Retired physician Eddie Floyd, the longest-serving member of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees, died early in the morning on Jan. 15 at the age of 91.
“Today, the University of South Carolina is mourning the loss of one of our greatest supporters and leaders,” said USC President Michael Amiridis. “For more than four decades, Dr. Eddie Floyd devoted his wise and thoughtful counsel to USC and became its longest-serving trustee, as well as one of its most respected voices.
“At the core of his principles was his firm belief in the power of education to change lives,” Amiridis continued. “His beneficial influence in the success of our students, in the mission of our university, in the fields of medicine and the arts, and in the betterment of life across our state will be felt for countless decades to come. He will be deeply missed.”
Floyd, a native of Lake City, S.C., who settled in Florence, S.C., was born on May 22, 1934. A former heart surgeon and chairman of the board from 1992 to 1996, Floyd earned a bachelor’s degree in business from USC in 1956. He served on the USC board from 1982 to 2024. In 2024, he was replaced on the board by his daughter, Coleman Floyd Buckhouse, who earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from USC in 1981 and attended medical school at the Medical University of South Carolina.
Born in Depression-era South Carolina, Floyd was part of a tobacco-farming family, and his father went on to establish a Chrysler dealership. His family valued education highly, and college attendance was expected. Floyd was a fourth-generation USC alumnus.
“Everybody deserves an opportunity to go to college,” Floyd told Carolinian magazine in 1992, when he succeeded Michael J. Mungo as board chair. “If a person works hard, applies himself or herself and demonstrates ability, we should offer that individual the opportunity to go.”
After earning his undergraduate degree at USC (where he was also on the swim team), Floyd attended medical school in Charleston and did his surgical residency at the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans. He established his medical practice in Florence, where he became known for advanced work in vascular surgery.
In addition to his work in medicine and at the university, Floyd also farmed tobacco, collected art and was a long-time leading state Republican fundraiser.
“Dr. Eddie Floyd was an unparalleled champion for the University of South Carolina — no Gamecock ever exhibited greater love for his alma mater,” said Thad Westbrook, chair of the USC Board of Trustees. “As an accomplished and widely respected surgeon, as well as a generous and ardent philanthropist, Dr. Floyd was an exceptional force for good in South Carolina, making an impact throughout his beloved Pee Dee region and the state.
“At USC, we will remember him most for his inspired leadership and dedicated service. I am grateful for the opportunity to have served alongside him on the Board of Trustees. Our thoughts are with his daughter, Coleman Floyd Buckhouse, who is following in her father’s honored footsteps as a USC trustee, as well as the many family members and friends who knew and loved Dr. Floyd.”
Banner image: Kay and Eddie Floyd visited the USC President's House for a holiday gathering.