The city of Arlington has lost a cherished figure with the passing of Doland Maner, a former City Council member and a U.S. Navy veteran, who lived to see 103 years of change and progress. Maner, a stalwart of local politics and community service, died, leaving behind a tapestry of contributions that helped shape Arlington into what it is today. A man of noteworthy longevity, he made headlines at 100 for being the oldest to ever throw out the first pitch at a Texas Rangers game—an event captured alongside Arlington Mayor Jim Ross.
During his tenure on the Arlington City Council, a position he held starting in 1967, Maner witnessed the city swell from a cozy town of less than 90,000 to the bustling community it is today. Not only did he help carve out legacies like Veterans Park, but he also played a hand alongside Mayor Vandergriff in the decision to proudly bring the Washington Senators down South, transforming them into the now-celebrated Texas Rangers. These efforts, according to an Arlington Office of Communication profile, began during the dawn of his two-term legacy.
Born in Decatur, Alabama, in 1922, Maner was eight when he moved to Arlington—a city he would eventually help to drastically shape. Following a patriotic stopover in the Navy, he returned to take up the family mantle at Southern Ornamental Steel. Maner's career later ascended to executive positions, marking a trajectory that paralleled his increasing involvement in his adopted city's affairs. Reminiscing on his life, Mayor Ross acknowledged, "Doland loved this community, loved its history and worked much of his long life to ensure others could enjoy both," as per Arlington Office of Communication, a statement that encapsulates Maner's fervor for civic duty and preservation.
Maner's passion further led him to be a key figure in the Arlington Historical Society, contributing to projects like the Fielder Museum and Knapp Heritage Park. It was his commitment to safeguarding Arlington's past that to permanently inscribe into the city's memory its 150-year-old story. He also reflected on milestones such as the influence of General Motors on Arlington's thrust towards economic prosperity and maintained efforts to foster the Sister City relationship with Bad Königshofen, Germany. In relaying his experiences, Maner once shared his rich archive of city tales with the Arlington Office of Communication, touching on subjects as diverse as the city's development to personal anecdotes from his service on the city council.
