John Congdon grew up in Richmond, VA and graduated from the University of Richmond with a business degree. The Congdon family founded Old Dominion Freight Line, an LTL trucking company, in 1933 and in the 1960’s Old Dominion Truck Leasing was created. After college, John joined the family’s truck leasing business. John and his brother, Jeff, later created Dominion Dedicated Logistics which was added to the family’s trucking mix. John served as Chairman – CEO and Jeff as President of both the Leasing and Dedicated companies. They sold those two businesses in 2017 and John retired, but continues to serve on the board of directors at Old Dominion Freight Line. Having spent his entire career in the trucking field, John now focuses his time racing sailboats on the Rappahannock River and Chesapeake Bay.
Leslie Congdon also grew up in Richmond. She entered the dental care field after high schoolgraduation. She supported her then-husband while he earned his doctorate degree. They relocated to North Carolina, where Leslie graduated from college in the same class as her son at UNC Chapel Hill and accepted a position as a dental hygiene instructor. Leslie moved back to Richmond after her divorce, and married John, who was also divorced. She earned her master’s degree in dental hygiene at Old Dominion University, then taught at Virginia Commonwealth University until retiring in 2013.
John and Leslie resided in Richmond but after spending much of Covid at their home off the Rappahannock River, they fell in love with the small-town atmosphere. They are now full time “locals” in White Stone, VA. John served as Fleet Commander at the Rappahannock River Yacht Club, and now is a member of the board of directors.
John had endured shoulder problems since college, and those problems became quite problematic for his sailing passion. He was eventually referred to Dr. Uma Srikumaran, who did a complete overhaul with a bicep reattachment to his right shoulder, followed by a total replacement of to his left. He said, “And Dr. Uma did a remarkable job!”
Dr. UMA SRIKUMARAN is the inaugural holder of the Congdon Family Professorship. He serves as Associate Professor in the Shoulder Division at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he also holds leadership roles as Vice Chair of Quality, Safety, and Service in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Director of the Shoulder Fellowship Program. Since joining the faculty in 2011, he has played a key role in advancing the department’s clinical, educational, and research missions, with a focus on surgical innovation, value-based care, and mentorship.