In our history of awarding the title &8220;Citizen of the Year,&8221; The Democrat has never chosen an entire group of people.

But this year, as we approach the 15th anniversary of the National Park Service’s presence in Natchez, we thought it was appropriate to honor a group of people who have quietly helped build our tourism industry and have, as former Mayor Larry L. &8220;Butch&8221; Brown said, &8220;solidified what the story of Natchez is all about.&8221;

In honoring the Natchez National Historical Park, we salute all of the present and past employees who have helped make the park what it is today.

We have had a lot of talk of tourism in recent months, as the city adopted a new tourism study that it hopes will help grow the industry.

But no discussion of tourism would be complete without honoring the work of the park service employees, who provide such quality museum standards as well as innovative ideas such as downtown walking tours.

And certainly no discussion of Natchez’s history would be complete without complimenting the research the park service has been able to accomplish.

Throughout the years, so many talented people associated with the historical park have touched our community, setting a standard for professionalism, scholarship and service.

The three main properties of the park &045; the antebellum house Melrose; the William Johnson House, home of a freed slave known as the &8220;Barber of Natchez&8221;; and part of the site of Fort Rosalie &045; are not the only area in which park service employees have helped our community.

They have assisted with research at the Historic Natchez Foundation, helped rescue important books and antiques from fire-damaged Arlington, funded part of an exhibit at the Forks of the Road, site of one of the largest slave markets in the South.

In fact, the park service has always made a special effort to tell the whole story of Natchez history. Visitors to Melrose, for example, tour not only the large mansion but also the slave quarters.

Perhaps most significant in its endeavor to include African-American history in the entire story of Natchez is the William Johnson House.

The Johnson House opened quietly last fall, offering visitors the same quality tour they receive at Melrose but in a far different environment.

While Melrose shows the lifestyle of some of the most wealthy residents of Natchez, the William Johnson House shows us how a middle class family would have lived.

The value of that experience not only as a tourist site but as a historical site is immeasurable.

In fact, all of the hard work by the park service employees is immeasurable &045; but it has had a tremendous impact on our tourism industry and on our community.

This year we also had more nominations than ever for our Unsung Heroes, a listing of those citizens whose quiet service is rarely recognized but always appreciated.

Because of the volume of nominations, not every person could be included, and some people even chose not to be recognized for their good deeds.

But that outpouring of appreciation from friends and neighbors shows that, again, we are doing something right in our community.

Kerry Whipple

is editor of The Democrat. She can be reached at 445-3541 or by e-mail at kerry.whipple@ natchezdemocrat.com.