RC&D council pays tribute to lost board member
At Wednesday’s meeting of the Northwest Alabama Resource, Conservation and Development Council, members paid tribute to long-time member and friend Howard Grissom.
Grissom began serving on the council in the spring of 1982 and in his near 30 years of service, he served as vice-chairman of the council and as a Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation board member.
Many people spoke about Grissom’s legacy during the tribute, and one theme about his character became abundantly evident: Grissom was a generous man.
“Howard liked to work for and help people and I got close to him because of that,” current vice-chairman Don Barnwell said. “We would always talk after council meetings about problems and how we could fix them.”
Secretary Joel Pounders said he learned a lot from Grissom over the years.
“Howard and I shared a love of God and a love of the land, and I could tell a hundred tales about him because we were so close,” Pounders said. “I always try to do what’s right and take care of what God gave us because that’s what I got from Howard. I know he’s with us every day.”
“Howard was a man you couldn’t help but love and appreciate what he did,” executive board member Bill Taylor said.
“And he was always wanting to give you something – something he had grown usually. He was a generous man.”
Northwest Alabama RC&D Coordinator Charlie Meek said Grissom’s generosity was apparent in everything he did and that Grissom was a good person to have around.
“Howard and I got to laugh a lot together because I sometimes take things too serious,” Meek said. “He welcomed me with open arms when I became the coordinator here, and I’ll never forget the last day we spent together was spent helping someone.
“He always served at 110 percent and I’ll always remember him.”
Roger Hayes, who serves as chairman of the executive board, said Grissom was a great person to work with.
“Howard was a leader on this board and he always had a positive attitude,” Hayes said. “We’ve had some difficult times on RC&D over the years and he helped us through.”
During the tribute, members of the executive council presented Grissom’s wife, Billie, with a photo array, and a pin. They also presented the family with a check for $1,050 to go towards the Shelby Grissom Memorial Scholarship at Northwest-Shoals Community College in memory of Grissom’s granddaughter who passed away on Nov. 9, 2008, after a year-long battle with an extremely rare brain disease called Alexander’s Disease.
“When you look at a person like Howard Grissom, you realize this really is all about the people – who they are and what they represent,” NRCS State Conservationist Dr. William Puckett said.
