Foley, Ala. — (OBA) — Foley honored former Mayor Arthur Holk by officially adding his name to the city airport during a recent dedication ceremony. City leaders, family members, and residents gathered at the Foley Municipal Airport as a new sign was unveiled, reading Holk Field at Foley Municipal Airport. Speakers described Holk as a key figure in both aviation and the city’s growth. They said the naming recognizes more than four decades of public service.​

The city dedicated the new Holk Field sign at Foley Municipal Airport on Friday, Jan. 16. Holk, who died in 2021, spent much of his life working to support aviation in Foley and across Alabama. Officials said the date marked a public thank-you to a man who had guided the community for many years.​

Holk served on the Foley City Council from 1952 to 1972, then as mayor for five terms from 1976 to 1996. City officials said those 40 years in office helped shape Foley’s development and its airport. Many residents remembered him as a constant presence in local government and civic life.​

Mayor Ralph Hellmich said naming the airport for Holk is a way to show the city's deep appreciation for his work. “He was so important for our city,” Hellmich said. “He served so many terms in city government. He was important to us, and this naming of the field today is so important.”​

Holk’s family stood with city officials beside the new sign during the dedication. Among them was State Rep. Frances Holk-Jones, Holk’s daughter, who said the honor reflects her father’s lifelong love of flying. She said the family was moved to see his name placed on the airport he helped support.​

“He always had a passion for aviation,” Holk-Jones said. “He was very proud that he had been chairman of the Alabama Aeronautics Bureau under three different governors, and he took great pride in all that was going on here in Foley and across the state. So this is a huge honor for us that the city, the mayor, and the entire council have done that.”​

Holk-Jones shared a story about how far her father’s enthusiasm for flight went. She said he bought his first airplane before he even had a pilot’s license. “I remember my mother was at the beauty shop and found out Arthur had bought his first plane,” Holk-Jones said.​

“He had not told her yet, and he also didn’t know how to fly, but he had bought the plane, and Mother was, shall I say, intrigued when she got home to discuss it with him,” she added, drawing laughs from those at the event. Family members said that the story showed his bold nature and his deep interest in aviation.​

Holk’s link to the Foley airport goes back to its beginning. He was the first pilot to land a plane there when the airport opened in 1967. Hellmich said the runway was not paved at the time, a reminder of how much the facility has changed.​

The mayor said the city has continued to upgrade the airport under Holk and later administrations. Plans for Holk Field include new hangars, expanded taxiways, and improved drainage. Officials said those projects will help the airport keep serving local pilots and visitors while carrying Holk’s name into the future.​