Staff Photo by John Rawlston
Christian Ghetie of Belfor Property Restoration scrapes paint on Thursday from the window where a bomb was thrown last October, killing the bomber and seriously injuring a lawyer in the Dalton firm of McCamy, Phillips, Tuggle and Fordham. The law firm began moving back into the building on Thursday after spending the last year in temporary offices at the Dalton City Hall.

DALTON, Ga. -- For almost a year, James Fordham has kept a broken clock, frozen forever at 9:55 a.m.

The moment the blast went off.

The clock was in his office on Oct. 17, 2008, the day the law firm of McCamy, Phillips, Tuggle & Fordham was bombed.

The clock is a lone reminder of what happened, and attorneys at the firm say they're closing the door on the past.

"It feels ... like turning the page and a new beginning, but in an old, familiar place," said attorney Robert Smalley.

This week, the firm is moving back into its offices on West Crawford Street. Instead of grappling with a tragedy, they're debating whether certain pieces of furniture, like an old, green-cushioned metal chair, should have places in their remodeled office.

They're showing off their upstairs bathroom, painted bright red -- a tribute to the Georgia Bulldogs.

"We've stuck together and done well," said attorney Sam Sanders. "I really think the members of our firm and our staff have all become closer."

Mr. Fordham said returning to his office of 40 years conjures up memories.

"It feels like you've been off somewhere and you're coming home," he said.

Mostly, though, he said he's thinking about Jim Phillips, who still suffers from injuries sustained in the bombing.

"You don't want that to happen to anybody, but if it happens to a really nice person, it seems to be worse," he said.

Mr. Phillips was the one who tried to reason with Lloyd Cantrell before the man set off the explosive device at the library window.

"He tried to prevent it, then he suffers more than anybody," said Mr. Fordham. "It's a sad situation, but we're coming back; he's better."

Mr. Phillips toured the renovated building on Thursday but declined comment to the media.

Putting it back together

John Haustein was one of the people responsible for putting all the pieces of the law firm -- from large items to about 1,000 paper files -- back together following the blast. It took months to reassemble everything, said Mr. Haustein, who works for RestorAmerica.

"The best I can compare it to is a combination of a tornado and a fire," he said. "You had the mass chaos of everything being scattered like a tornado would do, combined with the soot and smells associated with fire."

Today, the law office is neat and ordered. In some ways, it's even improved.

The historic building now has all of the modern conveniences it was lacking before, Mr. Smalley said -- up-to-date fire equipment, wiring and a wheelchair ramp, among other things.

The members are planning a barbecue to honor emergency responders who helped on the day of the bombing, he said. To showcase the repaired building, the firm also is planning a community open house and will take part in the Family Crisis Center tour of homes at Christmas, he said.

Mr. Smalley noted the attorneys and employees have experienced an outpouring of support from the community.

Brian Anderson, president and CEO of the Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce, said he's glad to see his good friends returning to their office.

The move back helps Dalton "return to some state of normal," said Dalton Police Chief Jason Parker.

"I'm sure it really feels good to them," he said.

Mr. Fordham said the bombing changed his perspective on life.

"It makes you realize how fickle life can be; you really don't know," he said. "Mr. Phillips gets up that Friday morning to come to work and then he's blown up. It makes you think about that, it really does."

Life feels a bit different, Mr. Sanders said.

"The bulletproof feeling has kind of gone away," he said.

STORY SO FAR

The McCamy, Phillips, Tuggle & Fordham law office was destroyed the morning of Oct. 17, 2008.

Lloyd Cantrell, 78, of Dalton, rammed the building's north side with an explosive-laden SUV. When his attempt to blow up the building that way failed, he grabbed an explosive device and ran around the back of the building, setting it off at the library window.

The blast killed Mr. Cantrell and injured four others. Attorney Jim Phillips stayed at the Joseph M. Still Burn Center in Augusta for a few months. He is back home in Dalton but has not yet returned to work.

The apparent motive was that firm attorney Sam Sanders had represented Mr. Cantrell's son, Bruce Cantrell, in a property dispute with Lloyd Cantrell.

Staff Photo by John Rawlston Christian Ghetie of Belfor Property Restoration scrapes paint on Thursday from the window where a bomb was thrown last October, killing the bomber and seriously injuring a lawyer in the Dalton firm of McCamy, Phillips, Tuggle and Fordham. The law firm began moving back into the building on Thursday after spending the last year in temporary offices at Dalton City Hall.