Thirty years after he cast the vote that would make the James H. Quillen College of Medicine a reality, former Gov. Ned Ray McWherter was honored with the college’s first-ever Quest Award on Friday.
“I cannot imagine anyone more fitting to honor with this inaugural award than the honorable Ned R. McWherter,” said presenter Dr. Ronald D. Franks, dean of medicine, in a ceremony that preceded the quarterly meeting of the Tennessee Board of Regents in the Culp Center’s Martha Street auditorium.
The Quest Award was established to honor those who promote “leadership at the state and national level for the advancement of health care for the underserved,” said Franks.
McWherter received the award for his leadership roles in establishing the medical school and creating the TennCare program, which provides health insurance to the state’s poor and uninsured citizens.
McWherter’s role in establishing the College of Medicine came in 1974, after he cast the deciding vote that overrode a veto from then Gov. Winfield Dunn, who opposed the development of a medical school in East Tennessee.
As then Speaker of the House in the Tennessee General Assembly, McWherter led a political showdown to create the college, said TBR Regent Leslie Parks Pope.
The battle often pitted East Tennesseans against West Tennesseans, who thought the state could not or should not financially support two medical schools.
“Every day, Quillen would call me,” said McWherter of the late congressman and greatest proponent of the school. Quillen enlisted McWherter’s help to gain votes for the school.
McWherter chuckled as he described the difficulties he and Quillen encountered with getting enough votes to override Dunn’s veto.
The emotional fight, said McWherter, even caused the former mayor of Memphis, Henry Loeb, to shake his finger in the future governor’s face and say, “You won’t ever be re-elected to the House!”
What’s more, said McWherter, some representatives who promised to vote against Dunn’s veto “went to the water cooler on us.” But in the end, he said, “we got enough votes to pass it.”
Now, as the Quillen College of Medicine celebrates its 30th anniversary, U.S. News & World Report has ranked it No. 3 in the nation for excellence in rural medicine education.
The rankings were published on Friday in the 2005 edition of the magazine’s “America’s Best Graduate Schools.”
The college was also ranked 26th in the nation in the category of primary care and family medicine by the same publication.
“It’s been a labor of love to see this campus develop,” said McWherter.
“Maybe I questioned whether we’d make it or not. But they said ‘we’ll make it’. I accept this honor on their behalf as well as my own.”
Also recognized for their roles in the fight for the medical school were former Regents Chancellor Roy S. Nicks, former U.S. Sen. Harlan Matthews, former state Rep. Bob Burleson, Dr. Charles “Ed” Allen and Dr. Ben Hall.
Family members of several late leaders were also given recognition. Those leaders include former ETSU president, D.P. Culp; Johnson City Press Publisher, Carl A. Jones; Sen. Marshall T. Nave; and state Reps. Gwen Fleming, Robert Goode and Palma L. Robinson.

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