sam ridley parkway
Sam Ridley was the longest serving mayor of Smyrna, from 1947-1987. In his life time he served as a state legislator, mayor, business man, and advocate for our community. His most notable lasting mark on our town is the Nissan Plant that Sam worked hard for.
To give you an idea of how long his tenure was, his first election to office of mayor was before Smyrna even had dial telephones.
His efforts to bring companies to Smyrna
brought us Square D, Nissan, and others. His is also credited with
bringing to Smyrna the Sewerts Air Force base into the city limits.
During World War 2 he served in the Army as an officer. Due to his
height he had to go to the pentagon to procure a waiver. His time
during the war saw him as a tank commander with General Patton’s
Eighth Army Division that fought in France and Italy.
Sam Ridley passed away in Florida in 2003 after a car accident
