CRESTVIEW — Former Mayor George Whitehurst died Sunday following a lengthy illness. Whitehurst served as mayor for 24 years, from 1961-62, 1967-76, and 1995-07. He was 88.
Born in Greenwood in 1926, he attended Florida State University where he was a part of the school’s famous student Flying High Circus troupe and performed on the flying trapeze.
Whitehurst served as a U.S. Navy corpsman during World War II and graduated from the Indiana College of Mortuary Science in 1950. The same year he married his high school sweetheart Annelle Anderson.
Opening Whitehurst Funeral Home in Crestview in 1955, he became a leading member of the city’s business community. The next year he was among the founders of the Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce.
County commissioner and chamber president Wayne Harris called Whitehurst a “statesmen, visionary and a friend and mentor,” and referred to him as “one of the ‘56ers” who founded the influential organization.
A VISIONARY
Mayor David Cadle, too, often described Whitehurst as a mentor and a friend.
“The city of Crestview has lost a devoted public servant with the passing of Mayor George Whitehurst,” Cadle stated in an email Monday morning.
“Mayor Whitehurst was a visionary who always had an eye to the future of his beloved city during his 24 years of service. He was a mentor and friend to many, including myself, and his wise counsel and encouragement will be missed,” Cadle stated.
Among Whitehurst’s accomplishments were:
• Obtaining property for Twin Hills Park from the Louisville and Nashville Railroad
• Obtaining the former Yellow River Railroad right-of-way for today’s Industrial Drive
• Overseeing the construction and opening of the current Crestview Public Library
• Procuring funding for two fire department substations and the Crestview Public Safety Building
• Initiating the drive for elevated security lights at the Interstate 10 and State Road 85 interchange
• Coordinating the county Millennium celebration
• Initiating a drive and raised funds for the Okaloosa County Veterans Memorial
• Securing 15 acres at no cost to the city for the Crestview Public Library and the community center, and
• Fundraising for the new Crestview Area Chamber of Commerce building.
RECOGNITIONS
When Crestview acquired a former light manufacturing facility on the corner of Stillwell Boulevard and Industrial Drive in 2009, the City Council unanimously approved calling it the George H. Whitehurst Municipal Building. Today it houses the Crestview Police Department and Warriors Hall auditorium.
In 2013 Whitehurst was named recipient of the Mae Retha Coleman Crestview Citizen of the Year Award.
“This is an award for what you do in this community, for your community and for your neighbors,” Coleman said. “It is a humanitarian award. Mayor Whitehurst did good for the city. I know he did what he did for humanitarian reasons.”
A celebration of Whitehurst’s life will be 2 p.m. Wednesday at First Baptist Church of Crestview. Visitation begins at noon. Burial will be at Liveoak Park Memorial Cemetery.
Cadle requested Gov. Rick Scott allow city flags to be lowered to half-mast tomorrow.
WANT TO GO?
WHAT: George Whitehurst Celebration of Life
WHEN: Family visitation: noon; Celebration of life, 2 p.m.; burial following
WHERE: First Baptist Church of Crestview, 171 Hickory Ave. W.; Burial: Liveoak Park Memorial Cemetery, 112 North Ave. E.
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: George Whitehurst, longest-serving Crestview mayor, dies