Raymond Stover said he was “very quiet and very shy” while growing up and attending Lapeer Community Schools, so much that it was painfully difficult to talk to people.
But now, that quiet kid is President and Chief Executive Officer of MidMichigan Medical Center in Gladwin. He said one of his main duties is seeking out the more than 200 employees, as well as medical center patients, to boost morale, inform them about current issues and solicit their concerns and ideas.
How did the 1984 Lapeer East High School graduate overcome his fear to become the communications heart of a thriving medical center? It started, he said, with mentoring from his family, teachers and coaches in Lapeer.
“It surprises me and my family that I would be in this job,” Stover said. “My dad (Sherwin Stover) and I were just talking about that the other day.”
Stover said his mother, Charlene, who passed away in 1993, was the first to help him overcome his shyness by enrolling him in a variety of activities. His sister, Ruth Stover-Lange, his opposite in many ways, was very outgoing and he said he watched and learned from her. He had a co-op job while in high school and said his father taught him a strong work ethic.
His opportunities while a student in Lapeer schools also played a role, he said. He became close to several teachers who encouraged him, starting in elementary school in Attica. Most of his elementary school friends went to Zemmer Junior High, but because of where he lived, he went to the former White Junior High School.
“I met a lot of new people at White and that was a good experience for me,” he said.
Along the way, Stover discovered he was a talented baseball player. That led him to join the Lapeer East team and meet Coach Brad Gerlach. The two became close – Gerlach gave him the nickname “Razor, because he was a real sharp kid,” which sticks to this day – and helped him get a baseball scholarship to Saginaw Valley State University.
His sister said their family was poor when they were growing up and Gerlach’s assistance was a big factor in helping her brother go to college.
Ruth Stover-Lange, a 1982 graduate named Most Outstanding Graduating Senior, is a teacher in the North Branch School District. She said until she began working with students, she did not realize just how great an influence teachers and school had on her and her brother.
“He had a lot of encouragement from teachers,” she said. “Baseball also was very important. Having a team full of friends supporting you is huge, and his coach was very instrumental in helping Ray get the SVSU scholarship.”
Gerlach said he always recognized Stover’s potential.
“He was an outstanding baseball player and outstanding human being,” Gerlach said. “He was someone you’d want working for you or even better, running something. His senior year, he just blossomed.”
Gerlach downplays his role in helping Stover get to college, saying it was his student’s talent and hard work that propelled him forward.
“I just made the connections and the talent spoke for itself,” he said.
Raymond Stover said he was very good in math while in Lapeer schools and decided on a career as a certified public accountant. After graduating from SVSU with a bachelor of science degree in business administration, he got an accounting job with the Blue Care Network, starting him in health care.
He joined Midland-based MidMichigan Health in 1990, starting in Midland and then moving to the organization’s medical center in Clare, where he rose to vice president and chief financial officer. He was promoted to his current job at the 20-bed primary care Gladwin medical center in January 2008.
“One of my most challenging duties is recruiting doctors to come to a rural hospital,” he said. “And then there is keeping up with what is happening with the economy and its impact on health insurance, declining reimbursements and keeping people in their jobs.”
He continues to seek mentors, saying he met several people at MidMichigan who helped him grow and now relies on the advice of many people as he learns his new job.
Stover also has served on the boards of several civic groups.
He lives in Midland with his wife, Rose, and their four daughters – Jessica, 21, a student at Lansing Community College, Samantha, 17, a Midland High School senior, and 16-year-old twins Jalynn and Taylor, high school juniors. He returns to the area a few times a year to visit his father, who now lives in Otter Lake, and Ruth, who still lives in Lapeer. He said he is very proud to call Lapeer his hometown and hopes students will take advantage of all the community and school district have to offer.
“Take your education very seriously,” he advised, “especially as hard as it is to get into college these days. Soak up as much as you can. Build relationships with teachers because you’ll be surprised at how often you need to return to them for advice.
“And get involved in the community. Offer some time back because it helps you and because Michigan really needs it now.”
Lapeer West secretary Chris Sierakowski brought her emergency medical technician knowledge and experience to the radio program Friday. With St. Patrick’s Day, spring vacation and the prom season approaching, Lapeer County Prosecutor Byron Konschuh invited Mrs. Sierakowski to talk about a range of safety issues.
