Dr. Douglas Benold, a retired Georgetown physician and community leader, was recognized Jan. 30 for his efforts to help make Georgetown seem more like a college town.

Southwestern University presented Benold with its fourth annual Martha Diaz Hurtado College Town Award during the annual Chamber of Commerce banquet.

The award was created in 2006 to recognize citizens, organizations or businesses whose exemplary efforts have enhanced the “college town” environment for students, faculty and staff at Southwestern. Previous recipients of the award include the Williamson County Sun, the Downtown Georgetown Association, former mayor Gary Nelon and Chamber of Commerce President Mel Pendland.

Benold graduated from Georgetown High School in 1940 and attended Southwestern University, where his father had also been a student. He left Southwestern in 1943 to serve in World War II and graduated from Baylor College of Medicine in 1947. After serving his internship and residency, he returned to Georgetown in 1950 and practiced medicine in town until his retirement in 2006. He and partner Hal Gaddy helped establish the Georgetown Hospital and Clinic in 1958. Benold also helped establish the Georgetown Clinic to serve Georgetown residents without health insurance. The clinic, which opened in 2002, is now known as the Lone Star Circle of Care and serves all Williamson County.

Benold served on the Georgetown School Board for nine years and led the effort to integrate the Georgetown schools in the mid-1960s. Benold Middle School in Georgetown was dedicated in his honor in 1999.

Benold has served as a member of the Southwestern Board of Trustees since 2001.

In 1999, Benold and his wife, Nell, established an endowment to provide scholarships for graduates of Georgetown High School who want to attend Southwestern.

Benold is also a former president of the Georgetown Lions Club and former director of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce. He has received several previous awards, including the Citation of Merit from the Association of Southwestern University Alumni and the Service Above Self award from the Georgetown Rotary Club.

“In a quiet but determined way, Doug Benold has been a powerful force for the betterment of Georgetown,” said Southwestern University President Jake B. Schrum. “It is a great pleasure to honor someone who doesn’t trumpet his own accomplishments, but is effective in the fight for justice and better healthcare for more people.”