Health Care Alumni Honored in Ceramic

If you were Black and had been hospitalized in Augusta, GA at the turn of the twentieth century, chances are you knew Dr. George Nelson Stoney. That’s because he was perhaps one of the city’s most prominent physicians and was the only Black doctor allowed to treat patients at the city’s University Hospital when it opened in 1914. Despite his prominence, however, he is remembered for his kindness and empathy, often treating patients whether they could afford to pay or not.
Stoney’s impact, along with the impact of two other Howard healthcare professionals, has been immortalized through the work of Augusta’s Lucy Laney Craft Museum, which unveiled a statue in late 2024 honoring Stoney, Scipio S. Johnson (M.D. 1904) and James E. Carter Jr. (D.D.S. ’30). Inspired by Leslie J. Pollard’s novel Segregated Doctoring, the four-sided piece lies in Augusta’s Twiggs Street Roundabout, with the medical professionals holding hands to “represent unity,” as ceramic sculptor Ashley Gray said of her work. 

A medic mostly serving patients in poor conditions, while also delivering babies, Johnson was nicknamed a “medical missionary” for not charging patients for services. His personal motto, “to know something, to do something, to be somebody,” was reflected in his pursuit of providing health options for Black Americans. 
Carter’s work as an Augusta dentist spans over five decades. He was the first Black Georgian to become a fellow in the American College of Dentistry and the Academy of General Dentistry. He was also president of the National Dental Association and the Georgia Dental Society. 

“It is so vitally important that we as cultural institutions, whether it be Howard or the Laney Museum, that we tell these stories,” said Toni Dean (B.B.A. ’92),  program manager at Augusta's Lucy Laney Craft Museum. “If you listen to the history that’s coming out of these many school systems, especially in the Deep South, you will know that it’s important for us to shout from the rafters how important our history is, that it still exists, and how our history is a motivational tool for future generations.”  

Carter’s son, James III, knows that his father carried Howard’s values in his heart.

“All of his years of service, all of his life, is the epitome of Howard’s motto: veritas et utilitas, truth and service,” said James III. “All he did was serve his community, his God, and his profession. That was the theme of his life.”