Robert Morris Paty 1890 - 1982
and Katherine Behanna Paty 1905 - 1996
Born in Bell Buckle, Bedford County, Tennessee, Robert Morris Paty was the third child and first son of nine children born to Mr. and Mrs. R. M. Paty. He was the first male graduate of Tennessee Normal School (what is now Middle Tennessee State University) and went on to attend the University of North Carolina and the University of Tennessee, where he received a BA degree.
Prior to entering the Navy to serve in World War I, Paty taught high school for a number of years. After his service, he entered and graduated from Emory University Medical School.
In 1923, Robert married Katherine Behanna of Atlanta. The following year, he and his wife (who was 19 years old at the time) and their six week-old daughter left for China as medical missionaries. When they arrived in Shanghai, they found themselves in the middle of a war zone between battling warlords.
Within a year, Paty was speaking fluent Chinese. The Patys made their home in China and most of their six children were born there. He founded Stevenson Memorial Hospital in Chang Chow, Kia Ng Su Province and for 18 years served as the superintendent of the Methodist mission hospital while also administering healthcare to countless Chinese citizens.
Prior to entering the Navy to serve in World War I, Paty taught high school for a number of years. After his service, he entered and graduated from Emory University Medical School.
In 1923, Robert married Katherine Behanna of Atlanta. The following year, he and his wife (who was 19 years old at the time) and their six week-old daughter left for China as medical missionaries. When they arrived in Shanghai, they found themselves in the middle of a war zone between battling warlords.
Within a year, Paty was speaking fluent Chinese. The Patys made their home in China and most of their six children were born there. He founded Stevenson Memorial Hospital in Chang Chow, Kia Ng Su Province and for 18 years served as the superintendent of the Methodist mission hospital while also administering healthcare to countless Chinese citizens.
They remained in China until the outbreak of
World War II, when the United States government recalled all American citizens
living there. They landed in America
just before the attack on Pearl Harbor and were astonished to discover that no
one at home had yet realized that they were about to enter a global war.
The Patys moved to Newton County when Robert Paty took on the position of physician for the Bibb Manufacturing Company in Porterdale and was instrumental in the founding efforts of what would later become Newton County Hospital.
In 1944 Paty became associate dean of Emory University School of Medicine. In 1947, he went back to China, however dependents were not allowed, so Mrs. Paty and their six children remained behind. They moved to New Haven, Connecticut so that Mrs. Paty could attend classes at Yale University. Dr. Paty was forced to return home again after 18 months. He then served as secretary for Medicine for the Mission Board and was put in charge of the World Wide Medical Missionary project for the Methodist Church. The Patys settled in Oxford in 1950 and Dr. Paty went into private practice, serving the community for the next 20 years, retiring in 1970.
The Patys lost one of their sons to schizophrenia and Mrs. Paty worked tirelessly for the rest of her life to help the mentally ill. She was instrumental in the organization of the Newton County Mental Health Association and Clinic, which would treat over 400 patients per month. She also established the organization Georgia Friends of the Severely Mentally Ill with the help of the Georgia Mental Health Association and the Georgia Department of Human Resources-funded Community Support Project with the mission “to advance and defend the interests of those who are severely disabled by a mental disorder.”
Dr. Robert Morris Paty’s son, Dr. Donald Paty became the director of UBC’s Multiple Sclerosis Research Programs. In 2001, he and his son Breay Paty (Robert Paty’s grandson), and his nephew, Phillip Paty - also physicians - were invited by the hospital built by Dr. Robert Morris Paty to travel to China to give a medical symposium in honor of the man who is famous there for his contributions to medical care. All three of Robert Paty’s medical descendants graduated from Emory University.
The Patys moved to Newton County when Robert Paty took on the position of physician for the Bibb Manufacturing Company in Porterdale and was instrumental in the founding efforts of what would later become Newton County Hospital.
In 1944 Paty became associate dean of Emory University School of Medicine. In 1947, he went back to China, however dependents were not allowed, so Mrs. Paty and their six children remained behind. They moved to New Haven, Connecticut so that Mrs. Paty could attend classes at Yale University. Dr. Paty was forced to return home again after 18 months. He then served as secretary for Medicine for the Mission Board and was put in charge of the World Wide Medical Missionary project for the Methodist Church. The Patys settled in Oxford in 1950 and Dr. Paty went into private practice, serving the community for the next 20 years, retiring in 1970.
The Patys lost one of their sons to schizophrenia and Mrs. Paty worked tirelessly for the rest of her life to help the mentally ill. She was instrumental in the organization of the Newton County Mental Health Association and Clinic, which would treat over 400 patients per month. She also established the organization Georgia Friends of the Severely Mentally Ill with the help of the Georgia Mental Health Association and the Georgia Department of Human Resources-funded Community Support Project with the mission “to advance and defend the interests of those who are severely disabled by a mental disorder.”
Dr. Robert Morris Paty’s son, Dr. Donald Paty became the director of UBC’s Multiple Sclerosis Research Programs. In 2001, he and his son Breay Paty (Robert Paty’s grandson), and his nephew, Phillip Paty - also physicians - were invited by the hospital built by Dr. Robert Morris Paty to travel to China to give a medical symposium in honor of the man who is famous there for his contributions to medical care. All three of Robert Paty’s medical descendants graduated from Emory University.