George Huther was a great man. A family man with four wonderful children and a beautiful wife. A business man who knew everybody and everybody knew and loved George. He was also an alcoholic. Eventually willing to take on his disease, George went to Minnesota to get treatment at the Twin Town Treatment Center in Minneapolis-St. Paul.
He came home a changed man. He also came home a man on a mission. George Huther wanted other Rochesterians who struggled with addiction to feel the success, the freedom and the renewal he felt, so together with fellow business man, John Doyle, he created Huther Doyle. That was 41 years ago this September.
For many years, George worked at Huther Doyle sharing his story of recovery with anyone who would listen and offering support and inspiration to countless numbers of folks who found their own way to recovery - with George sometimes leading the way, sometimes walking beside them and sometimes cheering from the sidelines. Whatever it took – George was there for them and with them.
Although I never had the personal pleasure of meeting George or his beautiful wife, Rosemary, I have met his four children and his legacy of goodness and grace certainly shines bright when I am in their presence. George III, Brett, Tommy and Kari loved their parents – wait – it’s better said they love their parents. They grew up knowing both the challenges of addiction as well as the joy of recovery. They saw the full circle of substance use disorder – from struggle to triumph and they take special pride in knowing their father’s original intentions remain an active priority at Huther Doyle still today. At a recent visit to our East Avenue offices, they reminisced with us about their Dad and the commitment he had to assisting people with recovery. That commitment ran deep and everyone who knew George, knew that addiction recovery was very, very important to him. So, when the Huther’s had completed their tour of the building, we gathered for lunch and a formal presentation in the Board Room. I couldn’t wait for them to see what was hanging on the Board Room wall!
A beautiful portrait of their Mom and Dad hangs in our Board Room and just above the picture, it reads, “WWGD?” representing “What Would George Do?”. It hangs in honor of our founder, their father. But, it has much deeper meaning from my perspective. I am forever humbled by the fact that I am able to lead this amazing agency. An agency that was created because one man chose to return home from treatment for his alcoholism and share not only his story but also his time and treasure to help others recover. I arrive at 360 East Avenue each day honored to follow in the footsteps of the gentle, wise and wonderful human being, known as George Huther Jr.
So, as we choose the next best steps for Huther Doyle, it is our general practice to ask ourselves …
What Would George Do?
Because the answer to that question matters a whole lot to this CEO and to this entire organization.
George Huther’s legacy is in our hands, and we treat it with the respect and honor deserved, all day, every day.