Tom Kennedy, administrator for Rolling Plains Memorial Hospital, has retired after serving the Sweetwater hospital for more than 19 years. Donna Boatright, associate administrator and director of nursing, will fill the position.

Boatright said she has no big changes planned after she takes on the position May 4, but noted that her biggest initial challenge will be recruiting. The hospital has two key positions to fill -- an obstetrician and a surgeon.

Kennedy said recruiting was always his biggest challenge as administrator. Although the hospital as a whole has not dealt with a lot of turnover, it has difficulty keeping some specialties filled.

Kennedy said the hospital has a good track record and that on surveys, it "shines" in every category, including on reports released by the Joint Commission, an independent nonprofit that accredits and certifies health care organizations in the United States.

Kennedy said he was recently told by a physician and a Joint Commission inspector that Rolling Plains "feels more like a 200-bed hospital than an 80-bed hospital."

"I've loved my 19½ years here," Kennedy said. "I've looked forward to coming to work every day."

That is why he decided to keep working when he turned 62 and was eligible for retirement. Now, at 68, he's ready to retire.

However, he will continue to serve as a consultant for a year. Kennedy added that he was glad to serve as a consultant because he thought it would be difficult to stop working completely for the hospital right away because he's enjoyed doing so for so long.

Kennedy served in the Army and worked in hospital administration.

When he retired from the military in 1968, he was offered an assistant administrator job at Jackson Memorial in Miami, where he met his wife.

After finishing his master's degree, he completed a residency and was offered a job at Memorial System Hospital in Houston. He stayed with the hospital from 1973 to 1978.

It was a meeting with his good friend Mike Waters, former administrator of Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene, that directed him to Sweetwater. He said he immediately liked the small town and took on the administrator job at Rolling Plains.

Carlos Alvarado, Nolan County Hospital District board chairman, said he has enjoyed working with Kennedy and has seen Kennedy's efforts produce a lot of good for the Sweetwater hospital.

"When I got on the board, the hospital had $38,000 in surplus. Now, there is over $4 million in surplus," he said.

During Kennedy's tenure, the hospital built a new physical therapy wing and emergency room, its most recent edition.

The hospital accomplished this with few increases in taxes, officials said. In fact, taxes have gone down consistently since 1996, the rate dropping from 28 cents to its current rate -- slightly more than 20 cents.

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