Tom Maxwell will officially take over ownership of Hotel Pattee in Perry starting tomorrow, but he’s already made an impact in the community by wanting to be heavily involved.

That was on display Tuesday night at La Poste, as Maxwell met with several people from Perry’s extensive Hispanic population in an event organized by Jenny Eklund. Maxwell said when he learned Perry was approximately 40% Hispanic, he asked Eklund how he could get involved with that community. Eklund then had the idea to hold the meet and greet, and she and Maxwell were very pleased with the response.

Maxwell said the reception added to his already high opinion of Perry. “Everybody in Perry has been so kind to me. And I’ve said this many, many times, the genuineness of the people that I’ve met in Perry completely blows me away. I feel blessed with my life and everything that’s happened for me, and I just want to share it, and I want to contribute and support any way I can. So to see everybody here, and the friendliness and how they welcomed me this evening to this event just blows me away.”

Eklund summed up the theme of the evening, which was that Perry is lucky to have someone like Maxwell taking over Hotel Pattee and joining the community. “I want everybody to know, that I am, also along with Perry, very happy that Tom Maxwell is our new owner of the hotel. And the relationship that he’s built with La Poste, and what the Hotel Pattee and La Poste brings to Perry is nothing but positive. And we’re going to grow, and we’re going to grow together.”

The evening included food provided by several local Hispanic restaurants, as well as speeches from citizens including St. Patrick’s Catholic School Principal Eddie Diaz. Maxwell said he was very moved by their stories about how they ended up in Perry and what “home” means to them. To hear more from Maxwell, listen to today and tomorrow’s Let’s Talk Dallas County programs.