Serving a sweet slice of respect

Pie contest and reception held to honor former city employee

GENTRY — A special reception and pie-tasting contest were held at noon on March 6 in the McKee Community Room in honor of David McNair, a former city council member and long-time city employee who was recently diagnosed with glioblastoma.

McNair was given a taste of each pie brought to the contest and, after tasting each pie, some more than once, he arrived at his decision, with a huckleberry pie baked by Lorrie Amos taking third, a pecan pie baked by Susan Osborne taking second, and a coconut cream pie made, unknown to McNair, by his daughter-in-law, Vanessa McNair.

The event was attended by city officials, city employees and former employees, and friends of McNair, giving many the opportunity to visit with McNair and, of course, enjoy pies.

Among those present at the reception were other members of the Gentry High School of 1968 — Janice Arnold, Wanda Meyer and James Babcock.

McNair had been employed by the city for about 25 years. Prior to that he served as an alderman for the city for another four or five years, putting his years of service to Gentry at near 30 years. He retired in December 2016.

Much was accomplished for the city during McNair’s tenure, including the city’s current water system with extensions to both the east and the west of Gentry. The city’s sewer system was improved, and much street and alley work was carried out. McNair also served many years on the board of the Benton-Washington Regional Public Water Authority.

“Glioblastoma is a type of cancer that starts as a growth of cells in the brain or spinal cord,” according to mayoclinic.org. “It grows quickly and can invade and destroy healthy tissue. … Glioblastoma can happen at any age, but it tends to occur more often in older adults and more often in men. Glioblastoma symptoms include headaches that keep getting worse, nausea and vomiting, blurred or double vision, and seizures. There’s no cure for glioblastoma, which is also known as glioblastoma multiforme.”

According to family members, McNair opted to forgo the treatments and difficult side effects that could possibly slow the progression of the disease in exchange for spending quality time with his family and friends.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Randy Moll) David McNair samples a pie during a special reception for him on March 6 in the McKee Community Room. McNair served the city for about 25 years as the head of the public works department and as a building inspector before his retirement in December 2016. Prior to that, he served on the Gentry City Council for close to five years.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Randy Moll) Janice Arnold, Wanda Meyer and James Babcock pose for a photo with David McNair (seated) at the reception held in his honor. The four are from the Gentry High School graduating class of 1968.

(NWA Democrat-Gazette/Randy Moll) David McNair receives a hug from Vanessa Mc- Nair, his daughter-in-law, after he unwittingly picked her coconut cream pie as the best pie at the reception held in his honor.