When Franklin County Commissioner Wyman Pounders passed away last year, he left behind a hole in the community. One place that hole was felt was at Russellville Middle School, where Pounders had long served faithfully as a school resource officer before resigning his post in December 2015. Now, Pounders’ memory will be forever immortalized at the school, with the placement of a bench in his honor.

Pounders’ widow Roxann struck upon the idea for the bench after a visit to the cemetery. “Wyman loved this school and the children. After he retired, this was his life,” she said. “I just wanted to do something in memory of him.”

Principal Karen Thorn said she was immediately in favor of the idea when Roxann proposed it to her.

“It’s perfect,” she said. “The teachers have seen it, and they think it’s just beautiful.”

Thorn said she hopes the bench will serve as a reminder of a wonderful legacy – something to remind people “what he did for us.”

“He cared about everybody in this building, from the ‘least’ to the ‘greatest,’” Thorn said. “That man took care of so many people.”

Thorn said there was almost no such thing as “standard” job duties for Pounders, who was willing to do anything for anybody. “He had an innate sense to know how you were feeling, so he tried to make everyone in this building feel good,” Thorn said. “You could call him day or night. He took care of everything … He would take kids home in the afternoons with me who missed the bus. I saw him take sick teachers home who couldn’t drive themselves. He would do anything you asked him to do. If I said, ‘Could you run to Walmart and get me some colored paper,’ he’d go to Walmart. If a teacher said, ‘I’m not feeling well, could you go get me a Dr. Pepper,’ he’d go get it. He just did so much.”

Photo by Alison James
The bench was created by Atkins Marble and Granite Works in Russellville.

He also, of course, served in capacities from cafeteria and grounds supervisor to truancy officer, and he helped with safety drills and home visits, in addition to sitting in on parent/teacher conferences when necessary and serving as a presence at athletic events. “He had a really good rapport with kids, and he loved talking to kids,” Thorn said.

“I still have his number in my phone. I refuse to take it out – I can’t do it,” she said. “I couldn’t possibly tell you everything he did for me.”

The bench stands near the crosswalk on Summit Street, near the corner where for many years Pounders ensured safe passage of children walking between RMS and RHS, prior to the installation of the traffic light and signage. “He spent a lot of his time right here, talking to the kids and making sure they were safe,” said Thorn as she surveyed the bench. “He monitored the crosswalk in the cold, in the snow, in the rain, in the heat. It didn’t matter the conditions. He kept kids safe – that was his purpose; that was his goal.”

As someone who never wanted attention draw to himself, Pounders would probably scold Thorn and the middle school for letting such a permanent marker be established in his honor. He wouldn’t want the spotlight. Nevertheless, the tribute will always remind those who see it of Pounders – who he was and what he did.

“It looks beautiful to me. I couldn’t be more pleased with it,” Roxann said.

“He holds a very special place in the hearts of our faculty and our kids,” Thorn added. “There’s just not anybody else like him.”