TIFTON — The staff at South Georgia Medicine & Tifton Endoscopy Center surprised Dr. Don W. Roberts with a party celebrating his 40 years of practicing in Tifton.

A Tifton native, Roberts was delighted to return and make Tift County his home. He started work on July 1, 1980.

Roberts was instrumental in the formation of the Endoscopy Unit at Tift Regional Hospital. As the first physician to perform colonoscopies and ERCP’s (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography) in Tifton, gastroenterology soon became the sole focus of his practice.

“I have been truly blessed to care for families in this area for many years,” Roberts said when asked about his future plans. “I look forward to several more.”