Al Gaines was a leader in education and city politics

A veteran member of the Seneca City Council has died.  Al Gaines, 82 years old, died on Tuesday.  Mayor Dan Alexander and Gaines go a long way back at city hall.  Alexander called Gaines a great leader, especially for his care for the Seneca community.  And he remembers that Gaines made strides in his professional career, as an educator.  Not long after the county’s public schools were de-segregated more than 50 years ago, Gaines became the first African-American to serve as principal of the city’s middle school.  He took a  lead in the city’s naming of a section of S. 6th Street for the civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King.  Arrangements for Al Gaines will be announced.