By: Taft Matney — August 14, 2014
As Councilman Sid Cates called my name to answer questions about a proposed resolution Monday afternoon during Greenville County Council’s Finance Committee meeting, I just finished reading the news on my phone that Dozier Brooks passed away over the weekend.
I guess it was fitting that County Square was where I read it, because that’s one of the places where Dozier dedicated so much effort in the pursuit of public service.
If you don’t know who Dozier Brooks was, you’ll never know what you missed, and nothing I can write can really express what an impact he had on Greenville County.
He was a husband, a father, a Christian, a Clemson football fan, a Navy veteran, someone who was never afraid to tell you what he thought, and a man who wouldn’t back down from a fight to do what was right.
He chaired the Appalachian Council of Governments, was a member of the Greenville County Planning Commission, and served on Fountain Inn City Council.
He served eight years on Greenville County Council – including four as chairman.
He was instrumental in getting the land between Greenville and Travelers Rest that eventually became the Swamp Rabbit Trail.
He was a leader in establishing the Greenville Area Development Corporation, which has developed in to one of the area’s most important economic development engines, and when he died on Saturday at the age of 80, he was still serving the community.
He was a Deacon in his church. He was a member of the Greenville County Legislative Delegation Transportation Committee. He was a member of Hillcrest Hospital advisory council, and he was serving on Greenville Technical College’s Brashier Campus advisory board.
Dozier was a client, but more importantly, he was a friend, a heckuva man, and someone who truly embodied what it means to have a servant’s heart. We’ll miss him, and our prayers go out to Judy and the family.
