By Valerie Baldowski
vbaldowski@henryherald.com

The mayors of two Henry County cities were recently honored for their contributions to their respective communities.

The City of Stockbridge has renamed its City Hall for outgoing Mayor R.G. “Rudy” Kelley. The Henry County Board of Commissioners also recently approved a resolution to rename North Forty Park in Hampton for Hampton Mayor R.W. Coley, and his late wife, Mary Lou.

Henry County Commission Chairman Elizabeth “B.J.” Mathis praised both mayors for their work.

“It’s a wonderful tribute to a lifelong career of service,” she said of Kelley’s recognition. “Anybody who chooses a public service career like that, and stays for that long, is to be commended. It’s not always a pleasant or easy job.”

Kelley is leaving office later this month, after serving as mayor for 32 years.

Mathis also lauded R.W. and Mary Lou Coley, saying that “through years of service, [the couple] helped lay the foundation for the great recreational programs we have in place today. It is a fitting tribute to their dedication to the Parks and Recreation Department.”

On Monday, Stockbridge City Manager Ted Strickland read a resolution during a City Council meeting renaming City Hall for Kelley.

“I didn’t know what to say. I really appreciated them doing it,” said Kelley. “I didn’t even notice the letters [on the building] when I got there that night. It was a great honor.”

The letters were affixed to the front of the building the morning of the meeting, but were covered until the meeting, city officials said.

Strickland praised Kelley’s dedication to the city over the decades.

“Rudy has always done an outstanding job,” said Strickland, who has worked with Kelley for 20 years. “He oversaw the budget, and made sure we operated in the black. He looked after the senior citizens, and he took a special interest in the young people of this city.”

Kelley owned Southside Tire Co., from 1971 to 2002. He also operated Cellular Depot, a chain of cell phone stores in the metro-Atlanta area, until 1995, according to the resolution Strickland read.

At the time of the county commissioners’ announcement regarding the park in Hampton on Tuesday, Coley was attending a Hampton City Council meeting.

“I had no idea. It took me completely by surprise,” said Coley, who is finishing up his fourth year as mayor.

County officials recognized Coley and his wife by renaming the 40-acre park at 79 West Main St., in their honor. The park is just inside the Hampton city limits. A dedication ceremony is scheduled for January.

The idea to rename the park was conceived by Hampton City Councilman Henry Byrd.

“Anybody you talk to, who has been here very long, will tell you what great people they are,” he said.

Byrd, a City Council member since 2003, has worked with Coley for three years as a volunteer with the Meals on Wheels program.

“We do the route in Hampton together every Friday,” said Byrd. “I’ve gotten to know him from that. He’s a good all-around person.”

A lifelong Hampton resident, Coley coached at the Hampton Youth Club from 1963 to 1979, and served as the club’s purchasing agent and treasurer from 1965 to 1979, according to a county commission resolution. Coley served on the Henry County Little League Board from 1964 to 1968. One year, he co-signed a personal bank note, with two other parents, to secure funds to build a new baseball field in Hampton.

Coley’s late wife was a member of the Hampton Youth Club from 1964 to 1979, and volunteered her time to run the concession stand for the club from 1965 to 1979, according to the resolution. Both the mayor, and his late wife, were inducted into the Henry County Parks and Recreation Hall of Fame earlier this year.