Damon King, former president and CEO of Medical Center of Central Georgia — now known as Macon, Ga.-based Navicent Health — died Nov. 16, according to 13 WMAZ.
Mr. King was 81 years old and he died of natural causes.
His tenure as the hospital's CEO lasted 28 years, during which he turned the struggling hospital around. Although he retired in 1995, he remained CEO of the hospital's then-parent facility, Central Georgia Health System, until 1997, according to The Telegraph. Even then Mr. King stayed active in the system as a consultant.
"He allowed employees to express themselves, and he listened to and valued their opinions," said Rhonda Perry, Navicent's CFO. Mr. King "was a man of quiet grace, commanding respect long after his retirement," she added.