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Veteran wears title of ‘Mayor of Melrose’

By Sarah Pickett
Posted 8/1/18

MELROSE – A veteran. A photographer. The mayor of Melrose.

These are all titles that Cornelius Clayton Jr., 74, of Melrose, holds. Born in Jacksonville in 1943, Clayton’s parents moved to …

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Veteran wears title of ‘Mayor of Melrose’


Posted

MELROSE – A veteran. A photographer. The mayor of Melrose.

These are all titles that Cornelius Clayton Jr., 74, of Melrose, holds. Born in Jacksonville in 1943, Clayton’s parents moved to Melrose in 1949. He graduated from high school in 1963 as the vice president of his senior class.

After high school, he worked at Shands Teaching Hospital until he was drafted for the Vietnam War in December 1966. He was wounded during a napalm drop after six-and-a-half months in Vietnam, which put him in a hospital in Japan for about three months. Upon returning to the United States, Clayton received a Purple Heart. He went on to spend his last nine months of service at Fort Benning, Georgia.

“I (was) supposed to get one (Purple Heart), but it was a mistake on the orders,” Clayton said.

He received one of the Hearts in Vietnam, and another when he returned to stateside.

After his military service, Clayton went back to work for Shands. Then, he used the GI Bill to earn an associate degree at Santa Fe College in Gainesville. He was working on a bachelor’s degree in management at the University of Florida when he started experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I finished about halfway with my Bachelor’s, but my PTSD really started kicking in then,” said Clayton.

To overcome this challenge, he relied on the strength he has in God and his life passion for photography.

“Photography has strengthened me because it took me to where people were," he said.

He started photographing people when he was 12-years-old. He took his camera to church and school. Then, he became more involved in the art of photography and began shooting events, weddings and class reunions.

“I don’t go anywhere unless I take my camera, whether I’m taking pictures or not. It’s just my life,” he said. “I do it for fun, most of all. Occasionally, I do it for events. I'm also a clown; I like to tease and make people laugh,” he said.

Melrose is home for Clayton. He loves Melrose for its trees, country roads and kind people. He has attended the same church, Saint John Missionary Baptist Church, since he moved to Melrose in 1949.

“It is a nice country town. Everybody gets along. Everybody is family there no matter what the race is. There’s a lot of love in Melrose,” said Clayton.

Clayton is known as the unofficial “Mayor of Melrose.”

“We can’t have a mayor. But, since I’ve been living there since 1949 and know a lot of people, (the town) proclaims me as “the Mayor of Melrose,” said Clayton.

He loves to help others, too.

“If there’s any way that I can help you, I get great joy out of doing that,” said Clayton.

Karen Lake, mayor of neighboring Keystone Heights, has known Clayton a number of years.

“He is certainly the unofficial Mayor of Melrose. While I can claim Keystone right now, today, I think Clayton will always be considered the unofficial mayor for Melrose. We celebrate him and are very proud of what he does for our community,” she said.

Tony Brown, former mayor of Keystone Heights, has also known Clayton for around 15 years.

“He’s probably one of the funniest guys I’ve ever met. I’ve never seen him down. He’s always happy and fun to be around,” said Brown.

Brown, like many others in the community, has seen Clayton in action photographing the community services at the cemetery such as Veteran’s Day, Memorial Day and Wreaths Across America. He also freelances for the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program at the University of Florida in Gainesville. Clayton is now semi-retired. He mows lawns and has a t-shirt design business.