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Gadsden council appoints members to Forest Cemetery boards, clarifies cemetery name is not tied to Nathan Bedford Forrest
Summary
The council appointed members to the Forest Cemetery Board and the Forest Cemetery Foundation Board on June 8 and reiterated the cemetery’s name is 'Forest Cemetery' (one R) and not named for Nathan Bedford Forrest. Council emphasized the boards’ operational and financial oversight roles.
On June 8 the Gadsden City Council approved appointments to the Forest Cemetery Board and to the Forest Cemetery Foundation Board and made a point of clarifying the cemetery’s historic name.
Council appointed Bib Holland to fill a vacancy on the Forest Cemetery Board (term to April 5, 2028) and reappointed Joe Enser Cash (term to April 5, 2031). Separately, the council appointed Katrina Hooks (term to May 28, 2028), Judy Swaford (term to May 28, 2029), reappointed Marcia Bush Kendrick (term to May 28, 2030), and appointed Kyle Chambers (term to May 28, 2031) to the Forest Cemetery Foundation Board.
A council member explained the operational responsibilities of the Forest Cemetery Board—maintenance, equipment purchases and oversight of multiple cemeteries the city manages—and explicitly clarified that the cemetery’s name is spelled 'Forest Cemetery' (one R) and was not named in honor of Nathan Bedford Forrest. "It was never named in honor of Nathan Bedford Forest. It never has been," the council member said, noting the name references the wooded area where the cemetery was originally established.
The council suspended the rules to consider these appointments as new business and adopted the resolutions by voice vote. No opposition was recorded in the public transcript.
Next steps: Appointees will assume their terms and the cemetery boards will continue operational and fundraising duties; city staff will update records to reflect the new appointments.
