Orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist, Wayne Swope Montgomery, M.D., passed away on January 6, 2023, at Brooks-Howell in Asheville, North Carolina.
He served patients at Blue Ridge Bone & Joint Clinic in Asheville, North Carolina for nearly 40 years, from 1955 to 1993.
Montgomery was a diplomate of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery, vice-president of the North Carolina Orthopedic Association, president of the Buncombe County Medical Society, chief of surgery of St. Joseph’s Hospital, member of the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine, the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy, and president of the Willis Campbell Orthopedic Club, where he helped organize many sports clinics for coaches and trainers.
He was also the orthopedist for the Atlanta Falcons in their first summer camp in Asheville in 1965.
Montgomery earned his medical degree from Wayne University Medical School in Detroit, Michigan, in 1950. He was a member of Phi Rho Sigma. Afterwards, he completed both an internship and a year at Harper Hospital, also in Detroit. To complete his medical training, he did a three-year fellowship in orthopedic surgery at Campbell Clinic in Memphis, Tennessee.
Montgomery was born on April 21, 1925, to the late Frank and Mildred Montgomery in Battle Creek, Michigan. During his formative years, he attended the public schools in Madison, Indiana, and then he graduated from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He was a recipient of the Rector Scholarship and a member of Phi Kapa Psi fraternity.
He always loved sports, playing varsity basketball and baseball in both high school and college. He was even offered a baseball contract with the Boston Red Sox while in high school. He loved to share his passion for baseball with younger generations and coached Little League baseball for six years and served as president of the league between 1961 and 1962.
Montgomery also served in the U.S. Navy during both World War II and the Korean War as a Lieutenant. He was a Naval physician at Naval Hospital, Memphis; Naval Hospital, Camp LeJeune; Naval Hospital, Yokosuka, Japan; Commander Service Squadron 3, Sea of Japan; and the Naval Dispensary, Sasebo, Japan.
A born leader, he served his community in many ways throughout his life. He was chair of the Buncombe County Republican Party from 1965 to 1969 and he served as Mayor of Asheville between 1969 and 1971. He also served as a Buncombe County Commissioner from 1984 to 1988 and as a member of the Davidson College Board of Trustees between 1973 and 1985. He even spent time on the North Carolina Department of Transportation Board between 1973 and 1976.
He was also deeply involved in other organizations as well including American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, Black Mountain Home for Children, UNCA Foundation, Mountain Amateur Athletics, Asheville Kiwanis Club, Land of Sky Touchdown Club, Western North Carolina Tennis Association, and the Knights of the Laurel in the Rhododendron Royal Brigade of Guards.
Montgomery played third clarinet in the Asheville Community Band between 1981 and 2003 and participated in many tennis tournaments in Asheville and around the Southeast.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Elizabeth Campbell Jeschke Montgomery; his daughter, Mary Montgomery; and granddaughter, Page Whetsell.
He is survived by his sons, Wayne Swope Montgomery, Jr. and Woodward Page Montgomery; daughters, Ann Montgomery Sims and Jane Montgomery Whetsell and 14 grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.
