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Dr. Steven H. Stokes has been elected chair of the University of South Alabama Board of Trustees for a three-year term.
Stokes, a native of Dothan, received his medical degree from USA in 1980. He is currently a practicing radiation oncologist in the Dothan area.
He was appointed to the USA Board of Trustees in 1993 by then-Governor Jim Folsom, Jr. and reappointed in 2005 by Governor Bob Riley. He previously served as board vice chair.
In December, Stokes and his wife, Angelia, made the largest gift ever to USA by an alumni couple -- a $2 million gift to be used toward scholarships in creative writing and for the College of Medicine. That brought their total gifts to the University to $2.42 million, including University matching gifts.
“Dr. Steven Stokes has a long history of supporting his alma mater, the University of South Alabama, including service as a trustee and a major philanthropic contributor,” said USA President Gordon Moulton. “We look forward to continuing to benefit from his leadership and perspectives as board chairman.”
“His perspective of being both a physician and an alumnus brings every valuable asset appropriate to the correct mission of the University. The development of our
relationship with Infirmary Health System, maturity of the Mitchell Cancer Institute, and future growth of the College of Medicine make his leadership very timely.”
A former Army Ranger, Stokes led troops in Vietnam, served two terms on Dothan’s city commission and maintains a thriving radiation oncology practice, yet he’s never lost touch with his humble Dothan farm roots. His small-town humility belies his impressive resume, which includes civic service in medical, business and community groups. Being named Dothan’s Man of the Year by the Hawk-Houston Boys Club is just one of the many honors for this Rotarian. He is the elected board chairman of Dothan City Schools. And, each year, he serves as a team leader for a medical mission trip to Panama for Covenant United Methodist Church in Dothan.
The son of a farmer, Stokes worked his way through college on a Navy ROTC scholarship. A land lover, he took the Marine Corps option of his service. After graduating with honors from U.S. Army Ranger School, Stokes led a platoon in Vietnam in the early 1970s.
His military service took him to Arlington National Cemetery, where he arranged funerals and coordinated accommodations for grieving families.
During this time, the marine biology/ocean chemistry major took pre-med courses. He also met his wife, Angelia, a Kentucky native who was working at Arlington. Six months later, they married and moved to Mobile.
While at the University of South Alabama, he launched into medical school and she pursued her business degree, which she completed in 1979. As Hillsdale residents, the couple enjoyed their time as students. During Hurricane Frederick, Stokes took refuge in a campus building. His wife, a stockbroker, was in St. Louis on business.
His training took him to Washington University’s Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology in St. Louis. Later, he worked for a year as a faculty member at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and joined a private radiation oncology practice there. By 1987, he returned to Dothan to establish his practice. He also operates clinics in Enterprise, Ala., and Marianna, Fla.
Mrs. Stokes currently works to secure federal grant funding for a cancer screening program directed at senior citizens, especially those who live in rural areas of the state. The couple has three sons: Simon, 22; Jonathan, 21; and Steven, 17. |
