As Pilot Point Mayor Chad Major spoke to start the dedication ceremony, the family of George Hilz stood, beaming.
Hilz, who is now the namesake for the George W. Hilz Public Safety Annex, served Pilot Point was the mayor under whom the city made the jump from an all-volunteer department to a paid-career department.
“We went from a volunteer, a pure volunteer fire department to a full-time service fire department [with] a mixture of volunteer as well as full-time firemen,” Major said. “Let me put you in a place of public service. That’s an awfully lonely place to be when you’re making that kind of a change in a small community.”
Hilz served as mayor of Pilot Point from 1964-76 as well as serving on the Pilot Point ISD school board.
Major, who spoke of portraying Hilz in the Bonnie and Clyde Days reenactment in years past, said Steve Irick had told him about “the public servant that George was.”
“He allowed [his employee] Everett Boerner to serve on the fire department and did not dock his pay when he got called off,” Major said. “Now, to some of you that may not mean anything, but to me, that tells me that somebody cared, and I think George Hilz cared.”
That kind of caring that went beyond his service in office is “why we’re dedicating this annex to him today,” Major said.
He added that he was “thankful for leadership that made those kind of sacrifices and decisions.”
His granddaughter, Stephani Mohon, spearheaded the effort to have her grandfather honored in such a way.
She spoke at the dedication, saying this was a longtime effort.
“Four mayors, eight years and nine-ish City Council meetings later, I can finally say this day has come,” Mohon said.
She thanked former mayors Shea Dane and Elisa Beasley as well as Major, the City Council members and City Manager Britt Lusk for their work in helping the dedication become a reality.
“I know my granddad would be so honored,” she said. “This is such an honorable thing for him and actually for the whole entire Hilz family.”
She cited Dane, in a Post-Signal article, being quoted as calling Hilz a “gentle giant.”
“He had a heart bigger than anybody I’ve ever met, and he truly loved this community, this town, and he loved everybody here,” Mohon said of her grandfather. “And he would do anything for anyone here.”
The Hilz family donated a 1950s Midway Fire Department hat to the Pilot Point Fire Department in honor of the event.
“I knew Mr. Hilz as a young boy when I was growing up in the community and always knew of his business,” Pilot Point Fire Chief Heath Hudson said, adding that Hilz was a volunteer firefighter himself. “… It’s just always great to be able to remember the heritage of where this department came from and the men and women that have served in it that brought it to where it is today.”
His daughters Karen Keith and Jessica Neatherland spoke of the great compassion and love their father had for everyone in their family and throughout the community.
Keith described him as 'a wonderful man.'
'He would listen to anybody and help out anybody he could, always,' she said.
Her youngest sister, Neatherlin, expanded on that.
'I don't know if there was a man with a bigger heart,' she said. 'He led by example. He showed what true service meant. This whole thing has been such an honor to be a part of and I'm so grateful that his granddaughter, Stephani, put this in motion and saw it through. It's a great honor, and we just feel so fortunate to be here.'
