[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 21 (Tuesday, February 4, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E157-E158]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   THE PASSING OF DR. THOMAS LUMSDEN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. DOUG COLLINS

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, February 4, 2014

  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, my district lost a cherished 
member of our medical community when Dr. Thomas Lumsden passed away on 
January 17, 2014. ``Dr. Tom's'' life of service touched thousands of 
families in Northeast Georgia, and he will be dearly missed.
  Dr. Tom was born in Nacoochee Valley on May 20, 1925. His strong work 
ethic was evident from an early age, as he graduated the valedictorian 
of Nacoochee High School in 1942. Five years later, he married India 
Dyer Lumsden while studying at the Emory University School of Medicine, 
from which he graduated in 1949. After completing an internship at 
Atlanta's Grady Hospital, he served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps at 
Regensburg, Germany for two years. Dr. Tom then worked as the assistant 
resident in general surgery at Atlanta's VA Hospital from 1952 to 1953 
before returning to Northeast Georgia.
  Dr. Tom established his family practice in Helen in 1953, and became 
an organizing partner of the Habersham Medical Group in Clarkesville 
two years later. Focused on surgery and obstetrics, and Dr. Tom 
delivered more than 4,000 babies over the course of nearly four decades 
on staff at Habersham County Medical Center. Remarkably, for more than 
30 young families, Dr. Tom had delivered mother or father--or both--and 
delivered their children years later. He continued his service even 
after retiring from his practice in 1993, working part time as a 
medical staff member at the Lee Arrendale State Prison.
  In addition to his practice, Dr. Tom served as president of the 
Habersham County Medical Society, president of the Ninth District 
Medical Society, chairman of the Medical Association of Georgia's Rural 
Health Committee, and on the American Medical Association's Council on 
Rural Health. He became a Fellow of the American Academy of Family 
Practice in 1972 and was named Physician of the Year by the Medical 
Association of Georgia. He was a charter member and Fellow of the 
American Academy of Family Physicians.
  Dr. Tom's civic involvement extended well beyond the medical 
community. He served as Mayor of Helen, Councilman for the city of 
Clarkesville, and Assistant Scout Master for Boy Scout Troup 5. Dr. Tom 
and his family joined First Presbyterian Church of Clarkesville in 
1955, and over the years he served that body as an Elder, Sunday school 
teacher, and pastoral search committee member. He helped form the first 
EMS service in Clarkesville and trained first responders in the 
Clarkesville Fire Department. An avid historian, Dr. Tom was an 
authority on local history and archeology. He even published a book, 
``Nacoochee Valley, Its Times and Its Places,''

[[Page E158]]

in 1989. He amassed a large collection of local artifacts during his 
life, which became the heart of the Sautee-Nacoochee Valley History 
Museum at the Sautee Nacoochee-Arts and Community Center.
  In light of how many lives he touched during his decades of selfless 
service, Dr. Tom will certainly be missed in Northeast Georgia. My 
prayers and thoughts are with India and the rest of Dr. Tom's family as 
they mourn their loss.

                          ____________________