In the last few days, this community has lost three exceptional men. That adjective is thrown around a lot, but in this case, it is entirely appropriate. John Black, Denny Key and Clarence Thompson could not be described any more accurately than to say they were “exceptional”. The truth is, all three would be very uncomfortable if they were with us today, listening to someone describing them as exceptional. They would be looking around for an exit door to get out of there and back to doing something useful. You may not have known all of them. You may not have known any of them, but if you have lived around here for a while, there is a good chance that your life or the life of someone you may know has been positively influenced by one of these three men.
John Black served as President of East Georgia State College for seven of the best years the school ever had. He was active in more civic activities than you can name. He was the main driving force in working with the Kiwanis Club to establish the Pine Tree Festival Foundation and he was just about as tall as a Pine Tree. Denny Key was a hometown product who grew up to help guide the character and course of this community, and he did it by just being who he was. He worked at every opportunity to make every life better. Through his church, the schools, the Chamber of Commerce, the Emanuel County Commissioners, Mill Creek Foundation, Rotary, and The East Georgia College Foundation, Denny was a master at finding out what needed to be done and then quietly and skillfully making it happen. Clarence Thompson led a remarkable life. From every indication, serving others was all he ever wanted to do, and he planned for that from the start. A military career leading men in times of great peril, earning a law degree that was primarily used helping those unable to pay, and then devoting his talents in service of his faith and ministry.
To lose just one of these men would have been a major blow to any community. But we lost three. Three men who appeared to be reputable, responsible, solid citizens. They were all of that, but in fact, they were much, much much more. When these men looked at life, the landscape was all about people. Their vision focused on opportunity and their heart was all service. And once again, I can hear them saying,” Well now, I don’t know about all that.” And that would be true. They didn’t know because the agenda and motivation of these three was to just do what always seemed natural to them. These are the kind of people that aspire and inspire. They engage and encourage, and these are the kind of people that set the table for the rest of us to achieve, and when we do, we wonder, “how did we do that?”
Now the question we are left to deal with is how could people so rare and so special just be gone? The answer, of course is, they aren’t. A spirit and a presence that strong doesn’t just stop. These exceptional three occupied the places of those before them and carried on that common vision and heart. These three will remain with us, reflected in every minor and magnificent moment of the time they were here. Every student of John Black’s, every job saved by Denny Key and Millcreek Foundation, and every soldier and every soul that followed the lead of Captain Clarence Thompson and every life ever touched by any of these three is a story of victory. For the story to continue however, there is an obligation to ensure that a new generation of the ”special and the rare” are ready to take their place. The story requires it, and the generations that have gone before expect nothing less. The new class of “exceptional people” needs to be formed and must accept the call and the challenge of committing themselves to maintaining the hopes, dreams and standards of this community and this country. Just look at the legacy of these three exceptional men. It is your time now, and history is waiting.
