Dr. Joe Padgett (1923−2001) graduated from Bowman Gray School of Medicine (North Carolina) in 1946 and then served as a captain in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was a physician in various out-of-state hospitals until 1954, and then, with his new bride, returned to begin practicing medicine in his beloved hometown, Hayesville. For the next three decades he was the “doctor” for all of Clay’s citizens, regardless of their financial status, and was often paid in chickens, hams, beef, syrup, and other farm products. In addition, he served as County Coroner and on the Board of Health for two decades. Having taken additional courses qualifying him, “Dr. Joe” was highly respected by his colleagues for his diagnostic skills. Rather than becoming a specialist, he chose to remain a General Practitioner. And, even though several prestigious hospitals, including Emory University, tried to recruit him, luckily for Clay County residents, he selected to stay at home. In 1994 the Health Department in the Community Service Building was dedicated to him and to Florence “Mac” Thompson. Also in 2005, the Department of Transportation and the Clay County Commissioners honored him by designating the U.S. Highway 64 By-Pass as the “J. C. Padgett Memorial Highway.”
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