HANK DEWALD HERALD STAFF WRITER

Hank Dewald | Daily Herald Former Halifax County Commissioner Lionel Whidbee, who stepped down as of June 30, shows the resolution acknowledging his honorable service to the county presented to him during a reception in his honor Monday. Advertisement

HALIFAX - Friends, family, business leaders and politicians gathered at the Halifax County Agricultural Center to say goodbye to Halifax County Commissioner Lionel Whidbee Monday afternoon.

Whidbee, who was appointed to his first term on the board by the Halifax County Democratic Party to fill a vacant seat, ironically leaves his seat on the board in the same condition with his resignation.

In his farewell address, Whidbee credited Eugene Bryant with being one of his inspirations and mentors who led him into public service. Whidbee was appointed to fill Bryant's seat on the board after Bryant's death in 2002. Whidbee also thanked former commissioner John Hall for his council and guidance during his term on the board.

Whidbee resigned his seat to return to his hometown of Elizabeth City because of a family medical issue. His funeral home business in Scotland Neck will be sold and remain open, he said, with the same name.

The business is what brought him to Scotland Neck 20 years ago. “When I first drove into the town, I asked myself, ‘how in the world do people live in a place where people park in the middle of the road?'” Whidbee said, laughing.

“We have a great board,” Whidbee told the crowd, “But I have to thank the previous board for taking me under their wing. Whenever I had tough decisions to make, I always asked myself, ‘what would Eugene Bryant and John Hall think about this situation?'”

Fellow Commissioner Gene Minton described working with Whidbee by saying, “He's turned out to be a real good, true friend of mine. He has never, since I've known him, said one bad thing about anyone.”

Some of Whidbee's close friends put together a slide show display in his honor, which included many photographs of him through the years, which brought both tears and laughter from the crowd.

As Whidbee gave his final goodbye to an audience that included Sen. Ed Jones, Rep. Lucy Allen, Rep. Angela Bryant and most of Halifax County management and government, he said, “Today my heart is overwhelmed with joy. I want to say ‘thank you' to a very fine group of people.”