VIDALIA &8212; Vidalia Alderman Triand &8220;Tron&8221; McCoy doesn&8217;t have to look far to find many of his heroes.

&8220;I grew up in Young&8217;s Chapel Missionary Baptist Church and a lot of my heroes came from there,&8221; he said.

With Suzy M. Shorter teaching Sunday school and Eddie Coleman Sr., Georgia Fields and Clarence Randall Sr. always just a few pews away, McCoy considered himself fortunate.

&8220;I grew up in a community that was full of positive role models,&8221; he said.

The starring role model, McCoy said, was his grandmother, Ophelia Matthews, who died in 2000.

&8220;She was a big influence on my life,&8221; he said.

McCoy points to officials on both sides of the river as people he looks up to in politics, and friendship.

He named Ferriday Mayor Gene Allen, Natchez Mayor Philip West, Adams County Supervisors Darryl Grennell and Thomas &8220;Boo&8221; Campbell, Natchez Alderman Rickey Gray as not only role models but personal friends.

On a national level, McCoy likes what he sees of Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill).

&8220;He&8217;s a charismatic leader,&8221; he said. &8220;He&8217;s progressive; he&8217;s an everybody kind of person.&8221;

McCoy had big shoes to fill when he first joined the board at the start of the current term, and those shoes had the name Theodore McCoy written on them.

Tron McCoy said his cousin &8212; who was the first black person elected to the board &8212; has helped him with some of the nuances of government.

There was nothing subtle about the respect the elder McCoy has earned in the community, however.

&8220;He and I were elected to the board in 1976 together,&8221; Mayor Hyram Copeland said. &8220;He loves this community and is just an outstanding gentleman.&8221;

Copeland said Theodore McCoy was politically color-blind.

&8220;He served all of Vidalia, not just part of it,&8221; he said.

As evidenced by his Christmas Day turkey deliveries to elderly shut-ins, he&8217;s still serving Vidalia, even if his Concordia Parish Sheriff&8217;s Office means the town has to share him now with the rest of the parish.

Tron McCoy expressed disappointment that there needed to be a Black History Month and said he hoped people used it as a springboard for year-round celebration of the achievements of African-Americans.

&8220;Three hundred sixty-five days a year, 12 months a year, there has been some contribution that African-Americans have given this country,&8221; he said. &8220;And, if at all possible, we should pay attention to it.&8221;