The Life and Legacy of Dr. Roy Gregory (1931-2021)

Thanks to a generous scholarship for aspiring physicians, an extraordinary doctor’s passion for family medicine lives on.

By Kirby Kelly | Photos by Stephen Legendre

The Dr. and Mrs. Roy Gregory Family Medicine Award is the Ochsner Clinical School’s first scholarship for students pursuing family medicine. It’s one of the greatest gifts Dr. Gregory gave before his passing this year—along with a lifetime of putting patients first.

Born on July 11, 1931, in Las Cruces, NM, Dr. Gregory dedicated his life to caring for others and giving back to his community. He served in the military and attended Louisiana State University for undergrad before pursuing his medical education at LSU School of Medicine, where he completed his degree and residency between 1955-1960.

In 1961, he opened his own practice in Mandeville alongside Dr. Jerry Keller, where he practiced family medicine for 37 years until his retirement in 1997. The two-person practice was the first on the North Shore to join Ochsner Health, and it eventually expanded into a primary care practice of 14 physicians across three locations.

Patients who stepped into Dr. Gregory’s office were always treated like family— Dr. Gregory made sure of it. “Dr. Greg was a terrific doctor and an even better person,” said Craig Bardell, Ochsner’s Director of Planned Giving. “He liked to say that he was a pioneer—practicing medicine in a small town, you never knew what you would have to do in a day, from delivering babies, setting broken bones, or house calls for the bedridden.”

The next generation of superior care

Throughout his career, Dr. Gregory helped foster the next generation of talent in family medicine by serving as a fellow for the LSU School of Medicine. And in 2018, the late doctor established the Dr. and Mrs. Roy Gregory Family Medicine Award alongside his wife, Lola “Jackie” Gregory, who passed shortly after Dr. Gregory this year. Their generous gift expands resources for one annual recipient at the UQ-Ochsner Clinical School who shows promise and passion for family medicine.

This year, that recipient is Tyler Kidd, a senior medical student at UQ-Ochsner. “I am very honored and thankful to receive this wonderful scholarship,” he said. “With the great advice, resources, and instruction I’ve received at UQ-Ochsner, I’ve found my true passion in Family Medicine and will take this with me into my career as a physician.”

For 37 years, Roy Gregory, MD, practiced family medicine in Mandeville. His generosity will help train the next generation of leaders in family medicine.

L to R Steve and Laura Jankower (Dr. and Mrs. Gregory’s daughter and son-in-law), Christopher Van Hise, the inaugural recipient of the Gregory Award, Dr. and Mrs. Roy Gregory and Leah Gregory (their other daughter)

“I am dedicated to upholding the high standards

of the medical profession and have the same love for the community I serve that Dr. Gregory exhibited throughout

his career. ” — Tyler Kidd, 2021 Recipient of the Gregory Family Medicine Award