There’s something special about someone who always remembers where they came from, no matter how humble the beginnings.

In Suffolk, perhaps nobody exemplifies that as much as Dr. L.D. Britt.

The preeminent surgeon is the Henry Ford Professor and Edward J. Brickhouse Chairman of the Department of Surgery at Eastern Virginia Medical School. He has authored more than 300 scientific publications and edited four books. He has held presidential positions in numerous organizations like the American College of Surgeons and the American Surgical Association. He is a recipient of the nation’s highest teaching award in medicine, the Robert J. Glaser Distinguished Teaching Award.

His full list of authorships, awards, visiting professorships, professional work and more wouldn’t fit in this column, on this page or even in this whole paper. Britt’s resume is eye-popping, his biography is inspiring, and his full curriculum vitae is 69 pages long.

And yet he always tells crowds around the world — at distinguished medical conferences and more — that he comes from Suffolk, Virginia. Even if he has to explain where it is. It may not be as recognizable a name as Virginia Beach or Norfolk, but Britt always brags on Suffolk.

Britt grew up the product of a segregated school system and always includes in his presentations an initial slide showing the railroad tracks in Suffolk. He says it keeps him grounded.

Most importantly, he continues to see patients in Suffolk, pro bono, from his North Main Street office every Tuesday, and when he’s done traveling all over the world to conferences and meetings, he lays his head down in Suffolk at night.

That’s why it’s so meaningful that Britt has been selected by the Suffolk and North Suffolk Rotary Clubs as the 2019 First Citizen.

We look forward to seeing Britt honored in this way and congratulate the Rotary Clubs for their excellent choice in the 2019 First Citizen.