Edgar Olin Horger, III M.D.

It is appropriate that Ed entered into eternal life on Christmas Day. He was a faithful servant of the Lord, who was surely there to greet him upon his arrival to the Gates of Heaven.

Where to begin to summarize a blessed and amazing life?

Ed was born in Eutawville, SC on May 30, 1937, the son of Edgar Olin Horger Jr and Frances Durant Jordan Horger. His father died when he was just 14 years old, which might have spurred his life of overachieving in all he did.

He graduated from Greenville High School in 1955 and entered Furman University on a full academic scholarship. He had fond memories of daily bridge games with his Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity brothers. This did not prevent him from focusing on studies, as he graduated in three years and entered the Medical College of South Carolina (eventually MUSC) in 1958. Furman bestowed his BS degree after he completed his first year of Medical School.
Upon completing his Obstetrics and Gynecology residency in Charleston, his last year as Chief Resident, he had planned on joining his uncle's OB/GYN practice in Orangeburg, SC. But God had other plans for him. A diagnosis of insulin-dependent diabetes during his third year of residency, at age 29, pushed him to stay near an academic institution.

And what a career it was. In July 1969, after completing a two-year NIH fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh, he returned to Charleston and performed the first maternal-fetal transfusion in the state of South Carolina. He was instrumental in bringing OB Ultrasound to SC, started the Maternal-Fetal Fellowship at MUSC and became a leading authority in the Southeast on high-risk pregnancy.

He spent his entire 32-year career in medical education, research and patient care. He loved teaching, and his interest in and enthusiasm for maternal-fetal medicine was infectious; through this, he inspired and taught scores of doctors who in turn have touched many lives. He was a Professor of OB/GYN and Radiology at MUSC until he moved to Columbia in 1990. While at the USC School of Medicine, he became the Chairman of the OB/GYN Department until his retirement in 1999.

He authored or co-authored numerous medical publications, including 120 articles in medical journals and 18 textbook chapters. He especially loved his work with the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), the South Atlantic Association of OB/GYN, and the Thegos Society, all of which he served as an officer.

He received numerous awards over the years. He was especially proud to receive the Distinguished Alumnus Award at MUSC, the Outstanding District Service Award from ACOG, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the South Atlantic OB/GYN Society.

As amazing as his medical career was, Ed lived life to the fullest outside of the office. As a teenager, he learned to water ski on Lake Lanier with his best friend Charles Reyner, whose family provided much assistance and positive influence after Ed's father passed. His first experience snow-skiing at Blowing Rock, NC led to a life-long love of the sport (skiing until almost 80 years old!) and a condo in Vail, Colorado, where he would spend his winters and summers after retirement. Living a stone's throw from the tennis courts in Creekside subdivision for 20 years allowed him to hone his tennis skills. His extreme western grip created a mean forehand slice. A trip to the Cayman Islands for his 50th birthday resulted in a 25-year time-share and yearly scuba-diving trips with many friends. It would take him 5 years to work up the nerve to cash in a skydiving trip given for his 60th birthday, but he recruited two other friends to go with him when he did it. Obviously, he did not like to sit still. After retirement, he became a Master Gardener to improve his gardening skills, which was a beloved hobby of his. He always wanted to write a novel, and while he did not fulfill that dream, he did research and write his family genealogy, dating back to 1735. We're thankful to have this to look back on his legacy and those before him. You knew you were a good friend of his if you were lucky enough to receive one of his original poems for a special occasion. And his love of photography and documenting family trips has been passed on to his children and grandchildren.

Ed is survived by the love of his life, Polly Collins Horger, his wife of 59 years. They met on his first day of medical school. It is a story he loved to tell until his last day. After their marriage on May 29, 1960, she was his partner-in-crime on many adventures. They traveled the world, skied many high mountain tops, played bridge and tennis together and raised three children: Edgar Olin Horger IV (Shelli), David Collins Horger (Kristi) and Patricia Bowen Horger McDaniel (Charles). He adored his grandchildren and loved the time he could spend with them: Jordan McDaniel Hinkebein (Chris), Charlie McDaniel, Wilson Horger, Sutton Horger and Gracie Horger. He is also survived by three siblings, Claire Allen, Inez Ehrgott, and Frank Horger (Mary) and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was immensely proud of the fact that he lived with Type 1 diabetes for almost 54 years. He was diligent with his control of the disease, and it allowed him to live life without restraints.

A celebration of Ed's life will be held on Saturday, January 4, 2020, at 1:00 pm at Christ Church, 2304 N Hwy 17, Mt. Pleasant. Family will receive friends on Friday, January 3, 5-7 pm, at Stuhr's Funeral Home, 1494 Mathis Ferry Road, Mt. Pleasant.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the MUSC Foundation, 18 Bee Street, Charleston, SC 29425 for the Edgar O. Horger III M.D. Endowed Scholarship Fund or to the University Foundation, PH-USC Medical Group, Department of OBGYN, Two Medical Park, Suite 208, Columbia, SC 29203 for the EJ Dennis Lectureship #A32319.