County Executive Jim Vincent hands Leon Locke a copy of the resolution that the commissioners just passed to honor him for his work as a volunteer. From left, Commissioners Tommy Ballard, Mark Cashman, Nick Welch, Emily Fisher, Billy Thedford, Sandy Francisco, Vice-Chairman Leo Stephens and Phillip Dunn. Standing up front are County Commission Chairman Jim Reed, Mr. Locke and County Executive Jim Vincent.
During a lengthy monthly meeting, the Rhea County Commission took time out to honor one of their own employees with a resolution.
Leon Locke, who is currently the director of Parks and Recreation for the county, was presented with a resolution honoring him for his years of service to the county.
Mr. Locke, a 1974 graduate of Rhea County High School, has for 50 years volunteered throughout the county in various capacities. He has been a member of the Rhea County Rescue squad since 1978 and has served as president and chaplain for them. He was also instrumental in working on the new building headquarters for the Spring City location.
While director of Parks and Recreation, Mr. Locke oversaw the rebuilding and the improvements to the Rhea Springs Recreational area. The county is looking to expand some 400 acres into a recreation center on the north side of Watts Bar Dam.
Besides his work for the county and the rescue squad, Mr. Locke was elected to a four-year term to the Spring City Council and currently serves as vice-mayor. He also serves as a certified coach and referee and was chosen to serve as the president of the Spring City Girls Softball Association and is also a board member of the Spring City American Youth Soccer Organization. As well, he volunteers with the Rhea County Fair Association. He has participated in various fundraisers for all the endeavors that the volunteers for including organizing a womanless beauty contest to fund the building of a new softball field in Spring City.
This recognition by the Rhea County Commission comes on the heels of his receiving the Governor's Volunteer Star Award in February of this year.
The Governor's Volunteer Stars Awards is an initiative from Volunteer Tennessee that seeks to recognize outstanding volunteers from each of Tennessee's 95 counties. Since 2008, participating counties have conducted a call for nominations and recognize one outstanding youth and one outstanding adult volunteer. The Governor’s Volunteer Stars Awards also recognizes one business and one non-profit from each of Tennessee’s three Grand Regions for their outstanding community involvement and service. Mr. Locke was the 2023 winner for Rhea County.
Besides his work as a volunteer, Mr. Locke managed to raise three daughters and is now a grandfather.