Longtime resident and former Bowdon Mayor David Trammell Barrow, the man who coined Bowdon’s slogan “The Friendly City,” will receive an official day in his honor.

Barrow, known as “Buddy” by many local residents, was born in the city on March 1, 1929, and grew up in Bowdon next door to his grandparents John William and Ellen Lovern Barrow. He graduated from Bowdon High School and attended both the University of West Georgia and Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas.

Barrow left Bowdon in 1946 to attend college and returned to his grandfather’s home in 1959 with his wife, Jo. That year, he became a plant manager for Houghton International in Carrollton where he stayed until 1971. In 1975, David underwent one of the first coronary bypass surgeries in Georgia history, which improved his health to the point that he was able to become more involved in the Bowdon community.

“I became active in the community, volunteering at the local hospital and getting into politics,” he said.

In 1974, Barrow was elected to his first term as Bowdon’s mayor and stayed until 1982. During his first terms, David made a number of major accomplishments for the city, including the funding and completion of Bowdon’s water source, Lake

Tisinger, and a major expansion and upgrade of the Bowdon Water Pollution and Control Plant and Bowdon Water Plant. Now that the city is seriously looking to expand those facilities, Barrow has been praised for helping to design the facilities in such a way that they can be easily expanded.

In 1982, Barrow went back to work as the executive director for the Chattahoochee-Flint Regional Development Center, from which he retired in 1995. With his working years behind him, he again turned his attention to the Bowdon community, beating out current Mayor Jim Watts for the mayoral position in 1996. In all, he has served 11 years as Bowdon’s mayor and an additional eight on the City Council.

Barrow was also named “Framer of the Constitution of the State of Georgia” by former Gov. George Busbee for the work he did as a member of the Georgia Constitutional Revision Committee from 1981 to 1982. Another former governor, Joe Frank Harris, recognized Barrow for the work he did through Chatt-Flint. In 1999, Barrow was given a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgia Municipal Association, which he served as president of from 1979-1980.

In 2002, Barrow went to Florida to visit his sons, David and Ken Barrow in the Florida Keys, but the trip lasted longer than he anticipated.

“I had gone down to visit my two sons for a short period of time and wound up meeting Joan and staying five years,” he said.

When Barrow and his wife, Joan, first met, she was at work in environmental conservation, specifically trying to save the woodland rat. The two were married in 2003 and moved back to Bowdon with plans to stay when they learned that his grandparents’ home was on the market.

“A lot of the town’s history is tied up in this old house,” he said.

Both Barrow and Joan are active in a number of community groups and activities, including the Bowdon Historical Society and the First United Methodist Church. However, Barrow said that they are enjoying a more quiet lifestyle these days.

“We’re phasing down,” he said. “We’re still interested in what’s happening in the city.”

Joan said that in preparation for Barrow’s 80th birthday, two of his daughters, Ginger Harman and Ellen Powers, contacted Watts about a plan to honor their father. However, their math was a little off.

“I joined the Navy when I was 16, and I changed my birth certificate to make myself a year older, but they don’t know that,” he said.

David said that he corrected his birth certificate a few years later, but that was overlooked in his daughter’s planning.

“They think I’m an old man,” he said. “I’m not, I’m merely 79.”

Regardless of his actual age, Watts officially declared March 1, 2008, “David T. Barrow Day,” which will be celebrated by a public reception at Copeland Hall from 2 to 4 p.m. Watts surprised his former opponent with the proclamation at the February City Council meeting, which was attended by several members of Barrow’s family.

“He’s just done so much for the city and for the area that he needed some sort of recognition,” Watts said. “This is, what I would say, the least we could do.”

Barrow said that Joan and Watts worked together to get him to the meeting.

“I had a sneaking idea something was up,” he said. “I kept wondering why Joan insisted on going to the meeting.”

Barrow said that he was especially honored by the proclamation because Watts’ father, Dr. James W. Watts, who served as Bowdon’s mayor during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, was one of his role models.

“Jimmy’s following along in his father’s footsteps,” Barrow said. “He’s been a very good public servant through the years.”

As for the Saturday itself, Barrow said he is looking forward to spending a quiet day with family and friends and enjoying the reception.

“The reception will be the highlight of course, and I’m looking forward to as many of my children being there as possible,” he said.

Despite the numerous accomplishments and recognitions he has garnered in his lifetime, Barrow said his greatest achievements in life are his five children. He said that he and Joan have enjoyed being back in Bowdon, the town he served for so many years.

“I’ve loved every minute of my service to this city, and it’s really just a delight through the years to be involved with trying to make Bowdon a better place than I found it,” he said. “I hope I’ve done that.”