USC names School of Medicine for Floyd family

The University of South Carolina School of Medicine in Columbia is now officially named in honor of the late longtime trustee and surgeon Dr. Edward “Eddie” Floyd and his wife, Kay Floyd.

Announced May 22 at a private luncheon attended by members of the Floyd family, trustees and university leaders, the school is named the University of South Carolina Kay and C. Edward Floyd M.D. School of Medicine. The naming celebrates the Floyds’ decades-long service and philanthropic support of USC, which totals $30 million, according to the university. Their giving will fund scholarships for medical students and endowed faculty positions including surgery, neurosurgery, neurology, sports medicine and the basic science.

“This gift is particularly meaningful because it also honors two exceptional people who gave so much to the University of South Carolina and the Palmetto State, and in so many different ways, throughout their lives,” USC President Michael Amiridis said in a news release. “Through their generosity, they will continue to have a tremendous, far-reaching impact on the School of Medicine and the entire University of South Carolina.”

The Floyds were married for 66 years. The naming honors their shared lifelong commitment to education, health care and public service, the news release stated.

Edward Floyd, who passed away in January at age 91, was the longest-serving member in the history of USC’s Board of Trustees, from 1982 to 2024. A former board chair (1992–1996), Floyd earned his undergraduate degree in business from USC in 1956 and was a fourth-generation alumnus of the university.

Born in Lake City, and a longtime resident of Florence, he built a career as a general and vascular surgeon after completing medical school in Charleston and his residency at the LSU School of Medicine in New Orleans. He established his medical practice in Florence, where he became known for his pioneering work in vascular surgery.

Beyond medicine, he was also a farmer and a prominent Republican fundraiser in South Carolina.

Kay Baker Floyd, who passed away in 2023, was born in Timmonsville. She graduated from Saint Mary’s College in Raleigh and the University of South Carolina. She managed one of the largest farming operations in the state and served as business manager for one of South Carolina’s first vascular laboratories.

Her civic contributions were widely recognized, including the naming of the Floyd Conference Center in Florence. She was also a founding member of Arts Alive at Francis Marion University.

In 2024, the Floyds’ daughter, Dr. Coleman Floyd Buckhouse, succeeded her father as a member of the university’s Board of Trustees.

“My parents loved this university with all of their hearts,” Buckhouse said in the release. “They believed deeply in improving lives and expanding opportunity. The USC School of Medicine Columbia has served South Carolina through education, discovery and care, and those same values guided my parents. By naming the School of Medicine, we are honoring their highest ideals and lasting commitment to this university and to the people of South Carolina.”

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster, who attended the luncheon, also praised the Floyds’ history of service.

“The Floyds represented the very best of South Carolina, with lives defined by service to others and a deep commitment to improving their community,” McMaster said. “By naming the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in their honor, we carry their legacy forward in every physician who trains here and serves the people of this state.”

Founded in 1977, the Floyd School of Medicine is dedicated to educating the next generation of health care providers to serve communities across the state and beyond. More than 750 students are currently enrolled. Construction of a  300,000-plus-square-foot medical education and research facility is underway at Columbia’s BullStreet district, home to USC’s developing 16-acre Health Sciences Campus.

“This transformational gift from the Floyd family will have a profound impact on the educational experience of our students and provide boundless opportunities for our esteemed faculty and our school’s research endeavors,” interim School of Medicine Dean Dr. Gerald Harmon said in the release. “The Floyd’s legacy of service and devotion will live on through generations of health care professionals and scientists for our great state.”

With the naming, the school becomes the sixth named school or college at USC, and the fourth in the past three years, the release said.