St. Tammany Health System leaders joined family members of James L. Core at the St. Tammany Physicians Network clinic in Folsom on Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 3) to unveil a plaque memorializing the longtime health system board member.
“This honor combines two of Mr. Core’s passions,” health system President and CEO Joan Coffman said in welcoming those gathered. “One is the healthcare he was so passionate about, and one is the Village of Folsom, where we stand.”
Core died in October after 41 years as a member of the health system’s Board of Commissioners.
A retired businessman and co-owner of Covington Paving Co., he leaves behind a legacy as a dedicated public servant, having served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, as well as six years as a St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s deputy and two decades as city of Covington municipal employee.
Wednesday’s ceremony – which started with an invocation by Associate Pastor Ed Herring of Red Bluff Baptist Church, where Mr. Core was a charter member – celebrated that legacy. Afterward, members of his family were invited to help unveil a plaque installed in his honor just inside the clinic’s main entrance.
“Mr. Core was a great ambassador of St. Tammany Health System, living our core values to the end,” Coffman said. “So affixing his name and image in this clinic is picture-perfect and one I am sure he would be humbly honored to see.”