CommunitySaturday, November 14
Columbus renamed the Boxwood Recreation Center for the late Jerry “Pops” Barnes
The Today in Columbus team
The Boxwood Recreation Center is now the Jerry “Pops” Barnes Recreation Center. Columbus leaders and community members gathered Friday to celebrate the renaming, with Barnes’ daughter, District 1 Councilor Simi Barnes, and his son in attendance. Barnes served 17 years on the council and died at 80 in April 2024.
17years Barnes served on the Columbus council
Barnes represented District 1, the seat his daughter Simi Barnes now holds.
Source: WRBL
“He didn’t need a title to help people, because for him, helping others isn’t just what my dad did. It was who he was.”
Mayor-elect Isiah Hugley recalled the role Barnes played in bringing Double-A baseball back, when the city needed one more council vote. Resident W. Greg Herring submitted the application for the honorary designation, and the council unanimously approved the resolution. The city announced the ceremony Nov. 4.
The renaming ceremony followed a Nov. 4 announcement
- April 2024Jerry “Pops” Barnes dies at age 80.
- Nov. 4The city announces a ceremony to rename the Boxwood Recreation Center.
- Nov. 13The center is renamed the Jerry “Pops” Barnes Recreation Center.
Source: Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
- Questions: Holli Browder, Parks and Recreation director, 706-255-4658
- Email: HBrowder@columbusga.org
- Mayor Skip Henderson: “I can’t imagine Columbus, Georgia, without his fingerprints on it.”
Sources: WRBL, Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, WTVM.com