Charles Vance Peery II ’63

Charles Vance Peery II ’63, 71, of Charleston, S.C., died Oct. 6, 2012, at home in the arms of his wife, Elaine, after a long battle with illness. He was born June 22, 1941, in Kinston, N.C., the son of Dr. Vance Price Peery and Elizabeth Woodley Peery. He is preceded in death by his sister, Elizabeth Woodley Peery, and survived by his wife, Elaine Peery, 3053 Pignatelli Cres., Mount Pleasant, SC 29466-8057, and two sons, Dr. Charles Andrew Peery ’92 and Christopher Saunders Peery. In the last two years of his life, he was pleased to add a grandson, John Ethan Peery. Peery was a graduate of Davidson and Duke University Medical School. After military service as a cancer researcher at the National Institutes of Health, Peery trained in obstetrics and gynecology at the Medical College of Virginia. On completion of his training he moved with his young family to Charleston, initially going into practice with Dr. James Wilson. Together they were the first ob-gyn’s at the new North Trident Hospital. In addition to delivering thousands of babies, Peery wrote numerous publications and talks on the then emerging technology of ob ultrasound, which is now the standard of care for all pregnant women. He remained in practice at Trident until a stroke forced him to give up surgical work in 2000. After his stroke, Peery retrained in hyperbaric medicine, with a special focus on the potential benefits of hyperbaric oxygen in the treatment of traumatic brain injury. He formed close relationships with many of his patients, and he continued his practice until worsening health forced his reluctant retirement from medicine in 2009. From medical school onward, Peery also pursued a second career as a historian of Civil War naval history. In his 20s, Peery and his friends carried out the first excavation of the blockade runner Ella, sunk off the coast of North Carolina. Throughout his subsequent life, Peery traveled throughout the United States and Europe to collect books, artifacts, and paintings that documented the period. He often hosted researchers and collectors at his home, and gave numerous talks throughout the United States. Peery was proud to serve on the board of the Friends of the Hunley, and his collection is now intimately tied to the planned Hunley Museum. Charlie leaves behind a legacy of passionate exploration along with many saddened family and friends.