Remembering George Medak, Former President of Mountains Community Hospital Foundation

December 31, 2024

George Medak, former Lake Arrowhead resident and past President of the Mountains Community Hospital Foundation (MCHF) Board, passed away on December 4, 2024, from complications stemming from COVID-19 and Parkinson’s disease. He was 81 years old. Jeri, his wife, said a celebration of life is being planned.

George and Jeri purchased their first home in Lake Arrowhead in 2002. They were part-time mountain residents until 2006, when they bought their house in Cedar Ridge Estates. George joined the Mountains Community Hospital Foundation soon after.

He served as Foundation Board President from 2017-2022. He loved Mountains Community Hospital, and he and his wife, Jeri, were very generous donors. During his time as President, he oversaw the raising of over $3,000,000 to help the hospital buy new equipment and make capital improvements. “George was a great leader and raised the foundation to new levels. He was an inspiration to all of us. We will miss you, George,” said Peter Venturini, MCH Foundation Board President. In honor of his service, the hospital’s only conference room bears his name.

“George was on the interview committee that hired me. Since George only does things all in, I quickly learned George’s way of doing things. He treated his board position like another full-time job, and the hospital and the community reaped the benefits. He was one-of-a-kind, and I will never forget what I learned from him,” said Kim McGuire, Foundation Executive Director.

George was an icon in Long Beach. His background and education were originally in law enforcement and public administration. He worked for the City of Long Beach for several years, during which time he was also an Assistant Professor at Long Beach State in the School of Public Policy and Administration. He subsequently founded consulting and real estate firms, focusing on entitlement management and development in the Long Beach area.  George was also proud to have been a key player in starting the Grand Prix of Long Beach and planning the redevelopment of downtown Long Beach.

In addition to serving on the MCH Foundation Board, George also served on boards for the Long Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Long Beach Public Transportation Company, the Long Beach Community Hospital Foundation, the Conservation Corps, and the Long Beach City College Foundation.

He is survived by his wife, Jeri Medak, daughter Amy, and son Mark.