This is a guest opinion column

I first met Mayor James Nix during the Inauguration of the University of South Alabama President Mr. Jo Bonner at the Mitchell Center on campus. We were sitting at two different tables during the reception before the event. Jo was praising Mayor Nix for his contribution to the City of Fairhope and University of South Alabama. The former mayor did not look that impressive to me at the time. I had seen Fairhope and I was impressed with the City of Fairhope but did not know the extent of the contribution Mayor James Nix made to its exquisiteness.

So, I was wondering why Jo Bonner was praising the mayor so much. I did not know Jo well at that time and I was puzzled and surprised by his sincere respect for the former mayor during his inauguration reception. I did not get to talk to Mr. Nix during that event.

Later, I met him at another reception organized at the University of South Alabama President Jo Bonner’s home. I was there with my wife Dr. Neshmin Arif and Mayor Jim Nix attended with his lovely wife, Dr. Margaret (Meyers) Nix. Luckily, we were all at the same table and we got to talk with him. Jim was asking us questions about various issues including University of South Alabama, the City of Mobile, and the world and I was so impressed with his depth of knowledge and curious mind. Later, we exchanged our numbers and he invited my family for a dinner at Gambino’s in Fairhope. That’s how our friendship began and I started to learn more about him, his life, the beautiful city of Fairhope, his involvement with the University of South Alabama, and his contribution for the whole Southern Alabama region.

One day, he told me, “You are my adopted son,” This was without being judgmental about my socio-political, racial, and ethnic background. Those of who know him well know he has been suffering from the Parkinson’s disease for many years. However, he is very mentally sharp and intellectual and reads people based on his experiences gained from dealing with people from all walks of life for more than three decades as a public servant. He did not care about my Arabic name and color of my skin. We became frequent visitors and like a part of his family.

Fairhope as the name sounds is definitely a fair hope of serenity of a community in the Great State of Alabama. However, as Rome was not built in a day, the City of Fairhope and what we see today was not built in a day. Mayor Nix elaborated on his journey of nearly three decades of Mayorship in his biography, “Building Dreams.” In the book we come to know more behind the scene stories about how each idea came to be and about how each improvement was developed by himself with his team for the city. He talks about his upbringing in a “dirt poor” family in rural Robertsdale and how he always wanted to do something good for society. He basically has reshaped the landscape of the City of Fairhope from beautification to improving services for the city’s residents.

I still remember when I first went to visit Fairhope from Mobile. I was literally in awe when I reached the Fairhope pier area. I told my friends that the place reminded me my time in European cities. The garden of roses, rows of tress, the spectacular view of the Mobile Bay, and, of course, the Christmas Lighting, everything basically reminded us of a Hallmark movie scene.

I get to travel to a lot of places since I like road trips. Not only have I traveled across many states, but also across countries too. I have heard lot of good things about the City of Fairhope from people of all walks of life. People from all over the state of Alabama, the United States, and the world come to this beautiful city. There must be a reason for the people to come and visit Fairhope. Though I love rustic Alabama even with its muggy and humid weather, yearlong sunshine and scorching heat, honestly speaking, Alabama has had a bad reputation around the country and even in parts of the world. Sometimes, I argue that the State of Alabama, especially the Southern part of the State is underrated.

However, the City of Fairhope is a hidden gem in the state. Visitors realize the scenic beauty of the city, the vibrant food culture, and the serenity in its life style. Definitely, Mayor Nix deserves a lot of credit for turning a small plain town with dirt roads into a model for beautification and calm/quiet community in the city of Fairhope. And, I am not surprised with his contribution for the city as he has always been ahead of the times and an early adapter of major developments. I am so amazed by his knowledge about social media, the use of AI in creative writing and even AI for painting. He realized the potential of the City of Fairhope a half a century ago and worked to optimized all it’s potential.

Delaware Arif is an assistant professor on the faculty of Digital Journalism and Multimedia Production and Student Media Adviser at the University of North Alabama.