-by Dave Carlstead

This month, the City of Wilmore recognizes Clevie Horton for eight valuable years of service to our community.

Richard "Clevie" Horton is the son of James Willard Horton (now deceased) and Alice Horton. He has a younger brother, Jimmy, and two sisters, Leona and Lucille.

Clevie has been working ever since he was fifteen years old. He has worked on horse farms, in factories, and in construction as an equipment operator. The experiences gained from such a diverse employment history proved to be a tremendous benefit to the City.

Clevie began his employment in the Public Works Department in November, 1990. His role in that department has been as diverse as his early years of employment. He has repaired our water and sewer lines; he has helped prepare our city for each of our festivals; he has collected our solid waste; he has cleaned up branches and debris after storms; he has plowed snow in the winter. Few have ever been as cold in the winter, as hot in the summer, or as dirty anytime of the year as Clevie has-- all to our benefit.

And to top it off, he always has a great attitude. Even under miserable conditions, he can still muster a smile or kind word.

Unfortunately, as of December, 1998, Clevie will no longer be able to work for the city. Last summer, Clevie was diagnosed with emphysema, a disease of the lungs. He finds it very difficult to perform any strenuous activity without significant shortage of breath. And nearly anything Clevie did for the City was strenuous! (This was certainly not the way that he had hoped to finally get the time for some of his simple pleasure, like small game hunting, fishing, or landscaping around his yard.)

It is with tremendous regret that we had to accept his resignation so that he could qualify for disability insurance.

But, Clevie is not "out of the woods" yet. As so many in our community have experienced, the support system for disability benefits, he will continue to need the support and prayers of those who care about him and love him.

Clevie, on behalf of the entire Wilmore community, we thank you for your many years of service. You did the stuff that many would choose not to do and you did it very, very well. We are believing that the best years of your life are yet to come. May God’s countenance rest upon you!