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Chambers Earns Barford Award

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By JOYCE McKENZIE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 4, 2008

TEMPLE TERRACE - The town is tagged as "A City for Living" and James Chambers has helped make it that way, Cheri Donohue says.

That's why Donohue, director of the Greater Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce, and Helen Harper, her assistant, nominated Chambers for the fourth annual Fran Barford Public Service Award, which is sponsored by the Temple Terrace Woman's Club. Barford was a member of the club for more than 30 years and also served eight years as a Temple Terrace councilwoman and six years as the city's first female mayor.

Chambers is Temple Terrace's director of leisure services.

"James is one of those people who should be at the top of the list for what he's done to help make the city what it is today," Donohue said in an interview.
Barford and other members of the club's award committee agreed. In turn, Barford presented Chambers with the Fran Barford award plaque, with his name engraved on it, during the club's spring luncheon May 28 at the Temple Terrace Golf & Country Club. The plaque's permanent home is in the lobby at city hall.

"I'm honored and humbled," Chambers said. "It's hard for me to put into words."

Chambers, 52, moved with his parents, James Sr. and Sophia, and his sister, Beth, from Tampa to Temple Terrace in 1968.

As a teenager, he would go to the Omar K. Lightfoot Recreation Center, the only recreation center in Temple Terrace at the time, where he took classes and played indoor games. After the tennis courts were built adjacent to the center, he took up the game.

The center's supervisor, Ken Boyd, asked if he would take charge of the courts on the weekends, an offer that led to his being hired at age 17 and listed as a part-time employee on the city's staff roster. Chambers also began giving tennis lessons at $3.15 an hour and decided he wanted to pursue a career in the city's recreation department.

The King High School graduate who has an associate's degree from the University of South Florida began working full time for the city in 1976. He was named assistant director of the parks and recreation department in 1988. In 2001, he was promoted to director of the department that recently was renamed and incorporated the city's library operations.

"Under James Chamber's direction, the city parks and recreation facilities have prospered and grown to cover a wide range of activities for citizens from 1 to 99 years old," Barford said. "Under his guidance, the $1 million renovation of the Lightfoot Center, the $65,000 renovation of Linwood Park and the new dog park on U.S. 301 will become reality. Anyone who has ever worked with him knows of his love for this city."
Temple Terrace resident Pat King said she had the privilege of working with Chambers for seven years during the city's annual fall arts festival at Riverhills Park.

"I can attest to how hard he works and to his love for this community," King said. "His mother and father were so proud of him and must be smiling down from heaven."

Reporter Joyce McKenzie can be reached at (813) 865-4849 or jmckenzie@tampatrib.com.

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