"Of all the properties which belong to honorable men, not one is as highly prized as that of character.’’

- Henry Clay

This past weekend, our community lost a truly honorable man, Charles Wilborn.

Through page views on our website and sales of the paper with the report of his passing, the community has agreed overwhelmingly with that statement.

Wilborn, who was just by our office last week, looked fit and raring to possibly make another run for the council seat he held for 14 years.

Charles Wilborn was a man of faith and character, which was evident in his many volunteer hours supporting people and organizations in his beloved community. He saw no color; he saw only the good in everyone.

Steve Horton, who worked hand-in- hand with Wilborn for years, said that "Charles had a great love for children and learning."

When you saw Wilborn around town, he always had a big smile and a warm welcome for you. As far as we know, he had no enemies.

Wilborn could also make a great cake. If you never had the opportunity to try one of his cakes, you missed a very special treat.

In elected office, he conducted himself as he did in his everyday life. He made every attempt to work with his fellow elected officials to ensure that all citizens of the city were treated equally.

Some folks interpreted this as being weak and submissive. Looking at his record, we would say he showed courage and determination to do what was right, not just for himself, but for his constituents and fellow citizens.

We doubt he had a submissive bone in his whole being.

We could use more people today with the qualities of leadership and character that Charles Wilborn had.

We are going to miss him; he once said that he wanted to make a difference and, when he left this world, he wanted to leave a legacy of work.

If only we could all leave as much.

Charles will be laid to rest Saturday; details are on the front page of today’s paper.