BAY MINETTE, Ala. — Winters Thomas, a veteran of two wars and the longest serving member of any municipal or county housing authority in the state, was honored Tuesday by the Baldwin County Commission.

Thomas recently retired after 47 years of service on the Bay Minette Housing Authority.

“You are an outstanding example and a mentor for others and you have had an outstanding career as a civic servant,” Commission Chairman Frank Burt said.

Commissioner Charles Gruber, who served with Thomas in the National Guard, said he “taught young soldiers how to lead.”

Thomas was one of five members appointed to the housing authority when it was formed in 1961, and was the first chairman of the board of commissioners.

The Samson native was drafted into the Army in 1943 and served in World Was II from 1943 to 1946, engaging in combat at Okinawa and in the South Pacific.

He remained in the active reserves and later joined the Alabama National Guard from 1950 to 1952 where he saw action in Korea.

In 1948, he joined the U.S. Department of Agriculture and retired in 1986.