"Dr. William ""Buddy"" Bethea is from Albany, Georgia. He completed undergraduate and medical school in Alabama, specializing in internal medicine. He joined the US Navy as a flight surgeon, flying jets off aircraft carriers, which gave him an enduring love of aviation and adventure. Buddy practiced internal medicine in Norfolk and had resided for decades in Virginia Beach. He is now retired and resides with his wife, Kathy, in Port St. Lucie, Florida."