CRESTVIEW — A new bench overlooking Twin Hills Park's east pond honors the memory of a former city and civic leader.
When State Road 85 motorists cross the overpass above the Crestview railroad tracks, they can thank former GFWC Woman’s Club of Crestview President and City Councilwoman Ernestine Barker that they needn’t wait for a train.
Click here for photos from the dedication ceremony>>
“She was the one who pushed for getting the 85 overpass,” current club President Jeanne Gutenmann said. “One day, she was going to a doctor’s appointment and got hung up by a train. She said, ‘I’m going to get an overpass put over this railroad,’ and she did.”
Barker’s son, Bill Barker, her nephew, Byrd Mapoles, and their wives, Donna and Paula Lou, respectively, attended Tuesday's dedication and took a ceremonious seat on the blue metal bench.
The bench is situated east of Northwest Florida State College's Bob Sikes campus, behind a maple tree that the Woman’s Club donated to the park.
Club members and Mayor David Cadle remembered Barker as a no-nonsense, forthright woman.
“Ernestine was a friend of all of us, but she was also a friend of the community,” club Public Issues chairwoman and former City Councilwoman Linda Parker said. “She had a special place in my heart. She always told it like it is.”
“I think it’s important for a city to acknowledge and remember the ones who’ve brought us this far,” Cadle said. “This is a well-deserved accolade for a great lady.”
The highway overpass, completed in 1978, rerouted S.R. 85 traffic from Main Street to its present route on what was once a segment of Pearl Street.
Barker also served as a local school bus driver in the 1960s, during which her firm discipline over her young passengers was well known.
She was on the city council from 1985 until 1986 and served as Woman’s Club president from 1964 to 1966.
“She was a great woman,” Gutenmann said.
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Park bench honors former councilwoman, civic leader's memory (PHOTOS)