 2007 - 2009. He was a member of The Piedmont Driving Club.

He was the father of six children, all of whom survive him: Charles Bell Upshaw III (Connie) of Raleigh, North Carolina; A.L. Upshaw of Buies Creek, North Carolina; James Andrew Upshaw, M.D. (Amanda) of Macon, Georgia; Thomas Arthur Upshaw, M.D. (Jana) of Charleston, South Carolina; Mary Frances Upshaw of Roswell, Georgia; and Sarah Elizabeth Upshaw Crittenden, Esq. (Frank) of Dunwoody, Georgia. There are nine grandchildren: Charles Andrew Upshaw, Captain (P), U.S. Army; Grace Elizabeth Upshaw; Mary Katherine Upshaw; Caroline Joy Upshaw; Helena Grace Upshaw; Bradley Aaron Upshaw; Charles Bell Upshaw IV; Margaret Hope Crittenden; and Alexander Greene Crittenden.

Visitation and service will be held at the Sandy Springs United Methodist Church, 86 Mount Vernon Hwy on Saturday February 11th. The service will be officiated by Dr. G. Gil Watson. Visitation will begin at 12:00 noon, downstairs in the Fellowship Hall. The service will be at 1:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary with graveside service following at Westview Cemetery, 1680 Westview Drive SW, Atlanta, GA 30310.

His beloved wife Laura predeceased him on March 30, 2014, after 55 years of happy marriage. He was also predeceased by his sister and brother-in-law Mary and Sandy Pike and his daughter-in-law Jill Greeson Glover Upshaw. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Piedmont Healthcare Foundation, P.O. Box 105452, Atlanta, GA 30348-5452, or to the Belle Porcher LeRoy Fund of the Huguenot Society of South Carolina, 138 Logan Street, Charleston, SC 29401-1941, or the charity of your choice. His family would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the doctors, nurses, and caregivers of Lenbrook Health Care Center, as well as a special thank you to Keisha Harris and Von Young for their loving care of Dr. Upshaw.