From babies to senior citizens, two doctors have dedicated their lives to helping the residents of Demopolis and the surrounding area through their service to Bryan W. Whitfield Memorial Hospital. June 26 the hospital will return the favor by honoring Dr. Reese M. Holifield and Dr. N. Earl Perret Jr. by dedicating the Surgical Suite and Endoscopy Suite in their names, respectively.

“This is actually through a resolution the Hospital Board passed before Dr. Holifield died,” Mike Marshall, administrator and CEO of the hospital, said. “Dr. Holifield pretty much put surgery on the board here.”

Between the two, Drs. Holifield and Perret gave almost a century of care to the people of Demopolis – Holifield served at the hospital for 48 years, while Perret saw more than three decades with 36 years of service.

“The hospital opened in 1954, Dr. Holifield started in 1956,” Chrissy Brooker, marketing director, said. “And these guys did more than just surgery. They were general practitioners who just happened to specialize in something. They did everything from delivering babies to taking care of pneumonia patients.”

Holifield was responsible for bringing approximately 5,000 babies into the world and performed more than 20,000 surgical procedures. Perret delivered 5,500 babies and performed 7,000 endoscopies.

“You’d be hard pressed to find someone who, between the two doctors, hasn’t been directly or indirectly affected by them,” Marshall said.

“Their dedication was not only to the hospital, but to the community and everyone who lives here,” Brooker said. “We just want to invite everyone to come to the ceremony.”

The ceremony will have even more meaning to the family of Dr. Holifield, who passed away last September.

The event is scheduled for Sunday, June 26, at 2 p.m. and will take place in the hospital’s main lobby. Those planning to attend are asked to RSVP to Brooker at 287-2626 so the hospital can prepare.