A doctor who served as a hospital official, Bermuda Regiment officer and church orator with a speaking style that earned him the nickname “the Voice of God” is celebrating turning 100.

George Bertram McPhee, who was born in Exuma in the Bahamas and set up a family practice in Bermuda in 1955, was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2005 for his contributions to medicine and service to the community.

He turned 100 yesterday.

Dr McPhee managed the geriatric clinic at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital and acted as a consultant to the Ministry of Health. He also worked until recently at the Brown-Darrell Clinic, owned by Ewart Brown, the former premier and his nephew.

He served as a visiting doctor at seniors’ homes and continued making house calls until he was 93. He is also credited with introducing CPR training to the island.

His family described him as a “quintessential renaissance man” with an infectious sense of humour.

“Once in his presence, you will feel the bubbling sensation of laughter,” they added.

Dr McPhee’s practice in general medicine and surgery began with two years in a clinic in Freeport, Bahamas, before he moved to Bermuda with his late wife, Gloria McPhee, a former United Bermuda Party education minister, who died in 2007.

He loved art, music and acting and served for many years as a vestry member and congregant at the Anglican Cathedral in Hamilton. His nickname at the cathedral came from his readings.

Dr McPhee served 20 years in the Bermuda Regiment as a medical officer from 1963 and retired as a major. A highlight of his time in the regiment was leading the guard of honour for Queen Elizabeth II during the 1976 royal visit to the island.

Golf was a lifelong passion. In 1973, Dr McPhee became the first person of colour to be admitted to the Mid Ocean Club.

He was known for his congeniality and going beyond the call of his professional duties as a physician for the less fortunate and elderly.

Dr McPhee was not one to back down from a challenge.

In 1986, he was appointed physician in charge of the Extended Care Unit of King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, where he served for ten years until he reached 70, when the hospital put him on mandatory retirement.

The community thought differently. Supporters rallied behind him and signed petitions, protesting the move as age discrimination.

Dr McPhee, who took legal action, highlighted his top mental and physical condition.

The case prompted early conversations among the island’s legislators to add age discrimination to the Human Rights Act.

Dr McPhee became a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity in 1946 and served as president of its Bermuda chapter.

He attended Howard University and Sir George Williams College in Canada, graduating from the McGill University School of Medicine in 1953.

He has two children, Kevin and Karen, grandchildren Karmen and Jason, and a stepfamily. He married Gloria Smith in 2019 after more than a decade together.

Dr McPhee plans to celebrate his milestone birthday today with family and friends.