As you now know, Mr. Roland Pettie, a stalwart in the Butler County public educational system and principal at Georgiana High School passed away recently. They say you can judge a person by the amount of emotional outpouring following their passing. For Roland Pettie, the needle was off the charts. He touched so many lives during his short time on earth that the full impact of his good deeds can never truly be counted. We'll miss him here at the Advocate and my family's prayers are with his family, and the many students and faculty of the school system as they mourn his passing.

While attending the Butler County Board of Education meeting last week, the board issued a proclamation honoring Pettie. It was asked during the board meeting if the Advocate would print the proclamation, which was very heartfelt and illustrates not only what Pettie meant to the public education system in Butler County, but to the place we all call home. I humbly agreed to oblige their request, so what follows is the proclamation that was read into the minutes of the April 21, 2005 Butler County Board of Education meeting, a copy of which was presented to Pettie's family.

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In Memoriam

Roland Pettie

Whereas, Roland Pettie, Principal of Georgiana High School, passed away on April 15, 2005, at the age of fifty-seven years; and,

Whereas, we join with his bereaved family in mourning this loss of a respected colleague and trusted friend; but we take comfort as we pause to reflect upon his full life which we observed as dedicated in loyal, faithful and unselfish service to his community; and,

Whereas, in memoriam, we note that obviously he was so taught to number his days that he remembered his Creator in the days of his youth, for he remembered youth the remainder of his days; and,

Whereas, the application of his heart to that spark of divine wisdom meted to him by his Creator was to enlighten the minds of children through education, which was his reasonable service; and,

Whereas, in Christ-like meekness, seeking as his only reward a consciousness of service to those children, he fanned this spark to a zealous flame by serving for thirty-six years as a dedicated educator of students in the Butler County Schools System.

Whereas, now that his Creator has called him to rest from his labors and as we verily believe, to receive that glorious accolade, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant," we acknowledge that his works shall live long after him in the lives of the many he touched and taught both by precept and example.

Now Therefore Be It Resolved, by the members of the Butler County Board of Education and the Interim Secretary and Superintendent of Education, in meeting duly assembled on this 21st day of April, 2005, as follows:

1. That we, his associates, do hereby extend our sincere sympathy to his bereaved widow and children and hereby express our deep sense of loss at this temporary disassociation from his physical presence.

2. That we do publicly give thanks to Almighty God for the length of his days among us and for his spiritual insight which taught him to so number his days as to apply his heart to that wisdom which produced a life that meant so much to so many.

3. That a copy of this resolution be spread upon the official minutes of this meeting, and that a copy be sent to the widow and family of Roland Pettie

Signed:

Linda Hamilton, President; Terry Williams, Vice President; Billy Jones, Board Member; Joseph Lisenby, Board Member; Joanne Peak, Board Member; R. Wayne Boswell, Interim Secretary and Superintendent of Education

Dennis Palmer is the publisher of of the Greenville Advocate and can be reached at 383-9302, ext. 125 or via email at dennis.palmer@greenvilleadvcate.com.