[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 148 (Wednesday, September 13, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E841-E842]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 RECOGNIZING DR. AUSTIN AND MRS. BEA FLINT FOR THEIR DECADES OF SERVICE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. BARRY LOUDERMILK

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 13, 2023

  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

[[Page E842]]

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.

                          ____________________