Tom Wilkerson is saying good-bye on Thursday. He’s retiring at the end of the year, and he and his wife, Angela, are moving to the North Georgia mountains.

A reception will be held in his honor on Thursday, and even though the Wilkersons will be saying good-bye, the family of Bainbridge College and this community should be saying “Thank you!”

Wilkerson, in his leadership, has fixed a shambled building, built a Student Wellness Center, planned for growth, enriched a foundation and mended fences. Not bad for a previously retired educator and administrator who came to Bainbridge and healed many wounded feelings.

Under Wilkerson’s leadership, Bainbridge College’s future and its booming student population growth has been poised for the next decade.

He has said that he was lucky to have worked with those who assisted him in his five years, but it was Wilkerson who shaped the tone and tenor of his tenure.

And we are a better institution and community for it.