Page 81 - Coffee County

home to many of his sailing adventures. In his spare time, he and his family gather there to enjoy a breeze. George Heck next recalls attending Wagner College on Staten Island. He fondly remembers being able to see the World Trade Center from the campus. Wagner is also where he met his beloved wife, Kathy, a retired educator. It was near the end of his undergraduate study that their paths began to cross more often. They eventually married and found themselves in Connecticut with two daughters, Amy and Alison. They soon realized they wanted a different community for their children. They wanted to be able to go the supermarket without the staunch rules of safety that included keeping one hand on the cart at all times. George wanted his girls to enjoy the freedoms he had growing up. They wanted what small town communities offer. His girls should be able to ride bikes and play outside. He describes this coveted community as one where parents feel they have complete control…even though they never do! Again, he compares Douglas to that of his childhood. Small enough to be more personable but also a launching pad for greater opportunities. The big smile reappears as he talks of both his daughters graduating from Citizens Christian Academy. Alison is now a photojournalist in Washington, D.C. Amy, who was allowed to enter Mercer early, is an engineer at Warner Robins Air Force Base. When asked of some other memorabilia that dons the walls of his offce, he explains the pictures from Austria and his expeditions there. The beautiful oil paintings are compliments of his mother. He describes a sailboat race that occurred annually and his mother would always paint a picture of the winning vessel to give the owner. Those same paintings were made into Christmas cards each year. He explains his interest in jazz music

as he points out a jazz portrait taken in Harlem, 1958. “Look, it has all the greats in it.” The overcrowded beaches of Coney Island are also captured in a framed print. It commemorates his many summers spent there. A black and white photo of the original Connie Mack Stadium in Philadelphia prompts its own memories of childhood visits. George explained the cheap entry and then the greater expense of having someone watch the car that was actually parked inside the gated stadium! This triggers his memory of a best friend that eventually became the frst million dollar contract relief pitcher. Also framed are dollar bills that were part of a test print from the Philadelphia mint, and the walls go on and on as a testament of man that is more than just the CEO of Coffee Regional Medical Center.

When I spot the picture of the old hospital rubble, I fnd myself squenching to identify the ‘white shirt and tie guy’ sitting amid it all! His assistant is quick to tell me that he is very hands-on. It is not uncommon to fnd him washing a window or hanging a picture on the wall. He took that same personal approach when considering the budgeting of a new hospital for Douglas. Instead of fying to New York to meet institutional bond buyers, he invited them to Douglas for a frst hand experience of southern culture and the needs of the people. He involved local bankers, city commissioners, attorneys, etc. to “sell” our town. A round table discussion was made available and 45 million bonds were sold. Interestingly enough, one buyer was so impressed with our community and its people that he bought almost half of those