March 30, 2021. Madison, Mississippi. Gaither # 2.

Gaither ended his professional career as the head of the Methodist Church in the US. He started out as a pastor. When the law was written allowing apartments to be sold to owners he was concerned for the tenants who would not be able to buy into the COOPs that were being established. So he and his wife bought 40 units of the apartment building when it was being converted into Coperatives. Their idea was to buy those units and then allow the tenants to stay in their apartments. The building was on 14th Street. Gaither told me that he expected the tenants would save their money so they could buy the units from him. This was before the laws allowing the purchase of condominiums. New York and DC were the first city that bought the concept. There are still many building in both cities that have Coperatives. I was asked to get the remaining units sold. As they were both in their mid 80s, they did not want their daughter, who lived in New Brunswick, to be forced to deal with them. He still owned 15. I was astonished with his system. He never raised the rent. And he told the tenants that they could buy their unit at any time. He assumed that every tenant, because the rent was low, would be able to buy their own unit. But he was still left with 15 to sell. He told me that if everyone who has funds would do the same thing that he had done, there would be no homeless people. He paid cash for the 40 units so they were always self supporting. But he did it to help poor tenants. I am still astonished with the concept. They were an usual couple and I hav always been grateful that I became their good friend.