Dr. William (Bill) White Broadfoot

Dr. William (Bill) White Broadfoot, 72, of Valdosta, Georgia, died on Thursday, May 26, 2016, at his home. Born in Sheffield, Alabama on September 3, 1943, he was the son of the late William White Broadfoot, Sr. and Annie Mae Haddock Broadfoot.
Bill grew up in Florence, Alabama, where his father was an electrical contractor. From a very young age, he was fascinated with nature and the outdoors. After becoming an Eagle Scout, Bill was selected for the Boy Scouts of America's national honor society, the Order of the Arrow. In the tenth grade, the Broadfoots moved to Birmingham, where Bill graduated from Shades Valley High School.
After graduation from high school, Bill enrolled in the University of Alabama, where he met the love of his life, Damaris (Dee) Sumner Broadfoot, who was from Memphis, Tennessee. He first studied business. Then, he decided to pursue a double major in chemistry and biology. While at Alabama, Bill was a member of Phi Gamma Delta social fraternity. He graduated with a B.S. in Chemistry and Biology in 1967.
Bill enrolled in the University of Tennessee Dental School, Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968, and received the Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1971. After graduation, he became licensed to practice dentistry in Tennessee and immediately volunteered for the United States Army. The Army commissioned him as a Captain in the Dental Corps and assigned him to Fort Stewart, near Savannah, Georgia. Bill served at Fort Stewart from 1971 to 1973. Near the time of his honorable discharge from the military, in May 1973, he received the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service, a rare honor for a Dental Officer.
During a brief residency in Charlotte, North Carolina, Bill became licensed by the Georgia Board of Dentistry. Bill moved to Valdosta to work as a dentist with the late Dr. Henry Minor. In a short time, Bill had established his own general dentistry practice near South Georgia Medical Center (SGMC). He was on the staff of SGMC until his death, including service as Chief of Dental Services in 1975, 1980, 1989 and 1994.
An important part of Bill's dental practice in Valdosta was care for indigent, special needs, disabled and elderly patients. From 1980 until his death, he served as staff dentist for Parkwood Development Center and Pruitt Nursing Homes. For his work with special needs children, in 1976 Bill received the Man of the Year Award from the South Georgia Chapter of the Council for Exceptional Children.
Bill was President of the Georgia Dental Association (GDA) in 1997-1998. He was the first dentist from Valdosta to serve as GDA President since the 1800s. Bill was then appointed by Governor Roy Barnes to the Georgia State Board of Dentistry (GBD) in 1999. He served on the GBD from 1999 to 2004, and was President for the 2002 - 2003 Term. Bill was also a member or fellow of the International College of Dentists, Academy of General Dentistry, Pierre Fauchard Academy and Georgia Academy of Dental Practice and the American Dental Association.
During his 43 years in Valdosta, Bill was an active volunteer in the community. He was a Scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 415, and a member of the Boy Scouts' Alapaha Council (now South Georgia Council) Executive Committee. He gave much time to an organization that he particularly loved, The Boys and Girls Club of Valdosta. He was instrumental in the organization and establishment of Lake Laurie facility of the Boys and Girls Club. He served on the Board of Directors and was a President for three years. He was recognized locally many times by the Boys and Girls Club for his volunteer work, including the Service to Youth Award for 20 years of service in 1995, the Man of the Year Award in 1985, and the Lifetime Memorial Award in 1981. The Boys and Girls Club of America awarded him its highest national award, the National Medallion, in 1984.
In September of 2015, Bill helped establish The South Georgia Partnership for Health (formerly the Lowndes County Partnership for Health), an indigent and uninsured care medical and dental clinic. Bill saw his last dental patients two weeks before his death.
Bill was a member of First United Methodist Church of Valdosta, where he was a member of the Becky Anthony Sunday School class and served on several boards. Earlier, he and his family also attended Park Avenue United Methodist Church and Christ Episcopal Church.
Survivors are his wife, Dee; his son, William (Billy) W. Broadfoot III of Atlanta; his daughter and son-in-law, Rebecca (Becky) Bynum and Ed of Valdosta; his son and daughter-in-law, Dr. James Charles (Bo) Broadfoot and Adrienne of Valdosta; five grandchildren, Collier Mutert, Virginia Quinn Mutert, Campbell Mutert, Belle Broadfoot and Parks Broadfoot, all of Valdosta; sister, Lori Emery (Jon) of Valdosta; and special family friend, Martha Mitchell of Valdosta. Dr. Broadfoot was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Suzanne Broadfoot, and his son-in-law, Doug Mutert.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, May 30, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. at First United Methodist Church. Dr. Bob Moon and Reverend Walter Hobgood will officiate. Burial will follow at McLane Riverview Memorial Gardens. The Broadfoot family will receive friends at the Carson McLane Funeral Home on Sunday evening from 4 – 6 p.m. Memorials may be sent to the South Georgia Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Boys and Girls Club of Valdosta, the Dental Clinic of the South Georgia Partnership for Health, and the First United Methodist Church of Valdosta. Condolences may be conveyed online at www.mclanecares.com.





Funeral Home:
Carson McLane Funeral Home
2215 North Patterson Street
Valdosta, GA
US 31602