Hedrick named to high honor

Published 2:59 am Saturday, September 19, 2009

Deborah Hedrick was named to Presidential Who’s Who among Business and Professional Achievers. Her name will appear in the 2010 edition of the Presidential Who’s Who directory, which will be registered in the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.

“I was selected through a nomination,” said Hedrick, a clinical supervisor at the Fitz-Gerald Clinic Family Practice in Demopolis. “I’m kind of shocked and proud to have it!

“They said that they randomly pick people in different professions, and they choose by looking through the Cambridge Who’s Who and all the other awards, and they go by the criteria of how long you’ve been there and what your accomplishments are.”

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Hedrick was recognized last year and the year before as a VIP member by Cambridge Who’s Who, which helped her earn this year’s honor.

“They then call you and do an interview over the phone,” she said. “After that, they will call you back and let you know if you have been selected or not. I guess with what I told them and the awards I had gotten, they decided that they wanted to put my name in there.

“I’m really tickled! I called my dad and said, ‘Hey, Dad! I’m somebody!’ and he said, ‘What do you mean?’ and I said, ‘My name is going to be in the Library of Congress in this book!’”

While the achievement is not lost on Hedrick, she remains grateful for her nomination and humble in her accomplishments at work.

“I guess I’m not one of those people who are spotlight seekers,” she said. “I kind of get embarrassed about things like that because I don’t feel like it’s me who does all of this. I don’t do it all by myself; I have help. I put God first, and my husband for putting up with me for working so many hours; I’m a workaholic. I also appreciate my family for putting up with me, and all the people here at the clinic who give me the opportunity to do these things.”

Part of Hedrick’s work at the clinic includes making sure the nurses and other personnel have the things they need. She has drawn blood, done X-rays, performed lab work and taken payments from patients.

“I love my job,” she said. “I love coming to work, and I love our patients. Often, our patients will give me a hug and tell me that they appreciate what I do. That’s who I do this for; that makes it all worthwhile, and that’s how you know that you’re where you’re supposed to be.”

Hedrick is married to Chad Hedrick, and they have three sons: Josh, who was named to Who’s Who among American High School Students, Beck, who went to Boys State, and Cade.