Thomas named Viola Citizen of the Year
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Thomas, 93, has been named the 2002 Citizen of the Year for the Viola Valley Homecoming, which starts Friday. More than 5,000 people are expected.
Mention his name and most people associate it with Viola Clowns, a popular baseball team that Thomas started with his family.
But Viola Mayor and Viola Valley Commission, Inc. President Kevin Lawrence said Thomas was just plain fun.
“Abe has been a character throughout the years out here,” he said, noting Thomas did a lot of maintenance in the community.
“I don’t know if he ever got paid for that or not. He’s been a lot of fun through the years,” Lawrence added.
According to a biographical sketch provided by the family, Thomas was born in 1908 in a community called Alizona, located between Viola and McMinnville. He worked around the community when he was old enough and eventually moved to Nashville.
He returned to Viola and eventually married Ina Pauline Northcutt. The couple had eight children. The family raised and sold hogs. Thomas also worked in delivery for Luther Crouch and started the baseball team in the late 1940s.
Wayne Wolford, who is gathering research for a book about the Viola Clowns and McMinnville Rockets, the latter of which he played for about 15 years, said Thomas was an inspiration.
“There aren’t too many people in this community who don’t know Abe Thomas,” he said. “As far as the baseball, it was very inspiring that an individual really took charge, really with family members.”
Thomas said back then, he just wanted something for the kids to do.
“I just wanted to get the boys where they weren’t running around,” he said, adding that the girls weren’t allowed at practice but attended the games.
“We had a good baseball team too. Whatever I told them to do, they better have done it,” he said. “And they did it too. They always minded. I talked to them. I treated them good. And they treated me good, too.”
As far as the maintenance work, Thomas mowed some. He said he was paid at times, but the pay didn’t matter.
“Sometimes they would give me something. Sometimes they wouldn’t, but I did it anyhow,” he said. “I was trying to keep old Viola clean.”
As the Viola Valley Homecoming gets under way Friday and continues Saturday, Thomas said he’ll be there. He will be the first African American named as Viola’s Citizen of the Year. He said he’s honored by the distinction.
“I’m going,” he said of the event. “They want me to and I’m going because they asked me.”
Daughter Henrietta Lusk said the family is looking forward to seeing their patriarch honored.
“I’m just proud that the people of Viola thought so much of my dad to do this for him,” she said. “We all are.”