Summerville Main Street Project to Honor Spann Cordle February 21

Honoring Spann Cordle and his beloved service dog Finn, Summerville’s latest Main Street Coke Bottle art installation will be dedicated at 11:30 am on Tuesday, February 21 in the courtyard in front of the historic Montgomery Knitting Mill, 10005 Commerce Street, Summerville Ga. The public is encouraged to gather in support of Spann Cordle and artist Billy Smith, who was invited to create the painting and graciously donated his time. Susan Locklear, director of Summerville’s Main Street Project, is hosting the event along with Summerville Mayor Harry Harvey, who will speak at the dedication. The Coke Bottle installation is part of a public art series reminiscent of iconic artwork created by the late Rev. Howard Finster.

“A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles,” Locklear said, quoting the late Christopher Reeve. ”Some of our heroes and most valuable members of society are individuals with disabilities. Not all disabilities are visible, whether physical, mental or emotional, we sometimes tend to forget how these disabilities can be turned into the ability to change lives and inspire others. Spann Cordle is a prime example.”

“Spann has been such an inspiration to the community through his work at Walmart and even though Finn is no longer with us, his legendary service to Spann and serving as the first service dog to work in Walmart is most worthy of honoring as a work of art in our downtown.” she added. “Local artist Billy Smith was invited to create the bottle art as a tribute to Spann Cordle and his service dog Finn to bring awareness to persons with disabilities. Summerville Main Street thought it was very appropriate to celebrate Spann, remember Finn, and recognize Billy by unveiling this special Coke Bottle art.”

“What’s good for one person is good for us all in the grand scheme of things; maybe in Summerville we just innately know that,” said John Turner, retired teacher, as he reflected on two of his outstanding former students brought together as a result of Summerville’s latest Main Street Project. Spann Cordle and Billy Smith attended Chattooga High School 15 years apart, but both made a lasting impression on their teacher.

“I’ve known Spann most of my life,” Turner said. “I knew him before I started teaching. He has always been special in my mind and heart as he is for all of us who know him. Even as a student in Turner’s drama classes,“he handled his handicap in such a fine way,” landing a leading role in their one act play presentation of “Antigone.” “You can’t look at Spann like he’s disabled, because his spirit is one that just soars,” Turner said. “He lives his life to the fullest and he leaves everybody with a smile on their face after talking to him. That’s what we need today, people who think positively and want to help people.”

Spann Cordle’s life ambition is helping others with disability reach their full potential with courage and dignity. Cordle pioneered Walmart’s service dog team program, leading the way for hundreds of Walmart employees to be hired following his successful trial run. He became a spokesperson for the disabled through his work with the company. He has been featured in national newspapers, magazines and podcasts. Cordle hopes to expand his outreach to other speaking opportunities in the near future.

Portrait of the Artist

Filling canvases is something Billy Smith must do. “I can’t get away from it,” he said recently. “Like a pastor waits for his words to preach, I guess I just wait for inspiration.” Faced with a blank canvas, many would feel intimidated, but Smith is moved by his motivation to paint. His ability to fill a canvas with color and style has drawn the attention of many. Painting has become a major part of his life.

His high school art teacher, John Turner, characterized Smith’s dramatic use of color as reminiscent of notable Impressionist painters. When asked who should be chosen to paint the Coke bottle to honor Cordle, Turner immediately thought of Billy Smith. “Billy is talented,” Turner said. “I would have to put him up there with some of the finest Impressionists. The way he uses color is reminiscent of the Fauvists–they used color really dramatically like Billy. Even when he was a student, it was like a spark of genius. When I look at some of Billy’s work as it’s developed, to be quite frank, I’m envious. He’s got a lot of talent, but I’m glad that he has it and he’s using it. I can’t say how proud I am of him and his work ethic. He’s the full package.”

Smith is modest about his accomplishments and deflects attention from himself. He describes his art as “Backwoods Renaissance.” His subjects include landscapes under moody red skies and an extremely intricate impressionist portrait of the late Bobby Lee Cook. He approaches his art as depicting beauty in the real life appearances and proportions of his subjects.

According to Locklear, Summerville Main Street began the Coke Bottle Art Project in 2016 with nine pieces of Coke Bottle Art that were placed in Historic Downtown Summerville and designed by local artists. “The Coke Bottle Art has remained downtown, with pieces being rotated out, allowing new artists opportunity to design and display their talents on the bottles downtown. Smith was one of the original Coke Bottle artists from 2016 and was invited to create the bottle art as a tribute to Spann Cordle and his service dog Finn to bring awareness to persons with disabilities.”

“Live Love Local month was designed by Summerville Main Street to encourage community members to show love within the community” Locklear said. “This can be done by writing letters/notes of appreciation in support of downtown small businesses to be entered into a drawing for a gift certificate each Friday during the month of February. A second component of the project allows individuals, businesses, and organizations to display positive messages or sentiments downtown on hearts that are printed and displayed all throughout the month. Summerville Main Street sold out of the heart messages for a second year in a row, as spaces were limited. Over 95 heart messages are currently displayed in Downtown Summerville showing love for locals.

One special component of the local Main Street Program is the very active Main Street Volunteer group, who works year round with downtown designs and events. In 2022, volunteers gave over 1,650 hours of service to the local program. Main Street Volunteers work with enthusiasm and pride downtown during each season to keep the town decorated nicely for the occasion. The volunteer program currently has around 17 active members and are always seeking additional helping hands.

Contributed article by: Kay Shiver