ASHBURN, GA (WALB) -
A former Turner County sheriff now has a permanent memorial in his honor at the jail.
Lamar Whiddon served as sheriff for 16 years.
His name is already on several buildings around Ashburn.
Sheriff Lamar Whiddon worked hard to get Turner County a new jail. That happened in 1993, the same year he died. Now, his name will be seen by every person who walks in the doors.
Lamar Whiddon's legacy was already stamped in Turner County. After Monday morning, it grew even more.
"It was emotional," said Whiddon's son George. "It really was. It has been something I have been trying to get done for a long time. It is just great to know that now it is here and it has officially been dedicated to him."
Friends, family, and colleagues wanted to show this morning how much Whiddon impacted Turner County.
"We got to be good friends," said former Ashburn police chief James Davis. "I worked as police chief. He worked as sheriff. We had a good combination going. We worked together good."
Whiddon fought hard to get the facility behind his new monument. The old jail is now a museum, but it still has relics showing how former sheriffs did their jobs. Whiddon was the last sheriff in the jail that had been used since 1905.
"By him asking for a modernized facility and getting it built, getting it approved, it just moved us forward not having to work in a place that was outdated," said current Turner County Sheriff Andy Hester.
Whiddon also increased traffic patrol on I-75 to increase public safety and help the county's financial general fund.
"You could call him anytime and it would be the Sheriff that would come up," Davis said. "It would not be the deputy."
His name, his hat, his picture, and now his monument all remind Turner County people of his service. It is a service that required sacrifice from him and his family.
"He loved Turner County," said George Whiddon. "There have been many times at family gatherings that we would get up and leave because his job required it."
Current Sheriff Andy Hester says Whiddon's son and coroner's officer were instrumental in getting the monument where it now is.
Sheriff Hester says he got to work under Whiddon for a few months, and his dad worked at the sheriff's office too. He says Whiddon's passion for Turner County was inspiring.
George Whiddon says the project was important to him because his dad worked so hard for the new jail in 1993, but he never got to work in it.
Whiddon served from 1977 through 1993.
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Descendants of the former sheriff pose around the monument dedicated to his memory
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