Tomas (Tom) Day (1919−1981) came to Clay County in 1959, transferring from the Citizens Bank and Trust Company in Andrews, North Carolina. He became Vice President and Branch Manager, serving in this capacity until 1970, when the bank merged with the Wachovia Bank and Trust Company. Resident Mrs. Velma Moore described Tom as “a mover and a shaker in the development of the County.”
As chairman of the Clay County Industrial Authority Committee, he helped secure Rolling Hills Fashion, the first textile plant in Clay County. Also, as Chairman of the Clay County Rural Development Authority, his organization secured for the County (and, thus, created jobs) these properties and projects: Moore Home Sites, Chatuge Shores Golf Course and Recreation Complex, American Component Industries, and Jackrabbit Campground (run by the Nantahala National Forest Service). In addition, he helped “drive” the acquisition of sites for both the Moss Memorial Library and the Clay County Health Center. He organized the Mountain Home Nursing Service and was instrumental in the facelift of the Hayesville Town Square. As a person highly interested in education, he served on the Boards of John C. Campbell Folk School and for Tri-County Technical Institute, now Tri-County Community College. He also served in the U. S. Army Air Corps in World War II and in the U. S. Army during the Korean War.
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