Mr . and Mrs . R . C . Balfour , III
Alongside his business career , Balfour said that he participated in local politics , spending two terms as a member of the city commission during integration , which he said he was very active in .
“ I never really got into politics except for the city commission ,” he said . “ It was first called the city commission rather than the city council , I spent two terms on the city commission , during integration , and I was very active during the integration movement .”
Balfour said that the two accomplishments he was proudest of was establishing a public golf course , the first nine holes of County Oaks Golf Course , for the Thomasville community , regardless of race , and aiding the funding of a new high school , which the city commission facilitated through a 1 % tax on local utility bills over a 2-year period .
“ Those are the two of the kinda accomplishments that I like to say they were , I didn ’ t do it alone , but I took the lead in getting it done ,” he said . “ And I was very proud of the fact that I could do that and could persuade people to go along , you know , without a lot of trouble .”
After retiring , Balfour began using the time he had in abundance to make up for the years he ’ d had little time to devote to writing , which he said that he had enjoyed doing since college .
“ I enjoyed writing in college , I knew I could write ,” Balfour said . “ But , when I got into business , there just wasn ’ t time for it until I retired . then I had 20 years to nothing , but write . I didn ’ t have anything else to do .”
Publishing his first book in 2002 , “ In Search of the Aucilla ,” the book did very well according to the author . He said that he had gone out and sold the book in the local communities , managing to sell several thousand copies over the last few decades .
“ That ’ s the first book I wrote and it ’ s sold several thousand copies ,” Balfour said . “ Well , I went out and sold that book . In Tallahassee , Thomasville and , actually , some other nearby towns . I got to the age where I didn ’ t think
I could do that , so most of these books only sold a little over 200 copies , they were not books that were widely received , not widely sold , not widely printed .”
His most recent book , like all of his writings , is rooted in Balfour ’ s strong Christian background , but other themes , such as his love of fishing and hunting , are also sprinkled throughout his publications , according to him .
“ I ’ m a Christian writer and most all of my books have that running through them ,” Balfour said . “ Some of them , they ’ re direct , writing about the Christian church , the Lord , Jesus Christ , but then I have smaller themes that go with various books . I write a lot about , I ’ m a big hunter and fisherman .”
His most recent book , “ Gamey and Fishy Tales : From a Long and Blessed Life ,” Balfour said , dealt with his own life story , meeting his wife Virginia , the family trips they took , before moving onto his experience with saltwater fishing , from Balfour Point , one of his favorite places to catch redfish ,
90 Spring 2023 | Thomasville Scene