ASHDOWN, Ark. -- The late Dr. Mike Finley will be honored during the 2022 Ashdown High School Alumni Association Banquet on Saturday, Oct. 22.
After a two year hiatus due to COVID-19, the Ashdown High School Alumni Association will hold their 14th annual banquet. In an earlier announcement, Finley was to be the honoree, but with his unexpected death in late June, he will now be posthumously honored.
Dr. Finely was born in Camden, Arkansas, in 1953. He moved to Ashdown while in 10th grade when his father was hired by Nekoosa Paper Mill. At Ashdown High School, he was an all-state member of the Purple Pride Marching Band and the Panther football team.
After graduation in 1971, he attended Hendrix College majoring in chemistry.
He began his medical training at UAMS Medical Center in Little Rock and completed his residency in Family Medicine at LSU Shreveport Medical Center.
In 1994, he established the AHEC SW Family Medicine Residency Program while practicing family medicine in Hope from 1984-2001. He was also an ER physician at St. Michael from 1988-1999.
He began his hospital administrative career in 2001 when he joined CHRISTUS St. Frances Cabrini Health in Alexandria, Louisiana, as vice president for medical affairs. In 2003, he assumed the position of chief medical officer in Texarkana.
In 2018, he became the designated institutional official, providing oversight and direction for educational quality, financial viability, administrative/academic structure, accreditation standards, and other regulatory requirements for CHRISTUS Health Graduate Medical Education Residency programs. He was essential in establishing CHRISTUS St. Michael as an affiliate center of excellence in partnership with the Cleveland Clinic Heart Institute.
Dr. Finley contributed to the excellence and improvement of evidence-based patient care. His forward thinking led to many advancements at CHRISTUS St. Michael such as the hospitalist program, development of the Simulation Center, the labor/delivery and critical care programs, and the development and growth of many other quality initiatives.
Other achievements during his tenure include being awarded the Top 100 Hospital three times and Top 50 Cardiovascular Hospital for two years.
He was married to his beloved Nancy for 28 years. He was the father of four children, a grandfather to seven grandchildren and had one great grandchild.
Alumni dinner tickets will be on sale from Sept. 12 to noon Oct. 7. Tickets are $30 each and can be purchased at The Castle, from Terry or Brenda Snead, Patti Ritter, Susan Simmons, or Sandra Furlow.
For those unable to attend the banquet but who would like to pay their annual membership dues or make a donation to the scholarship fund, checks can be sent to P.O. Box 862, Ashdown, Arkansas, 71822. Or payment can be made through the association's Venmo account at @Ashdown-AlumniAssociation.
When sending through Venmo or mail, note how the money is to be directed. Also, include graduation year and current contact information.