Dr. Louis LeGarde Battey

Born in Augusta in 1923, Louis LeGarde Battey was the son of Alfred Mann Battey and Thesese Dugas Battey.  His great uncle, Louis Alexander Dugas, was one of the early founders of the Medical College of Georgia. Louis Battey graduated from ARC in 1939. He completed his studies at the Medical College of Georgia before joining the Navy, where he served in  the south Pacific nation of Guam. Upon completing his tour, he completed a Medical Residency at Emory University. He began a private practice in Augusta, founding Cardiovascular Associates of Augusta. Dr. Battey was in practice for over fifty years. He published research on cerebral blood flow and collaborated with the Medical College of Georgia to open Augusta’s first clinic to treat high blood pressure. He served as a Clinical Professor for MCG throughout his years in practice. He helped establish the region’s first Coronary Care Unit at what was then St. Joseph’s Hospital. In 1977, he established the first office-based Echo Cardiology Lab in Georgia and began mobile echocardiogram units to serve the surrounding counties. He continued to use the latest medical technologies as they emerged. Dr. Battey was chosen to serve as President of the Georgia Heart Association. When former President Dwight Eisenhower suffered a heart attack while visiting Augusta in 1965, it was Dr. Battey who treated him.

 

Dr. Battey’s outstanding work earned him high honors in his profession. In 1993, the American Heart Association honored him with the “Heart of Gold” Award given to Cardiologists for significant contributions to research and education. He was also the recipient of the Highest Professional Honor of the Georgia Chapter of the American College of Physicians -- the Laureate Award.

 

Dr. Battey was a leader in the civic life of his community. In the early 1980s, he was a member of the founding board of Augusta Tomorrow, an organization of public officials and private citizens dedicated to the revitalization of the city’s core. He was a member of the Augusta Kiwanis Club. He served on the boards of the Georgia Railroad Bank & Trust and the Augusta Federal Savings and Loan Association.

 

Dr. Battey was deeply involved with the non-profit community. He served on the boards of the Morris Museum of Art and the National Science Center. Interested in History, he was a member of the Augusta-Richmond County Historical Society, the Georgia and South Carolina Historical Societies, Historic Augusta Inc., the Augusta Museum of History, and the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. Always fascinated by science and nature, he was a member of the Southeastern Natural Sciences Academy (now Phinizy Center for Water Sciences and Phinizy Swamp Nature Park), the Georgia Conservancy, and the CSRA Land Trust. His love of golf was seen in his support of the First Tee Augusta, his membership in several golf clubs, including the Augusta National, and his service on the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame Board of Directors.

 

He was married to Mary Mell and they had five children. Dr. Battey died in April 2008, after a lifetime of service to his patients and community.