Gary Goby Cares
by Emma Eaton
He always seems to be thinking about the projects he can support to show his appreciation for Albany, its people and its heritage.
Gary Goby cares. He cares about our past, our present and our future. He cares about people and history and Albany. He points out that nothing lasts without a strong foundation; buildings don’t stand firm and people don’t survive life’s challenges. Last year Gary Goby donated a significant amount of money to ensure the Cumberland Community Events Center would have a strong foundation to support it for many years to come!
Since inception he has supported Cumberland Community Events Center and saving the Cumberland Presbyterian Church building. He has been there to cheer us on when we needed strength and support and he continues to celebrate our accomplishments.
Whenever you see him, you can be certain the wheels are turning (and the possibilities are endless) as he thinks about opportunities to show his support and appreciation for Albany, its people, and its heritage.
Motivation & Skills
From where does his motivation to give back come? Gary Goby, the third of seven children, grew up on a farm in central Illinois. Farming skills by nature include problem solving, allocation of resources, technical and mechanical skills, time management, and money management. The skills that Goby learned on the farm he continues to use today.
"We built all our own buildings on the farm,” he said. “We overhauled all the tractors and cars. We never hired any help on the farm.”
As a result, there’s nothing Gary Goby is afraid to take on and his work ethic is a big part of his success.
His father was willing to mortgage their hard-earned farm to insure Gary had access to a college education. While Gary’s family farmed his grandmother was a teacher; she instilled in him the value of a formal education. Gary was the first in the family to complete college.
After college, he joined the Air Force. When his commitment ended Gary secured a military loan. He decided to move his family to Albany to launch a small-town medical practice. In June of 1973 he formed the Albany Family Medical Clinic with three other physicians. He said Family Practice has always been under appreciated. He appreciated the patient relationships and variety of experiences through the years.
As he and his wife raised their kids, his hope was to give them the knowledge and skills to succeed as well as the aspiration to give back and to be a good person.
Thoughts for the Future
We asked Gary what he saw as the key difference in the Albany of 1973 and the Albany of 2022. He said. “The community feeling is diminishing.” He added, “Both parents need to work, have high demands on their time and juggle the challenges of everyday living. These are all possible impacts to the community feeling”.
His desire for the future is to develop more community pride in Albany with help from its supportive citizens.
What’s next for Gary Goby? He's still very active in the community, and the pictures are proof! One desire he mentioned as we talked is for future travel to Europe, particularly Germany. He would like to learn more about his family roots and enjoy Europe’s people and history.
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