A sign of the times

Prather honored with roadway sign amidst typo

From left, Mary Prather, Keith Prather, Nicholas Prather, Eleanor Prather, Marisol Bell, Tim Pass, Martha Prather Pass, Lynn Prather and Tim Prather posed with the sign for the George E. Prather Memorial Roadway.  Special to the Walton Tribune

If George Prather had seen the sign naming a portion of the highway in Good Hope after him, you can rest assured it would have looked a tad different.

Prather, after all, spent years working at the Walton Press. He had a lot of experience catching and removing typos from work before it went out the doors.

They could have used him at the county office where the sign was made.

When Prather’s family proudly unveiled the sign, meant to boldly proclaim Pleasant Valley Road in the city as the George E. Prather Memorial Roadway, there were groans of dismay when they actually saw what it said: “George E. Parther Memorial Roadway.”

But the family took it in stride as Good Hope Mayor Randy Garrett promised to have the county fix the sign as soon as possible.

Prather’s son, Keith Prather, didn’t even wait that long.

He hopped up and peeled the reversed letters off and replaced them in the correct order to ensure the sign honored his father as it was meant to.

Turns out correcting typos runs in the family.

He hopped up and peeled the reversed letters off and replaced them in the correct order to ensure the sign honored his father as it was meant to.

Turns out correcting typos runs in the family.

Despite the spelling error, the friends and family of George Prather refused to let the surprise typo cast a pall over the event as they celebrated the legacy of one of Good Hope’s prime citizens.

Garrett said he was proud to preside over the unveiling of the sign.

“One of the most pleasant jobs I’ve had as mayor is to recognized people for good things,” Garrett said. “George was a mayor of Good Hope, he was a city councilman. He was active at Bethel Baptist Church. He was always in the community doing stuff.”

Garrett said he got to know Prather very well, first meeting him at Walton Press but soon moving into the lot next door, where Prather was his neighbor for many years.

“George was my next door neighbor and my friend,” Garrett said. “He was Good Hope’s friend. It’s wonderful to have neighbors who are there for you and George was there for Good Hope.”

Garrett said the new roadway name was a worthy honor for Prather’s legacy.

“A great part of George’s legacy was him being there for others,” Garrett said. “His legacy is one we can all cherish. He was ready to be helpful.”

Keith Prather said he was thrilled to see his father honored with the new sign and roadway change and said his father would cherish being a part of the community in such a way.

“Daddy loved Good Hope,” he said.