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Two Lowndes County Commissioners are set to be honored for their service to area residents.

The Association of County Commissions of Alabama will honor District 5 Commissioner Dickson Farrior and District 2 Commissioner Charlie King, Jr. at its 96th annual convention Aug. 20-22.

Both commissioners will receive their Tenure in Office Award during an awards ceremony on Aug. 22 as part of the convention held at Perdido Beach Resort in Orange Beach.

According to Abby Fitzpatrick, ACCA director of communication and engagement, Farrior began serving in the office in 1984 and is the second longest serving county commissioner in Alabama.

“According to our records, Commissioner Farrior is not the longest serving commissioner – yet,” Fitzpatrick said. “Our records indicate that another commissioner, who is no longer in office, served for 42 years. So, in three years, I would say Commissioner Farrior could be deemed the longest serving living commissioner because our election records only go back as far as the 1970s.”

Farrior said he counted it an honor to serve Lowndes County, something he learned from other family members who were commissioners before him.

“The County has been really good to me,” Farrior said. “I’ve tried to make the county a better place for me and my family. It’s a great place to live.

“My grandaddy was on the commission, and my daddy was on the commission. My uncle was on the commission too. I think everybody needs to try to make wherever they live a better place. Everyone benefits when we do that.”

“Commissioner Farrior deserves the gratitude of all Alabamians for his dedication to public service and his personal sacrifice,” said ACCA Executive Director Sonny Brasfield. “Considering the extraordinary challenges county commission members face every day, Commissioner Farrior has continuously served his constituents with honor and pride, and he deserves a pat on the back from everyone in Lowndes County.”

Many changes have been made since Farrior took office 40 years ago. He has witnessed the building of a new jail and the health center as well as the renovation of the courthouse.

When asked what progress he helped bring to fruition felt the most meaningful, Farrior described how upgrading the roads seem to benefit citizens all over the county.

“Getting people off of the dirt roads and all that dust was important,” Farrior said. “When I was first elected, almost all I would hear was, ‘The curtains are red [from the dust].’ We’ve also gotten an ambulance service. It’s not perfect but it’s a lot better than when I started.”

King, who is chairman of the commission, will be honored at the ceremony for serving 32 years on the commission. He was first elected to the seat in 1984 and held the office until 2012.

Reelected in 2020, King is in the fourth year of his current term.

“There were three old ladies in my community who were the pioneers of the movement back in the day,” King said. “They got together, and they didn’t recruit me, they told me I was going to run for county commissioner. They told me if I was active in the community and I had the courage, then I wouldn’t go wrong. I was raised not to say no to the elder people, so we started running a campaign in 1983 and I was elected in 1984.”

King recalled the reason for selecting his motto, “Keep the horse you broke.”

“I had a gentle horse back in the day,” King said. “He was broken, and I could handle him, but he wasn’t a show horse. He was a working horse.

“That’s the way I describe myself. I’m not a show horse, I’m a working horse. I’m not a show commissioner, I’m a working commissioner.

Of the many contributions King has brought to the county, he counts recruiting employers who bring jobs as among the most meaningful.

“I recruited Daehan Solutions, which is at the Tyson Exit of Interstate Highway 65 and Sejong in Fort Deposit that provide 360-something jobs,” King said. “I was concerned about my county not having jobs and economic development, so I worked hard to make sure that some of those things happened and I’m still working toward that.

Farrior said he will not be attending the convention, but King plans to attend and will be present to receive his award.