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May 2, 2008

Park dedicated to man who built up Dalton Utilities

By Charles Oliver

Under V.D. Parrott Jr.’s leadership, Dalton Utilities did things no other municipally owned utility has done, says current utility president Don Cope.

Cope outlined some of Parrott’s accomplishments Friday at the dedication of a new city park named for Parrott on the southwest corner of the intersection of Walnut Avenue and Thornton Avenue, near where Parrott grew up.

Parrott, for instance, helped the utility gain partial ownership of the Plant Vogtle nuclear power plant.

“He was instrumental in the creation of the Georgia integrated transmission system, the high-voltage transmission system,” Cope said.

Parrott joined Dalton Utilities in 1939 and became superintendent in 1945. He would remain at the helm of the utility for more than 40 years.

“This city and the carpet industry owe more to Mr. Parrott than we can ever hope to repay,” Cope said.

Dalton Mayor David Pennington called Parrott “a true living legend.”

“Mr. Parrott built the institution that is the backbone of the economic miracle here,” he said.

Parrott served on numerous committees and boards, and is a past chairman of the Georgia Natural Gas Association and the Georgia Water Quality Board.

In 2006, Parrott was among the first five inductees in the Northwest Georgia Business Hall of Fame.

About 50 people — including Dalton city officials, Dalton Utilities executives, city workers, friends and family members — came to the dedication. Parrott was unable to attend, but he recorded a message of thanks that was played to the crowd.

“If he were here today, he would say he was grateful. But I’m also sure he’d give credit to all of the people he worked with at Dalton Utilities over the years,” said Parrott’s son DeForrest Parrott, himself a former general manager of Dalton Utilities.

The 1.4 acre park is on land donated by brothers Ken and Jim Boring. It features walking trails and green space. It will also serve as a buffer between the area’s businesses and a nearby residential neighborhood.

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