Valdosta Mayor John Gayle and Public Works Director Richard Hardy honored Charles Brantley, Lawrence McCoy, and Gloria White as the March 2018 Employees of the Month at the March 8 City Council meeting. They each received a framed certificate, a check for $200, and their names appear on a plaque displayed in City Hall.
 
As a crew leader with the Public Works Department for 33 years, Brantley is responsible for supervising and participating in the mowing of city right-of-ways and operating equipment.
Since 1988, McCoy has been employed with the department and holds the position of heavy equipment operator, where he is responsible for operating a knuckle-boom truck to collect and transport yard waste and recyclable materials.
 
White began her employment with the department in 1997. As a light equipment operator, she is responsible for mowing city right-of-ways and operating equipment.
 
In December 2017, the three public works employees helped a former coworker find his final resting place. Former Public Works employee Earnest Hardwick passed away without family or friends coming forth to claim his body. Upon hearing the news, Brantley, McCoy, and White coordinated employee efforts in his greatest time of need.
 
“We wanted to show love for our fellow employee and couldn’t bear the thought of Earnest not having a proper burial in his hometown of Valdosta,” said Brantley.  “We have worked alongside each other for so many years and have become like family. This is what family does for each other.”
 
Faced with obstacles from the funeral home, they contacted City Councilwoman Vivian Miller-Cody to help get a suit donated in which to bury Hardwick. They also began fundraising efforts to pay for the modest funeral services and to give Hardwick the appropriate burial he deserved.
 
“I’m so proud to be a part of the Valdosta family,” said Miller-Cody. “When coworkers treat each other like family and show such love for a previous employee, it’s a great thing to witness and be a part of.”
 
The City of Valdosta is fortunate to have employees who are not only dedicated to their jobs, but also to each other in times of need.