Members of Dorothy Hershey's family are pictured with Jeff Seiple and Ron Wilde of GA-PCOM's body donor program.
A petite blonde, Dorothy Hershey was known for her generosity. “She always sacrificed for other people,” Tracy Bachmann, Hershey’s youngest daughter, said. “It started when she was a child because she was the oldest of six children, including triplets. She had to jump in there and help. It came naturally to her.”
This capacity to give is the reason that Hershey decided to donate her body to Georgia Campus – Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (GA-PCOM), her daughter said. “She’s a giver,” Bachmann explained. “She always wanted to help people.”
Admired for her energy and feistiness, Hershey hailed from Coudersport, Pennsylvania,
a rural community with a population of about 2,500, and most recently from Woodstock,
Georgia. She was 79 years old when she died from cancer.
“Mom demanded respect from people. She let you know exactly how she felt and where you stood with her, but at the same time, she was a beautiful person,” said Jenna Russ, Hershey’s oldest daughter.
A woman of many interests, Hershey was a natural athlete and enjoyed bowling and golf, in addition to bingo, country music, NASCAR, snowmobiles, marksmanship, baking apple pies and her beloved Pittsburgh Steelers.
She worked most of her life as an executive secretary and volunteered her talents after she retired. Her daughters recall that she enjoyed caring for people, especially the sick and the elderly. She was very proud that she was able to deliver Meals on Wheels during her retirement years, and she is still delivering to GA-PCOM’s medical students.
In this season of Thanksgiving, it is indeed appropriate to share the story of Dorothy
Hershey and to remember all of those who made the decision to give of themselves to
further medical education. GA-PCOM’s students, faculty and staff are forever grateful.
Established in 2005, PCOM Georgia is a branch campus of Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), a private, not-for-profit, accredited institution of higher education with a storied 125-year history dedicated to the healthcare professions. Located in Suwanee (Gwinnett County), PCOM Georgia offers doctoral degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy and physical therapy. Graduate degrees are offered in biomedical sciences, medical laboratory science and physician assistant studies. The campus joins PCOM South Georgia in Moultrie in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state. Emphasizing "a whole person" approach to care, PCOM Georgia focuses on educational excellence, interprofessional education and service to the community. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 678-225-7500. The campus is also home to the Georgia Osteopathic Care Center, an osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic, which is open to the public by appointment. For more information, visit pcomgeorgiahealth.org.
Jamesia Harrison, MS
Assistant Director, News and Media Relations
Email: jamesiaha@pcom.edu
Office: 678-225-7532 | Cell: 470-572-7558
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