JACKSON – Dr. John Stanley was honored by Northampton County Health Department Wednesday afternoon upon his retirement there as Medical Director, a position he has held for about 50 years.

In a surprise, Stanley was also awarded The Order of the Long Leaf Pine by N.C. Rep. Michael Wray of Gaston on behalf of Gov. Jim McCrory.

Dr. Stanley, who just turned “eleven years shy of 100,” is not retiring from his medical practice in Woodland, where he has maintained the town’s only doctor’s office for the past 60 years.

He opened his office in August 1955 and has become a pillar of the community and county in the intervening years. He said he will keep moving for as long as he can.

For Wednesday’s ceremony, Acting Health Director John White introduced Stanley to an appreciative audience with intimate knowledge of the many things the doctor has been doing for the community since he arrived in Woodland. White later presented Stanley with a plaque in honor of his 50 years as Medical Director.

Former Northampton Health Director Sue Gay, who worked with Stanley in different capacities for decades, said she came back to honor “a man who has truly given of himself in so many ways to the people of this county.”

Gay said she thinks of one word to describe Dr. Stanley, “Service…to this agency; to the citizens of this county; to the people of this agency; and to many agencies that you serve, including mental health.

“Dr. Stanley is truly, truly a legend,” Gay said. “He has left a legacy on the hearts of the many people he has come in contact with.”

She said Stanley, although he doesn’t do it any longer, has delivered thousands of babies, or as he told her years ago, “It’s too many to remember.”

Gay said, “They don’t make them like they used to,” in describing Stanley. “He would respond to medical calls at all hours of the night to better serve his patients and his community.”

Gay added that Stanley not only offers himself to take care of the medical needs of people in need, but also serves the community as a member of the Woodland Volunteer Fire Department, the rescue squad, as medical director for the Health Department, on the Board of Health, as lab director for the Health Department, as the animal control person treating people who had been exposed to rabies.

“Dr. Stanley always came through for us,” Gay said. “He also devoted his time and energies to mental health. The mental health system was broken. They need a Dr. Stanley to put the system together again.”

She also cited his work for the community and his church.

“Dr. Stanley has a lot of wisdom in a lot of different areas. He’s man of few words, but when he speaks you’d better listen because it has value to it. Thank you, Dr. Stanley for being one of the most tremendous resources that Northampton County has ever had,” Gay concluded.

Former Northampton County Manager Wayne Jenkins also had kind words for “Doc”, saying that Stanley had served alongside nine Health Directors over the years.

“Dr. Stanley also served for 20 years as mayor of Woodland, served with the Woodland Fire Department for over 40 years, and has served with the Woodland Men’s Club for over 60 years. And where can you find another doctor who still has office hours on Saturday morning,” Jenkins asked.

He told a humorous story about buying a wood-burning stove in 1982. His chimney caught fire on a cold night, so he went up on the roof to keep it wet so it wouldn’t catch fire. His wife, Donna, called 911, but after a half-hour or so they hadn’t responded, but Dr. Stanley did, replacing Jenkins on the roof where he took care of the blaze and ordering Jenkins to join his wife inside the house and help her take care of their small children.

“Dr. Stanley, I’ve never publicly thanked you for, first off, for saving our home and for saving our marriage that night,” Jenkins said with a laugh.

Wray then surprised everyone by presenting Stanley with the highest award from the state of North Carolina, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine.

“You love your community and you love your family,” Wray said.

Dr. Stanley was then invited to say a few words.

“It will be very few (words). I don’t know why everyone’s making such a big deal out of this. I have been here for over 60 years, altogether,” Stanley remarked.

“Getting old,” he joked, “is a lot like standing naked cooking a frying pan full of bacon. You know you’re going to get burned, you just don’t know where or when.”

He said, “Retiring is just bad on your health to go home and sit down. Just keep going. Keep going.”

Stanley said he wanted to do more, so when he left this celebration, “I’m going to go over to Pendleton and take the first degree in Masonry. They’re a good organization.

“I do appreciate this; I couldn’t tell you how much,” he said. “It’s been such a pleasure working with this group over here. They’re all professionals. I don’t remember ever having a dud. I’ll carry all those pleasant memories for the rest of my life,” he concluded.