Tom Askew, a longtime Greenwood Leflore Hospital administrator, was remembered today as a good friend who knew his job well.
“He did a terrific job of running the hospital while he was administrator. He was a man you could depend on,” said longtime friend Ellett Lawrence.
Mr. Askew, 88, died Saturday at his Greenwood home following a lengthy illness.
Services will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday at First Presbyterian Church. Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. tonight at Wilson & Knight Funeral Home.
Mr. Askew served as administrator at the hospital from 1963 through 1993.
His successor, Terrell Cobb, said today that Mr. Askew was “a top-notch administrator” and was “better than a lot of other administrators in the state or the country, even.”
Mr. Askew hired Cobb in 1974. Cobb, who served as hospital administrator from 1993 to 2000, said Mr. Askew was “a tough man to follow.”
A native of Vicksburg, Mr. Askew graduated from Edwards High School and received a football and basketball scholarship to Hinds Junior College, where he was a member of the undefeated 1945 football team.
He served in the U.S. Navy for two years before earning a degree in business administration from the University of Mississippi in 1950.
Mr. Askew went on to receive a master’s degree in hospital administration from Northwestern University in 1953. He was elected to the American College of Hospital Administrators in 1956 and was given the distinction of a fellowship in 1961.
From 1957 to 1963, Mr. Askew served as administrator of Kings Daughters Hospital of Yazoo City and as administrator of the Martha Coker Convalescent Home and as the creator of the volunteer hospital auxiliary. It was there that he met and later married the former Daisye Love Rainer.
Mr. Askew was chosen Mississippi’s Junior Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Young Man of the Year in 1960. He served as president of both the Yazoo City and Greenwood Lions Clubs and was also the Mississippi affiliates president of the American College of Hospital Administrators.
Mr. Askew was elected president of the Mississippi Hospital Association in 1972. He also served as president of the Quarter Century Executive Forum in 1983. He was presented an honorary membership into the association in 1994.
Mr. Askew was a former deacon and elder of First Presbyterian Church. He was a member of the American Legion, where he achieved a 10-year perfect attendance record.
Mr. Askew is survived by his wife of 58 years, the former Daisye Love Rainer, as well as a son and a daughter.
A private burial ceremony will take place in Glenwood Cemetery in Yazoo City with full military rites performed by American Legion Post 29.
• Contact Bob Darden at 581-7239 or bdarden@gwcommonwealth.com.
