Chuck Eldridge, General Manager of Hope Auto kicked off the festivities by saying, "The whole Hope Auto Team is gathered today for a very important occasion, also a little bittersweet for everyone involved after the past 31 years, we don't bid farewell to Mrs. Carolyn but we say goodbye for a little while. She obviously will be around a lot and we will be glad to see her face. Today we celebrate Mrs. Carolyn, although she didn't want anything big thrown for her, we just wanted to take a minute to just pause and say thank you for everything. I know I echo the thanks of everyone here when I say we have enjoyed every minute of it. I want to be sure you are recognized today. On behalf of Mr. McLarty and the McLarty family, The City of Hope would like to present you with a proclamation."
Eldridge then gave the floor to City Board Director, Mark Ross to present Fant with a proclamation from the City of Hope declaring October 30, 2020 Carolyn Fant Day in the city of Hope.
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Mack McLarty, and his wife, Donna, visited with Fant and her husband via zoom on a large flat screen in the front of the store, as every member of the Hope Auto Team gathered round. McLarty spoke about her long time commitment to Hope Auto and how he appreciated her hard work, always smiling demeanor and overall excellence on the job.
"It is bittersweet understandably, it's also frankly just the passing of an era, you've just been an absolute bed rock of Hope Auto and you know how much Hope Auto means to me and our family. Carolyn, on behalf of all of our family, we are grateful for not only your dedication but as Paul knows, I had the privilege to work with a lot of good financial people over my career, no one has been any better or as good as you have with a steady hand and keeping everything in good order. You've just been a true professional, very good at what you do, very dedicated and very skilled. Hope is where my soul will always be, so Carolyn thank you for a job well done," McLarty said.
Fant then thanked the McLarty family, saying, "Your family has meant a lot to me and Hope Auto has also. It has given me the opportunity to work at one place for 31 years, which is great, I love it because I don't like change. You've always been kind to me and I appreciate it. I have a lot of fond memories over the past 31 years."
Chuck Eldridge and Paul Hart presented Fant with a beautiful Howard Miller Presidential clock from the Hope Auto family and several other members of the team showed their appreciation in the form of gifts.
To wrap up the ceremony, employees filled their plates with a delicious spread of Mexican food, catered by Amigo Juan's Restaurant.
