Dr. Joseph Peyton Bailey, Jr., Md, Macr

Dr. Joseph Peyton Bailey Jr., MD, MACR, 89, died at University Hospital on June 19, 2021 surrounded by his family and friends. Dr. Bailey is preceded in death by his one sibling, Sarah Bailey Cook and is survived by his wife of 66 years, LePage Thomas from Adams Run South Carolina. He is also survived by one son Joseph Peyton Bailey III (Sarah) of Augusta Georgia, one daughter Cynthia LePage Gunnels (Chris) of Augusta Georgia, granddaughter Margaret MacKinnon Bailey, grandson Christopher Bailey Gunnels, grandson Joseph Peyton Bailey IV, grandson Benjamin Alexander Gunnels, grandson Patrick Thomas Gunnels, grandson Joseph Ryan Gunnels, and granddaughter Abigail LePage Gunnels.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 AM on Thursday, June 24, 2021 at Sacred Heart Cultural Center with Dr. Joe Bowden officiating. Interment to follow at Westover Memorial Park.

He was born in Augusta Georgia on June 22, 1931 at University Hospital and attended high school at the Academy of Richmond County, graduating in 1948. He then attended the Junior College of Augusta graduating in 1950,and went on to attend Mercer University graduating in 1952 with his BS in Medicine. From there he attended the Medical College of Georgia and received his MD in 1955. He did his internship at the Medical College of Virginia and completed his residency at the Medical College of Georgia in 1957.

Between 1957 and 1959 Dr. Bailey was an active duty United States Army Medical Corps Captain assigned as the Post Surgeon to Fort Buchanan in San Juan, Puerto Rico. In 1959, he received an honorable discharge from the Army.

Dr. Bailey began his career in teaching at the Medical College of Georgia in 1961 and in 1967 established the Rheumatology section at the school and became the Chief of Rheumatology, a position which he held until his retirement from the Medical College of Georgia in 2000. Upon his retirement he was also Leon Henri Charbonnier emeritus and associate dean for clinical sciences emeritus.

Outside of the Medical College of Georgia, Dr. Bailey has worked with professional groups such as the Richmond County Medical Society, the Georgia Society of Rheumatology and the Medical Association of Georgia of which he has served as President of all three. He has also served on the Georgia delegation for the American Medical Association from 1989 to 2014. In addition he has been a member of the Southern Medical Association, the American Federation for Clinical Research, Alpha Omega Alpha, the State Medical Education Board of Georgia, and the Medical College of Georgia Camel Club.

Dr. Bailey was also very active outside of medicine. He was President of the Augusta College Alumni Association, President of the Augusta Rotary Club, a member of the Board of Trustees for the Augusta Sailing Club and a Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 10 at Reid Memorial Presbyterian Church.

Over the years Dr. Bailey has received many awards for both his work in medicine and in other endeavors. In 1990 he received the distinguished service award from the Medical Association of Georgia, an award which the association later renamed the Joseph P. Bailey Jr. Distinguished Service award in his honor and given to outstanding leaders in Medicine. In 1990 he was given an honorary membership in the Dekalb County Medical Society and he received the designation of Master from the American College of Rheumatology in 2008. In 2014 the Medical Association of Georgia awarded him their Legacy award and he received the Lifetime Distinguished Service award from the American Medical Association in 2015. Outside of his professional work, he received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Augusta College, and the James West Fellowship Award from the Boy Scouts of America.

Dr. Bailey’s 66-year career in medicine allowed him to focus on his passion, patient care. Whether it was something preached about in the classroom, practiced in a hospital room or debated in the political arena, the patient, their care and wellbeing was the center of his professional universe. In his career, he taught several thousand medical students that the practice of medicine started with providing care to someone in need, and nothing should be allowed to interfere with that.