A Visitation will be held from 2 p. m. to 4 p. m., Sunday, Nov. 12, 2023, at Hulett-Winstead Funeral Home in Hattiesburg, Miss. for Dr. John L. Pendergrass, 78, who died on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023.
Interment will be held at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery.
John was born and raised in Clarksdale, Miss.
He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Delta State College, where he was a charter member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. In 1969, John received the Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Mississippi and went on to complete an internship at Baylor University Medical Center.
John served as a United States Air Force flight surgeon during the Vietnam War caring for sick and wounded servicemen. He flew 54 combat missions in an F-4 Phantom while stationed at DaNang Air Base, Republic of Vietnam and was a life member of the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association.
After completing a residency in ophthalmology at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas, John practiced ophthalmology at the Green Eye Institute for 44 years.
He was active in community and medical affairs, serving as vice-president of the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure, president of the South Mississippi Medical Society, president of the Louisiana – Mississippi Ophthalmological Society, president of the Mississippi Eye Ear Nose and Throat Association, and president of the board of directors of the Hattiesburg Family Y. He also funded an endowment that provides free textbooks for military veterans who attend the University of Southern Mississippi.
An active endurance athlete for most of his life, John competed in numerous road races, marathons and triathlons. He founded the Hattiesburg Track Club in the late 1970s. John was the first person to compete in six Ironman triathlons on six continents in his sixties, a journey he described in his book, “Against the Odds.” This book, along with his award winning memoir, “Racing Back to Vietnam,” was published by Random House.
John is survived by his wife of over 53 years, Polly; three children, John Pendergrass, Jr. of Hattiesburg, Miss., Eric Pendergrass (Ashley) of Fort Collins, Colo., and Patricia Pendergrass Babu (Abhishikth) of New York, N.Y; one sister, Betsy Scott of Brookfield, Conn.; brother-in-law, Muller Addkison of Jackson; and five grandchildren, Henry Pendergrass, Sage Pendergrass, Brooke Pendergrass, Zoe-Grace Babu, and Aaron Babu.
Memorials may be made to the Center for Military Veterans, USM Foundation, 200 North 35th Ave., Hattiesburg, MS 39401.
Hulett-Winstead Funeral Home in Hattiesburg is in charge of arrangements.
