Dr. Thomas H. Gandy is humble about his latest honor – induction into the Hall of Distinction at his alma mater, Louisiana State University.

&uot;I never feel that I’ve earned something like that,&uot; he said. &uot;There are so many people who do so much more.&uot;

Gandy was inducted into the Hall of Distinction Friday night at LSU’s Lod Cook Alumni Center.

Induction into the Hall of Distinction is awarded to alumni who have distinguished themselves through service to the university and their communities.

Among the other seven inductees were late Exxon executive Oskar R. Menton, former Ocean Energy Chairman John B. Brock III and Honduran President Carlos Roberto Flores.

Gandy, who earned his bachelor’s degree in 1942 and his medical doctorate in 1944, was a doctor of internal medicine.

He served as former chief of staff of then-Jefferson Davis Memorial Hospital and was president of the Natchez Historical Society and a founder of the Historic Natchez Foundation.

Gandy has also been awarded the Mississippi Medical Association’s Community Service Award and the LSU&160;Foundation President’s Award for Lifetime Support at the benefactor level. He served as chairman of the first Architectural Review Board and was the first physician to be chairman of the hospital’s board of trustees.

He also has been recognized as The Natchez Democrat’s Citizen of the Year.

Gandy said the induction was a surprise, although he was notified about the ceremony before Friday night.

&uot;Otherwise I would not have been in a tuxedo,&uot; he joked.

Dr. John Coffey, who graduated from LSU with Gandy, served his residency at the same time and lured Gandy to Natchez to set up practice, said he was not surprised to hear about his colleague’s achievement.

Gandy’s work as a physician and his restoration of Earl and Henry C. Norman’s photographs make him a worthy candidate for the award, Coffey said.

&uot;It’s an asset to the town and a real credit to him,&uot; Coffey said.

Coffey, who called Gandy a &uot;brilliant physician,&uot; said he and Gandy were among the first modern-trained physicians to set up practice in Natchez.

&uot;That’s pretty much the beginning of things here as far as specialized medicine is concerned,&uot; said Coffey, a retired pediatrician.