Fatherly advice

By Jennifer R. Hill
jennifer@athensnews-courier.com

June 23, 2009 04:38 pm

— Good fathers have a way of teaching their children by example. Whether it’s singing, playing sports, or working on cars, the lessons found in the activities shared with Dad can often be applied to life. Still other fathers simply “walk the walk” to illustrate the character they hope their children will adopt.
Athens City Mayor Dan Williams said his father told him during his teen years that “a drunk man can’t take care of himself and if you smoke your breath smells bad.”
He didn’t always heed his dad’s advice, Williams said, but when he was older he learned every word his father said was true.
Williams also said his love of music came from his father. Williams and his two siblings were influenced by his parents as they traveled the southern gospel circuit when he was a child. His father would often call when Williams was an adult and play new songs he had written, over the phone for him, he said.
It’s the small tidbits of advice and fun that remain with us and remind us of our father’s throughout our lives. Below several other city officials and employees share their father’s advice.

2. Athens City Fire Prevention Chief Tony Kirk said his father wanted him to do his best.
“In whatever I done, just do my best. He’d say, ‘If you do the best that you can there’s not anything left for you to do. If that’s not enough for people then maybe they’re expecting too much,’” Kirk said.
Kirk was also influenced by his grandfather whose motto was “Always give people around you a little extra.” His grandfather grew and sold strawberries, and he would always make sure people got a few extras, Kirk said.

3. City Clerk John Hamilton said his father emphasized being prepared and the importance of responsibility in all he did. “Marriage and kids made it real,” Hamilton said.
He reiterates his father’s advice with his own children as he talks about education and preparing them to take of themselves and their families, he said.

4. Executive secretary Vicky Dowd said her father installed a good work ethic in her and her brother.
“He told me, ‘if you’re going to have anything, you’re going to have to work for it,’” she said.

5. David Ledford of the Athens City Fire Department said his dad focused on being honest.
“Honesty was a big thing with my dad,” Ledford said. “He said, ‘If you’re honest you’ll always do good.’”

6. Athens City Firefighter Tommy “the gun” Lewis said his father gave him advice on when to stand his ground and when to run.
“He said, ‘Some bullies will respect you if you stand up to them; other are dangerous sociopaths who should be avoided altogether,’” Lewis said. “He also said to stay in school.”

7. Athens City Fire Department Driver Torrey Downs said his father compared life to baseball.
“I remember him saying ‘head down, eye on the ball,’” Downs said. “And ‘you can turn a loss into a win by learning something from it.’”