Tom Gwyn remembered

The Elkin community is mourning the loss of former mayor Tom Gwyn who passed away on Friday at the age of 93. Gwyn was not born in Elkin but spent many years of his life serving the community in a variety of ways including a long tenure as mayor from 1981 to 2007. Gwyn and his wife Laura came to Elkin in 1957 after beginning their married life together in Poitiers, France.

In addition to his 26 years as mayor of Elkin, Gwyn also served as president of the North Carolina League of Municipalities for two years, and was recipient of the prestigious North Carolina Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award as well as the Boy Scouts of America Lifetime Achievement Award. He served many terms on the First United Methodist Church Council and was a longtime member of Rotary International.

“Tom Gwyn’s passing leaves a deep void in the our community,” said Mayor Sam Bishop. “Tom served as Mayor for twenty- six years and prior to that several years as a Town Commissioner. Mayor Gwyn never met a stranger and was always quick with a handshake to everyone he met.”

Bishop said that Gwyn was instrumental in the continued growth of Elkin, even amidst economic changes in the town.

“During his tenure, the town more than doubled in population and through his leadership developed a strong economic base. His foresight in the 1990s when Elkin was slowly losing Chatham Manufacturing and its valuable assets, he and fellow Town leaders looked for something to replace this loss. He lead a group of fellow citizens to McMinnville, Oregon to see how that community had capitalize on its wine industry. Through his leadership, the town developed a plan to rebuild Downtown Elkin and draw from the new wine industry in the Yadkin Valley,” Bishop said.

Elkin Town Manager Brent Cornelison added that Gwyn was well respected in the local community and beyond.

“Having worked for Mayor Gwyn, I can say that he was an advocate for the staff and always wanted what was best for the citizens of Elkin. He certainly left his mark on this community and will be missed greatly,” Cornelison said.

“Today, thanks to him Elkin has become a vibrant cultural community serving those of us in the Yadkin Valley and beyond. He was there through the tough times and his spirit will always be with us. On behalf of the Elkin Board of Commissioners, the Town Staff and all the citizens of Elkin I thank him for being who he was and what he did for our community,” Bishop concluded.

Gwyn’s memorial service will be held at First United Methodist Church, Hawthorne Road, Elkin, on Monday, May 27, at 2 pm.