Henry Gwaltney was born on February 20, 1922, the son of Alvin and Bernice Warwick Gwaltney in Dothan, Alabama. He grew up in Dothan and graduated from Dothan High School in 1940, serving as Sr. Class President. In 1947 Henry was married to Anita Thompson, and to this union Henry “Hank” Jr., Neva Pierce, and Marshall were born.
Upon graduation from high school, he entered the Northern Illinois School of Optometry in Chicago. His education was interrupted by WWII while he served in the Medical Corps of the U.S. Air Force. In 1945 he returned to Northern Illinois to complete his training, and from there he returned to Dothan to begin his practice as an optometrist.
In 1946 Henry and his father were on their way to Andalusia to investigate the possibility of moving Henry’s practice there. Henry’s father was a good friend of Johnnie Woodham, and they stopped in Johnnie’s drug store (presently Covington Jewelers) to visit before going on to Andalusia. Mr. Woodham seized the opportunity to extol the virtues of Opp. In true Chamber of Commerce fashion, he showed the Gwaltneys around town and encouraged Henry to bring his practice to Opp. Henry served Opp for 44 years as its only full-time practicing optometrist. He was honored by his fellow optometrists with the award of Alabama Optometrist of the Year in 1977. Henry was a member and a director of the Alabama Optometric Association and the Southern Council of Optometrists. He served as chairman of the area study group of the Optometric Extension Program, a national organization that promotes continuous study for optometrists.
On February 19, 1947, Henry, along with 30 other men reorganized the Opp Lion’s Club, with Henry serving as their Charter President. Henry gave many hours of service to this organization and their major project “Sight for the Blind”. Many have benefited from the service Henry gave to this project, and in 1977 Henry was the first to be named Lion of the Year.
Henry served as a Deacon in the First Baptist Church, and for many years he served as a Sunday School teacher for seventh grade boys.
Perhaps it was for the way Henry shared his life with so many, particularly in his hobbies, that Henry will be most remembered. He was an avid fisherman and hunter. He loved to build blue-bird houses, and he shared them with many people, contributing to the return of the blue bird in this area. Henry also developed an art for making fishing lures. He was featured on a local television fishing program and in a book, Lures for Lunker Bass, demonstrating his craft. Countless fisher- men have Henry’s lures in their collection and consider them a priceless treasure.
In 1976 Henry was stricken with the dreaded disease of cancer which required the removal of his voice box. Instead of allowing this affliction to get him down, Henry used his handicap as a witness to other cancer patients. He proved that with determination handicaps can be overcome. He made numerous appearances on behalf of the American Cancer Society and even made trips to teach other laryngectomy patients his way of speech.
There is no doubt that Henry Gwaltney was one of Opp’s true humanitarians. His love for the town and its people will have a lasting effect. His profession was not just a way of making a living for himself, but he used his profession as a genuine service for sharing and caring for each patient. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1991.
