Dr. Tillman was born Oct. 16, 1920, in Natchez, MS. He earned his undergraduate and medical degrees from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, receiving the latter in 1944. He was awarded the Founders Medal and was elected to both Phi Beta Kappa and Alpha Omega Alpha. During World War II, Dr. Tillman served in the U.S. Army as a transport surgeon on a ship bringing troops home from Korea and Japan. Following the war, he completed medical training as a resident at Washington University, in St. Louis and as chief resident at Vanderbilt University in 1951. He returned to Natchez to practice medicine for over 50 years and was board certified in internal medicine and was named a Fellow in the American College of Physicians and the American College of Cardiology. Community minded, he served in many civic organizations and was a key player in the building of a new public library in Natchez. He died November 11, 2009 in Natchez.