William E. Matory Sr., a national leader in continuing medical education and a giant contributor to Howard University's medical school has died. He passed away Jan. 26 of heart disease at Howard University Hospital. He was 80.

"This is a great loss to the National Medical Association and the entire medical community," stated in a release from the association. "We will miss Dr. Matory's leadership and friendship."
From 1977 until his death, he was the head of continuing medical education for the National Medical Association, the country's largest organization of black physicians, according to an article in the Washington Post.

He also led efforts to expand the association's outreach throughout the Caribbean and to emphasize the treatment of malaria and other tropical diseases.
But Howard University's official pointed out the contributions he has made to the school.

Dr. Matory had a general surgery practice for almost 40 years and trained more than 4,000 future doctors at Howard's College of Medicine, launched an innovative series of instructional films for surgeons and introduced programs in disciplines as diverse as emergency care, kidney disease and family medicine.

He also was director of emergency care at Howard University Hospital from 1960 to 1982 and led efforts to reorganize emergency room procedures throughout the Washington area.
In 1966, after undergoing special training in renal medicine, Dr. Matory established Howard's dialysis program. Four years later, even as he worked as a full-time surgeon and professor, he founded Howard's program in family medicine.

Dr. Matory also co-founded the university's physician assistant training program in 1972 and developed a basic surgery course, surgical pathophysiology, which he taught for more than 30 years.

A man who knew Dr. Matory for 60 years was, LaSalle D. Leffall Jr., who was chairman of Howard's department of surgery from 1970 to 1995.
"I believe he (Dr. Matory) made a broader array of contributions to the College of Medicine than any other person in the modern era," Leffall told the Washington Post.
"He would see something that needed to be done, and he would do it."

At Howard, Dr. Matory was a member of the track team and was elected president of the class of 1949. He graduated from Howard's medical school in 1953 and served two years as an Air Force surgeon.

He was a member of the Cosmos Club, Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity and the Sigma Pi Phi honorary society.

Dr. Matory made a number of contributions to the black community.

In recent years, Dr. Matory was active in efforts to provide medical care in southern Africa and sat on a charitable foundation board with L. Douglas Wilder, the mayor of Richmond, Va., and who became the country's first black governor when elected to the position in that state.

According to the Post, survivors include his wife of 33 years, Dr. Rita Rigor-Matory of Washington DC; a son from his first marriage, J. Lorand Matory of Cambridge, Massachusetts; two children from his second marriage, Marine Capt. William J. Matory, who is serving in Afghanistan, and Elizabeth Matory of Washington DC; and nine grandchildren.