SPANISH FORT, Ala. — It’s official. Dec. 3 will forever be recognized as Dr. Barry Lee Booth Day in the city of Spanish Fort, and no one was as surprised by the announcement than the local dentist and veterans advocate.

“This is just such a special place, and I’m really struggling to find the right words,” Booth said, visibly shaken and — at times — tearful and grinning.

Flanked by his beaming staff outside his Spanish Fort Boulevard office, Booth was serenaded by Bay City Brass in what he thought was simply a celebration of his 70th birthday.

Within moments, however, he realized something a little more formal was afoot.

As Mayor Joe Bonner read a two-minute proclamation honoring Booth for his service to his community, his country and veterans nationwide, the longtime civic leader tugged at his long locks and visibly searched for composure.

The only person missing from the ceremony was his “Mama,” Booth said, tearfully recounting his visit to her resting place earlier in the day.

“I give her credit for being the good voice in my head every day,” he said.

In addition to the proclamation, Bonner bestowed upon Booth the key to the city before making a few private comments about the city’s strongest supporter.

“When I became mayor six years ago, Barry came to me a couple of weeks in and told me if ever there was anything I needed to feel free to call. Since that day, he calls every three to four months and says, ‘This is Barry. Does Spanish Fort need anything?’ Words just can’t express our gratitude for that level of commitment,” Bonner said.

Indeed, not only has Booth practiced dentistry in the city for 40 years, but he has donated property on U.S. Highway 31 for the construction of a national veterans cemetery; he serves as the Regional Veteran Guardian and coordinator for the Honor Flight program for veterans who travel to the National World War II monument in Washington, D. C. twice each year; he was named the 2009 Veteran of the Year in Mobile; and he has made and placed an array of metal sculptures for public enjoyment across Spanish Fort and Daphne.

In addition to the brass band, which entered into a rousing rendition of “When the Saints go Marching In” as Booth set about hugging each and every attendee of the birthday bash, he was presented with a very special cake.

Joy Turner, who organized the event in tandem with his staff, called the confection Booth’s “cake of many colors” because each of the five segments represented a significant contribution the honoree has made to the world around him.

Specifically, the cake honored his military service during the Vietnam War, his unyielding patriotism, his commitment to Honor Flight, his professionalism in the field of dentistry and his fun-loving, motorcycle-riding “free” time.

“There are only three candles, but they represent the past, present and future,” Turner said.

(Staff video by Kelli M. Dugan)

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