The Russellville city school board made history Tuesday by appointing Rex Mayfield as the system’s new superintendent.

Mayfield becomes the first Russellville graduate to become superintendent and only the sixth since the system was formed in 1929.

“I appreciate the board for giving me this opportunity,” Mayfield said as colleagues and friends took turns offering congratulations.

“This is exciting. This is my home and this is my school, so it means a lot to me and my family.”

Mayfield will replace retiring superintendent Don Cox on April 1. Mayfield spent the past two years as Cox’s administrative assistant.

“I am thrilled for him,” said Cox, who has been in the system since 1980 and superintendent for the past two years.

“I have known Rex for more than 30 years and it’s been fun to watch him grow. He is prepared for this job and he knows what challenges are ahead. But, he has been in on every decision that’s been made for the past two years and the one thing I have known for as long as I’ve known him, he does what’s best for the students.

“He will have to make some tough decisions in the future, but if the school board and everyone works together, the system will move forward. They picked the right person for the job.”

Mayfield was a longtime Agri-science teacher at the high school before being elevated to assistant principal in 1997. He was later the school’s principal.

School board president Jerry Groce said the board looked at Mayfield’s overall experience and the fact that he attended the superintendent’s academy as well.

“He is very knowledgeable about our multi-school budget and the board thought that was important,” Groce said. “We were concerned about some of the financial situations we will be facing and we believe that he is knowledgeable and prepared for that.”

Groce also said that he believes Mayfield’s personality and the respect that he has in the community will be a valuable asset.

“He is highly thought of by everyone that knows him,” Groce said.

Mayfield will face tough economic times and will be looking at many difficult decisions in the near future.

“We will have to see what our budget is like from the state and see how that applies to our foundation units,” he said. “We don’t want to do anything detrimental to student achievement.”

On a more personal level, Mayfield said he never envisioned himself as the school’s superintendent while growing up in Russellville or while working as a teacher. But, he did steal a line from longtime Russellville football radio announcer Dr. Tim Bishop.

“As Dr. Bishop says, ‘it’s great to be a Golden Tiger.”