Sprowl wants community to remember her husband
Remembering her beloved husband was the reason for the stone inset purchased by Eleanor Sprowl. She wanted to ensure people would not forget her husband, Tom, and his love for this community.
?I don?t want people to forget Tom and what he did for McMinnville,? said Eleanor. ?That is why I bought the slate. I wanted a reminder here because McMinnville meant a lot to him and I didn?t want people to forget.?
Tom Sprowl was McMinnville?s first city administrator. He moved here from San Antonio, Texas in March 1988 and worked for 13 years. In that time he accomplished several things.
That included the following:
? Established the city?s first long-range capital improvement program.
? Supervised completion of resurfacing of approximately 95 percent of all city streets since 1989.
? Helped develop Greenway Project. Supervised park improvements which included River Front Park and soccer complex.
? Acquired $6 million in grants since 1991 for water/sewer improvements, police, parks recreation improvements, housing and rehab of low-income housing.
?When Tom was city administrator, he and the department heads were a team,? said Eleanor. ?They worked together to make all these things happen. He would talk with them daily regarding ways to accomplish what needed to be done.?
When asked about Sprowl?s dedication to the city and its residents, Mayor Royce Davenport repeated one of the most memorable events, and little known, that happened during Sprowl?s time as city administrator.
?He received calls regarding a smell,? said Davenport. ?No one knew where the smell was coming from. Tom and his wife got into the car, rolled down the windows and rode around town trying to find the smell. That was how dedicated Tom was to citizens.?
When reminded, Sprowl?s wife remembered that incident fondly.
?He called me the nose,? said Eleanor. ?So, he had me get in the car to try to find the smell. We rolled the windows down and rode around town until we found the smell. It was the sewer. The problem got fixed and everyone was happy.?
Although Davenport had hoped to have a memorial or something for Sprowl, he admits that this never materialized. Four short months after he retired and moved back to San Antonio, he died.
?Live every day,? said Eleanor. ?Tom taught me that. If you can make a difference in someone?s life, that?s what we are here for. None of us are guaranteed a tomorrow.?
The stone inset was placed this January.