First black N.C. surgeon dies at 86

<p>Dr. Charles DeWitt Watts, North Carolina's first black surgeon and a leader in health care access for the poor, died Monday at age 86.</p><p>In 1950, Watts opened his own private practice in Durham and spent his life working to provide medical services to the poor and underserved. He also broke racial barriers when he pushed for certification for black medical students.</p><p>"He clearly was a visionary," said one of Watts' former students, Dr. Charles Johnson, now a professor of medicine emeritus at Duke University Medical Center. "He was a very bright, energetic, capable physician and always (was interested in) helping the black community to whatever extent he could."</p><p>Watts was born in Atlanta in 1917, the youngest of four children. He received a degree in mathematics from Morehouse College in Atlanta, delivering the morning newspaper to help pay for classes.</p><p>In 1943, he earned his medical degree from Howard University College of Medicine, becoming the first board-certified black surgeon in North Carolina. He completed his surgical residency in 1948 at Freedman's Hospital in Washington, D.C.</p><p>In 1950, he and his wife, Constance Merrick Watts, moved to her hometown of Durham, where he set up a private practice in general surgery.</p><p>Watts also was chief of surgery at the city's 150-bed Lincoln Hospital, which then served the city's black population. Watts also played a key role in founding the Lincoln Community Health Center, a clinic that serves people regardless of their ability to pay.</p><p>Watts was adjunct clinical professor of surgery at Duke and director of student health at N.C. Central University. He was vice president and medical director for N.C. Mutual Life Insurance Co., a company that his wife's grandfathers established.</p><p>In 2002, Duke Medical School created the Charles Watts Travel Award, which funds student and faculty travel to study culturally specific medical issues.</p><p>In addition to his wife, Watts is survived by two daughters, Eileen Watts Welch of Durham and Winifred Watts Hemphill of Atlanta; a son, Charles D. Watts Jr. of Durham and nine grandchildren.</p><p>The funeral for is planned for noon Friday at St. Joseph's AME Church with burial Beechwood Cemetery.</p><p>___</p><p>HASH(0x286666c)</p>

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