The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1948-02-27
DR.. William R. Kell Is Nominated AS
Jackson CouniY's Outstanding Citizen

county for more than half CEN
tury was chosen TO receive the
loving cup offered by the Busi
ness Girls Club to the outstand-
ing citizen of jackson County.
And that description Is truer
than n would suspect, for the
mon chosen for this signal hon.
or was DR.. William r. Kell who
has practiced medicine from one
end of the county to the other
since 1891.
The PRESENTATION was made
at a ball held Thursday night
at the 18th street auditorium. z.
A. Khayat served as master of
ceremonies. Miss Dorothy Rhode
Is president of the young women's
club.
Nominations from throughout
the county were received by the
club, each accompanied by a let
ter giving reasons for the choice.
From the numbers received, the
club eliminated the possibilities
to five and these nominees were
turned over to q committee OF
unbiased judges for final de-
cision.
For many years, DR.. Kell has
been n of the best known
figures in the county and there
are few, il any, Of the older
residents of the county who have
not had some professional as
sociation with the now white
haired doctor.
Pay With Food
DR.. Kel1 has seen the county.
through a serious yellow fever
epidemic, sporadic outbreaks of
typhoid and various and sundry
waves OF ilness-sDme minor :.
and sorne major. He has brought"
more babies into the world than
he can count and later brought
them through attacks of whoop-
ins cough, measles and chicken
pox THAT are legion.
And many an old-timer can re-
member settling his oft-time un-
rendered bill with DR.. Kell with
chickens, vegetables from the
garden or even a whole pig.
Mrs. Kell even remembers one
lucky day when they got a half
grown Jersey COW.
DR.. Cell was born In Necklen-
berk County, North Carolina,
September IS. 1868, on a plan
tation near Charlotte. His par
ents were DIR. James T. Kell and
Mary Susan Morrow. After at
tending the academy near his
home he entered Davidson col
lege and was graduated in the
class of 1885. He then went to
the University of Virginia for
10 months of premedical work
and after that he went to New
York where he finished and in
termed at Bellvue hospital.
The young practitioner went to
Mobile that same year and on
advice of a friend he came on
to what was then Scranton and
set up practice. The very next
year he was married to Mary
Elizabeth Blake.
All was not rosy for the young
physician. He had been in prac-
tice here only a short time when
he discovered two cases of lep-
rosy. The sufferers from this di-
sease, and their families were |
highly indignant at the sugges- ,
ton their silment was leprosy
and in one case suit was even
threatened but when the diagnosis
was verified by other physicians !
nothing more was heard of any
litigation.
Hanged In EffigY
In 1897 DIR. Kell and DR.. Ford
discovered a few cases of yell
low fever in the county and the
anger of a certain group of cit
liens fell on DR.. Kell's head
again. Apparently some people
believed that If no notice was
taken of the dread disease ii
would simply vanish--a view
point nutured by selfishness, for
publicity of an outbreak of yell
low fever in those days did a
town considerable harm. A few
of the citizens even went so far
as to hang the young doctor in
effigy.
The yellow fever proved to be
the real thing. however, and it
was a year later, after many had
died, before the epidemic was
brought under control. A yellow
fever camp was set up at Fon-
tainebleau and when DR.. Kell
contracted a mild case of the
fever himself. he. too. entered the
camp.
Typhoid was a constant threat
throughout the county, he re-
calls, as there was no protection
against the infection in those
days.
Travelling about the county had
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