“Choppy loved the city of Middletown,” said his widow and wife of 18 years, Esther Saunders. “He enjoyed life, he loved people and he’ll sadly be missed.”
Those who knew of or worked with Saunders used words such as “icon,” “pillar of the community,” “highly-respected” and “bridge builder” to describe him. He was “a household name” among African Americans and “an inspiration to the community,” said Dora Bronston, president of the Middletown NAACP.
Saunders, who was born in Middletown on Jan. 7, 1919, became the first black man elected to Middletown City Commission (as it was known then) in 1970 and served 16 years on the board. He was the city’s first black commission chairman (or mayor as it is today), a position he held from 1982-86.
Saunders worked for Armco Steel for 42 years, retiring in 1985 as Corporate Supervisor of Government and Community Affairs. He was the first black foreman at the Middletown mill.
Patricia Hill, the widow of Robert “Sonny” Hill, who followed in Saunders footsteps on city commission, said she and her late husband “always had the highest respect for Choppy.” Hill said Saunders was Sonny’s foreman at Armco, which inspired him to want to advance in the company as well.
“He (Saunders) was the top man. From time to time, Sonny would come home and say, ‘One day I’m going to be a foreman like Choppy.’ And eventually, he did,” Hill said.
Saunders also inspired Sonny Hill to get involved in politics. He would later go on to serve 12 years on city council, serving a stint as mayor himself.
“They had disagreements a lot of times,” Hill said, “but they worked together on a lot of projects, too. They worked really well together. Sonny learned a lot from Choppy.”
The Rev. Michael Bailey, pastor of Faith United Church and a former union president at AK Steel, said Saunders always had “a heart for the community” and “words of wisdom” for him.
“He stood out among many in the African American community,” Bailey said. “He was a quiet man and he was a servant leader. He was our role model and we stand on his shoulders.”
In addition to his role on city commission, Saunders served in various leadership roles for Middfest and the United Way.
Virginia Ritan, executive director of Middfest, a three-day cultural arts festival held each fall, said she was “devastated” when she heard of Saunders passing. She had worked closely with Saunders while he served as general chair and board president of Middfest.
“I know it probably was time, but it’s still hard to turn loose of somebody who has contributed so much and has been such a good friend,” Ritan said. “It’s hard to replace people like Choppy. I don’t know that you can. He’s very special.”
Ritan said Saunders, who she called “an enthusiastic supporter of Middfest,” had a knack for putting people at ease and helping them work through difficult situations. She said he always added a positive point of view to any organization he was a part of, and he was able to get people to do things.
“He had the whole community’s interest at heart,” Ritan said. “He was an outstanding leader. It’s a great loss to the city.”
Gene Snow, a longtime friend of Saunders and a retired bailiff at Middletown Municipal Court, said he remembered Choppy’s influence at Armco when the company began to integrate the shops.
“When I first broke the color line at Armco in skilled trades, he was assigned to me as a mentor,” Snow said. “I could always go to Choppy and he would talk to me and help me out, ease things if I couldn’t go to a Caucasian brother on the job.”
Snow called Saunders a humble man who believed in helping people.
“Sometimes he was out front helping people. Other times he was behind the scenes,” Snow said. “He didn’t really want to take credit for helping people.”
Snow said their professional relationship soon blossomed into a friendship that included regular Saturday morning golf outings. When asked who had the better golf game, Snow said: “At least (Choppy) could shoot his age. I can’t even do that.”
Esther Saunders said golf was a passion of her late husband’s and he would play regularly at Weatherwax Golf Course with his good friend Wilton “Nick” Nicholson. She said she would like to scatter some of his ashes at Weatherwax in his memory.
A memorial service has not been schedule yet, his wife said, but one would likely take place in early May at Bethel AME Church on Yankee Road, where Saunders was a member.
Saunders was preceded in death by his parents, James and Ollie Saunders; his first wife, LaVerne Saunders; his daughter, Nancy Smith; and two sisters Mary Elisabeth and Dorothy Coleman.
He is survived by his wife; two step-sons Harvey McCown of Indianapolis and Gordon McCown of Dayton; a step-daughter LaTanya Driscoll of Florida; a step-sister, Cleo Clay of Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; two granddaughters Keely Smith and Tracey Burks, both of Atlanta, Ga.; a grandson Cory Driscoll of Middletown; and 15 great-grandchildren.
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