VIDALIA — If you hadn’t ever met former Vidalia Police Chief Delane Thornhill before Tuesday night’s Vidalia Board of Alderman, you definitely felt like you did afterward.

City officials, co-workers, friends and family honored Thornhill by dedicating a Vidalia Conference and Convention Center room in his memory Tuesday night.

Mayor Hyram Copeland read the dedication as he presented it to Thornhill’s widow, Betty.

City officials and those in attendance, many of whom worked under Thornhill, spent much of the meeting telling stories that painted a picture of a honest, fair, yet strict leader who always focused on what was right for the city and its residents.

“We tell stories to this day about what a great leader he was,” current Vidalia Police Chief Tapper Hendricks said. “You respected and loved him — he was a father figure.”

Recalling the many times he visited Thornhill, Hendricks said he always looked up to the man who was chief from 1976 to 1992.

“Sitting on his porch, I told him I wanted to follow him and be chief,” Hendricks said. “He told me to be patient and it would come.”

City officials praised Thornhill for his focus on the family and his mild-mannered style of leadership.

“I don’t think you can go through this town and find five people who didn’t like (Thornhill),” Vidalia city attorney Jack McLemore said. “For a man in his position, that is a wonderful reputation to have.”

City officials also praised the dedication and work of city utility workers who worked through the wind and rain of Hurricane Gustav to restore power to most residents in less than 24 hours from the initial power outage.

“How proud I am of each and every employee of this city,” Mayor Hyram Copeland said. “I have never seen a group of individuals work as hard as they did to please the citizens of Vidalia. At 4 a.m. they were working in the rain, the storm and the lightning trying to get the city’s utilities back on.”

Alderman Triand “Tron” McCoy echoed the sentiments adding that when the lights came on you could hear people cheering in the streets.

“I kind of think they were cheering for all of the workers who got their lights turned on,” alderman Vernon Stevens added.

Aldermen also unanimously approved the establishment of 501C3 status for the Friends of Vidalia, a group with tax-exempt qualifications that will seek grants from insurance companies. The grants will go to the purchase of bullet-proof vests, weapons and other equipment for the city.