VALDOSTA — The Lowndes Education Improvement Foundation (LEIF) will be hosting its Annual Distinguished Alumnus and Awards Banquet on April 21, 2015 at 6:00 pm in the Lowndes High School cafeteria. Saint Augustine Road and Lake Park Chick Fil A and Cheddar’s are the presenting sponsors for the banquet.

Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Kevin Williams will be honored as the 2015 Distinguished Alumnus. A 1987 graduate of Lowndes High School, Williams is the son of Herbert and Alice Williams of Valdosta. He attended Hahira Elementary and Hahira Middle School. Classmate Lee Wetherington wrote, “Kevin Williams embodies the highest hopes of Lowndes High’s Class of 1987. He was always smart, but his unassuming manner masked a much deeper capacity, drive, and ambition. All I knew during our school days was that Kevin was my friend, my Georgia Bridgemen brother, and my sounding board for anything that mattered. Since high school, I have watched Kevin grow into an award-winning physician, a powerful agent of healing, and a generous supporter of his alma mater.”

After graduating with honors from Lowndes High, Kevin enrolled in Emory University in Atlanta where he was a scholar and pursued courses in preparation for a career in medicine. He spent three years at Emory before enrolling in Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (New York, NY) where he was elected class president each of his four years in medical school. While in medical school, he decided on a career as an orthopedic surgeon. He initially practiced in Bay City, TX before being recruited to work in Ennis, TX where he has been since 2005. Since establishing his practice in Ennis, Dr. Williams has flourished and has become known in the Ennis and Dallas area as an excellent orthopedic surgeon. He has been recognized as such in both D Magazine and Mature Texan. He currently serves as Medical Director at Baylor Surgicare at Ennis as well as Chief of Orthopedic Surgery at Dallas Medical Center.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Dr. Williams is active in his local community and gives generously of his time and resources to the Boys and Girls Club, Lights of Ennis, Polka Festival, Bluebonnet Festival and more. He has given back personally to Lowndes County Schools, including significant gifts to Hahira Middle School, where his mother was once a teacher. Thanks to Williams, students have been beneficiaries of classroom sets of novels and school supplies. Moreover, to advance technology, math and science instruction at Hahira Middle, Williams has also funded a classroom set of programmable robots.

LEIF will also be honoring students from each school for their academic achievements, as well as outstanding parents and teachers. The foundation’s main goal is to support Lowndes County Schools by utilizing tax-deductible donations to provide improved educational opportunities for students within the school systems. Tickets for the banquet may be purchased for $15 at the Board of Education office located at 1592 Norman Drive. All proceeds of the event will benefit LEIF.

Lynne J. Wilson
Director of CTAE and Public Relations
Lowndes County Schools