DeKalb County lost an incredible man last week in the passing of Mr. Thomas “Tommy” Gray Webb. A long-time educator, librarian, historian and hard-core Democrat, he will be missed tremendously yet remembered fondly by everyone who was fortunate enough to know him.

In a long-sought after interview, Mr. Webb finally agreed in 2017 for a feature story to be done in the Smithville Review. This took years of tiresome efforts to convince him, and he seeing other personal feature stories printed weekly before he ever agreed. He insisted throughout the years “I’m no one special; there’s no need for a story.”

Yet he was someone special to countless people; local and throughout the United States. We could never truly know how many DeKalb County family histories he recited right off the top of his head.

In the interview, Mr. Webb admitted he was smart, that he had an excellent memory and never needed to record lectures in college.

“I’m smart. I faced that a long time ago,” he said. “I have an excellent memory. God provided me with that. Nothing I could do about it one way or the other. It was a big help. I never took notes in college. I could remember what the instructor said.”

He finished college in three years, and began teaching less than a week after his 21st birthday. After only six weeks of teaching, the army called. He served in 1953-1954 taking advantage of the opportunity to travel to Germany, Holland, Belgium, France, Spain, and Italy along with anywhere else he could go.

After fulfilling his time in the Army, he returned to school and received a master’s degree before the local school year began. He began teaching at a one-teacher school, which is what he wanted to do, until he was transferred to the high school.

“They thought I’d be tickled to death to go to the high school,” he said in the interview. “I told them I would go wherever they needed me to go. That was the year they put the cow in the high school.”

As he told of how trick-or-treating was actually just tricking at that time, he recalled how he had overheard kids talking about pulling something at the school. He suggested to the principal he might need a watchman. As the principal wasn’t too worried about it, he decided not to be either. He arrived at the high school a little early following that Halloween night curious as to what may have been done.  He recalled the story with a mischievous smile on his face.

“Six of our young men, all football players, went to a nearby barn and took a cow,” he told. “They drove it up to the school, and they were going to put her upstairs in the auditorium, but she wouldn’t go up the steps, so they led her down the steps to the girls’ restroom. That’s where she was the next morning. As I started to walk up to the school, the office window was opened, and a chicken flew out. Mr. Denton was throwing chickens out of his office. He was really mad. Then somebody came in and said there was a cow in the restroom, and a wagon in the old gym. It was just a shambles.  He thought I knew who did it, which I did, but I had already told him all I was going to about it. He stayed mad at me for the next year.”

Stories like this one and an impeccable memory of everything DeKalb County, along with an eagerness to help anyone and everyone is how this DeKalb County native will be remembered.

He told us his grave marker tells his story best – “A Lifelong Democrat.”

Rest in peace Mr. Webb. You truly helped so many during your earthly journey.

You can find the complete interview and story from 2017, on our website www.smithvillereview.com.