People and group efforts have blessed Abilene through the years
Thanksgiving always has been one of my favorite times of the year.
For me — and probably for many of us — it offers a chance to reflect on our blessings, and I want to spend some time with you today to do that and to encourage our community to continue to live out the Abilene Difference. Abilene is a blessed community that benefits from God’s faithfulness, a history of outstanding leadership and people who care for one another.
Abilene has been blessed by a number of great leaders, but today I want to highlight three whose names may not be familiar, but who contributed significantly to laying the foundation for our community.
A unifying force
The Rev. T. G. Oliphant served for almost 50 years as a leader in our community, exemplifying integrity, boldness and a sincere desire to serve.
He helped Abilene address racial tension during the Camp Barkeley era and in the late ’60s, and his contribution to the reinstatement of the local NAACP chapter in our community was accomplished in a unifying way. To our great good fortune, Abilene ever has been a place where protest has been paired with violence, and I believe that the leadership of Rev. Oliphant is a major reason. Thanks largely to his lasting influence, we can call out injustice in this community in a way that does not dilute the message.
Emphasizing power of voting
Maria Velasquez may have been short in stature, but she was gigantic in passion and desire.
She did more than advocate for the Hispanic community; her leadership got things done. The name change from the former South Park Recreational Center to the Cesar Chavez Recreational Center was led by her efforts.
But her primary contribution was motivating the minority community to vote. She was as the forefront of efforts to achieve fair representation, and she never forgot where she came from. Her community service, advocacy, and outreach shaped this community in ways we still are learning to appreciate.
Setting a high Barr
We have had some great mayors.
Dr. Gary McCaleb is one of my mentors and Norm Archibald is a treasured friend, but I want to spend time talking about Grady Barr.
Grady was not the orator that Gary was, and he may not have had the charisma of Norm, but his pragmatic approach and work ethic were unmatched. Grady’s conservative, capitalistic approach still influences our strategy for municipal government. His 1999 Ace study led to our land development code and our infill/redevelopment strategy. Grady’s success speaks for itself when we look at growth over the last 20 years, improvements around I-20, our downtown revitalization, the SODA district, residential growth, and industrial recruitment.
And more to appreciate
Abilene is a place where we love our neighbors, and I’d like to share a few of examples.
One of the more notable examples is the history of the Abilene. Air Mobility Command had an award that recognized an Air Mobility Command community for outstanding support the community provided to their Air Force Base. Abilene has always provided stellar support to Dyess Air Force Base for almost seven decades. It was a shock receiving the phone call from Air Mobility Command saying we could no longer compete for the award. We were told after seven years winning the award in a row we would no longer get to compete, and the Air Mobility Community Support award would be renamed the Abilene Trophy.
Our Military Affairs Committee now judges to see what the ‘second best’ communities support was and present the trophy. Many know that Abilene was the first city in Texas and the ninth in the nation to eliminate veterans’ homelessness. But what most don’t know that this was preceded by a three-year study on the causes of homelessness.
Most are also unaware that the nationally recognized West Texas Homeless Network met weekly for over two years and now meets monthly to formalize ways to help our homeless neighbors. Abilene has maintained our status for zero veterans’ homelessness and is working hard to permanently address chronic homelessness among other segments of the population. Other communities frequently call upon us for help and guidance.
Additionally, with the assistance of the Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute, Hendrick Medical Center, Betty Hardwick Center, Abilene police and fire departments, and our local foundations, we have created a model that appropriately addresses this issue. Abilene joins a select few in the state that have.
We should all be thankful for great leaders, great people and a great city that God has richly blessed since that cold, damp day in 1881, when this community was founded. Abilene faced challenges then, and we face them still.
I have had the opportunity to serve my hometown for over 30 years, including 20 years on the council. I’ve been in rooms with various groups as together we contemplated plans for the city. And though there have been those who have led well and others who have served well, ultimately God has showered his favor on this community.
Abilene has received gifts that no one predicted — gifts that may not even seem to make sense. For example, the economic bonanza that has occurred over the past three years has defied prior expectations. While almost every community has a development, corporation designed to attract private sector investment, job creation, and job retention, Abilene’s development corporation has a 31-year history of success.
The prison, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Tigé Boats, Rentect, and Abimar are only a few of the examples of private sector investment in our community that collectively represents millions of dollars of capital investment and jobs. But over the last three years we have seen more capital investment than the previous 28 years, more jobs created or maintained than the last 15 years, and significant opportunities still awaiting in the near future. Why is that important? Because it provides more opportunities for more of our neighbors to have well-paying jobs.
Friends, this is a blessed community, and we have a lot to be thankful for. During this season, I hope you’ll join me in being humbly grateful for the leaders, the neighbors, and the vision that make Abilene such a special place to live.
Anthony Williams is enjoying his last Thanksgiving as mayor of Abilene.
This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: People and group efforts have blessed Abilene through the years
