Recognizing Dr. Austin and Mrs. Bea Flint for Their Decades of Service

Floor Speech

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Mr. LOUDERMILK. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize a notable couple that have had a significant impact on Northwest Georgia and have become pillars of the community in and around Cherokee County, Georgia, Dr. Austin Flint and his lovely wife, Mrs. Bea Flint.

The Flint's contributions to their community and the state of Georgia are immeasurable. Their positive impact in north Georgia inspired the Georgia General Assembly, in 2021, to designate the portion of Georgia State Highway 108, which runs through the heart of Reinhardt University in the town of Waleska, Georgia as the Dr. Austin Flint Highway.

Born in 1937, Austin Flint grew up south of Atlanta in the town of Hapeville, GA. While attending college in Atlanta, Austin Flint met a lovely young lady from Dublin, Georgia named Bea. Austin and Bea were married in Dublin on June 27, 1959, and recently celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary.

Dr. Flint continued his education, enrolling in the Emory University School of Medicine. He graduated in 1962, joined the United States Air Force as a Flight Surgeon, and was stationed at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.

Following his military service, Dr. and Mrs. Flint returned to Georgia, where he served his residency in radiology at Grady Hospital in Atlanta. After completing his residency, Dr. Flint wanted to utilize his medical training where he could have a significant impact. The North Georgia community of Cherokee County had gone for many years without a new doctor, and there were no radiologists in the area; so, in 1969, Austin and Bea Flint chose to move to Cherokee County, where he became the first radiologist in the county's history.

Bea, an English Major, began teaching and raising a family, as well as continuing her education. In 1978, Bea took a teaching position at a local private college which, at the time, was known as Reinhardt Junior College. Bea continued to teach at Reinhardt for over a decade, still speaking of the school and her colleagues as being like a family.

Bea and Austin made their home near the small college town of Waleska, where they raised their three children, Russell, now an Orthopedic Surgeon, Douglas, now an Attorney, and Chris, now a Schoolteacher. The Flints also have eight adored grandchildren.

With deep roots in the medical and educational communities, the Flints have been actively involved with the local college for many years. Austin has served as a trustee at Reinhardt since 2016, Bea was a charter member of the Cherokee Chorale, and they have generously contributed to the school's music department for capital projects, a scholarship fund, and the recently acquired pipe organ. Because of their philanthropic efforts and ongoing support, a hall in the Falany Performing Arts Center at Reinhardt has been named Flint Hall in their honor.

Through supporting these and countless other educational and cultural programs, and lending their expertise to the students and faculty, the Flints have been instrumental in the growth and advancement of Reinhardt, from a Junior College to a full four-year accredited college, to now being named Reinhardt University.

Dr. Flint officially retired from the full-time medical practice in 2022, but he hasn't slowed, as he continues to serve the community on the Reinhardt University Board of Trustees, the Northside Cherokee Hospital Board, and the Georgia Medical Board.

In addition to his continued community service, at the age of 86, Dr. Flint spends as much time as possible at their beautiful property in Waleska, known as BAR Flint Preserve, a permanent conservation, adjacent to Reinhardt, where he and Bea are developing an expansive network of nature trails, and manage an orchard of American Chestnut trees. Working in conjunction with the American Chestnut Society, students and interns from Reinhardt assist with the care and study of the endangered species.

On behalf of the citizens of Cherokee County, and Georgia's 11th Congressional District, I offer my heartfelt appreciation to Dr. Austin and Mrs. Bea Flint for their unyielding dedication to our community; and recognize them for their decades of care and service.

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