After a hard fought election season, 52 years ago in 1970, a brand new Mayor took office.
Alfonzo Kester had won the election and was installed as Mayor at the beginning of the year.
In the week of January 16th, Kester met up with the old Mayor, Howard Armstrong, with their Councils at a Café called Curt’s Café.
Months before this, he wrote the following poem (Published in the Nebo Times in May of 1970.):
Be a Booster
Boost your city, boost, my friend!
Boost the church that you attend;
Boost the street on which you’re dwelling,
Boost the goods your city’s selling,
Boost for every good improvement,
Boost for every forward movement.
Boost the folks with whom you labor,
Boost your friendly next door neighbor.
Boost your city’s public schools,
Boost the youth, both boys and girls.
Boost the things that nature gave you.
Boost for each good civic issue,
Boost from New Years to December.
Days after that jovial meeting, on January 23rd at a City Council meeting, this brand-new mayor fell ill, suffering a heart attack, and died.
After a mere three weeks in office, the man that the citizenry had appointed to lead them had perished.
Let us remember the message that this community leader left in the last few months of his life; and remember that life is fleeting and unpredictable. It’s too short to spend bickering and arguing with friends or family.
Let us be Boosters.