Local businessman

Huie L. Bray was surprised Monday with an open house in honor of his 55th

year in business.

The Fayette

County native served in the United States Navy in World War II. He returned

in 1946 and began working for contractors in the area.

Asked to build

a service station in north Atlanta, he began his business July 7, 1947.

He headed up the road with a 1940 Chevy, pulling a used trailer with a

mortar box, two wheelbarrows, and his hand tools in the trunk.

In 1951, Joan

Neal and her husband, the late Ray Neal, purchased property on what is

now Forrest Avenue, north Ga. Hwy. 92, and asked Bray to build them a

house. It was the first one on Forrest Avenue and the first one he had

built in his home county.

Neal said they

paid all of $50 an acre for the land and $20,000 for the house.

On July 4,

1953, Bray married the former Bea Teate of Fairburn and built them a house

on New Hope Road, just west of Hwy. 85.

They lived

in it for 7 years and began a bigger one beside it. Afer Bray got the

sub flooring done, their son, Danny, now 48, was badly burned.

Spending all

their time for six months at a hospital, it had to wait. As they have

over the years, Fayette Countians came to their rescue, took the plans

for the house out of Bray's truck and proceeded to do as much as they

could.

"I didn't

even know what color tile was in the bathroom," he said, "until

we moved in. But we will never forget those who did this for us."

They also have

a daughter, Patsy Goolsby, 46, who manages his storage units.

In late 1958,

planner Joel Cowan wanted to present specific plans for a new city, to

be called Peachtree City, in the Spring 1959 legislature.

He had to be

able to say he was a resident and called on Huie Bray to build him a house

and it had to be done in 30 days. The Cowan's moved in their home, the

second one to be built in Peachtree City, in January, 1959. It was begun

in December, 1958. The first home, also build by Bray, was for Jim and

Miriam Fulton, on what is now Lake Peachtree.

Things were

humming along in the building business until 1974 when a recession hit.

He was left with several spec houses that were not paid for yet and took

him two years to sell them.

When asked

at what point in his business life he began to feel in the comfort zone,

he replied "after I made it through 1974, I felt things were all

right. I felt I had enough assets and equipment that was paid for to feel

comfortable."

Beside building

he also volunteered in various civic endeavors.

He helped get

the volunteer fire department going, served for a number of years with

the Fayette County Kiwanis and working the county fairs it sponsored,

was instrumental in 1975 getting the county emergency medical service

in place.

He and 40 other

volunteers worked at no charge for a number of years operating the county

ambulance service.

He was chairman

of the first Planning and Zoning committee for seven years, working with

other Fayette Countians and the McIntosh Trail Area and Planning Commission

to lay the foundation. The committee worked for 50 straight Saturdays

to accomplish their goal.

Scouting was

always important in the Bray family, and he served in various posts, earning

its Silver Beaver award.

Other honors

include being named Emergency Medical Technician of the Year for the State

of Georgia, Builder of the Year by the Metro Atlanta Builders Assoc.,

REALTOR® of the Year in Fayette County, Fayette County Citizen of

the Year and Business Person of the Year, which was given by the Fayette

County Chamber of Commerce in 1992.

"When

I returned from World War II," he said, "my goal was to make

Fayette County a better place for my family and my friends. I hope I have

achieved that."

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