The Runt Lowe Award for Excellence

Gary Lowe was nicknamed “Runt” many years ago when he was a little bitty knocker running around town. Some fifty years later, my guess that only a few people in town know that his real name is Gary.

Everybody affectionately knows him as Runt. Very affectionately.

I suppose I first met Runt in grammar school. He was a grade below me but as you could imagine everybody knew everybody at Reynolds Elementary School. I got to know him better as we began to play little league baseball.

Runt was one of those guys who always excelled at whatever he attempted. For example, as a second baseman in Little League, not many balls got past him. As a hitter, not many balls got by him at the plate either.


When he became an adult, he was the best mechanic in the county. He could fix anything and people did not hesitate to call on him if they needed something done to their car or anything else that needed fixing. It wasn’t long before he became a business owner. He bought the local Gulf Service Station and he sold gas and kept everybody’s car in tip top shape. (Photo taken at the Gulf Service Station close to 30 years ago).

Runt also spent a lot of time on the Flint River and excelled there as well. He became an expert trot line set hook fisherman. It was a common sight to see Runt coming out of the river with more fish that you could shake a stick at.

He always excelled at whatever he attempted.

At some point Runt got trained as an Emergency Medical Technician and he became a volunteer on the ambulance service. I worked with him during more that a few serious emergency situations and saw up close and personal how he handled himself in those situations. He was always calm and collected, and as he did everything else in life, he excelled as an EMT.

Runt went on to get advanced training and eventually became a Paramedic. I am not sure what his title is now, but he has been the head of Emergency Medical Services in Taylor County for years now.

And I can tell you there have been a lot of folks who have found themselves in life threatening situations in Taylor County during the past thirty years or so who found themselves very relieved when they looked up and realized Runt was on the scene.

Runt has received numerous regional awards and state awards for his service to the people of Taylor County. I have a feeling before he is done they will name the awards after him.

I now live in a place where there is a major medical center only minutes from my house. I can call 911 and there are dozens of trained personnel who could be at my house in no time at all. But it is different in a rural town. To have someone like Runt Lowe on call all the time with that kind of medical expertise and experience in a rural county is worth a whole lot to the people who live there.

From a mechanic to a trot line fisherman to a Paramedic, he has always excelled at whatever he attempted.

And he continues to excel day after day.

In every place there are always a few folks who seem to rise above the masses. A few never settle for anything less than excellence in whatever they attempt.

Runt Lowe is definitely one of the few.

Always has been.

And Taylor County Georgia is the beneficiary of his efforts.