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SENATOR ED N. WARREN
Past Chairman
Board of Trustees
Pitt County Memorial Hospital
Past Pitt County Commissioner
Former Member, N.C. House of Representatives
Member, N.C. Senate

January 22, 2001

Interviewer: Beth Nelson

Beth Nelson: We talked about your passion for the hospital and the medical school because of what you feel that the medical school had done for this area of the state.

Ed Warren: What it does for this area of the state and how it meets the needs of this part of the state. We have a long way to go yet and I have plans to finalize some of the things we need to do with the hospital and medical school such as completion of the facility for the robotic surgery, completion and working together to build a stroke center with the hospital and also a diabetes center and finally, I would like to see a school of pharmacy over there at the hospital and medical school. That is a vision I have at the present time and future plans and, hopefully, I can secure some funds from the state to accomplish that along with the hospital and medical school.

Of course you put it all together in one major complex and you can get anything you want and all the needs can be met there. That is why it is so intriguing to me to be involved. Since I left the hospital board I have never stopped, through the legislation I have had through the years for the hospital and the medical school and successfully passed every Bill they have asked for in the last twenty years over there and I know we secured funds one time for the new helicopter because of the one that was lost at one time. I know we had funds for the police/security over there between the two bodies. The university and the hospital had to have the security setup like they wanted it, through legislation.

Also, the latest one I had was about security the license tags or plates for the complex to be sold this year that the hospital had wanted with the name of University Medical Center which was going to be on the tag. I worked with Craig Quick on that and I guess they will be for sale pretty soon. You have to sell three hundred of them before they are printed so I guess that is in the process right now.

Also, early on, we had funding for the medical school receipts being reimbursed to the medical school but not receiving at the time when Chapel Hill was getting their share of it the money was tight for the medical school. It is kind of a hand and glove operation over there in my view and I think Dave McRae since he has been CEO over there has just done an outstanding job with the board and the staff that he had to work with. I have been impressed with what they have been doing. We have come a long way and are recognized throughout the country on the achievements over there. I have nothing but positive things to say about it.

Beth Nelson: Talk a little bit about your memories of the hospital from the early days. Not only your days as board chairman but even as a child growing up. You certainly remember the Johnston Street Hospital.

Ed Warren: I remember those years but at that time we didn't have a facility there-it was uptown in Greenville in my early years but as time went on I observed what had taken place when the county commissioners acquired the land over there and there was a lot of discussion about paying too much for it and when tobacco and all that was on the land. They sold tobacco for almost enough to pay the land I think, I am not sure. That was really the beginning of the growth and vision that people had here in having what we have today through our leadership years ago. It is fantastic the vision they had, even the vision people have today in moving forward.

I can recall those early years and at the old hospital when I first came aboard that is where it was with Jack Richardson at that time and come to think about it, I remember Mr. Ward before him. When I got involved over there originally we were trying to work out an agreement with the hospital and the medical school about some money from the state in the beginning stages. We had meetings over there at the old nursing building behind the old hospital at that time. Involved with me were Dr. Frank Longino and Dr. Jack Wilkerson and Bill Friday and the Board of Governors and all that group trying to finalize plans and the state's share of the cost and also encouraging them to support the medical school. We were involved in that at that time and at the time Bill Friday didn't want to do it; the Board of Governors didn't want to do it but once they passed legislation that didn't happen and you know what happened after that and then the funding came down. I got involved in the funding of that when I first went up there and somewhat since the beginning of the medical school.

When I started over there with the hospital and the medical school at that time there was two people working over there. There was Dr. Ed Monroe and Dr. Wally Wooles. They were my two leaders at that time. There was such a closeness and a tie between the hospital and the medical school. We are the only people in the state that I know of to have a hospital that is local and a state medical school and this was an unusual situation in the funding mechanism. We worked hard to try to make sure that they both got treated fairly and they came together and you couldn't have a better agreement working together then they have now. The leadership has worked together hand and glove in everything. When they come to Raleigh they come as a team and that is what I like about it. I don't know how many people they have over there but they must have come a long way.

Beth Nelson: There are about 4,500 employees at the hospital and I think about 6,000 altogether, which includes the outlying hospitals and that kind of thing. Let me ask you this, going back to the early years and the way things were going at that point, when you look back on where we were then versus where we are now, do you think anybody could have envisioned where the place would go? Could anybody see the way it would develop to the extent it has?

Ed Warren: There were some visionary people in the early years who did envision it who were way ahead of the time and who did envision that. There were a few people at that time but not the magnitude you have now. Things are moving so fast in the world with the commercialization of things and also with television and exposure to news media just brought it on that much quicker, I think. Yes, I think we had a few people at that time who could envision these things and people before me just had such vision that they could make things happen. It is like you have some today that are looking way ahead.

Beth Nelson: Who do you think at that time could not only dream it but could make it happen?

Ed Warren: I think one person, there were several of them, but I think Bill Speight was one of the early people and I worked with him with about everything I did in county government and the hospital. He was a visionary and we could count on him. There are others, of course, out there but he would be the one that I would think that was involved with board meetings at that time and he was involved, hands on and he was everywhere. There were others as well. Charles Horne was another one at that time who was a visionary and his records show that. Bill Speight when we had a board meeting at the hospital and during meetings he would walk out to use the phone and of course you know what happened after that. I can remember seeing all that at that time. I hate to start calling names but there are others too that don't come to mind at the present time.

Beth Nelson: Do you remember a fellow by the name of Dr. Joe Pou.

Ed Warren: Joe Pou was with Wachovia, I think. I remember very well that he was a champion at that time. There are several around here that I just can't think of at this time.

Beth Nelson: I am trying to find out about some of the unsung heroes. In fact, I have been in touch with Joe and he is planning to come back for February 8. He is 81 years old and quite a few people I have interviewed have commented on him and that he was really instrumental in carrying the bond referendum.

Ed Warren: Another man was Reynolds May. Reynolds May was involved in about anything you could name from charity on down and David Evans. They were kind of a team at that time. They were involved in a lot of civic projects and a lot of projects just to make livability better. They were the kind of visionary people. I am sure I am overlooking a lot of other people as well. Another, I think, was Paul Davenport. Paul Davenport had four boys and he was very active and he was involved in county government for many years, the ABC Board and all those other things and the role he played in Greenville and everything else.

Beth Nelson: Was this Paul Davenport Lawrence's dad?

Ed Warren: That's right, Lawrence, Charles and that entire crowd.

Beth Nelson: What gets me confused is Ed Davenport over in Farmville. Are they related?

Ed Warren: I don't think so but Ed was involved too quite a bit you know with Pitt Community College Board and I think he was involved in the Hospital Foundation, I am not sure. There was a group along during that period of time. Wiley Gaskins and so was Mike Gaskins from the Grifton area, he was very strong in politics and things that were going on in that part of the county.

Beth Nelson: What about some physician leaders that you remember from back then.

Ed Warren: Jack Wilkerson, Frank Longino, Dr. Malene Irons and Dr. Malene worked with me in mental health. I got started with mental health with her; she was very active in mental health. I got involved with Joe Pou with United Fund. I think he was chairman some time around that time. I remember those particular ones being active and also John Minges and he was very active. You know the history of that group, every time you needed them they were there. Jack Minges and two brothers and of course Jack used to be my Finance Chairman. Then John, his son, came along and was doing the same thing. I remember that very well. John is kind of a tradition today. I had a chance to get him on a committee in Raleigh and we don't usually put a non-senator on a committee, and I had Senator Basnight nominating him instead of me. He handled himself very well and they liked him. He just took charge. Those are just some of the players and I can't name them all. Also Jack Marshall helped with a lot of projects. There are just many of them out there.

Beth Nelson: When you were board chairman, Jack Richardson would have been the president at that time. Talk a little bit about his leadership and what he brought to the medical center.

Ed Warren: I think that Jack was very devoted to the community because he had been there for a while. He brought on some young men at that time, Mr. Hall, and what a great job he has done out there. I think he is about to retire now but I am not sure. He has been the one who kind of put it all together, the engineers and people who gave us reports all the time and so I think that was a smart move by Jack Richardson in his recommendation to the county commissioners to employ him and I think you can see evidence of what he has done. Around the same time he brought in Rick Gilstrap. Rick later went to Roanoke Rapids. He came along and Buck Sitterson and the last I think I remember was Craig Quick. They were some of the people that I remember coming on board when I was working with the board there.

There was always a challenge, not what I would call problems, there were opportunities there and I could see that in my own mind. It meant so much to rural people throughout eastern North Carolina and that is what has intrigued me and keeps me going today basically. You ask me where I am today and I just am excited about what I see and all the things taking place. It is a motivating factor for me because I can see what it has done for everybody else. Heart disease and strokes programs and what I have seen over there and what I was involved in personally and so I just made that my issue in North Carolina. In fact, the 14th of February will be my third annual Heart Day in North Carolina in the General Assembly and we do these test screenings and do it right there in the General Assembly building and it has grown and it is in its third year now and my whole thrust has been on prevention. My whole family has died mostly from heart disease and stroke so that motivated me.

Another thing that motivated me about the health care issue is medicine. When I had no pain and wasn't even hurting and the good Lord somehow led me there with others and identified my problem and I scheduled my surgery myself with Chitwood and you know it is history since then and that was twelve years ago. That is just part of the story and our group now has been recognized nationally and there are only two states in America that have funding for that which are New York and North Carolina. This past month I spoke at a national convention about what we are doing here in North Carolina with heart disease and stroke. Most people who attended my meeting didn't know anything about what we are doing. We are advanced here in the hospital and the medical school. We are way beyond the normal. We have come a long way and it has all been because of the working relationship between the hospital and the medical school.

Beth Nelson: If you had to name the accomplishments that you contributed over the years to the hospital what would those be?

Ed Warren: I guess when I look back and see when we had the ground breaking it was raining that day and I can see it right now. I guess the thing that has been exciting to me has been the progress that has been made in unifying the people in the community in coming together and making sure that they have the best that they can have. The county commissioners, the board of education, local governments in the area uniting and that motivates me today to do what I am doing. It was like last week when I had Dave McRae and Jim Ross and all of them and talked about working together on strokes and a center here and the hospital being one of a hundred in a national magazine and what role we in the state played to make that happen and that we have a first-rate facility in eastern North Carolina for the people. Also in getting legislation passed to provide funds for diabetes. When you put it all together with the heart center and the leadership there that we have at the hospital you have to be excited about it, you just have to be because there aren't many places like that. The way it has grown has just been a challenge.

Beth Nelson: I would think that you may be unique in having served as the hospital board chairman, a county commissioner, a representative and then a senator and I can't think of another individual who has experienced all of those roles.

Ed Warren: I had the health board too within that process, I chaired that. When I put it all together, I have had experience not many people in life had the opportunity to do when you can chair all of those boards and see it all come together and then I can leave here and go to Raleigh and make it happen from the state standpoint-all the funding for the programs and I still do it today and that is a motivating factor and Craig Quick will tell you what we do when he comes to Raleigh. It is something you can't measure and it is just something you just have to dream about what has happened here and it keeps me excited. You see where you can do something. It is something that is always ongoing. You have to live it and I try to live what I do and preach what I do. It is another way to show your commitment. It's not a halfway thing with me. I tell them my visions for the hospital and the medical school in Raleigh in meetings and in the hallways. I want to see the Diabetes Center completed, I want to see the Stroke Center and I want to see the School of Pharmacy. Also work with the robots - that is kind of my vision. Chapel Hill got so far ahead early and now we have come a long way in the last several years. With Duke, we can measure up with them now in about anything we want to do, so I guess the challenge is there and when I talk with leadership about it that is what I really do.

When I see you people over there I get excited and when I go to the Viquest Center like this morning at 6:30 a.m., I can see what you have done there because I live it, I walk it and it is a means of helping someone else. If I could just save one life through this preventive stuff I would think I would have done a good Christian deed for my fellow man and the longevity of health and life and I tell people all the time that call me about having problems I tell them to go to the sports medicine clinic and it is all set up for them. I do that a lot and even in Raleigh I tell them that. Number one it is inexpensive. I can envision all those things right now taking place over there.

I think the hospital and the university are the engine that carries this community. I was talking to about 100 senior citizens the other day and asked them if they had thought about why all the people came to Greenville. We have a medical school and first class hospital within five or ten minutes and a lot of people live thirty or forty miles away and they are so blessed to come down here and we need to think about how blessed we are and how fortunate we are to have this here and it is something to think about. We have all of this right here and more coming all the time. Everything is so dynamic in what they are doing over there and you have to be excited.

I am still working for the people here and so far I have had more years in the General Assembly than anybody in the history of Pitt County. The most anybody had was eighteen years and this is my twenty-first year.