Dr. Sam Clark
Dr. John Daughtrey

The History of Clark and Daughtrey Medical Group P.A.

In 1925, S. Allen Clark, M.D., relocated his general medical practice to Lakeland from Eatonton, Georgia. His son, Sam, was 13 years old.

Sam J. Clark attended Emory University and received his medical degree in the late 1930s. In 1939 he joined his father in practice in the Marble Arcade Building in downtown Lakeland. "Dr. Sam", as he was affectionately known, was fully trained in obstetrics and gynecology. At that time there were few specialists practicing and he basically did general practice (now called family practice). He entered the military in World War II and served with the Army Air Corp in Tampa, at Drew Field, which is now the site of Tampa International Airport.

 

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After the war, "Dr. Sam" returned in 1939 to Lakeland to practice with his father. The doctors Clark shared office space in the Marble Arcade Building with Dr. Herman Watson, founder and namesake of the Watson Clinic.

                                                                 

John E. Daughtrey grew up in Atlanta and also attended Emory University. His medical education was interrupted during WWII, when he served in the U.S. Navy as a physician. He was on the beaches of Normandy during the Allied invasion of Europe beginning on D-Day, June 6, 1945. He helped treat the 10,000 casualties in his area during the first 24 hours of the invasion.

After the war, he returned to complete his surgical training at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta and was on duty in the emergency clinic when the Wyncoff Hotel fire occurred in Atlanta. That event remains one of the major fire disasters in the United States.

Dr. Daughtrey joined the doctors Clark in the Marble Arcade Building after completing his surgical training in the later 1940s. The Clark & Daughtrey Medical Group was formed in 1949, and the practice relocated to 425 S. Florida Avenue in Lakeland, which is now the Sligh chiropractic center.

Our Vision:

To be the premier, quality-driven medical group in Central Florida, providing personalized resource- efficient health care.

Our Mission:

To consistently provide our patients and the community with the best value in high quality, comprehensive medical care.

 

The group built a new office building at 130 Pablo Street and moved in in April 1962.

Dr. Daughtrey retired from medical practice on June 30, 1976. He died in 1986. Dr. Sam ended his obstetrical practice in January 1977after delivering an estimated 8,000 babies. He retired in 1989 and died in 1993.