Students and employees at PCOM South Georgia know Oscar Henderson. He’s been a part of the campus since construction began on the building.

Previously a long-distance truck driver, Henderson traded in his traveling days for a career working in security in Albany, Georgia. He took on the job after the birth of his third child so that he could spend more time with his family. When PCOM South Georgia was under construction in 2019, Henderson was a security guard who patrolled the site as the building took shape. He stayed in that position until he joined the staff as a maintenance mechanic.

“There was a person who said a medical college was coming to South Georgia,” Henderson explained. “I thought it would be something interesting to do. Once I got here, I fell in love with it. I never want to leave.”

He describes PCOM South Georgia as having a family feeling.

“There’s a type of balance here,” Henderson said. “Everybody’s just so friendly. Everybody gets along. Everybody tries to assist everybody else with anything that needs to be done. It's a great atmosphere. It’s a great place to work.”

As a maintenance mechanic, Henderson is part of Plant Operations reporting to Todd Presley, maintenance mechanic supervisor. Henderson’s responsibilities vary each day. He and Presley ensure that all HVAC equipment functions properly, perform preventive maintenance, set up chairs and tables in rooms for events, and other duties as needed. Henderson enjoys the variety the job brings almost as much as the people with whom he works—especially the students.

“I have a wonderful relationship with the students,” he said. “Every morning as I’m coming in, I greet them and ask if they have anything they need to talk about or issues they're dealing with. I take the time to stop and listen to them.”

Henderson gets to know the students, but also understands what PCOM South Georgia means to the local community.

“I think we play a big role here. We bring in doctors,” he said. “Our student doctors do their clinical rotations here. They get to work with the hospital and with the public. Our students set up any events they can downtown or other places in the community to do blood pressure checks and similar outreach events. People have health issues, and our students are there to try to get these people the help they need.

Henderson understands his part in making PCOM South Georgia function.

“Being an employee here means a lot to me,” he said. “I jump up every morning, even on Saturdays and Sundays, just in case a phone call comes through of an emergency on campus. I love it here.”

Away from campus, Henderson is a family man who enjoys spending his time with his wife, Wendy; their two daughters, Kayla, 19, and Makaylan, 14; and their son Kameron, 11.

Henderson says his family loves that he’s a part of PCOM South Georgia, and they’ve all visited him at work.

“My son wants to come to work with me every day because he loves everybody out here,” Henderson said with a laugh. “He just loves to hang out here. He gets along with the all the students. He’s made a name for himself out here.”

When asked about any odd situations he’s encountered on campus, Henderson laughs and mentions the wildlife “neighbors” that visited when the campus first opened—deer, ducks, turkeys, geese.

“I think the most unusual thing we did have was the pigeons that just wanted to move onto the campus,” he said. “They took over the front area of the campus and tried to make it their home. Eventually I guess they got tired of it and decided to relocate.”

Henderson was born in Osceola, Arkansas, but grew up in Columbus, Georgia. He met his wife, Wendy, after moving to Albany. The couple decided to move to Moultrie, his wife’s hometown, to raise their family because of the small town’s low crime rate and tight-knit community.

Away from campus, Henderson focuses on his family. They enjoy vacationing in Orlando or Atlanta. A former basketball player and a big professional basketball fan, Henderson coaches his son’s elementary school basketball team. The two of them also watch basketball games on TV. Henderson enjoys watching the LA Lakers and Miami games, but his son cheers for the Memphis Grizzlies.

“It’s just a competition thing,” Henderson said with a smirk.

In addition to his own family, he also works with the youth at his church, Friendship Missionary Baptist, in Moultrie.

“Now, the biggest thing I do is try to work with the children,” Henderson said. “You know, to them the world is different now. I try to give them some inspiration to do better things and don't get involved in street life.”

Maybe one day he’ll encounter those same children as students at PCOM South Georgia.