Inside September 28, 2004's Issue

Mehaffey protects college he helped create

By Gil Bailey
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Staff Writer

Serving as a campus security officer is only the latest of Jim Mehaffey's many contributions to Georgia Highlands College and Floyd County.

Mehaffey began his 12-year tenure on the Floyd County Board of Commissioners in 1964. Here he would play an instrumental role in what is described as �quite a battle� between Floyd and several other counties to get a junior college in the area.

According to Howard Brooks, chief of the department of campus safety and security at Floyd College, �If not for Mehaffey, Georgia Highlands College as we know it might just as easily have been Bartow or Paulding College.�

Then after a close friend began to show signs of mental illness, Mehaffey was compelled to end his career on the County Commission and became involved with the Board of Mental Health.

In 1976 he obtained a seat on Gov. Joe Frank Harris' Mental Health Advisory Committee.

For six years he traveled throughout Georgia inspecting various state health facilities and reported his findings directly to Gov. Harris.

Today, Mehaffey is still contributing to the community. His involvement as a member of the Hyland Rivers Community Service Board, a facility dedicated to resolution recognizing Mehaffey for his years of public service. In his spare time, Mehaffey also serves as a mediator. The college calls upon him to help work out conflicts that occur on campus. After retiring from the Inland Container Corporation in 1993, Mehaffey began looking for something to fill this idle time. In 2000 he took a job with Georgia Highlands College's department of campus security and safety. Jim Mehaffey, FC security guard since 2000, was instrumental in bringing the college to Floyd County when he served on the County Commission. He recently received recognition for his public service from the Georgia House of Representatives. Photo by Rick Climer mental health, mental retardation and substance abuse, is enough to give him a busy schedule.

He also currently serves on the County Board of Health, where he helps oversee city inspections of restaurants and septic tanks, as well as participating in community awareness and prevention of communicable diseases.

In April, the Georgia House of Representatives passed a Mehaffey said his most memorable moment working at Floyd College was when he was asked to act as interim chief of security. His second most memorable moment was when someone finally took over as permanent chief of security.

Mehaffey, who has been married for 50 years, said he attributes his success to �A wonderful wife and family foremost, but I can't forget the support that the Floyd County residents gave me.�

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