Answering the Call
Leading by Example

Dr. and Mrs. John Burson have lived their lives by three A’s. Availability. Affability. Ability. Upon opening Dr. Burson’s medical practice in Carrollton almost 30 years ago, the couple agreed on the meaningful mantra. “The most important of those three is availability,” says Dr. Burson. “We’ve never had an answering machine at home. When people call, we answer the phone. When you are a doctor in a small town, you should be available when needed.”

While Dr. Burson is quick to say that life has been good to him and his family, those who know him say his willingness to answer the many calls in his life have led to his success today. At age 73, he is the father of four, grandfather of five, a practicing physician, successful businessman, military man, and chairman of the board of Tanner Health System.

Growing up in Carrollton, Dr. Burson recalls getting to know Mr. C. M. Tanner, who lived on his newspaper route on Dixie Street. “When I was a paper boy, I remember Mr. Tanner contributing the seed money to get the first hospital started, and I admired that,” Dr. Burson says. He watched the first Tanner Memorial Hospital rise from the ground on Dixie Street when he was a teenager.

Dr. Burson also remembers the stars placed in the windows of homes on his paper route. Blue stars represented sons in the military during World War II, while gold stars were displayed for those lost. After 30 years of service, Dr. Burson retired from the Army Reserves in 1985. In 2005, he returned for a three-month tour of duty in Kuwait and Iraq at the U.S. Embassy and 10th Combat Support Hospital. “Going back into the military for a brief period of time to give a young doctor a chance to return home to his family is a way for me to give back to my country,” Burson says. In August 2007, Dr. Burson returned for a second tour of duty in Iraq, working near the front line in a field battalion aid station providing medical services to troops.

Now in his eighth decade of life, Dr. Burson is an accomplished man who is reflective of the past, appreciative of the present, and optimistic about the future. His entire life has been dedicated to making the world a better place for current and future generations of families, especially in the area of healthcare. Before Tanner Memorial Hospital was built in 1949, only a small healthcare clinic existed in Carrollton and doctors made house calls. “My brother had chronic tonsillitis as a child. When the doctor removed my brother’s tonsils, he decided to go ahead and take mine out while he was at it,” Burson recounts with a grin.

Later, Dr. Burson went on to become an Ear, Nose & Throat specialist in Carrollton. Prior to entering medical school at Emory at age 37, he earned bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees at Georgia Tech. He taught chemical engineering at Tech for more than 15 years. Upon completing medical school, Dr. Burson received a call from the mayor of Carrollton. “I came back to Carrollton to talk to Dr. Patrick and Dr. Bass about opening an office practice here, and then talked to Barbara about coming back home.”

Both Barbara and John Burson grew up in Carrollton. Three of their four children were born at Tanner before the family left to live in Atlanta. Presently, two of their children and three grandchildren live here. Without a doubt, the Bursons know the importance of quality healthcare to families who live in the community, including their own. “My mother was recently in the Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton ICU,” Barbara says. “The staff not only cares for the patient’s critical care medical needs, they are compassionate and caring of the whole family, which is so important.” she says.

The state-of-the-art intensive care unit was completed in 2003, an important step toward the present construction of Tanner Heart Center. Burson salutes Loy Howard and Tanner management for the forward-thinking strategic planning that has led to the current expansion project on the Dixie Street side of Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton. “We are on the verge of having a first-rate cardiac center and a hospital that is second to none,” Dr. Burson says. “I’ve seen healthcare in Carrollton from a time when we virtually didn’t have any, until now, when we have a great healthcare system with the best medical care found anywhere.”

The construction of Tanner Heart Center is personally significant to Dr. Burson. His mother suffered a heart attack and passed away at age 68. “She had undiagnosed heart disease, the number one source of mortality here,” he says. “When people in the community tour this new cardiac facility, they will probably be thinking that there is a good chance that they or someone close to them will need Tanner Heart Center at some point. I think we all agree on the need for immediate cardiac care close to home.”

In fact, Dr. and Mrs. Burson are leading by example in the call for community support of the hospital expansion. In recognition of the facility’s value to current and future generations of west Georgia families, the Bursons have committed to a major contribution to the Tanner Medical Foundation fundraising campaign in support of the current hospital expansion. “We’ve had a fairy tale story of a life lived. Everything that we’ve wanted has come to us,” Burson says. “This is an opportunity for us to give back to the community in return for all that we’ve been given.” The Bursons are hopeful that other families in the community will choose to do the same. “I believe everything you give comes back to you many-fold,” Dr. Burson concludes.

For more information about how you can support the hospital expansion and construction of Tanner Heart Center, please call Tanner Medical Foundation at 770.836.9871.