New Sandy Springs Street Named After Legendary Pediatrician

SANDY SPRINGS, GA -- The Sandy Springs City Council last week approved naming a new street after a doctor who spent more than 50 years caring for the area's children.

Council members approved naming the roadway connector between Boylston Drive and Roswell Road as Denmark Drive in an effort to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Leila Denmark.

According to information provided by the city, the doctor was born Leila Daughtry on Feb. 1, 1898, to Elerbee and Alice Daughtry in Portal, a small town in Bulloch County.

Daughtry graduated from the former First District Agricultural & Mechanical School (now Georgia Southern University) and attended Tift College where she graduated in 1922.

Daughtry spent two years as a teacher and attended the Medical College of Georgia where she was the third female student at the university and the only woman in her class. After graduating in 1928, Dr. Daughtry moved to Atlanta. She started her career by volunteering at Grady Hospital and became the first resident doctor at the Henrietta Egleston Hospital for Children. She married John Eustace Denmark later that year, becoming Dr. Leila Denmark. In 1930, she gave birth to her daughter, Mary.

The doctor began her private practice in pediatrics out of her home in the early 1930's and continued practicing medicine until May 2001. She contributed many of those years in Sandy Springs, spending hours talking to parents about proper nutrition, prevention, immunizations and provided parental guidance and discipline of the growing child, the city added.

In 1935, Dr. Denmark received The Fisher Award for her research in treating, diagnosing and immunizing patients against pertussis, commonly known as whooping cough. She also penned a book, "Every Child Should Have a Chance," where she provided families with advice and guidance. At the time of her 2001 retirement, Dr. Denmark was thought to be the oldest practicing doctor in the United States, the city added.

Dr. Denmark died at the age of 114 in April 2012, "with her influence positively improving the lives of many within Sandy Springs and the region," the city said.

Photo: Dr. Denmark, left, along with her grandson, Steve Hutcherson; daughter, Mary; and granddaughter-in-law, Stephanie Hutcherson. Credit: city of Sandy Springs