An Orangeburg pediatrician who has been treating sniffles, sneezes and other childhood illnesses since 1972 has recently been recognized for his talents outside the walls of his medical practice.

Dr. Ben C. Pendarvis has been turning wood on a lathe for at least a dozen years. Beginning with a tree limb, a trunk or a cross-section of a log, he has been turning beautiful, creative pieces of functional and non-functional artwork.

For his genius, several of Pendarvis' pieces were selected at the May Palmetto Hands Fine Craft Exhibition in Charleston to be part of a traveling show highlighting the accomplishments of South Carolina artisans.

"It's very humbling," the physician said. "Art is in the mind of the person."

Pendarvis credits several well-known turners for introducing him to the art and nurturing his technique: David Ellsworth of Pennsylvania, Lane Philips of Utah, Georgia's Nick Cook, and Tom Harvard. Pendarvis is a member of the Palmetto Woodturners Association.

"I got into woodturning seriously after I retired from practice to fill the time," he said. "I got into it deeper than I thought I should."

However, Pendarvis is not your run-of-the-mill woodworker. His wooden bowls, wine stoppers, trays, urns and other creations are for sale at art galleries in places like Walterboro and Allendale.

Maintaining at least 10 items at each gallery is, as he describes it, "a commitment and an obligation."

According to the artist, each piece takes at least three to four hours to turn, not including the three to four months required for the wood to dry.

Pendarvis uses almost any type of wood, including walnut, cherry, hackwood and magnolia.

"I used the magnolia tree that was removed from the town square to make bowls for DORA, which sold them through Palmetto Office Supply," said Pendarvis, a past president of the Downtown Orangeburg Revitalization Association.

For now, Pendarvis has put his woodworking on hold. After a 14-month hiatus from Orangeburg's Pediatric Clinic, he recently decided to return to his first love, medicine.

"I began to lose my identity," Pendarvis said. "I don't identify myself as a woodturner. I'm a pediatrician."

But those who have witnessed his skills would agree Pendarvis is accomplished in both.

T&D Correspondent Rendy Boland can be reached with comments or story ideas by phone at 803-535-2222. Discuss this and other stories online at TheTandD.com.

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