MACON COUNTY, Ga. — This month 73-year old Julius Rice retired from Blue Bird Corporation after 55 years of service.
"The three people that I retired with... I worked with them in the same department for about 45 years. So, just being around them was the most memorable from work... and Bluebird for giving me a chance. I went seven years over my retirement date," he said.
His team leader Donald Martin is one of the three who retired with Julius. He says he'll miss working with him.
"He was a friendly person to be around. He was most helpful in a lot of instances. He was, you know, easy to work with," Martin said.
Aside from work, Rice dedicated 35 years to coaching sports at the Parks and Recreation Center. Kim Askew met him when she was 8 years old.
"He has done so much. With me growing up around him, I looked at him as a Godfather, because I played so many sports," she said.
The people of Macon County even honored Rice by naming the center after him.
"Mr. Julius deserves everything that came to him, especially with this park, because of what he gave to his community," Dexter Mckenzie said.
Rice and his wife Nettie have three children, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild. His family wants to acknowledge him for a job well done.
They say there are many words to describe him.
"He is the ideal example of what a man should be," Nakia Thomas II said.
"Very respectful... very loving," his wife said.
"You meet him... he's someone that you'll never forget," Angelia Taylor said.