Jerry Fraiser was the kind of person I have looked to as an example of how to make a positive difference in our community.
He was wrapping up his tenure as the director of our Chamber of Commerce when I came back home to Yazoo in 2006 so I didn't have many opportunities to work with him in that capacity. I really got to know him better later in life when I started going to church with him after our family joined First United Methodist Church.
My favorite memory of him will always be watching him spend time with his granddaughter in recent years. I would always see them walking together, and it was a touching image with the retired brigadier general and successful businessman totally captivated by a little girl. You could see that they shared a strong bond, and it always brightened my day to see them together.
Although I didn't get much time to work with Mr. Fraiser when he was leading the Chamber, I did take the time to look back on his work when I was added to the Chamber's Board of Directors and again when I became president.
One thing that I have saved for years was a column Mr. Fraiser wrote that was published in this newspaper. It was written 15 years ago, but his words are still true today.
"The future of Yazoo really does depend on all of us," Fraiser wrote. "No longer can we look for someone to step in and do the things that need to be done. I think all Yazooans have become complacent about our community. We still have a very attractive place in which to live and raise a family. But we must all get involved in our community in order to keep Yazoo a vibrant and attractive place to live and do business in."
Those words are more true now than ever. Anyone who has spent a long time in our community would likely agree that a lot of things have been heading in the wrong direction. Most of the bright spots are the direct result of people who truly believe in Yazoo taking it upon themselves to improve our community.
"It is incumbent on each of us to get involved in the education system, politics and be supportive of the efforts that are being made to improve Yazoo," Fraiser continued. "This doesn't mean that each of us needs to be on a crusade, but it does mean that, as citizens, we need to act or to at least raise questions when we see or hear things we don't understand. It could be as little as stopping to pick up a piece of trash, or better yet, to not litter at all, or reporting suspicious activities to law enforcement or school officials."
Mr. Fraiser's next words, were the ones that in my opinion most of us needed to hear the most. I'm sharing them again because I think they're even more important now.
"The attitude that everything is someone else's responsibility will no longer ensure that this community will remain the kind of place that our children will want to live in or raise a family in. We must accept personal responsibility for our actions and inactions."
Those were wise words in 2005, and it's a message that so many Yazooans desperately need to hear today.
If you're waiting around for someone else to solve the problems you see in this community, you are likely setting yourself up for some serious disappointments. Our elected leaders are barely keeping the roads drivable and the trash picked up on schedule. That probably sounds like an overly harsh assessment, but I believe it's the cold hard truth. Take a drive around town and tell me if you disagree.
We have some good local leaders and we have some who are ineffective. As a whole they currently seem to be maxed out just trying to keep up with the basic duties.
Like Jerry Fraiser noted 15 years ago, real change must start with us as individuals. We have to be willing to do our part, and as he pointed out, it doesn't have to be a crusade. It can be a simple effort to help get things moving in the right direction.
A great way to honor the memory of this great Yazooan would be for each of us to take a look inside ourselves and see what we can do to be part of the change we want to see. Most importantly, he wanted to see all Yazooans working together.
I am going to make that commitment myself, and I challenge you to do the same.
