Dr. Richard 'Dixie' Douglas was born in Nashville on December 20, 1860. The acclaimed physician is unique in that he named himself. Douglas' father insisted he was born the day South Carolina seceded from the Union and named his son John C. Calhoun Douglas. His mother never accepted this name, however, and Douglas was called 'Dixie' until he was twelve years old, at which time he changed his name to 'Richard.'

He was a pioneer in abdominal and pelvic surgery; Douglas graduated from the University of Nashville and Vanderbilt University Medical School in 1881 and from Jefferson Medical College in 1882. Serving as Professor of Gynecology and Obstetrics and later as Professor of Abdominal Surgery at Vanderbilt University, Douglas was instrumental in the opening of the newly reorganized school in 1895. He was one of the founders of the Southern Surgical and Gynecological Association and also performed the first appendectomy in Nashville in 1890. Douglas' book "Surgical Diseases of the Abdomen" is considered his outstanding contribution to the surgical field. Dr. Dixie Douglas died of kidney failure at the age of 48.