Gilkey receives gold watch for downtown Athens work

ALBANY — On Monday, Athens Masonic Temple No. 25 officials gathered inside the Close to Home assisted living facility to recognize the “odds and ends” jobs completed by Harold Gilkey in downtown Athens for so many years.

With Masonic temple past masters Eric Lee and Dennis Robertson looking on, Master Shawn Flannery presented Gilkey with a gold watch and placed it on his wrist. Its inscription has Gilkey’s name next to the words “60 years of service.” That is the length of time Gilkey spent in and around downtown Athens sweeping parking areas, mowing lots, putting away trash, shoveling snow and doing other tasks as needed for many businesses.

Gilkey also received a large cake reading “Happy retirement Harold,” with Close to Home staff members and fellow residents on hand to eat with him.

You earned it with all that hard work over the years,” Robertson said. “It’s the least we could do for you.”

Gilkey, who will turn 79 next month, was a great asset to downtown businesses and entities, including the Athens Masonic Temple at 12 West Carpenter Street and another property it formerly owned at 63 South Court Street, Robertson said. Other customers Gilkey worked for included Alex Couladis, CPA, and the Prokos family, which owns multiple businesses in Athens.

“Harold was very well connected in the community,” Robertson said.

Gilkey took it all in, saying “thank you” several times to Flannery, Lee and Robertson. He offered that mowing was his favorite task because a doctor had told him of the exercise benefits from it.

Born in The Plains as he described it, “back in the woods,” Gilkey came from a large family. As an adult, he was able to live independently at Heritage Commons in Athens until a recent accident involving a fall backward caused injury to one of his legs.

Sensing it was time for Gilkey to be retired, a social worker and others worked with Athens Masonic Temple members, who moved his belongings into Close to Home in early August. Gilkey said he likes the staff there, the food, and reliving old times with other residents who remember how abuzz with activity downtown Athens has been through the years. Gilkey has his own room and easily moves where he wants to in a wheelchair as he recovers and rehabilitates.

It was really no surprise that before the ceremony, those inside the dining area waited a few minutes for Gilkey to arrive. He had been outside watching a trimming service take down overgrown tree limbs — a job he would have enjoyed helping with in his younger days if asked.