Gainesville has been my home all of my life. My parents, Bill and Gussie, moved to Gainesville shortly after the 1936 tornado that destroyed the town square. A few years later my dad opened Saul’s clothing store on the square. The jewel of Gainesville through these many decades has been Brenau University.

Alongside Brenau is a thriving medical community. It is a great joy for my wife, Sherrie, my mother-in-law, Muriel H. Nathan, and me to watch the growth of both as we engage in each through our time and resources. We are especially pleased that President Ed Schrader places a strong emphasis on health care and sciences and that this area is one of the cornerstones of our successful ForeverGold campaign.

Because of the investments of many throughout the campaign, we now have a newly renovated Brenau Downtown Center — the former Georgia Mountains Center — that is home to our flourishing physical therapy doctoral program and a hub of advanced technology for the university. The facility also houses an anatomy lab that supports all of our health science students, including nursing, occupational therapy and physical therapy.

One of the most rewarding aspects of having a world-class university like Brenau in our midst is that oftentimes what is good for the university is also good for the community in terms of economic impact and service. The university’s investment in the Brenau Downtown Center is helping fuel a rebirth in the economic vitality of the downtown area, and our efforts through the campaign helped to fuel the creation of the Center for Productive Living and Brenau Rehabilitation Practice. Each provides health care students with practical experience under the supervision of faculty and offers needed services to those in our community who often have exhausted their medical coverage.

Thank you for your investment in Brenau’s students. Your support will provide students for generations to come with the skills and experience needed to lead successful lives while contributing to the Gainesville community and beyond.

Lawrence “Lorry” Schrage
Trustee, Brenau University
Co-Chair, ForeverGold: An Extraordinary Legacy Campaign