Dr. Franklin Clark, III's decades-long impact on Cumberland County residents cannot be overstated. Serving as a successful thoracic surgeon to Fayetteville and Cumberland County residents, Clark is a now retired surgeon and businessman, with deep roots in the Fayetteville community. 

In 1981, he was part of the group that brought the first freestanding outpatient surgery center to Fayetteville. 

“When I was practicing, a group of us put together an ambulatory outpatient surgery center, which was the first one in North Carolina,” recalled Clark. “Hospitals had had outpatient clinics, but they really had never really moved into ambulatory service. This was back in ‘82 and so there was a big push to start ambulatory surgical centers, and we were the first in the state here.” 

Clark shared that he was inspired very early on to go into the medical field through every day exposure, citing an unnamed pediatrician as the spark that lit the fire. 

“I had a pediatrician that I admired, I just thought he was the greatest thing in the world. And I was just a little boy, a tiny little kid running around trying to keep from letting his nurse give me a shot. I just really, really liked him and admired him and I kind of wanted to be like him,” recalled Clark. “And then, as I grew older and started going to school, I realized the health sciences was really what I liked. I really liked physiology, anatomy and microbiology and immunology, and I was just fascinated by genetics. And so I said, ‘That’s where I want to go.’ So I ended up in healthcare. I started because I admired my pediatrician so much, and I ended up there because that's where my interests are.” 

In 1989, Dr. Clark left practice, so he and his colleagues could further improve the quality and accessibility of vital health care services in our community. Among his portfolio of enterprises are Fayetteville’s Village Green Rehabilitation & Health Care Center, the Carolina Inn assisted living facility and the Carolina Highlands independent living condominiums. 

“Those were all private, entrepreneurial, medically related things. I did administrative work there, and then kind of got off of the medical circuit a little bit, and did more commercial building,” said Clark. “It was all done with life care in mind.” 

Although Clark shared that he is currently enjoying living rurally out in the Linden area, his impact on the future of medical care in the community continues on. 

Clark first began supporting Methodist University in 1966 when he and his siblings established the Franklin S. Clark annual scholarship in honor of their late father. Since then, he has regularly contributed to the MU Loyalty Fund for scholarships and to campus capital projects. 

As the founding board chair of the Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine, Inc. he has been instrumental in helping to raise $20 million in statewide philanthropic support for the medical school. His leadership will result in the next generations of health care practitioners in Southeastern NC. 

According to Clark’s nominator for the Lifetime Achievement award: “Franklin’s dedication to this community has pushed him to go above and beyond, and he embodies the spirit of the Lifetime Achievement Award. His life’s work has been devoted to building businesses and programs that increase independent living and improve health for Cumberland County. He has served generously with Fayetteville’s ServiceSource Foundation, the Friendship House, Care Clinic, with Cape Fear Valley Health Foundation and now with the medical school.” 

As for Clark himself, he shared he just wants to leave behind a positive impact. 

“You remember a lot of the things that you did and people that you helped, and how rewarding that was, and it just really makes you feel good about what you’re doing when you can help somebody get better. That was probably the greatest time in my life was when I practiced medicine,” shared Clark. “I hope I’ve done some good, and I hope that a little bit of Fayetteville that I’ve been involved in is a better place because I was here.” 

The Greater Fayetteville Business Journal is proud to award Dr. Franklin S. Clark III with the second ever Health Care Heroes Lifetime Achievement Award.