Tift Regional Foundation’s Hearts and Diamonds Gala set for March 16

TIFTON — The Tift Regional Medical Center Foundation’s annual Hearts and Diamonds Gala will honor the late Dr. John H. Dorminy III.

With a “Great Gatsby” theme, this year’s event will be held 7 p.m.-midnight on March 16, at the University of Georgia Tifton Campus Conference Center.

“The gala will include fine food, live music with the Crystal Clear Band, dancing and a diamond giveaway,” TRMC Foundation Executive Director Mandy Brooks said. “Tickets are $125 per person and the event is black-tie optional. We encourage all attendees to dress in 1920’s glamour, reflecting the Great Gatsby motif.”

Brooks said Dorminy was a well-respected obstetrician and gynecologist who co-founded the TRMC Foundation. He served as board chairman from 1994-2015.

“Dr. Dorminy touched many lives throughout his years of service,” Brooks said. “He was a true leader in the medical community and was beloved by his many patients. He cared deeply about improving the health and wellness of area residents. He was one of the foundation’s biggest contributor and campaigner, developing programs and raising funds that have enriched local health care.”

Born on July 13, 1944, Dorminy was raised in Ben Hill County but graduated high school at the McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tenn. He completed his undergraduate degree at Emory University in Atlanta and served in the U.S. Air Force as a hospital administrator in Cheyenne, Wyo. He later earned his medical degree and completed residency training in OB/GYN at Duke University in Durham, N.C.

After returning to the area, Dorminy and fellow OB/GYN physician Dr. Sammie Dixon were instrumental in forming the Tift General Hospital Foundation in 1975, the prior name for Tift Regional’s foundation. Using seed funds from Dorminy’s family and the Rankin family, it continues to provide medical equipment donations, hospital building project assistance, patient experience enhancements, medical scholarships and more.

In 1976, Dorminy formally joined an OB/GYN practice in Tifton with Dixon and Dr. John Dent. For the next 40 years, Dorminy provided health services for women in Tifton and Fitzgerald. This included delivering babies, performing gynecologic surgery and tending to primary care needs.

In 2000, the Elene Dorminy Women’s Pavilion at Tift Regional was named after his mother.

“Under Dr. Dorminy’s direction, the TRMC Foundation provided many resources and enhancements for the hospital and the TRMC Anita Stewart Oncology Center,” Brooks said.

Brooks said Dorminy also developed the foundation’s Heart Safe Community program, which provides automatic external defibrillators to area schools and organizations as well 12-lead electrocardiogram units to area emergency medical services. The Dorminy Nursing Scholarship provides financial assistance for those pursuing a degree in nursing or allied health.

Dorminy passed away in March 2016.

“He was a compassionate man and was known as mentor, friend and family to many who knew him,” Brooks said.

Health Systems Management and TD Bank serve as the sponsors for the Hearts and Diamonds Gala. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (229) 391-3310. The UGA Tifton Campus Conference Center is located at 15 RDC Road in Tifton.