No Excuses

Wouldn't it be nice if we could go back in time? I'd find my great-grandfather there. He died in 1912. He was only 42. When I think of him, there are so many questions I'd like to ask, so many things I'd like to know. What was life like for him? What drove him to succeed? Was he ever tempted to give up? My great-grandfather, Dr. John Henry Jordan, broke through a lot of barriers. He went to medical school on a shoestring with no support from his family. After being forced to sit out for a year to raise money for school, he went back as fired up as ever, graduating as valedictorian of his class in 1896. Although it was his dream to settle down in his hometown of Hogansville, Georgia, he saw more promising opportunities in neighboring Coweta County and relocated there in 1900. He set up his medical practice there as well as established his family. Twelve years - the length of time he practiced medicine in his adopted hometown - seems to short, but he accomplished more than some do in a lifetime. He performed difficult operations, integrated medicine in the segregated town, built its first hospital for black patients, started a health care organization, and managed to build his own stately dream home. When I think of all that he did, I ask myself: if he could do all of that back then, what can't I do now?