Mayor emboldens GMC graduates
Published 3:00 pm Tuesday, May 30, 2017
- Daniel DeMersseman | The Valdosta Daily TImesValdosta Mayor John Gayle was keynote speaker at the 2017 Georgia Military College Valdosta graduation ceremony.
VALDOSTA — “I handed my wife my cap and gown and went right back to work,” Valdosta Mayor John Gayle said.
Gayle was the keynote speaker at the 2017 Georgia Military College Valdosta graduation at Mathis City Auditorium.
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“It was right here in this building,” Gayle said of his college graduation.
He encouraged GMC’s graduates to approach the rest of their lives with the same drive that got them through their degree.
Gayle explained how he got his start in business. He was working his way through college and had taken a few courses in accounting when an important opportunity arrived.
“I was working in a warehouse while going to school. Our bookkeeper had a stroke (and was unable to work). Our boss said, ‘John, aren’t you taking accounting courses? Go in there and keep our books.’”
Gayle accepted the promotion but knew he could not do it alone. He said the first thing he did was to call up the company accountant and ask for his help and advice.
Gayle said he went on to eventually own the company.
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“Everyday you will have a new opportunity to learn,” said Dr. Leslie Hafer, executive director of the GMC Valdosta campus. “This is a milestone in the lives of our graduates.”