Joe Tom Haltom (left) accepts the Team Kentucky Lake Ambassador award from Marshall County Judge-Executive Kevin Neal last year. Haltom has contributed to civic and service organizations throughout the years in the county.
Joe Tom Haltom has been part of more lives in Marshall County than most people will ever realize.
Haltom, one-time Marshall County sheriff and successful businessowner, has worked to improve the lives of residents on a larger scale, contributing significant funds to a number of civics organizations and necessary services like Marshall County Hospital. Haltom was responsible for purchasing land where the new hospital sits, and contributed $1 million to construct the medical center which now bears his name. He furthers that contribution by continued donations to the hospital auxiliary.
But health care isn’t the half of it, and Haltom doesn’t do it for the accolades or attention, said longtime friend Doug Dotson. It’s out of a greater love for community and people.
“He’s been a very giving person,” Dotson said. “But he will tell you, Marshall County’s been very good to him. … He wants to give back, but he wants to give back where everybody can use it, and nobody (is) left behind.”
Such was the case when Haltom learned of the Children’s Art Center in downtown Benton. Haltom has been an active contributor throughout the center’s development, having purchased property to donate for parking expansion at the center and assisting in paving costs. Dotson said Haltom had one major concern before he began his involvement with the center.
“The first question he asked when the arts center was being built and they were soliciting funds was, ‘is any child going to be left standing outside because they … don’t have the money to come in?’ He said, ‘if that’s the case, I’m not interested.’ But he said, ‘if every child – regardless of what side of town they live on, what part of the county they live on, regardless of their income – if they have the ability to use it, I’d like to help.’”
Haltom has also been a major contributor to the new pool house project in Benton, as well. Dotson, whose wife is Benton Mayor Rita Dotson, said the project was nearly scrapped after construction estimates came in about $100,000 more than what the city had anticipated. Haltom, he said, would have none of it. He pledged to assist in construction costs up to $100,000 to see the project through.
“Joe Tom said, ‘Don’t you even think about scrapping that project,’” Dotson said. “… His reasoning for that, he said, ‘I drive down there every day … I look over and see those kids and I know that if it was not for that public swimming pool, those kids wouldn’t have nearly the pleasure that they have got.’ He said, ‘Everybody can’t join the country club. That’s just a good thing for our kids.’”
Haltom, prior to health issues, was active in his church at Church Grove United Methodist in Benton, as well as neighboring ministries. Haltom took an active role in the Community Christmas Dinner hosted by First Baptist Church, and has contributed to programs bussing needy children in for meals and worship services at other locations.
One of Haltom’s most notable services to the community, however, came in the Marshall County Exceptional Center. Haltom, who himself had a special needs son, and his first wife Anita were among the founding members of the Exceptional Center in the 1960s. At that time, public education policy did not outline services for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The center has grown to become a critical component of the community, teaching life skills, job placement assistance and giving special needs residents a place to socialize, learn and grow.
Haltom has worked to facilitate the center’s growth throughout the years, serving on the board, volunteering and contributing funds for operations.
Exceptional Center Director and longtime friend Melonie Chambers said the center would not have become the success it is without Haltom and that first group of parents, and the wisdom and guidance he’d provided since.
“Joe Tom is a very loving individual,” Chambers said. “He loves his family, loves his friends, loves this center and goes way above and beyond here. … This man has given so much to this community in more ways than he even wants people to know. You know, some people want to say ‘Oh look what I’ve done,’ that’s not Joe Tom. That’s not him at all. He’s not necessarily a private person, but he’s a very genuine person, and he’s doing it from the goodness of his heart not because he wants any accolades at all. He’s a jewell for sure.”
Among his contributions included the equipment for the center’s kitchen, which not only provided clients of the center with food and the opportunity to learn but also, for a time, served as the hub for the Meals on Wheels program in the county, Chambers said.
“He saw the need ahead of time with what we could do with this kitchen,” she said. “… I’m sure he’s helped individuals and nobody knows about it. I’m sure there are countless number of people out there who would say, ‘Yes, Joe Tom did so-and-so for me.’ … I think if there were more people like Joe Tom in this world what a better place this world would be. You know, not everybody has time or talent or money, but if everybody would share … and they see the need and share with whatever that need may be, wouldn’t this be awesome? … He’s one of those people that instead of saying ‘Oh, I wish somebody would do so-and-so,’ he’s a man who takes action, and from his actions come wonderful things.”
Lindsey Wall has spent years working at the Exceptional Center, and has gotten to know Haltom well in that time. Wall said Haltom’s own personal connection with the center and its operations began with his son Stephen, but it ran much deeper. Haltom’s son, who suffered from cerebral palsy, passed away in 2014, but Haltom’s work with the center continues.
“He’s very humble, and he realizes that there are people out there that have these disabilities that cannot pay for services,” Wall said. “And there are people out there that don’t qualify for waivers. As we stand right now, there are waiting lists for both. Even emergency slots. With that being said, we’re the only agency in the state that does not charge people to come. It’s absolutely free. And I think that’s one of Joe Tom’s biggest staples that he’s always helped the board to remember, and passed on throughout the entire course that we’ve ever been open, we’ve never charged. And he doesn’t want that to be the way we are, because people need to have a place to go. They don’t need to be put in a corner.”
Wall said he frequently came in to visit with the individuals at the center, and still participated in events like the Academy of Stars and various fundraisers.
“He would visit with his son Stephen, but along with that he would take the time to talk to all the individuals. He knows them all by their first name, and it’s more than just people that are here. I think he sees them as friends and as his son’s friends. It’s really cool to see how he still maintains that. … I know he misses his son dearly, but it’s not like his son’s gone so he’s gone now, too. This place is family to him, too.”