Eugene F. Strobel (1927-2016) was honored for tireless service to Bell Buckle as its mayor from 1978-1986. A professor at Middle Tennessee State University and an ardent naturalist, he was responsible for building the town hall after the original structure collapsed as a train passed through town. During his tenure as mayor, he initiated numerous government and community activities that encouraged citizen participation, revitalized Bell Buckle by promoting local business, and, with a group of local citizens, established Tree City status and an arboretum in the town park. He was remembered as a kind and honest man who loved his family, friends, students, and the town of Bell Buckle, and he often reminded his busy college students "to pause from one's doing to remember one's being."