FAIRHOPE, Ala. — If Spanish Fort resident Dr. Regina Benjamin is confirmed by the U.S. Senate as the next surgeon general, it will come as no surprise to those who knew her while she was growing up here. Becky Jones, who taught biology at Fairhope High School, said Benjamin was an excellent pupil.

“She was the kind of student you knew would go to the top, and she did,” Jones said. “She’s done so many things. Knowing someone like Regina who came up like we did becoming surgeon general is amazing. You have those who come in the classroom and sit in the back seats, but not Regina.”

Benjamin graduated from FHS in 1975. She also attended Fairhope Middle School and Baldwin County Training School in Daphne. She founded the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic in 1990, and sometimes dug into her own pocket to find money in order to keep it running.

Jones said, “She was a family practice physician and has gone on up. You have to have a huge heart to do what she’s done. Just a sweet, precious person — beyond the mark at 16 and 17. She’s just so giving. It’s an example of how anyone can get anywhere with hard work and a deep feeling for people.”

The girl with the beautiful smile was second runner-up in the Baldwin County Junior Miss program held Nov. 9, 1974, in which she won the poise and appearance portion of the competition. She was a member of the FHS yearbook staff, and was inducted into the Quill and Scroll Club.

Benjamin also was named to the National Honor Society and was involved in the FHS Student Government Association. She served as president of the Active in Foreign Exchange Club, which in her senior year sent a Fairhope High student to Germany.

Benjamin received a bachelor of science degree in 1979 from Xavier University of Louisiana, attended Morehouse School of Medicine from 1980 to 1982 and received her medical doctorate in 1984 from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She also holds a master’s degree in business administration (1991) from Tulane University.

Earl Hilyer, who was assistant principal during Benjamin’s final year at FHS, said Monday, “She was a real good student. She tended to business, and you could tell she had better things on her mind. She’s done an outstanding job in Bayou La Batre.”

More than 4,000 patients depend on Benjamin’s clinic because she provides health care to those with little or no income.

In recognition of her good works, Pope Benedict XVI honored Benjamin in 2006 by presenting her the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice Cross. The medal was first given by Pope Leo XIII in 1888. It is currently the highest medal awarded lay people by the pope.

She is a member of the Shrine of the Holy Cross Parish in Daphne.

The surgeon general serves as the nation’s chief health educator by providing Americans the best scientific information available on how to improve their health and reduce the risk of illness and injury.

Benjamin was appointed Monday by President Barack Obama. If confirmed by the Senate, Benjamin would become the nation’s 18th surgeon general and serve a four-year term of office before being considered for reappointment.

Benjamin would be the third woman to serve as surgeon general. Antonia Coello Novello and Joycelyn Elders preceded her. Audrey F. Manley served as acting surgeon general in 1993.

Addressing her nomination, Hilyer said, “That’s something we all ought to be proud of.”

Fairhope Courier Editor Sheila Propp contributed to this report.