Thursday, February 4,1988 Winston-Salem Chronicle YEAR IN REVIEW PaaaCS
1987 CO/Vi/VilJNIT> SERVICE AWARD
Malloy: A man who commits his soul and spirit
By ANGELA WRIGHT
Chronicle Managing Editor
Dr. H.
Rembert Malloy's
devotion to the city of Winston-Salem was apparent
when in 1944 he turned down an offer to head the
department of surgery at the prestigious Meharry
Medical College, in Nashville, Tenn., in favor of pri
vate practice in Winston-Salem.
"I knew they could find someone else to go to
Meharry, but they couldn't find someone with my
training to go to Winston-Salem," says Malloy.
And so he rettimed to the place he had called
home since he was 10 years old. He retired Dec. 2,
1980, after 35 years of active practice as a general sur
geon, and has devoted his life since to community ser
vice.
Bom in Hamlet on July 19,1913, Malloy spent
the early years of his childhood in Brunswick, Geor
gia. He has fond memories of riding the streetcar with
his mother to Sunday School at 3 p.m.
Malloy is a religious man and says so proudly.
He says that when he was in medical school, no matter
what time he came in on Saturday night, he went to
church on Sunday morning. He now spends most of
his free time working for the church and other philan
thropic endeavors. He is superintendent of the Sunday
School at United Metropolitan Baptist Church and has
been a member of the church’s Board of Trustees since
(Top) Dr. H. R. Malloy poses in his library at home near photos of deceased wife, Elaine, and early
childhood photo of son H. R. Malloy Jr. (Below: right) A pensive Malloy sits near window ledge
where several Bibles are stacked. Each morning Malloy, who is superintendent of his church Sunday
school, holds private devotional services for about an hour, (photos by Angela Wright)
1948. He teaches Bible study at St. Paul Methodist
Church and is assistant educational director of Forsyth
Co. Baptist Sunday School Union.
He rises at 6 a.m. each day and holds private
devotional services for about an hour. Then he usually
takes a 4 1^ mile walk, after which he returns home -
sometimes to ready himself for a speaking engage
ment, such as the one he has on Friday when he speaks
to the Ashley Middle School on the life of Dr. Charles
Drew.
Drew, the famous physician, surgeon and medi
cal researcher who founded the American Red Cross
blood bank, was a personal friend of Malloy's. They
were such close associates that those who knew them
soon came to refer to Drew as "Big Red" and to Mal
loy as "Little Red."
Malloy was a student of Drew's at Howard
University, where he received his M.D. degree. He
returned to teach at Howard University after an intern
ship at Kate Bitting Reynolds Memorial Hospital.
"Dr. Drew was the type of man who, when he
went on vacation, would come to work at 8 a.m.
instead of 7 a.m. and would leave at 4 p.m. instead of
5 p.m.," says Malloy.
He remembers Drew as a sort of father figure
"who looked after his residents." When Malloy decid
ed against Meharry in favor of Winston-Salem, Drew
came to Winston-Salem to look it over and make sure
that Malloy was making the right decision.
Malloy’s father was also a physician and looked
forward to his son’s return to the Twin City. The elder
Malloy encouraged his son to specialize and thus
helped to create the first Afro-American surgeon in the
south to limit his practice to surgery.
Establishing a private practice was not difficult
for Malloy. Not only was Winston-Salem his home
town, but also he had worked for two summers at the
Reynolds Tobacco Co. where he met many of his
future patients.
"This community has been great to me," said
Malloy. "Not only to me but also to my father. Hardly
a day goes by now that some patient doesn't call me
for advice."
Malloy, who has been recognized with numer
ous professional honors and has been an author or co
author of more than a dozen scientific articles, was
distinguished in his profession by having performed a
rare operation in 1948 on a newly bom baby.
The baby, bom with its intestines on the outside
of its body, had been delivered by Malloy's father two
hours and 30 minutes before the surgCTy. Such cases
were said to occur at a rate of one in every 6,000
births and, at the time of Malloy's operation, only 96
such cases were documented in medical records. There
was a 50 percent chance the infant would die after the
operation. But the operation was a success and Malloy
prepared a case history which was published in The
Journal of the National Medical Association.
Malloy's scientific publications include: "The
Early Diagnosis Of Intestinal Obstruction," "The Use
Of Black Silk As A Suture Material In Pelvic Surgery,-
" "Early Rising Following Major Surgery," "The Use
Of Vitamin B Complex and Vitamin C In The Post-
Operative Patient," "Surgery In Patients Of Advanced
Age," "Mediastinal Tumors," and "Multiple Primary
Carcinomas."
Some of the works for which Malloy was co
author are: "Aneurysms Of The Hepatic Artery,"
"Ectopic Pregnancy, A Critical Analysis," and "Oper
ating Room Deaths."
Malloy is not overly impressed with the
increasing number of Afro-American college students
.majoring in the sciences and enrolling in medical
schools. He says he believes that too many of the stu
dents are going into the medical field and oilier techni
cal fields primarily to make money.
'You need to go into a field because it is some
thing you enjoy and not to make money," said Malloy.
"No matter what you do if you don’t like it, you’re
underpaid."
He said that during his 35-year practice, he pos
sibly sent no more than 10 statements to patients. "1
felt that they knew they owed me and that if they
could pay me they would," he said. "If I could collect
what I charged, I'd be well-off."
But there is neither bitterness nor regret in these
statements. Malloy says that he is a man whom the
Lord has blessed and that he has always had what he
needed.
"God had been good enough to let me have a
warm house, plenty to eat and I wasn't suffering," he
"God had been good
enough to let^Mave a
said. "So, I felt that I should try to show the same
compassion for others."
Malloy's compassion for others is evident by
the myriad of causes to which he donates his time. He
is a member of: the board of directors of the Triad area
Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders Associa
tion, the board of management of the Winston-Lake
YMCA, the Domiciliary Home and Community Advi
sory Committee, the board of directors of the Special
Olympics of Forsyth County, the utilization committee
of the Silas Creek Manor Convalescent Center (for 23
years), and the utilization committee of the Winston-
Salem Convalescent Center. He is also a volunteer
worker at the Bethesda Center for the Homeless and
was a volunteer worker with the Christmas Clearing
house this past year. Malloy also is a layworker with
the Exchange Club Child Abuse Prevention Center
(SCAN - Stop Child Abuse Now).
In spite of Malloy's multitudinous civic com
mitments, the 74-year-old widower still finds lime for
quiet self-amusement. He enjoys swimming and work
ing in his yard, although the mere mention of a garden
is enough to draw a vehement reacdon. He recalls with
great distaste that his father had a garden with 8(K)
heads of collards. Malloy said it was his responsibility
to water the col
lards twice a day -
before and after
school ” with a tin
cup and a bucket.
He now limits his
yard aedvity to cut
ting the grass and
shrubbery and rak
ing leaves. This
past fall he gathered
93 bushels of leaves
from his yard.
The Malloy
family was always
an outdoors family.
Malloy, his wife
Elaine, and their
only child, Henry
Rembert Malloy, Jr.,
often went on picnics, even after his wife became ill
and was confined to a wheelchair.
Malloy believes it was an aborted picnic that
convinced his son, who was then about seven years
old, not to follow the family tradidon of becoming a
doctor.
"As we were leaving for the picnic, I got a call
to see about a woman with an ectopic pregnancy," he
said. "I believe my son decided right then and there
that anything that could prevent him from going on a
picnic was not desirable."
His son lives in Chapel Hill. The family tree
reads like something from "Ripley's Believe It Or
Not." Malloy is an only child, his son is an only child,
and his grandson is an only child. '
Malloy's father was one of 10 boys; only five of
the 10 boys had children and only one of the five had
more than one child. He says he is most proud of his
grandson who is a freshman communications major at
the University of Tampa, Fla.
He is also proud of some of his personal
achievements, such as being appointed to the board of
directors of First Union National Bank and being
appointed to the faculty of Bowman Gray School of
Medicine.
But, he says his crowning achievement is being
superintendent of the Sunday School at Union
Metropolitan Baptist Church.
"I am very proud of the way classes have pro-
gressed,"said Malloy.
The Pastor of Union Metropolitan, Rev. J. D.
Ballard, says Malloy does a lot of "very positive
things" for the church.
"He just contributed a piece of property valued
at $31,000 to the church," said Ballard. He said the
church planned to develop a home for the elderly on
the property.
"He does a lot of down-to-earth things," he
said. "He volunteers every week to help with the
homeless persons housed in the church."
Malloy recalled a recent encounter with a
homeless man. He said "Bobby" had lived in a shelter
for the homeless for three years and had been ill for
some time. But when he saw "Bobby" recently, he
looked well and Malloy told him so.
Bobby said Ye^, if you bust in the Lord,
everything will turn out right,"' said Malloy. "If a man
who has been without a home for three years could
have such faith, certainly the rest of us can."
Malloy’s childhood friend and long-time associ
ate, Kenneth R. Williams, says Malloy is a "remark
able, very well trained individual."
Williams, a former chancellor of Winston-
Salem State University, said that until about a year ago
he and Malloy used to walk together every morning.
Williams no longer walks for health reasons.
"He has certainly been a great contributor to the
city of Winston-Salem and to medicine in the city of
Winston-Salem," he said.
'We are good friends and I'm very fond of him
as an individual, so I'm not entirely objective," he said.
Williams doesn't need to be objective; Malloy's
achievements speak for themselves. He has been pro
filed in the "Who's Who Among Black Americans,"
1977-78; "Men of Achievement," 1981;and North
Carolina Lives,” 1962. He is a former president of the
John Hale Surgical Society and was a member of the
editorial staff of the Journal of the Nadonal Medical
Association. He is a member of the Beta Kappa Chi
Honorary Scientific Society, the Twin City Medical
Society and the National Medical Association.
His list of scientific honors, community honors,
hospital appointments and professional society mem
berships is almost endless. His list of accomplishments
now include being the first person to be honored by
the Chronicle with a Community Service Award.
Malloy says he is delighted at being chosen to
receive the award.
"This is a wonderful thing the Chronicle is
doing," he said."Many people have contributed to the
community and it's not that you do it for the 'thanks,'
but you like to know that what you're doing is appreci
ated."
When asked how he wants to be remembered,
Malloy replied, "I want people to say I was a nice guy.
I want them to remember me as a man who, whenever
anyone called on me for help, I did try to help.”
The voices and views of those who made the news in 1987
"There will be a ripple effect fell throughout the black community. It s
truly going to be a loss to the community and the state but one that we
obviously will have to adjust to." Wil Jenkins on RJR’s departure from
the Twin City.
"We may never get a black mayor. Blacks have never gotten anything out
of 'the overall city.’ " Alderman Patrick T. Hairston on the aldermen s
tlecision to consider the annexation of predominately white areas.
"Even though we don't have the most positive opinion of him M tins tim.
We want to work with him to make him the best chief
'^^ter Marshall commenting on the selection of George L. Sweat as me
city’s new police chief.
"Vyou are black, you may not like me. and I may not particularly care
for you, but we'd better get one thing straight: We re all we ve go .
dicaied columnist Tony Brown on black plight.
"Tart of the white mentality is to idolize blacks. ...Having been
on interracial thing / have the freedom now to say those t mg.
'^ould not have otherwise. That means I respect blac ^ riohts
^hat they are strong enough for me to speak truthfully. * ®
activist Igal Rodenko.
"They cannot say now that the black is subhuman. He may be obnoxious,
he may be pushy, he may be other things, but the civil rights movement
established in white eyes that blacks have a certain human dignity that
they did not think that they had before." Igal Rodenko.
"The real immoral act is that he (Bakker) has ripped off poor folks who
were given to believe they were donating to a good cau.se." The Rev. John
Mendez on Jim Bakker and the PTL scandal.
"I get on my knees every morning and ask God to keep me sober for that
day. ...And I thank him at night for doing it." Clyde Culler on his recovery
from alcoholism.
"I guess I have rubbed people the wrong way politically. And I will proba
bly continue to rub people the wrong way." Former County Commissioner
Mazie Woodruff following the rejection of her application for a seat on the
county's social services board.
"Suicide is not a de.sire to die — it's a desire not to live, and that's a very
big difference." Psychologist Deborea Winfrey speaking on "Black
Male/Female Relationships."
"Ours is a voice crying in the wilderness. And we are crying."
Small, owner of TES, speaking on the transit center debate.
Thelma
'All of us (Afro-Americans) are leaders or have the potential to become
leaders. It's just a matter of putting that potential into action." Southeast
Wbrd Alderman Larry Womble speaking on the state of Afro-Americans in
Winston-Salem.
"Many of our people do not know, nor do they want to know, about Africa
...Mother Africa is so strong that when she puts her starry on you, 400
years of cold weather and frying your hair will not change!" Activist
Slokely Carmichael during a speech at WSSU.
"Society has a way of shaping what a child does. Tm black, so 1 should
play basketball." Dancer Mel Tomlinson on the career he didn't choose.
"This dress is new, this hairstyle is new. But a dress is just a dress, and a
hairstyle
science don't judge me by the outside." Jean Burkins speaking.to a student
lawyers group daring her return to Winston-Salem.