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David Bone knows about community service.

His father was a Methodist minister. His mother was a school teacher.

It was that upbringing that led a young David Bone into government work. He began Dec. 23 as the new Davie County manager.

“There’s a lot of positive things happening in Davie County,” he said. “We’ve got a great team and a great staff. There are development opportunities here. I want to make sure we continue to grow in a responsible way, being respectful of our agricultural past. I think I’ve got some experience that will be helpful.”

Stints as the town manager of Chadbourne, Elizabethtown and Wendell, and the most recent nine years as county manager for Martin County, Bone says he has seen and learned from growth into more rural areas.

Bone, 51, graduated from high school in Burlington, and enrolled in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. But he still wasn’t sure of his career choice, and changed majors several times. He ended up graduating with an English degree.

During this time, he studied culinary arts at Alamance Community College.

He was working at a restaurant and attending college when he and his wife had their first child. And while still working full-time, he completed an internship with the Chapel Hill city government.

“I felt like government was a great way to serve the community … have a greater impact on the community and help people on the local level,” he said.

Also at the same time, he was earning a graduate degree in public administration from N.C. Central University.

Graduation celebrations were put on hold, as he went to Chadbourne for a job interview, which he got. His wife was seven months pregnant at the time, and both were still working full time.

“Our lives changed quite a bit, all at once,” he said.

Bone said he enjoyed working in Martin County, but that he and his wife were looking to move closer to family. His wife’s mother grew up in Cooleemee and recently moved back there. He has family living in Gaston County.

They have three boys, one a high school student, one a student at UNC and the other at N.C. State.

A long-time Boy Scout volunteer, the family enjoys camping, especially to visit National Parks and historic sites.

“I’m real excited about this opportunity. This county has wonderful opportunities and I’m proud to be here,” Bone said. “The commissioners have a great vision for the community to keep moving in a positive direction.”