Dr. David Henry Woodbury, Jr. was a noted scholar of nuclear medicine. He was born March 29, 1930 in Camden, SC to David Henry Woodbury, Sr. and Arlene Elizabeth Alston Woodbury.
David, Jr. as he was known, never knew his mother who passed when he was an infant. He was raised by his aunt Jamie and spent his formative years in Asheville, NC where he attended Stevens Lee High School and went on to graduate with honors from Johnson C. Smith University in 1951. While at the university he became a member of the Omega Psi-Phi Fraternity Inc. and in 1952 he received his masters of science in biology from Virginia State University. There he met and married Eva Mildred Taylor – a union blessed with three daughters.
Woodbury eventually accepted a position at the Atomic Energy Commission in Oak Ridge, TN where he worked on the biological effects of radioisotopes. His position in Oak Ridge was interrupted by military service in the Korean War, where he served as a medical technician in a military hospital in Tokyo, Japan.
anting to advance his career, he received a medical degree from the university of Michigan in 1961 and as a student worked on research projects using radio isotopes based on his experience in Oak Ridge.
Woodbury became an officer in the US public health service during his internship in Norfolk VA, and his internal medicine residency in Staten Island, NY.
His marriage ended and he returned to Michigan where he met and married Margaret Claytor, who had two children and they together were further blessed with David Henry Woodbury, III.
Back in Michigan Woodbury was charged to complete a newly established fellowship in nuclear medicine with his mentor Dr. William Bierewalter to whom he credits much of his career development and success.
During his illustrious career, Woodbury joined the faculty at the University of Michigan as chief of the Nuclear Medicine Department at Wayne County Hospital in Michigan, an affiliate of the university, and became chief of staff at the hospital. He he was also a member of the society of nuclear medicine at the American College of Nuclear Medicine (ACNM).
Having passed the board of nuclear medicine, Woodbury became one of the inaugural fellows of the ACNM, then later served as the president in 1987. For 5 1/2 years Woodbury was also an FDA consultant and applied his nuclear medicine expertise in the diagnosis and treatment of humans.
Woodbury also helped the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, GA achieve accreditation to award Medical degrees. Rising to associate professor he continued to work part-time at the VA Hospital there until officially retiring in 2012.
Woodbury attempted to retire twice over the years, but failed because he was intrigued by the evolving technology and truly loved working with patients. Throughout his career, he enjoyed all aspects of his job, colleagues, technicians, patient care and particularly instructing students, residents and the many fellows rotating through his years of service.
Woodbury was also a member of the Sigma Pi-Phi Fraternity the (Boule´) He was an avid golfer, loved camping in his motorhome and planning surprise trips for his wife, Margaret Claytor Woodbury who survives him after his passing on September 17, 2025 at the age of 95.
