Dear Editor:
When I read in the Plant City Times & Observer that former Plant City Mayor Gerald Hooker died, I started remembering him as someone who meant a lot to people here. He was a friend of my late father’s and mine, and he ran Hooker’s Department Store, in downtown Plant City. The store made way for the super chains more than 20 years ago, but it stocked clothing and other goods.
Gerald was a good, kind man who showed concern for others. He gave his friendliness in a sincere way, just because he enjoyed speaking to people. He cared about people and he cared about Plant City.
When Gerald’s first wife, Kay, got sick with the cancer that took her life, people responded with support and prayers that made that time more bearable for him. They all knew Gerald would have done just as much for them.
Gerald’s presence around town brought him affection and respect. He invited this admiration when going to church or having visitors for Christmas Eve.
I grew up here in the 1970s and 1980s, the time I knew Gerald. It becomes easy to glorify a time when looking back on it, but that time remains a good one in the history of Plant City. Gerald helped make it that way.
This reminds us that we can make the present time in Plant City even better, just by being a positive presence in people’s lives. That stands as one of the reasons I wanted to write this remembrance of my friend, Gerald Hooker.
Scott Toler
Plant City