William Mellon McCord, M.D., Ph.D., was born in the city of Durban, in the province of Natal, Union of South Africa on January 24, 1907. He was the son of a doctor and missionary who opened the McCord Zulu Hospital, which became the first accredited hospital in Africa. Dr. McCord returned to the United States in 1924 to study pre-med at Oberlin College, Ohio. He earned his A.B. degree from Oberlin College in 1928 and went on to earn his Ph.D. in chemistry from Yale University in 1931. In 1940, Dr. McCord was awarded his medical degree from Louisiana State University, where he taught for 11 years. In 1942, McCord went into the Army Medical Corps as a transport surgeon on the high seas. He completed his tour of duty in 1945. On December 4, 1945, McCord joined the faculty of the Medical College of South Carolina at the rank of Professor of Chemistry and Chairman of the Department of Chemistry. Upon the resignation of Dr. Harold Rawling Pratt-Thomas as President of MCSC, McCord served as interim president starting in December 1964 until his appointment as President of MCSC in November 1965. Dr. McCord served in this capacity until 1975. During his administration, Dr. McCord oversaw unprecedented growth of the Medical University's campus. Many new facilities were built, and the structure of the medical college was expanded from three departments to six schools and to university status. In 1969, the firing of 12 African American employees triggered a 99-day strike that eventually involved several hundred workers seeking to unionize. The strike brought nationwide attention to MUSC and almost led to the hospital's closing. He relocated to Montgomery, AL, in 1976, where he practiced family medicine for two years. He went on to help organize St. George's University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies and served as professor and dean until he retired and moved to Lodge, SC. Dr. McCord died at his home in Lodge on January 29, 1996, at the age of 89.
From the description of William Mellon McCord, M.D., Ph.D., Papers 1964-1975 (Medical University of South Carolina Library). WorldCat record id: 214075262
