Dr. Stephen P. Long ’82 Receives Distinguished Alumnus Award

Dr. Stephen P. Long '82 was presented the Distinguished Alumnus Award by R-MC's Society of Alumni on April 15, 2011. The award was given during the Richmond "Macon Connections" breakfast at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond. The award was presented by R-MC President Robert R. Lindgren.

Long accepted the award with a nostalgic speech and shared memories and memorabilia reflecting on his experiences at R-MC. He reminisced of receiving acceptance letters from numerous colleges, but none brought more excitement than the one he received from Randolph-Macon. While a student here, Long quickly adapted to life at R-MC and became a leader from the beginning, eventually serving as president of the Student Government Association (SGA). "I believed in the ‘moment of connection' before it was a term we even used," said Long. He talked about how proud he was to be included on the back cover of the Randolph-Macon College Freshman Prospectus as a student and how he felt that same sense of of pride when a few decades later, he was featured on the cover of the Spring 2010 edition of the R-MC Alumni magazine. "I knew from the start that R-MC was the right place for me," said Long. He added, "I was guaranteed upon acceptance that I would get into medical school." Upon graduation, Long was accepted into the Medical College of Virginia (MCV). During his speech, he credited a reference letter written on his behalf by former R-MC president Ladell Payne, with having a positive impact on that decision. In that letter, Payne wrote, "Steve may not win the Nobel Prize in medicine, but he will be the most noble president the American Medical Association has ever had."

About the Distinguished Alumnus Award

The Society of Alumni created the Distinguished Alumnus Award to honor those alumni who have achieved wide recognition through contributions made to society through their chosen professions.

About Dr. Stephen P. Long '82

Long earned his B.A. in English from R-MC in 1982. While at Randolph-Macon, he was a member of Kappa Alpha Order and served as president of the Student Government Association. He was also a member of the Washington Literary Society, Omicron Delta Kappa and Phi Beta Kappa.

Long earned his M.D. in 1986 from the VCU School of Medicine. He completed his internship in general surgery and his residency and fellowship in anesthesiology and pain medicine at the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals in 1991. He remained on the faculty as co-director of the VCU Pain Management Center from 1991 until 1998, when he began a private practice, Commonweath Pain Specialists. He is an Associate Clinical Professor of anesthesiology at VCU, where he still teaches 2nd- and 4th-year medical students.

In 2003, Long was appointed by Governor Warner to a three-year term on the Board of the VCU Health System. He was also appointed to a four-year term on the Board of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. He currently serves as president of the Virginia Society of Anesthesiologists.

Long has lectured extensively throughout the world and has received numerous accolades, including Richmond Magazine's bi-annual "Top-Doc" in Pain Medicine Award, Who's Who in Health Care, and the Consumer Research Council of America Top Physicians Award.

Long has been active in many other organizations, including the Fellowship of Christians in Universities and Schools, the Children's Museum of Richmond and the Corps of the Richmond Ballet. At R-MC, he has served on the Board of Trustees since 2005 and serves as the Chairman of the Board's Committee on Trustees.

In 2006 Long and his wife Georganne, who is also a physician, established the Long Scholarship in honor of their parents. The scholarship is awarded to R-MC students who are interested in careers in medicine.

The Longs live in Richmond and are the parents of three children: Whitten, Mary and Margaret.

Randolph-Macon is grateful to Long for his service to and support of the college.