Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

December 3, 2024

CHARLOTTE – Dr. William Sumner Logan, beloved husband, father, grandfather, friend and physician, has departed this earth, leaving us with his spirit of love, curiosity and humor.

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Bill grew up in Lakeland, Florida, the oldest son of Dr. William P. and Bette Logan. He attended Davidson College in North Carolina, was in the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society and graduated cum laude in 1964.  He met his future wife, Sandra, at Queens College.  They married two weeks after their college graduations and were married for 60 years. After so many decades of marriage, he often was told he was a “Master of Marriage” as he employed his humor and kindness to smooth the way.

Bill attended Duke University School of Medicine, was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and graduated in 1968 as valedictorian of his class.  After a medical internship at Duke University Medical Center, Bill completed a dermatology residency and fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.  There he earned a master's degree in Dermatologic Research in addition to board certification as a specialist in dermatology.  Despite his love of research, Bill decided to focus on patients and helping people.  He joined the Nalle Clinic in Charlotte, North Carolina, in 1973.  Bill established the Dermatology Department at the Nalle Clinic and served as department chair for 28 years.  Throughout his career, he received many honors, including being listed in the “Best Doctors in America” and the Physician's Recognition Award from the American Medical Association.  He was founder of the Dermatology Indigent Clinic, where he volunteered for 25 years, at Carolinas Medical Center, and served as clinical professor of dermatology with the UNC Chapel Hill School of Medicine and as a member of the Nalle Clinic Foundation Board.  But his greatest award was the appreciation of his patients and the privilege to be able to help them.

Bill’s childhood love of minerals, trees and the natural world led him to explore and learn all his life.  The respect and awe he felt for the trees of North Carolina inspired him to plant every tree native to the state on his mountain land, which was already considered a climax forest.  He strapped gallons of water on his back, carried a shovel and dragged many a sapling down the mountainside for planting, actions which he referred to as “carrying coals to Newcastle.”  He wrote several essays on N.C. trees for botanical journals and served as chairman of the Mecklenburg County Treasure Tree Committee, through which he identified many trees in Charlotte as Treasure Trees.  For 10 years, he was a member of the Board of Advisors for UNC Charlotte’s Botanical Gardens.

Bill’s wonder at the beauty and intricacies of minerals led him into a field study and collection of crystalline minerals, sculpting art objects out of stone and participating in gem and mineral shows. He created his company, Spectrum Minerals, to share his love of minerals with others and later was inspired to write what became the authoritative book on rhodochrosite, a popular collectible and decorative mineral.  Through this book and his comprehensive collection of the species, Bill became known as one of the world’s experts on rhodochrosite.

His curiosity and love of science resulted in his teaching many courses at the Shepherd's Center in Charlotte, ranging from “The History of Natural History” and “Six Theories that Changed the World” to “General Relativity and Quantum Physics” and “The Truth of Alchemy,” culminating with a course reconciling “Science and Religion.”  He wrote many books for his grandchildren on these and other subjects in hopes of encouraging their amazement and curiosity about the world.

Bill’s inquisitive mind and love of learning extended to exploring other countries and cultures. He especially enjoyed his trips to Kenya and Alaska where he had close encounters with a musk ox, baboons and bush babies and even survived a herd of hippos running through his tented encampment. Always ready to make the most of his experiences, he read volumes on the art of Florence and the Hermitage before his trips to Italy and the Baltic. But perhaps his favorite trip was with his friend and mentor to the Western National Parks for a once-in-a-lifetime exploration of the canyons, deserts, rivers, flora and fauna there, including a Dipper (bird), the Western Red Cedar and many other firsts. 

All of Bill’s adult life was filled with learning and loving the people in his life and the beauty of the world, but Bill also struggled with chronic back pain and endured five spinal surgeries, the first during his sophomore year in medical school and the last following his retirement in an attempt to ward off disability. But along with adversities, there were blessings as well. Through his struggles with limitations, he gained a deeper understanding of the struggles of others and the grace of acceptance. He joined a water aerobics class and made many new friends who were going through similar experiences. He practiced an exercise regime and became more fit than ever. And he developed new hobbies of writing books, creating lectures and curating his minerals.

Bill bequeaths to us the experience of a life lived fully with continuous learning, wonder and courage and the gift of love, humility and laughter. Thank you, beloved Bill. We carry you forward, forever, in our hearts. Godspeed.

Bill is survived by his loving wife, Sandra; daughter, Rheta Whittington and her husband, Eric, of Greensboro, North Carolina; son, William “Billy” Logan and his wife, Laura, of Darien, Connecticut; grandchildren, Katie and Luke Whittington, and Jack and Lucy Logan; brother, Kempton Logan and his wife, Joni, of Fort Myers, Florida; and niece, Kimberly Wholley and her husband, Brian, and their children, Robert and Logan Wholley, all of Suwanee, Georgia.

Sophie, Amber and Patches will remember him and miss his lullaby each night ... as will we all.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at Christ Episcopal Church, 1412 Providence Road, Charlotte. The family will receive friends following the service in the Blue Room at the church.  The service will be livestreamed at:  https://christchurchcharlotte.org/watch-live-funerals/ for those unable to attend in person.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204; (704) 641-7606. Online condolences may be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.