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City of Fayetteville honors former City Manager By CAROLYN CARY The Fayetteville City Council honored one of its own, former city manager, John Addison "Doc" Lester on the occasion of his 90th birthday last week. He was born Nov. 5, 1913 in Fayetteville, the son of John Addison and Berta Graham Lester Jr. The youngest of four, his father was a 'horse and buggy' doctor. "Doc", so nicknamed because of his physician father, operated a service station in Fayetteville, farmed, and in 1967 began serving as the first city manager of Fayetteville. City Hall at that time was a small, blue building that sat in back of what is now the Holiday Inn Hotel. It contained one small office and all of two holding cells for prisoners. Johnny Lester was known for his frugality, not only in his own life, but he ran the City of Fayetteville in the same manner. One former employee likes to joke that she had to bring toilet paper from home. "Because of his managerial policies, the city was set on a financial path that remains in place today," said council member Glenn Brewer. One of his first tasks was to see that all citizens of the city pay their water bill. Several felt they were too important to do so, until they found their water service had been cut off. Fayetteville mayor, Ken Steele, and council members honored him by naming Saturday, Nov. 8 as Johnny "Doc" Lester day, in recognition for his 14 years of service to the city and a lifetime of service to his community. A proclamation in his honor was read at last Thursday’s City Council meeting.
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