Beny Jene Primm, a longtime seasonal resident of Oak Bluffs and prominent public health advocate, died Oct. 16 at his home in New Rochelle, N.Y. He was 87.

He was born in Appalachia in Williamson, W. Va. during the Great Depression, growing up in a household in which education was greatly valued. His family migrated to New York city when he was an adolescent, affording him an integrated experience in his high school years. He attended historically black institutions including Lincoln University and West Virginia State University. He played basketball, pledged Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. and was in the ROTC. He was proud of his military service as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division in Fort Bragg, N.C., achieving the rank of First Lieutenant at a time when being a black officer was a novelty. His bravery and confidence augmented by the leadership skills he developed in the Army prepared him for a life of service and the building of a legacy.

Dr. Primm went to Europe to pursue his dream of becoming a physician. His knowledge of the German language enabled him to briefly attend the University of Heidelberg Medical School. When a better opportunity emerged to study medicine at the University of Geneva, he was undaunted by not knowing French. This unthinkable endeavor speaks to his great courage and determination to succeed under the most difficult circumstances. During this same time period, he married Delphine Evans and they would have the first of their four daughters. While in Europe, he served as a translator for the Modern Jazz Quartet and had fascinating cross-cultural experiences, not the least of which was tending to the wounds of fishermen in Wales who had sustained injuries during bar brawls.

His medical career was legendary. In his early years as an anesthesiologist in Long Island, N.Y., due to his equanimity under duress he was sought out to cover the emergency room on weekends because of the large number of trauma cases. Disturbed by the racial disparity in pay, he left to join the medical staff of Harlem Hospital, which became a gateway for him to address head on the health challenges facing the black community. The heroin epidemic in Harlem was one of the challenges that altered his focus as a physician toward the care and treatment of those with substance use disorders at a time when caring for people with addictions was not popular. From then on, his work was dedicated to addressing the unmet health needs of underserved people in New York, and eventually the nation and across the world.

Political advocacy for the health and well-being of communities led Dr. Primm to translate an idea into an institution that became the Addiction Research and Treatment Corporation (ARTC), which for over 40 years employed upwards of 600 people and was the largest minority employer in New York city. In addition to a focus on the study and care of substance use disorders, Dr. Primm pioneered the creation of what he called a “supermarket” of services, a “one-stop shop” to surround people living with substance use disorders with an innovative array of educational, vocational, and treatment services including specialized programs for housing, treatment of people with intellectual disabilities and the victims of intimate partner violence. In response to the crack cocaine epidemic across the country, he was asked to lead the nation’s response by serving as the first director of the Office for Treatment Improvement, now known as the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In this national leadership role, he ensured that addiction treatment programs around the country thrived and services were designed to meet the needs of people in a culturally appropriate manner. He also initiated Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs) which continue today as a trusted source of state-of-the-art information on all aspects of the treatment of substance use disorders. He also pioneered the creation of the first faith-based focus in government in recognition of the important role that churches have in supporting the recovery of those who have or who are affected by substance use disorders.

Dr. Primm was a voice for social responsibility and a leader in the HIV/AIDS movement to decry stigma and to embrace the needs of marginalized people, especially gay men and drug abusers. He was a trusted advisor to many U.S. presidents on substance abuse, HIV/AIDS and health disparities. His leadership and advocacy in HIV/AIDS led to the creation of the Minority AIDS Initiative by former President Clinton. He was a statesman and a legendary public speaker, electrifying audiences with his slides, frank talk and down-to-earth delivery. These qualities came in handy when he traveled with Magic Johnson to enlighten faith communities about the role they could play in facilitating HIV prevention and treatment and reducing stigma.

Another one of his major contributions was his mentoring and guidance of young people who aspired to careers in health care. He was a founding board member of Mentoring in Medicine, an organization dedicated to supporting the growth and development of underrepresented groups in the health professions. Until his last days he made himself available to advise any and all who needed his wise counsel and strategic perspective on a wide range of issues. As a physician and a leader, he was iconic in substance abuse and HIV/AIDS.

As a widowed father with four daughters, he made sure that all of them were imbued with a sense of independence, a strong racial identity and pride, an active concern for humanity, and the importance of exuding warmth and compassion for people from all walks of life. This mirrored his great love of people. When Dr. Primm, affectionately known as “Doc,” walked into a room, he did so with exquisite personal style. Influenced by his European experience, he was always impeccably dressed. He had the most beautiful handwriting, quite unusual for a physician. He was a stickler for table manners and was a charming gentleman who loved to dance, which made him popular in the many social groups to which he belonged.

To marry his love of art and recognition that art is therapeutic, he masterminded the development of ARTCURIAN, an innovative gallery established at ARTC to showcase commissioned, mural-size work of artists from the African diaspora.

He often declared, “I will not die with my music in me.” He sang his songs until his last days and what he didn’t realize is that his songs will be sung forever through all of us whose lives he touched.

Dr. Primm is predeceased by his wife, Delphine Evans Primm; by his long-time companion and professional associate, Barbara Gibson; and by Maxine Dotson, his executive assistant of 40 years. He leaves to continue his legacy his daughters, Dr. Annelle Primm, Martine Primm, Jeanine Primm Jones, and Dr. Eraka Bath; his sons in law, the Honorable Ken Jones and Alex Fortuit; and his granddaughters, India Primm-Spencer and Noa Fortuit. He is also survived by his fiancée, Ellena Stone Huckaby, his godchildren Eric Stone Huckaby and Peri Hamlin Blassingame, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, dear friends and mentees.