Mayor Ashley Curry
This month’s Mayor’s Minute is in memory of Chief Dan Rary, our beloved chief of police. In trying to decide what to write about, the word “dedication” came to mind. One of our city’s greatest resources is the dedication of our employees. As police chief, Rary’s job required enthusiasm, self-sacrifice and — most of all — dedication. He was the quintessential example of a dedicated employee, having served our Police Department for 42 years. In today’s workplace, there are not many people who dedicate their lives to any one entity for that length of time.
One of the main components of the quality of life in our city is safety. As you have heard me say in my last four State of the City presentations, our city is one of the safest in Alabama and the safest for cities over 25,000 in population. I would like to congratulate Chief Dan Rary and the men and women of the Vestavia Hills Police Department for making this happen. Safety is one of the quality-of-life factors that are among the primary reasons people choose to live in Vestavia Hills.
Chief Rary was an ardent Auburn football fan. Legendary football coach Shug Jordan included his five “Ds” in many presentations: discipline, desire, determination, dedication and dependability.
Each one of these describes Chief Rary. Coach Jordan would be proud.
I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize the Rary family. His wife, Carron, and their two children, Shane and Hannah, dealt with the stress common to all law enforcement families. Missed family events, late hours at work and the ever-present worry about safety are common with police families. I thank them for their sacrifice and their support of Chief Rary during his law enforcement career.
Thanks to all the many law enforcement agencies and police colleagues that have expressed their condolences for his family and our city during this time.
Lastly, thanks to the Hoover, Homewood and Mountain Brook police departments, as well as other agencies, for their assistance with traffic management and service coverage during Chief Rary’s funeral.
Next month, our Vestavia Hills Arts Council will highlight “Arts-tober.” During October, the Arts Council will sponsor numerous events that will include:
Oct. 1-31: Visual Art Exhibit at City Hall
Oct. 22: Cahaba Chamber Chorale, Civic Center, 3 p.m.
Oct. 24: Vestavia Hills High School Choir Concert, Vestavia Hills Methodist Church, 7 p.m.
Oct. 26: Vestavia Hills High School Theatre production of “CLUE,” 7 p.m.
Oct. 26: Vestavia “He(Art)” Fest, City Center, 5-8 p.m.
Oct. 27: Second Grade “America” program, Vestavia Hills Elementary West, 1 p.m.
I hope everyone had a great summer and is gearing up for fall football season. Go Rebels!
