StaffDr. William Hilton Nichols Jr. (’50),
who served as a family physician for generations of families in Canton, Georgia, died July 12 at age 89. While earning an undergraduate degree at Emory at Oxford College, he turned down an offer to play professional baseball for the St. Louis Cardinals, opting for a medical career instead. In 1962, he helped found the R.T. Jones Memorial Hospital, the county’s first public hospital, which still operates as Northside Hospital Cherokee. In 1986, the Chamber of Commerce named him First Citizen of Cherokee County for his lifelong commitment to the community. Survivors include four daughters, seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
Dr. Charles Neil Kelley (’66), Gainesville, Georgia, died June 9 at age 76. He practiced pulmonology and internal medicine at the Northeast Georgia Diagnostic Clinic until his retirement in 1998. He served for many years on the board of the Northeast Georgia Medical Center and as its chief of staff in 1988. Survivors include wife Allene and two sons.
