The festive gathering convened Tuesday night in the Professional Development Center of Life Care Centers of America.
The significance of the prestigious Chamber award is best summarized in a quote by Nobel Prize recipient George Bernard Shaw who offered, “I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.”
The same can be said for McIntire who was described by one Chamber official as, “an exemplary model of integrity and leadership in our community.” Named for the late Robert W. Varnell Jr., the prestigious award recognizes outstanding community leadership.
“Ed is a man of high moral standards, outstanding intellect, compassion and outstanding surgical ability,” C.A. Kyle Jr. said.
Born in Corpus Christi, Texas, this year’s recipient received his undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Arkansas, where he played quarterback on a football scholarship. He also received numerous academic scholarships and recognition for academic performance. He did his internship and urology training at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
McIntire came to Bradley County 14 years ago to join the Tennessee Valley Urology Center and since that time “has made quite an impact on our community in multiple areas,” said Dr. William F. Johnson, M.D., Surgical Associates of Cleveland.
McIntire and his family attend Broad Street United Methodist Church where he holds membership on their board of stewards and long-range planning committee. He frequently teaches a high school Sunday school class and evening classes for the youth group. When not working with youth, he frequently teaches his adult Sunday school class. He also participates in a Sunday evening Bible study and assists in teaching many short-term Bible studies.
The Unity Center, sponsored by Broad Street, provides an after-school program primarily for at-risk children mostly from the East Cleveland area. McIntire has been a member of the Unity Center Board for quite some time and has taken an active role in programming that includes one-on-one tutoring, multiple enrichment programs, and vocational education in such areas as cooking, sewing, woodworking and life skills.
“Ed is a superb resource,” Johnson said. “Especially through his work at church, I believe that Ed has demonstrated remarkable vision for long-term planning. [He] has become a person that other members seek out to help resolve or consider especially long-term programming goals.”
On that same topic, Brenda Hughes pointed out that “he has spent endless hours mentoring young people and encouraging them to strive to fulfill their utmost potential. His work with the Unity Center continues to offer hope and help to children and families in need.”
Hughes, executive director, believes one of McIntire’s strongest areas of contribution to the local community is through the Bradley Initiative for Church and Community.
“Ed served with the utmost integrity and capability in the Bradley Initiative for Church and Community for many years,” she said. “He was the first president of our board of directors and first chairman of the steering committee and served on numerous other committees. His leadership helped to shape BICC into a strong and sustainable organization.”
McIntire also spearheaded the work with local and state authorities that culminated in the Bradley Initiative Credit Union, which promotes financial literacy. BICU opened in January 2003 as a community development credit union with a mission to serve low- and moderate-income people and communities. He currently chairs the credit union board.
“With many business and professional contacts, Ed served as a catalyst to inspire and motivate the community to action in working toward positive change in our community,” Hughes said. “His generous heart and hands have also been vital to the Individual Development Account program, which is a match savings program for low income individuals and families.”
He also worked on BICC’s Starfish Project, which provides quality training and tools to families in Cleveland/Bradley County with children from prenatal to age 3.
“Ed tirelessly and enthusiastically lives out his passion to the call of Christ and is a living example of Christian love and service,” Hughes summarized.
“In all his endeavors with Broad Street, Unity Center and BICC, Ed has pursued the goal of trying to break the cycle of poverty that exists in our community through programs designed to make a long-term change,” Johnson explained, adding that “in just a few years, he has become quite a driving force in the community for helping work through many of the very difficult problems present in both the marginalized portions of our community and others.”
McIntire’s professional memberships include the Tennessee Medical Association and American Urological Association. He is a member of SkyRidge Medical Center’s board of directors and chairs the hospital’s physicians leadership group. He also serves as vice president of the Community Foundation of Cleveland/Bradley County, which he helped establish to assist donors in meeting needs in the local community. He is a member of the board of directors of the Cleveland/Bradley Chamber of Commerce.
“Dr. McIntire is highly esteemed among his professional healthcare providers, his church community and those with whom he has contact in the community as he selflessly gives of his time and his finances to help those less fortunate in our community,” said nominator Dr. Rodney Fitzgerald. “Without a doubt, he is a person of the highest integrity and maintains the highest moral and ethical code of conduct.”
McIntire is also a former board member for First Citizens Bank of Cleveland, BB&T Bank and Cleveland Family YMCA. He is a member of the Museum Center at Five Points and volunteers as a baseball and football coach in youth sports programs.
