Dr. M. Paul Capp, M.D. '52

Dr. M. Paul Capp, M.D. ’52
Chair, Roanoke College Society of 1842

In 1948, a young man from Yonkers, New York, enrolled at Roanoke College with scholarships in both baseball and basketball.

In recognition of his outstanding contributions in those sports, Michael Paul Capp was namedRoanoke College Athlete of the Year in 1951 and became a charter member of the Athletic Hall of Fame in 1971.

But Paul’s interests at Roanoke College went far beyond athletics. He majored in physics and worked as a laboratory instructor.

He was a member and officer of several campus organizations and demonstrated his leadership skills as president of his sophomore, junior and senior classes, as well as serving as president of the Kappa Alpha Fraternity.

After graduating from Roanoke in 1952, Paul was offered a professional baseball contract with the Welsh West Virginia Miners of the Boston Braves organization.

Faced with the decision to either report to spring training or pursue post-graduate studies in nuclear physics at Duke University, he chose the latter, spent two years at Duke, and earned a medical degree from the University of North Carolina. After completing his residency at Duke, he stayed on as radiologist-in-charge of pediatrics. He later served as associate professor, chief of pediatric and cardiac radiology, and vice-chair of Duke’s radiology department.

In 1970, Dr. Capp joined the staff of the University Of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson, where he served as professor and chair of the department of radiology for 23 years. He retired as professor emeritus in 1993.

Today, Dr. Capp is the Executive Director of the American Board of Radiology, a position he earned after serving as a trustee and president of the board.

Among his many honors and accolades, Dr. Capp was elected to the National Academy of Science Institute of Medicine and is a Fellow of The Royal Society of Medicine in London.

He was awarded gold medals from the Association of University Radiologists, the American Roentgen Ray Society, and the American College of Radiology.

Paul continues to serve Roanoke College through his membership in the Associates and the Society of 1842. He is also involved with the Science and Math Advisory Committee and various alumni functions. In honor of his dedication to his alma mater, he was granted Roanoke College’s distinguished alumni recognition in 1992.

The father of a daughter and three sons, Paul and his wife, Constance, currently reside in Tucson, Arizona.