‘A rare combination of toughness and compassion’: Vestavia leaders honor life and legacy of Danny Rary

To those who knew him during his 40-plus-year career in the civic life of Vestavia Hills, Police Chief Dan Rary was not only a trusted public servant. To many, he was a leader, a visionary and — most importantly — a friend.

Rary died Aug. 1 at the age of 68 after a long battle with cancer.

Born and raised in Gadsden, Rary started his law enforcement career in 1978 working in Hueytown and Pleasant Grove before joining the Vestavia Hills Police Department in 1981. He spent 42 years in the department, rising through the ranks from sergeant to lieutenant to deputy chief and finally to chief.

“Chief Rary is one of the best leaders I have met. He led with such great wisdom and always made decisions in the best interest of others over self,” Vestavia Hills Councilman Paul Head said in a written statement. “I count it a blessing I was able to serve with such a great man.”

Councilman Rusty Weaver began forging a relationship with Rary shortly after starting his first term in 2016. Weaver said he got to know Deputy Chief Jason Hardin who, in turn, encouraged him to get to know Rary. That led to regular mid-week lunches at Full Moon Bar-B-Que, where Weaver developed a deep friendship with Rary and admiration for his depth of character and integrity.

“He was a rare combination of toughness and compassion,” Weaver said. “Literally one of the toughest men I ever met and one of the most compassionate human beings I ever met.”

Weaver said they continued to meet for lunch each Wednesday, even as it was clear that Rary was losing his battle with cancer. During those final months, Weaver said Rary never complained about what he was going through.

“Lately I started every lunch with, ‘How are you doing?’ The answer every time was ‘Great,’” Weaver said. “He either didn’t know how sick he was, or he refused to let it affect those around him.”

Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry said as he was thinking about Rary and how to describe him, one word came to mind: “dedicated.” 

“How many people today work for the same employer for 42 years?” Curry said. “You just don’t see that from people these days.”

Ashley is scheduled to teach a class this fall at the Birmingham Police Academy to newly promoted sergeants, speaking with them about using a servant-leadership model of management, a quality he said Rary exemplified every day on the job.

“He cared about his people, and as a servant leader, you’re there to empower your people, serving them to be better,” Curry said. “He exemplified what I think a well-run department should look like, and it is evidenced by the fact that we don’t lose people. We get a lot of people from other agencies that are looking for a better environment.”

Councilman George Pierce, who moved to Vestavia Hills in 1986, first encountered Rary when his son started playing recreational football on a team coached by Rary as a young VHPD officer. Pierce said Rary, who also had a son on the team, was an imposing figure but possessed a more quiet leadership style that got the best out of the kids.

“I remember he was a big guy, and the kids respected him, but he had a soft way of making them play hard,” Pierce said. “You never heard him raise his voice, but he told the kids what he expected, and that’s the way they played.”

During his comments at Rary’s memorial service on Aug. 8 at Shades Mountain Baptist Church, Vestavia Hills City Manager Jeff Downes said they connected over their shared experience coaching youth football and that the welfare of his officers was always a top concern.

“The lesson we both learned in leading young men played out in our daily lives,” Downes said. “It’s about others and not yourself. We both tried to keep that in mind — both at work and at home.”

“When Chief would come into my office and we deliberated on a way to manage some very complex work issues, the lowest common denominator and most important factor for the chief was his people. It was a focus on others — the people he led in the Vestavia Hills Police Department,’’ Downes said. “How could they be taken care of? It weighed heavy on him if any of the people he led had a life challenge, were struggling at work or weren’t hitting the mark on a goal. He was the employees’ coach, chief and friend.”

 As Rary grew in his career, he brought those same qualities to his job, especially after his promotion to police chief in 2011. Rary was never one to use fear or intimidation as a leader, Pierce said. Instead, he possessed a dignified leadership style that made people want to do their best for him, whether it was on the football field or in the squad room. Pierce said the high standards that Rary set for the department, as well as how he motivated people to meet those standards, will be a challenge to replace.

“When I think about Dan, I think that’s the way he related to his police officers at the Vestavia Hills Police Department. He had a tone in his voice that when he spoke, you listened,” Pierce said.

“They respected him; he established a standard for our police department, and the officers loved him. They’re going to miss him, and it will be tough to replace him,” he added.

Professionally speaking, Pierce and Weaver both said what Rary accomplished in just 12 years as police chief is astounding. They said Rary was a visionary and a fierce advocate for his officers who led the Vestavia Hills Police Department to be one of the most well-respected departments in the region.

“When we hired him in January of 2011 to be the new police chief, it’s as if he had kept a yellow notepad in his bottom right drawer that said, ‘Whenever I become police chief, this is what I want to do,’” Pierce said. “He hit the ground running.”

Weaver said Vestavia Hills is one of the safest communities in the nation because of Rary’s leadership. “He has indoctrinated our deputy chief and captains with his beliefs and leadership style,” Weaver said. “I know they will do everything in their power to continue his work.”