Today's Featured Biography

 
Jerry Hancock

There's not much to say since we are bared from anything "obscene, illegal,objectionable,pictures that defame,libel or infringe on the privacy". Other than that Mrs Lincoln, it was a lovely evening. Just realized this might not have spell check so that will help you remember me. It seems like most bios start with, "I graduated from high school". Well that was no small feat for me. I do mission work in Grundy County, Tn., which is the poorest county in Tn. They celebrate 8th grade graduation cause few if any ever make it through the 12th grade. I feel right at home with these folks. That's later in life. After graduation, Nona Mae and Stone decided Miss. College was just the place for their son so off I went. Other than really enjoying German, due to my interest in "Hogan's Heros" (I wondered what they were really saying), that just cost the folks a lot of money and I practiced hitch hiking a lot. I joined the crowd at JCJC next year. Living at home wasn't so bad since I was making my grades, working at Jones Auto Parts keeping their books, rebuilding engines, repairing lawn mowers and chain saws. These skills would ultimately be my basic training to something wonderful. Graduated and moved on to Southern Miss. The "Police Action" in South East Asia was raging at this time and I was receiving a draft notice every quarter. A trip to Jackson, pass the physical and back to school with a 2-S deferment. After 5 such trips, I quit college and joined the Marines. This time I failed the physical. Yes, the same one I had passed 5 times. Worked in the insane, dangerous oil fields for awhile. Only interrupted by work at Masonite when the Klan made Laurel it's own killing fields. Moved to Birmingham where I worked for Canada Dry. Met Lorinda on a blind date and married her less than a year later. Purely by grace, went to work at UAB Hospital where I joined a open heart surgery team. The H-L machine had to be built every day before surgery and I knew how to build complicated mechanical devices, I rose to the # 3 person in months. After 3 years, I went to Cincinnati and started a new program at Christ Hospital. We went from o cases to 1,000 in the 10 years I was there. In 1979, I got the opportunity to come to Nashville and join the heart program at St. Thomas Hospital. Their caseload was growing so rapidly, I started a school of perfusion to train staff just to keep up. We peeked at over 3,000 heart cases a year, and I had 14 partners in a corporation I formed to supply service. As with most success stories, the two girls we had grew up with most everything except a father. I received a unique blessing 12 years ago. I had open heart surgery. No more long days working, no triathlons, no marathons, no more pushing. I turned the company over to my partners and started practicing retirement. A month gone with no contact from work, a month in Italy, another in China, Mexico in February, all practicing for a new beginning. The retirement train arrived in the station 2 years ago. Now I play golf 4 days a week, lead the environmental ministry in our Episcopal church, perform mission work in East Tn. work with the homeless in Nashville and those on the margins in my home town of Franklin. My field of study is the first 500 years A.D., a very dynamic period. Oh yes, remember the hot rods, I drive a Prius and a 10 year old Honda Accord and think it's sexy. Surely I have crossed over the abyss.

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