David Matthew Yocum III ’44

David Matthew Yocum III ’44, M.D. born April 23, 1922, to David Matthew Yocum, Jr. and Dolly Hill Yocum, died at home in El Dorado, Ark., on July 16, 2012. Yocum was born in El Dorado. He attended Davidson and received his medical training at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock. A rotating internship and surgical residency in general and thoracic surgery was served at Cook County Hospital of Chicago. Yocum was a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the Southwestern Surgical Congress. He has served as president of the Arkansas chapter of the American College of Surgeons, and has practiced general and thoracic surgery in El Dorado since 1951. He was the first thoracic surgeon in Arkansas, and removed the first lung in the state. A co-founder of the Surgical Clinic of South Arkansas, Yocum served on the Foundation Board of the University of Arkansas Medical School. In 1976, he was appointed assistant clinical professor of surgery at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and has also been active on the teaching staff of the Area Health Education Center (AHEC) of South Arkansas. He was a past president of the El Dorado Rotary Club, and has served as chief of staff of Union Medical Center. In community activities, Yocum was a board member of Union Medical Foundation, First National Bank of El Dorado, First United Bankshares, and First Commercial Bank in Little Rock. In 1981, he retired from medical practice to devote full-time to Alice-Sidney Oil Company of El Dorado and Alice-Sidney Farms, Dryer, and Seed Company of Lake Village. He was a member of First United Methodist Church, where he served as chairman of the official board. He was a longtime supporter of the Aspen Music Festival and School. His hobbies included snow skiing and hunting. Survivors include his wife of 69 years, Marthalyn Rushing Yocum, 1222 North Madison, El Dorado, AR 71730; one son, David Matthew Yocum IV; two grandchildren, Shelton McClintock Yocum and Laura Elise Yocum; and one great-granddaughter, Jessamine Elise. He is also survived by one brother, John Hill Yocum ’48 (Beverly); one niece, Lynn Yocum Dwight (Jeffery); and one nephew, John Hill Yocum, Jr. (Jane).