Then and Now: How did Greenwood become home to GGC?
As you know marketing is more my speed. I leave the variant interpretation, genetic counseling, and research to others – trust me, you don’t want me doing any of those. Part of my job involves exhibiting at national meetings to promote our test menu. My first meeting was the American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) annual meeting in 2017, and I’ll never forget it. At my first ASHG, I was asked three questions that I can always count on hearing at meetings:
- What does GGC do?
- Where’s Greenwood?
- Why are you located in Greenwood?
Question #1 is easy. Being from Greenwood, I’m used to getting question #2, but when I was first asked #3, my initial reaction was to get a little defensive about my hometown. However, I quickly realized how unique it is for GGC to be located in Greenwood, SC.
So why is Greenwood home to GGC? And how did GGC come to be?
As Julie Andrews sings, “Let’s start from the very beginning.”
GGC co-founders Dr. Roger Stevenson and Dr. Hal Taylor met in 1971 when they were postgraduate fellows at Johns Hopkins Medical Center, training with experts in the field of medical genetics. (Little did they know that they would become experts in the field.) A friendship sparked, and two young dreamers had the idea of starting a “genetics center” in the southeast with a focus on compassionate patient care, high-quality services, and state-of-the-art testing.
It was time to pick a location, as the finish line to their training was in sight. Only twelve states were contenders as the location requirement was the southeast. The main contenders were Augusta, GA and Charlottesville, VA. As Dr. Stevenson drove from Augusta to Charlottesville, he stopped overnight in Greenwood to see an old friend, Dr. Fred Williams, who had recently moved to the area. South Carolina was never a real contender, but Greenwood soon found a place in their hearts.
If you live in Greenwood, you have probably heard, “Everyone knows everyone in Greenwood.” This is true now and it was true in 1974. Dr. Williams brought several other physicians and businessmen on board with the idea of a “genetics center” and in July 1974, Dr. Stevenson was invited to present the idea to the Self Foundation. Dr. Stevenson and Dr. Taylor officially received a letter from the Self Foundation on August 8, 1974, with funding support and the promise of state funds.
The Greenwood Genetic Center was founded.
Dr. Stevenson and family arrived in Greenwood on October 3, 1974. Dr. Taylor had to finish things up in Maryland, but Dr. Stevenson got to work in Greenwood. A friend of Dr. Stevenson’s once told Greenwood businessmen, Boykin Curry, to, “help him if you can, if you can’t, stay out of his way.” (I hope someone says that about me one day.)
All the business details were taken care of over the next several months, and construction began on the Spring Street location. If you didn’t think opening the Greenwood Genetic Center was enough to keep Dr. Stevenson busy, he also opened the Greenwood Children’s Clinic to address Greenwood’s pediatrician shortage. Dr. Taylor arrived in Spring 1975 and immediately started setting up the diagnostic lab and hiring and training lab personnel. The Greenwood Genetic Center started taking shape.
If you’ve been following along with these blog posts, you’ve learned about GGC’s divisions: Administration, Clinical, Diagnostic, Education, and Research. You’ve learned that helping patients is always the priority – whether it is providing support at one of our clinic locations, analyzing a blood sample that provides a diagnosis, discovering a new disease mechanism through research, or educating other providers. GGC focuses on compassionate patient care, high-quality services, and state-of-the-art testing.
After my first ASHG meeting, I quickly realized that when I do get those three questions above, it as an opportunity to tell others what GGC does, how GGC was founded, and why GGC is in Greenwood. It’s not that meeting attendees think that Greenwood isn’t good enough for GGC; rather an institution like ours is most often associated with a medical university or large hospital system. Greenwoodians are extremely proud that GGC calls Greenwood home – so proud that we often say GGC is the hidden jewel of South Carolina and Greenwood.
Afterall, Greenwood is the Emerald City.
Post by Caroline Pinson