Selma lost one of its pioneers and a highly regarded citizens Monday with the death of John Herman Blanton.

Blanton, 92, practiced law in Selma for several decades and was a member of Church Street United Methodist Church.

Selma resident Jean Johnson, who grew up with Blanton in Arsenal Place, said she had fond memories from their youth. She also said Blanton was a dedicated family man.

“We did a lot of fun things as young folks and used to play on the riverbank,” she said. “We went all through school together. Both he and his wife [Mary] gave their lives to their son Barry who had cerebral palsy.”

Blanton, who graduated from A.G. Parish High School in 1936, was also a hard working student.

“He was always a good student growing up,” she said. “He was always very interested in school and worked very hard. He was just a very fine person.”

Many afternoons, Johnson said she, Blanton and other children from the area would play on the riverbank and wave to the boats as they passed by.

“We always had a lot of fun growing up,” she said. “He was a great friend.”

Following graduation, Blanton attended college at the University of Alabama where he received his law degree. He also served in the Navy during World War II before returning home to continue his practice.

In addition to his education in Tuscaloosa, Blanton also attended Harvard for post-graduate studies.

Another lifelong friend, Louise Gould, said Blanton always cared about the welfare of his city and friends.

“He’s been a great citizen and a wonderful man,” she said. “He was always interested in what was going on and what everybody was doing.”

Gould said Blanton kept up with the birthdays of surviving classmates and tried to stay in touch with as many as he could.

She also said he spent many of his latter years caring for his wife, who had arthritis, in his childhood home in Arsenal Place.

Through the years, Gould said Blanton kept the same demeanor that had drawn so many people to him.

“It was very sad to hear about John,” she said. “I kept up with him all these years and he was just as nice and pleasant as he could be and interested in everything going on. He just was a fine person.”

Blanton practiced law in Selma for 56 years and did not retire until he was 85.

As a professional, Selma attorney Cartledge Blackwell said Blanton was a fine lawyer and mentor.

“He was a fine attorney and always took great attention to detail,” he said. “And another great thing about John was that he always had time to help out younger attorneys.”

Blanton is survived by his wife Mary and children, Barry of Prattville, John of Mobile, and Margaret Colley of Prattville.