Fox Says Goodbye After 30 Years Of Service

It's been a long and rewarding career for the city of Sebring's Roads, Buildings and Grounds Superintendent George Fox, who announced his retirement as of Dec. 31.

Fox was honored with a city proclamation by Mayor George Hensley at Tuesday's Sebring City Council meeting, where he was also given a plaque and a watch.

Fox started working with the city's Public Works Department in 1976 and was appointed foreman in 1984, under then Superintendent David Weeks.

Fox was promoted again to his current position on Oct. 1, 1987, when the city council made Weeks head of the Solid Waste Department and city landfill.

Fox, now 67, has been thinking and talking about retirement for some time, but decided about a year ago to stick around a little longer.

It's 18 days and counting until retirement, Fox said Thursday, not including weekends and holidays. He said after that, he'll relax for a day or two before he decides what comes next.

Born in Nyack, N.Y., Fox said he was four when his mother died. He lived with his grandmother who had 15 children of her own, 10 boys and five girls. When he was 7 years old his father remarried and he went to live with them.

He achieved his position with just a 10th grade education, although he wasn't recommending anyone else do that.

He believes a college education is a great thing.

"That's why I feel so comfortable leaving," said Fox. "They've got the new man, Rob Miller, who's got the education to take over here. He's bringing new ideas and more modern times here which is good. He's got the talent and a lot on the ball from what I've seen."

Fox believes he was fortunate that he started out with a good job while growing up in Pearl River, in upstate New York.

"I worked for a garbage company up there," he said. "It paid pretty good money. I got out of school and hung with that for a while."

He also worked a while for a couple of uncles who owned diners in New York.

Then he, his wife and stepdaughters came to Sebring for a visit.

Fox said he stayed briefly with his brother-in-law Bob Gray. Fox said he loved it here and wanted to get away from the cold, so he decided to look for work and a place to live. His brother-in-law's father George Gray was driving a trash truck.

He introduced Fox to Bob "Big-Daddy" Burns, then superintendent of public works.

"He asked me why he should hire me," said Fox. "I told him, 'I'm a hard worker; if you hire me you can get rid of two of these other guys.'"

Barnes said, "'Well, you just blew it because I don't have anybody around here like you.'"

"I kind of walked out with my head down," he said. "He came out behind me and said 'I was just kidding; be here in the morning at 7 o'clock.'"

Burns retired around 1991, according to a best guess by city records, as employment records prior to 2000 are in storage when the city updated its computer software.

Fox hit the ground running and never slowed down.

He is proud that he has accomplished and directed what the city's residents, the taxpayers and the city council expected of him.

His department also has a low turnover rate.

"People always hate to get up and go to work," said Fox. "I wanted to figure out a way that people don't mind going to work."

One of the ways he's done that is by personally answering to the people and the city they serve.

A divorcee, it was about nine years ago when Fox met his current wife, Tammy, who still works as a receptionist at Sebring City Hall.

"It was those matchmaker ladies over at city hall," said Fox. "They said, 'Oh you should ask her out.' I said nah; I'm too old for her."

Then, it was at a League of Cities dinner that Tammy was behind the counter. She pinned a name tag on him and they talked, later they danced.

"I got up the nerve to ask her out," he said. "It rocked on for a few months."

About three months later, City Clerk Kathy Haley performed the marriage ceremony.

Fox will be replaced by Miller, who recently moved from Virginia with his wife and three children. With Miller in place, the city will consolidate the Roads, Buildings and Grounds and Solid Waste departments, under the supervision of a Director of Public Works.