Dwain Chambers, former Athens mayor and businessman, remembered for putting others first

Dwain Chambers, a businessman who operated a dry-cleaning business in Athens for 67 years and was the last mayor for the former city of Athens which in 1991 became the unified government of Athens-Clarke County, recently passed away. He was 93.

Chambers had been in declining health for the last several months before his death on May 5, according to his son, Paul Chambers.

Chambers served 24 years on the Athens City Council and was elected mayor in 1987, but he did not run again after the government consolidation in 1991.

Chambers was widely known in the community as the owner of Sunshine Dry Cleaners on Chase Street, which he closed in the summer of 2022. Next door was a second business, The Carpenter’s Shop Christian Store, which operated for about 30 years.

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Pat Allen, a former Athens banker and University of Georgia official, was among those working at the helm of the unification effort more than 30 years ago. Consolidation had already failed three times, and Allen and others were attempting to engage a fourth election, which this time would succeed.

Allen said the U.S. Justice Department received his citizens committee’s application for unification, but he was told a government had to endorse the measure before it could be reviewed. Many elected officials in Athens and Clarke County did not support the measure as it directly affected their positions. Allen said he spoke first with county officials to see if they would endorse a call for an election, but was told the matter would be taken under advisement.

Allen recalled he then took the document to Chambers.

“Dwain said to me, ‘Pat, I read the charter and there are a lot of things I don’t agree with, but I don’t think it’s my decision. People need to vote on it, so draft something for me to sign and I’ll review it," Allen recalled.

“By doing that,” Allen said, “He was signing his own resignation letter. He put the interest of the people over his personal interests. How often do you see that today? In every interaction I ever had with Dwain, I’d say the thing that marked him is he was a man of integrity."

Helen Mills, a friend and colleague in the Rotary Club of Athens, echoed that opinion.

“He had the highest standards, always encouraging and was such a gentleman and believed fervently in the motto of Rotary International of service above self,” said Mills, a retired UGA official.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp also befriended Chambers.

“As members of the Athens community who were privileged to know Dwain Chambers personally, Marty, the girls and I join his loved ones and the entire city in mourning his passing.” Kemp noted in an e-mail to the Banner-Herald. “His 64-year marriage and dedication to serve were especially meaningful to the lives he touched. And I know he will be remembered and missed for many years to come.”

Kathy Hoard, who served on the city council with Chambers, described him as a mentor.

“The life’s lessons he taught me, remain with me today and will for the rest of my life,” she said.

Hoard once approached Chambers seeking his opinion on what she should do in a controversial issue, where residents in her district appeared evenly divided.

“He said, ‘Have you studied the issue?’ And I said, ‘Yes sir.’ And he said, 'Do you feel you understand what is best for the community?' And I said, ‘Yes sir.’ And he said, ‘Have you considered just doing the right thing?’ And that’s all he had to say," she recalled.

Chambers was born in the small rural town of Homer on Dec. 14, 1929, but his family moved to Athens about eight years later. His father, Tyrus Chambers, was a grocery distributor for small grocery stores that dotted neighborhoods in those days, while his mother, Ruzelle, was a homemaker.

Chambers and his wife, Betty Jean Weatherford, were married for 64 years and had three children, Paul Chambers of Watkinsville, Bryan Chambers of Athens and Susan Topham of Cartersville.

“Dad was always a wonderful example of a Godly, others-focused public servant. He was always committed to doing the right thing regardless of the pressure to do otherwise,” Paul Chambers said. “He consistently shared his faith with others.”

Friends knew him as a man dedicated to his faith. He attended Prince Avenue Baptist Church.

Dekalb County CEO Mike Thurmond, who grew up in Athens and was elected to his first state political office here, remembers as a child seeing Chambers on visits to Chase Street.

“My parents were customers of Sunshine Cleaners,” he said. “Dad sold fruits and vegetables so we would stop by and sometimes trade fruits and vegetables for dry cleaning.”

“He didn’t know me, but he knew my dad," Thurmond said. "Of course, years later when he became a city councilman and mayor and I had gotten into politics, we always had a positive working relationship.”

Thurmond said Chambers left an imprint on those who knew him.

“He was a shining example of a Christian man. It was who he was. He followed the Golden Rule and treated others as he would like to be treated,” Thurmond said. “He walked the walk.”

A memorial service for Chambers will be held at 2 p.m. Saturday, June 3 at Prince Avenue Baptist Church, 3691 Monroe Highway, Bogart. The family will receive friends beginning at 12:30 p.m.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Dwain Chamber, mayor who saw unification in Athens, has died