A hometown hero, Dr. Emmett Calhoun was a man with many accolades including an Army and Navy veteran of three wars, a two-time purple heart recipient, a war hero and a retired rear admiral, but probably remembered by most in Grays Harbor as a local leader in the medical profession who went above and beyond for his patients for over 50 years.
Before his passing over 40 years ago, Dr. Calhoun and his wife Dorothy spent their entire lives serving the residents of Grays Harbor through their community activism. He served as an instructor of surgery at St. Joseph Hospital’s School of Nursing, served four terms as the president of the hospital and was Medical Director at the nursing home. His wife Dorothy helped to organize the local medical auxiliary and also served as president of the state auxiliary. She was the organizer and first president of the St. Joseph Hospital Service League. Dr. Calhoun was voted as The Daily World’s “Man of the Year” in 1976 and was once quoted by one of his supporters as “the best of the horse and buggy doctor philosophy blended with expertise.”
To keep the legacy of Dr. Calhoun and Dorothy’s profound impact on Grays Harbor alive, their son Dr. Robert L. Calhoun and his wife Katherine of Seattle have established a scholarship at the Foundation to benefit students from Hoquiam High School. All HHS graduates are eligible for this generous scholarship that is renewable for 3 additional years.