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Andries will leave Dom in April He�ll work for California Veterans Affairs Department By PAUL FATTIG WHITE CITY � George Andries, director of the Department of Veterans Affairs Domiciliary for the past nine years, is leaving the agency to take a job with the California Department of Veterans Affairs. Andries, 56, has been appointed by California Gov. Gray Davis as deputy secretary for veterans homes in California. Andries is retiring from the federal agency at the end of April after 32 years of service. He begins his new job in May. For the past month, he has been on temporary assignment at the agency�s Vancouver regional office, where he has been working on a seismic study of the agency�s medical facilities. Max McIntosh, an administrator from the VA�s Roseburg hospital, is now the acting director at the Domiciliary. Andries� replacement is expected to be named later this year. Andries will be hard to replace, said John Murnane, a disabled veteran who was homeless when he arrived at the facility in 1991. "I have nothing but admiration and sincere gratitude for what he has done here," said Murnane, now a college graduate and a representative for Disabled American Veterans. "I saw this place change from a domiciliary to a place where vocational rehabilitation became a reality for people like me," he said. "What that meant to me and others � to have our lives back � is immeasurable." Andries has been credited by many with instituting successful drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs at the Domiciliary. During his tenure the facility won several national honors. "He leaves a good legacy," said Jerry Reed, dean of business and community learning services at Rogue Community College, which established a branch at the Domiciliary in the mid-1990s. "He was very supportive of increasing our capacity to help veterans, to provide them training programs to get restarted in life," Reed added. Integrating the facility with the community was one of the major goals of Andries when he arrived in 1992, observed Bill Petrocini, a longtime administrator at the Domiciliary. "Mr. Andries took a leadership role in Southern Oregon in providing better health care service to all veterans," he said. In California, Andries will be in charge of coordinating the operation of all three veterans homes in the state. The state-run facilities in Barstow, Chula Vista and Yountville have nearly 2,000 beds. The local Domiciliary has about 700 beds. "It�s an exciting opportunity and challenge for me," Andries said. "California has the largest veteran population of any state in the union. And it has a strong tradition of taking care of its veterans. "But the Domiciliary has been an excellent place to be � the best group of employees I�ve ever had the opportunity to work with," he added. "They made the �Dom� a success with their devotion to and appreciation for veterans." A former Air Force officer, Andries noted he will continue to work with the VA in California. "The VA has done a lot for veterans," he said. "It is the largest integrated health system in the country. I�m proud to have been part of that." Andries and his wife, Patricia, have three children: Colin, a junior at the University of Oregon; Sean, a North Medford High School senior; and Dusty, a seventh-grader at Hedrick Junior High School. Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.