NEWBERRY — The first floor of the Newberry County Memorial Hospital, in the radiology wing, visitors will see 14 portraits of physicians who were part of the community, and have passed away.
The 14th portrait was added a few weeks ago, and it is of Dr. Elmer Eugene “Gene” Epting Jr. Brenda Williams, executive director of the Newberry Hospital Foundation and director of public relations and marketing, said the portraits are to honor these physicians that have passed away.
Dr. Jerry Alewine, Newberry County Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees chairperson, said it was a tremendous honor and privilege to do this for Epting.
“He (Epting) attended Newberry College, attended MUSC in Charleston, did his internship at the old Greenville General Hospital in the 1960s, he served in the Navy and was in Spain for three years,” Alewine said. “Dr. Epting and Bobby Summer were instrumental in establishing the Free Clinic in 2004, they spent numerous hours and much effort getting the doors open.”
Alewine continued by saying that Epting and Dr. James Underwood had a practice together, and were later joined by Dr. John Green.
“He practiced medicine at Newberry Hospital for 30 plus years. For 25 years Dr. Epting provided physicals for Newberry High School and never charged a thing,” Alewine said. “He received the Person of the Year award from the Newberry Jaycees, Dr. Epting received the 2001 Thomas A. Epting Outstanding Alumni Award from Newberry College.”
Epting stopped practicing medicine in 2011, and Alewine said, “sadly we lost him in 2016.” Epting was posthumously awarded the Fulmer Humanitarian Award in November 2017.
“I will tell you, having worked here for three years — from 1993 to 1996 — one of the great things was seeing him first thing in the morning getting coffee in the ER. He was a wonderful member of our community, as well as a dedicated practitioner here at Newberry Hospital,” Alewine said.
Dr. Elmer Long, a long time friend and neighbor of Epting, said that Epting was just a good person who loved people.
“He loved to help, and living next door, we both had fireplaces and if I was splitting wood I hit maybe six to eight licks on a piece of wood, Gene was over there and he was helping — he loved to do that,” Long said. “When we would build a building, boat house or a dock, or something like that, he was always helping. Gene was a genuine good man, wonderful nature about him, cheerful — I don’t think I ever heard him say something ill about anyone the whole time I knew him.”
Epting’s portrait now hangs proudly with 13 other physicians in Newberry County Memorial Hospital.
