The conference room was named through a Signature Gift of $200 thousand to The Medical Center Foundation by Ferguson's long-time friends, Dixie and Wilbur Ramsey and Mary Hart and Philip Wilheit.
The conference room is located in the W. D. Stribling Heart Clinic on the Medical Center's main campus.
"This signature gift is a fitting tribute to someone who has spent his whole life's work dedicated to Northeast Georgia Health System," said Woody Stewart, Chairman of the Development Council of The Medical Center Foundation. "After 40 years of service, John deserves to have his name attached to something concrete that will serve as a permanent reminder of all he contributed to health care in our community."
Ferguson began his career with Northeast Georgia Medical Center in 1964, when he was hired at the age of 23 as the first full-time hospital management engineer in the state of Georgia and by 1968, was named hospital administrator.
During his career, Ferguson saw the Medical Center transition from a small 147-bed community hospital with 430 employees to a 461-bed regional referral hospital with more than 3500 employees. Ferguson holds master's degrees in Industrial Engineering and Hospital Administration and is a Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives.
During the dedication ceremony, Philip Wilheit, chairman of the NGHS Board of Directors, described Ferguson's accomplishments by stating, "The impact of his leadership in health care has been tremendous throughout our community, region and state. It is through this visionary leadership that John developed our community hospital into the great regional healthcare facility it is today."
http://accesswdun.com/article/2006/12/98802