Albany Ga -
Friends and family of Allen Golson, the former CEO of what was Palmyra Hospital, are mourning his death.
He was piloting a plane that crashed in Ocala, Florida Friday. His friends say he was a great guy that did good work.
It was a horrible scene at Friday's tragic crash that claimed the life of Allen Golson. He was flying to Ocala from Macon when his plane crashed just south of the Ocala airport.
"He was always with people," said Dr. Christopher Mann. "Great smile and great sense of humor."
Dr. Christopher Mann worked with Golson for years at Palmyra hospital. He said he was shocked when he heard the news. But, he was grateful that Golson's wife survived the crash
"After I heard about Allen, my next question was 'was Carol with him', said Mann. "I heard she was able to get out thanks to some heroic people in the Ocala community. I was really appreciative of that."
Golson was the CEO of Palmyra from 1995 to 2005. Mann says he was a joy to work with.
"He was always smiling," said Mann. "He was very much of a people person. When you went to go talk to him, it was tough to find him in his office. He was always out with his staff."
Golson and Mann became good friends and shared a love of aviation. They often made flying a part of their lunch conversations. Piloting was, according to Mann, Golson's passion.
"I mentioned to my wife as I was trying to deal with the emotions, if he had to die now, at least he died doing something he really enjoyed doing," said Mann. "He loved to fly."
Mann said Golson told him in an email that he was very excited about his new job in Ocala
"It was a great opportunity for he and Carol to go to Ocala," Mann said. "He was looking forward to that. I think this tragic accident was them going to look for a house."
A great professional at work, but ultimately an even better man and friend.
The FAA is investigating the crash. Golson owned many planes and Dr. Mann said he was a very skilled pilot.
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Dr. Christopher Mann
