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I gained a new appreciation for him one day many years ago at a history class at South Davie Middle School. It was a routine assignment for the newspaper, probably going to be boring. The class was having a guest speaker. I love history, especially Davie County history, but hearing someone talk about it can quickly make one’s mind wander. I could only imagine how middle school students would react.

There was no need for dread. None at all.

The guest speaker, it turned out, was giving away land to every student in the class. Not just any land, but historically significant land.

That speaker had purchased an acre of land along Hunting Creek as close to where Squire Boone (Daniel’s father) likely made his homeplace just west of Mocksville near the present-day US 64. Then he had “honorary” deeds made out for a square inch of that land, and gave each student a deed to their square inch of land.

Talk about making a boring subject interesting; he had the attention of every student in the room. Their faces lit up. They began talking amongst themselves. You would have thought he had given them a piece of gold.

Their excitment wasn’t just because he had given them a piece of paper making them honorary landowners, but because of his enthusiasm for the history of that site. He exuded an excitement. A genuine excitement. A real estate man, a businessman and a family man with no training in teaching had students listening for every next word.

He wanted every student to feel that same pride of living where Daniel Boone once roamed – Davie County. And he succeeded. He reeked of pride. Genuine pride. It was transferred to the students.

His name was Jerry Swicegood. And he loved Davie County. A genuine love.

And why not? He was a product of what he knew was the greatest place on Earth.

Jerry Swicegood died last weekend at the age of 81.

He greeted everyone with a smile and a handshake. A genuine smile. A genuine handshake. He made people feel good about themselves.

Stories could go on and on, because, yes, Jerry Swicegood was a  character – at times a bigger than life character. It’s no wonder his son went on to be an auctioneer, Jerry was quite the talker himself. And he could go on pretty fast when talking about important things like family, Davie County or one of his businesses. That genuine pride was in him and it had to come out.

And while history classes can be boring, so can baseball games. I’ve watched one on TV, went out for dinner, stopped by the grocery store on the way home, and when I arrived back, I had missed like two innings of a nine-inning game. They can go on and on for what seems like forever.

Back in the Davie American Legion baseball heyday, it was anything but boring. While the players on the field did their part, the best action was in the stands – behind the microphone – manned by one of the men who helped bring Legion baseball back to Mocksville’s Rich Park.

The loud speaker was manned by no other than Jerry Swicegood. Harry Caray, Vin Scully and Curt Gowdy had nothing on Jerry Swicegood. In fact, I think someone may have slipped Harry Caray a few Jerry tapes. He was that entertaining. He gave the players nicknames. The cadence of his voice was perfect for the old grandstands. All you had to do was turn around and you could see Jerry, on the top row, microphone in hand. He loved promoting those Davie County boys. It was a genuine love – for the players, for the game, for the fans, for the community he called home.

Say what you want about Jerry Swicegood, but he was as genuine as they come. What you saw is what you got. What you heard is what you got. He was a man of God, a family man, a businessman. He was good at all three. He was also a man who was always beaming with hometown pride.

And yes, Jerry Swicegood also dabbled in local politics, holding positions as a county commissioner and as a member of the board of education. With that outgoing personality and a genuine love for those he was representing, he was a natural.

We need more politicians like Jerry Swicegood. Politicians who care about someone other than themselves or their party. Politicians who are genuine.

Imagine the state of politics these days if you could believe all candidates were genuinely concerned for you. It would be nice if we felt that any of the candidates have any concerns for us whatsoever.

Jerry Swicegood did. And we’re all better off for it.

– Mike Barnhardt