A Smile is Just a Smile, or is It? Posted on February 19, 2026

Recently, I came across this photograph of Dr. S. Floyd Scott (1894-1972) and his wife Frances Somers Scott. What struck me was that I had never seen a photo of Dr. Floyd smiling. And not just smiling, he is actually beaming!

I knew this must be a special occasion, as Frances is wearing a corsage. And, Dr. Floyd’s older sister, Josephine Scott Hudson, then 89, (pictured on right) had traveled all the way from Raleigh to be with them. What could this be about?

At first, I thought it might be an important wedding anniversary, or birthday. You know the kind, the ones that end with a zero.

But no. I turned the photograph over, looking for clues. As it turns out, the photograph was taken on April 20, 1969, fifty years to the day that Dr. Floyd arrived in the community of Union Ridge. Although he was a native of North Carolina, Dr. Floyd was a stranger to the people of Union Ridge. By the end of his first day, however, he had found a place to live and had seen two patients. Which was a good thing as he had spent his last few dollars on some new shirts.

And of course, the rest is history, as the 6000 babies he delivered, and their descendants, can tell you.

Photo: Frances Somers Scott, Dr. Floyd Scott, The Reverend Winfred Bray, Josephine Scott Hudson, unidentified parishioners of Union Ridge Christian Church.