WILLIAM EDWIN AKIN
1901-1956
    
American Legion Conducts Rites
  
Dr. William Edwin Akin, 55, died in Veterans Hospital in Louisville
at 7:00 a.m., Thursday, August 2 1956, after a long illness.  He had
been a member of the staff of the Paintsville Hospital for many
years, and was known throughout Eastern Kentucky.
  
He was born Dec. 10, 1901, in Jackson, Mississippi, a son of the
late William Edwin Akin and Alice Hobson Akin.
  
Dr. Akin was graduated from "Ole Miss" in 1925 and afterward
practiced pharmacy for two years in Yazoo City, Miss.  He then
entered medical school at the University of Louisville where he was
graduated in 1931.  He returned to Mississippi where he spent one
year of internship at Vicksburg Hospital under Dr. Jack Parsons. The
next two years were spent at St. Joseph Infirmary, Louisville, where
he was resident surgeon, studying under Dr. Irvin Abell.
  
He was married in 1933 to Lola Belle Haycox, a nurse at St. Joseph
Infirmary, and the following year, he came with his wife to Wayland,
Ky., to work for Dr. Melvin Wicker.  In 1934 he became associated
with Dr. J. H. Holbrook and Dr. Paul B. Hall at the Paintsville
Hospital where he practiced until April 1941, when he entered the
United States Navy as a Lieutenant Commander. Volunteering at the
beginning of World War II, he was in service three years, and was
given the rating of full Commander.  Dr. Akin served many months in
the South Pacific theater during the conflict.
  
After the war, he returned to the Paintsville Hospital and was in
private practice until March 10, 1950, when he suffered a cerebral
hemorrhage while attending a medical meeting in New York.
  
He had been a patient in a Louisville Hospital since October 23,
1952.
  
Dr. Akin had been a member of the Methodist Church since early
childhood.  He was a member of the American College of Surgeons, a
past president of the Johnson County Medical Society, a member of
the Kentucky State Medical Society, Sigma Chi Fraternity, Order of
the Free Masons, Order of Eastern Star, Benevolent Order of Elks,
Kentucky Disabled Ex-Service Men's Board and a past Commander of the
Johnson County Post 117 American Legion.  In the later organization,
he held a lifetime membership.
  
Surviving besides his wife are two sons, William Allen Akin and
James Paul Akin, one daughter, Alice Joyce Akin, all at home, twin
brothers, Garland Akin of Shrevesport, La., and Allen Taylor Akin of
Dallas, Texas.
  
Funeral services were held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, August 4 at the
Mayo Memorial Methodist Church by the Reverend J. I. Meyer, Reverend
W. F. Fettus and Reverend Charles Dearing.
  
Honorary pallbearers were Dr. J. H. Holbrook, Dr. Paul B. Hall, Dr.
Lon C. Hall, Dr. Maurice Hall, Dr. John Turner, Dr. James Archer,
Dr. Robert A. Hall, Dr. A. D. Slone, Dr. F. M. Picklesimer, Dr. M.
Horton, Jr., Dr. Chas. L. Preston, Dr. Melvin Wicker, Dr. Lloyd
Hatt, Dr. George Archer, and Dr. Herschel Murray.
  
Members of the local post American Legion, conducted military
services.  Those participating in the military rites were Guy Meade,
Commander, C. R. Cooper, Chaplain, Dr. Paul B. Hall, and W. K. Vice
and P. J. Meade, color bearers, William C. Martin and Ted Arnold
Silvert, color guards, Tom Cox and Marvin Frye, honor guards at
church, Scott Craft and D. J. Preston, buglers.  The firing squad
was composed of Sfc. Henry T. Hammond, Sgt. Jesse Daniel, Sgt.
Oakley Patton, Cpl. Maurice Butcher, Pfc. Loman Cantrell, Pvt. 2
Ronald Adams and Pvt. 1 James Wells, all members of the 397th Inf.
Regt. Company I, U. S. Army Reserve of Paintsville.
  
Active pallbearers, all members of the American Legion, were Edd
Redd, C. R. Cooper, H. M. Howard, Ralph Gibson, Tom Cox, Marvin
Frye, Escom Chandler, W. B. Hazelrigg, George Branham, Malcolm
Shearer, J. R. Childers, Ralph Preston, Jimmie G. Daniel and James
Wesley Mason.
  
Burial was made in the Wells Cemetery under the direction of the
Paintsville Funeral Home.
  
Paintsville Herald
Wednesday
August 8, 1956
     
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