By Arthur McLean
Editor

Jereme Wilroy’s story of hope and faith inspired Thomasville.

The year that was 2005 saw momentous change. Thomasville again braced for major hurricanes, and then turned out in force to help when those storms passed us by.

Development brought good news and some strife. We were struck by tragedy, and inspired by the courage of those faced with adversity.

2005 may also be the year that Thomasville announced its presence as a force in southwest Alabama, although it may be years before it is known just how successful Thomasville will be.

Death starts the new year

The new year was less than a week old when tragedy struck Thomasville when 85-year-old Lucille Knight was found dead in her home after it caught fire.

Just a week later, Thomasville Police Chief Thomas Booker announced his resignation with open questions about whether the chief had been forced to resign.

Spence Walker was sworn in as the county’s new district attorney, taking the place of retired DA Bob Keahey.

Leroy Gates The story of little Brendan Drinkard touched hearts as he fought for life against a rare disease that destroyed his lungs.

Voters put Nick Williams in the District 65 seat of the House of Representatives, a rare Republican victory in what has traditionally be a Democratic stronghold, at least in local elections.

711th returns

February started with good news as the members of the 711th Signal Battalion returned to Clarke County from duty in Iraq.

The Thomasville Times lost one of its stalwart figures as Leroy Gate died at the age of 92.

Opposition began to rise to the Clarke County Commission’s tag fee, with proceed going to the development of the North Clarke Industrial Park, soon to be home to the Louisiana-Pacific mill.

Brendan Drinkard lost his fight for life on Feb. 17.

The shortest month closed with the hiring of new Chamber of Commerce director Debra Fox and the beginning of phase II of the downtown revitalization effort.

Thomasville’s sports teams found success on the field this year. And teacher/coach Jack Hankins became the Thomasville School system’s first teacher to become national board certified as a teacher.

In like a Lion

By the first of March, Clarke County commissioners dropped the tag tax fee for senior citizens.

Stephen Richardson was charged by the Thomasville Police Department with several counts of child pornography charges.

Residents of the Tallahatta Springs community petitioned the Clarke County Commission for their own fire department, but action was put off for further study.

The former Thomasville Infirmary officially unveiled its new name: Southwest Alabama Medical Center, and plans for building a replacement hospital got underway.

A massive manhunt for a 17-year-old murder suspect gripped Thomasville in March. Cortez Jones turned himself in later in the day and faced four counts of attempted murder.

The drama of the afternoon spilled into the evening as police officers were unable to attend the first Taste of Thomasville, where it was planned that the officers would be recognized for their efforts. Though the threat of rain forced the event inside, more than 400 people turned out and the event raised $3,000 for the police and fire departments. Hopes are high for next year’s event.

By the end of March, Reps. Joe Bonner and Artur Davis made a joint appearance in Thomasville, while Alabama political legend, former Sen. Howell Heflin died at 84.

April showers

Jackson’s city council started April by approving a measure that would allow the city the chance to vote for legalizing alcohol sales. The tag tax for developing the North Clarke industrial park was approved by the state House of Representatives and Donnie Fendley was named the grand marshall of Youth Day.

The Thomasville Tiger baseball team won the Pizza Pro Classic tournament, gathering steam for a run at the state playoffs.

Southwest Alabama Medical Center named Kevin Bierschenk as its new administrator. While the hospital was working under new ownership, Sweet Water State Bank came back to familiar hands as a group of local investors headed by Stratton Lewis Jr. purchased the bank from Mobile-based BancTrust.

April ended with the oft-delayed civic center project again coming to the front of the city’s development plans.

May day

Thomasville’s generosity showed as the city passed its fundraising goal in the Relay for Life effort against cancer. Meanwhile, the Alabama Coalition of Mental Health Consumers began the process to restart recycling in the city.

By the first week of May, the Thomasville Tigers made their way through the first two rounds of the state playoffs helped by the late-inning heroics of a Scooter Owes grand slam against Chelsea.

By the second week of May, all eyes were cast towards Jackson as the hotly contested alcohol issue was finally put to a vote. The measure was approved, and talk, at least in Thomasville turned to when this city might do the same thing.

Looking for a larger regional role in economic development affairs, the Thomasville Chamber of Commerce officially changed its name to the Southwest Alabama Chamber of Commerce, and the tag tax fee made it through the State Senate.

The Thomasville Tigers continued their playoff run, defeating UMS in the third round, with the help of a walk-off home run by Matthew Sparks, but by the third week of May, the Tigers hopes of a state title were smashed in Demopolis.

Summer starts

June started with Greyhound pulling its stop from Thomasville and the Alabama Communities of Excellence program taking a serious look at the town.

June ended with the announcement of a new historic styled development of townhouses for downtown Thomasville.

The Thomasville City council approved regulations governing mobile homes with more ordinances regulating various housing aspects soon to follow.

Stormy weather

Hurricane Dennis rolled through Thomasville in July. While damage was not severe, everyone would soon learn it was a sign of things to come during one of the most violent hurricane seasons on record.

Thomasville’s Charlie Dixon was named the state firefighter of the year by the Alabama Association of Volunteer Fire Departments.

As July drew to a close, Thomasville lost one of its long-standing supporters, Charles T. Browder Sr. owner of Browder and Son Veneer in Thomasville.

The Thomasville City Council again voted to move forward with the civic center project with Dixon and Charles voting against, citing concerns about the cost and the city’s budget.

On the map

August saw Thomasville garner more publicity and business attention that ever with the success of the rural supplier conference. Major defense contractors and a host of smaller businesses and political officials were on hand for the event that allowed businesses to network and showed off Thomasville to visiting dignitaries.

On the heels of good business news came some disappointment, and Linden Lumber was forced to idle its Thomasville mill indefinitely.

The Thomasville council approved lodging and food sales taxes to pay for the work of creating a civic center for the city.

Defining moment

Hurricane Katrina roared through at the end of August, bringing death and devastation to hundreds of thousands along the coasts of Mississippi and Louisiana. While suffering minor damage from the storm itself, Thomasville immediately pitched in to help those in need.

Supplies poured in to relief efforts headed for the coast. Churches and neighbors worked together to gather and donate the supplies and offer volunteer work.

Families opened their homes to evacuees around Clarke County, and by the second week of September, a massive grass-roots effort sprang up to convert the houses at the former mental health and rehabilitation center into homes for displaced families.

Pine Hill too, joined in efforts to create a place for hurricane evacuees as the towns motel was converted into housing through volunteer efforts.

Meanwhile, the Thomasville Tiger football team reached the halfway point of the season with a perfect record, ripping Greensboro 48-8. The first week in November saw the Tigers dominating in-county rival Clarke County 41-7 on their way to a berth in the state playoffs.

Facing difficult decisions, the Thomasville Council appointed a task force to spearhead the efforts at creating a civic center.

By December, the Thomasville Tigers made it to the semi-finals of the state playoffs, but fell again to private school UMS-Wright, which will be playing in the 5A classification next year.

December saw some conflict as the homeowners in Country Club Estates got together to oppose a proposed 32-unit subsidized housing project for senior citizens.

As Christmas approached, Thomasville again showed its giving heart and donations poured in for the Coats for Kids project to give the hurricane victims along the Mississippi Gulf Coast badly needed cold weather clothes and blankets.