Officers treated in gesture of appreciation

By Staff
from staff reports
Sept. 12, 2002
Ten names were drawn randomly Wednesday and 10 officers from Meridian's police and fire departments and the Lauderdale County Sheriff's Department won complimentary stays at local inns owned by Lala Enterprises.
In a presentation at offices of the Lauderdale County Tourism Bureau, Abdul Lala said he made the gesture as a tribute to the emergency officers who "spend so much time and are so effective at protecting us."
Lala, who owns four Meridian inns and has a fifth under construction, said he had recently visited Ground Zero in New York and "was touched by all the stories" of heroes and personal loss. He said he wanted to pay tribute to local heroes, too, and devised the drawing as a gesture of appreciation to local officers.
Police officers whose names were drawn included Jeff Lewis, James Gowdy and Sharon Allen; firefighters included Timmy Harris, Ron Griffin and James Hollingsworth; and sheriff's deputies included Casey McElhenney, Charles Pickett and an undercover officer whose name was not released. Sheriff's deputy Tommy Anderson won the grand prize, a stay at Lala Enterprises' new Holiday Inn Express when it opens by the end of the year.
Lala Enterprises also owns and operates the Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Budget 8 and Econo-Lodge.
The presentation was attended by Sheriff Billy Sollie, Meridian Police Chief Benny DuBose, Meridian Fire Department Battalion Chief Tracy Tucker, Meridian Mayor John Robert Smith and Councilman George Thomas, among others.
Representatives of Lauderdale County Tourism on hand for the drawing included Scott Gray, chairman of the tourism board, Sandy Bynum, executive director, and tourism staff members Lisa Lampton and Kelly Abrams. Abdul Lala also serves on the tourism board.