Bob Brannan Retires from Board of Control
Posted on Sunday, November 5th, 2023
Board Service Recognized: Bob Brannan displays a plaque awarded
on October 30, 2023, for 21 years of service on the Love County
Health Center Board of Control.
The Love County Health Center Board of Control held a retirement reception for longtime member Robert “Bob” Brannan on October 30 in the Community Room of Mercy Health Love County Hospital.
Brannan, age 84, was appointed to the Board in 2002 and served for 21 years prior to stepping down in September.
The five-member Board of Control governs the hospital. Its members are appointed by the Board of Love County Commissioners. The people of Love County own the buildings and assets of the hospital.
At their September 18 meeting, the Love County Commissioners ratified the appointment of Richard Barker to fill the remainder of Brannan’s term, which expires on July 6, 2025. Barker was Hospital Administrator from 1990 up to his retirement in 2021.
Brannan expressed joy and gratitude for his experiences as a Board member. “I was honored to be asked to serve,” he said.
“The best part was getting to know the other Board members and the special people in the leadership and on the staff of the hospital. We have an outstanding Board chairman in Jack Testerman. He helped us all work together. Richard Barker was such an humble servant as Hospital Administrator, and Scott Callender has done a marvelous job stepping in as the new Administrator.”
Continuing on the Board of Control are Testerman (appointed in 1999); Steve Smith (1998); Andrea Locke (2008); and Lenna Radde (2015).
During Brannan’s tenure, there was unprecedented growth in hospital and community health services: Enlargement of the clinic and emergency departments; opening of a dedicated therapy building, a social services building, Legacy Park and the growers’ market, and for several years until the COVID-19 pandemic, an adult day center.
Brannan retired to Marietta from a career in North Carolina as a field service manager for General Motors. He graduated from Oklahoma State University in 1960 and married Patsy Turner Brannan. Mrs. Brannan died in 2019. The couple were parents to five children.