Mayor Bruce Rose took a step back, shook his head and smiled after he saw his name on a new sign at the Wilson Housing Authority's Tasman Towers.
"What a great day for me," Rose said, during a dedication ceremony Wednesday. "Even when I was growing up in the streets of Wilson, I never dreamed that I would have become the mayor. Never did I dream that something would be named after me."
Rose thanked friends, family and city leaders for attending the event, which drew about 60 people along Broad Street where the road was closed for the early-morning ceremony.
In the audience were his wife, Becky, three sisters, Mary Caldwell, Clarine Henderson and Betsy Williams, as well as his daughter, Amy Virkler, and granddaughter, Sarah, who came from Charlotte for the event.
"It means a lot to Daddy, and I wouldn't miss it," Virkler said. "I wanted to be here to support him. It's quite an honor to have people want to name a building after you."
Tasman Towers, a five-story apartment-style building for low-income elderly and disabled residents, now includes Rose's name prominently on the sign, H.G. Tasman Towers at C. Bruce Rose Plaza. A portrait of Rose was also unveiled, which will be hung in the lobby of Tasman Towers.
Housing Authority leaders decided to name the building after Rose for his 16 years of continuing service as mayor and his strong support for converting Tasman Towers into an assisted living facility. That change has not been approved by the state.
"I'm a believer of helping senior citizens and people who are less fortunate," Rose said. "I will never forget this day if I live to be a thousand years old."
The Rev. Vance Harrell, pastor of First Pentecostal Holiness Church, during an opening prayer called Rose a "gift to the city" and a man who "leads without partiality."
Following a color guard from Wilson Fire and Rescue Services, Edward Jagnandan, director of the Wilson Housing Authority, read a resolution adopted by the board of directors, which voted in April to name Tasman Towers after Rose.
"As mayor of our great city, Mayor Rose serves with honor, dignity and integrity and is admired by many as a man of deep conviction and a visionary that is well-known and respected for his community service," Jagnandan said.
Tasman Towers was originally named after Harry G. Tasman, a Wilson businessman who believed in the philosophy of affordable housing. He served as the Wilson Housing Authority board chairman from 1959 until his death in 1971. The board wanted to continue honoring Tasman while recognizing Rose by naming the Tasman Towers property site the C. Bruce Rose Plaza.
Two former Wilson Housing Authority directors attended the dedication ceremony -- James Faison, who led the authority from 1998 to 2006, and David Creech, director from 1978 to 1998. Creech oversaw the original construction of Tasman Towers and its site location that was picked due to its proximity to the county library, a grocery store and downtown businesses.
"In the beginning, it was a great place for shopping and downtown and across from the library," Creech said. He also thought the name change for Tasman Towers was fitting.
"I think this is a great tribute to Mayor Rose," he said.
rochelle@wilsontimes.com | 265-7818