Retired physician Eddie Floyd, the longest-serving member of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees, has resigned.
Floyd, a former heart surgeon and chairman of the board from 1992 to 1996, is a native of Lake City, S.C., who settled about 35 miles away in Florence, S.C. He earned a bachelor’s degree in business from USC in 1956, and he had served on the USC board since 1982.
Born in Depression-era South Carolina, Floyd was part of a tobacco-farming family, and his father went on to establish a Chrysler dealership. His family valued education highly, and college attendance was expected. Floyd is a fourth-generation USC alumnus.
“Everybody deserves an opportunity to go to college,” Floyd told Carolinian magazine in 1992, when he succeeded Michael J. Mungo as board chair. “If a person works hard, applies himself or herself and demonstrates ability, we should offer that individual the opportunity to go.”
After earning his undergraduate degree at USC (where he was also on the swim team), Floyd attended medical school in Charleston and did his surgical residency at the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans. He established his medical practice in Florence, where he became known for advanced work in vascular surgery.
“He was one of the most productive and effective residents we ever had on staff,” an LSU surgery professor told Carolinian magazine in 1992. “He would have been a tremendous asset to our medical school, but it’s clear that he’s been an asset to South Carolina.”
In addition to his work in medicine and at the university, Floyd also farmed tobacco, and he is an avid art collector and a long-time leading state Republican fundraiser.
“For more than four decades, Dr. Floyd’s service to the USC Board of Trustees ensured consistent wisdom and oversight,” said Thad Westbrook, current chair of the USC Board of Trustees. “If I were to attempt to calculate the number of hours that he has dedicated to board matters as a trustee, I’m certain that the total would be staggering — a sufficient amount of time to measure the entire life of a lesser man with lesser dedication. All of us will miss his presence on the board, along with his warmth and kindness.”
Built in 1994, the Floyd Football Building at Williams-Brice Stadium is named after Floyd and his late wife, Kay, who died in July 2023. The Eddie Floyd Tennis Center in Florence is also named after him.
“Dr. Floyd will be greatly missed from our board meetings, but his legacy will be with us for many years to come,” said USC President Michael Amiridis. “He has been a great advocate for all South Carolinians who want to advance in life through knowledge and one of the biggest supporters of our Gamecocks.”
Gov. Henry McMaster appointed Floyd’s daughter, Coleman Floyd Buckhouse, to serve out the remainder of his term on the board. Buckhouse earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from USC in 1981 and attended medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Banner image: Kay and Eddie Floyd visited the USC President's House for a holiday gathering.