

The opening of the Burn Center was the culmination of one man’s mission. John Stackhouse owned an electrical contracting company in Goldsboro, and he saw first-hand the devestation that burns can create when several of his workers suffered severe electrical burns in the 1960s. At the time, the state of North Carolina had no burn center and there were fewer than a dozen in the entire United States.

"Back then, a seriously burned patient never returned to work or even to productivity for that matter," Stackhouse said. "Just to return them to the task of living was a continuous struggle."


"With his persistence, commitment, passion and irrepressibility, Mr. Stackhouse was the driving force behind the effort," said Dr. Christopher Fordham, dean of the UNC School of Medicine from 1971 to 1979. "We were treating burns here at the time, but there was a compelling need for a specialized center."

The groundbreaking for the Burn Center was January 15, 1977, and Stackhouse's vision came to fruition when the center officially opened on February 23, 1981. The continued support of citizens across North Carolina means that the Burn Center can remain a beacon of hope for burn survivors.

Memorial Hospital interior"I've traveled all over with the American Burn Association, and I'm proud to say I believe the Burn Center is the best in the country," Stackhouse said.