Discover St. Clair December 2014 January 2015

St. Vincent’s Surgical • Faulkner Farms • Springville ActorsBuckner Barrels • Scenic Drives • St. Clair Airport • Farriers Compete

Christmas at the Capps

December 2014 & January 2015

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Features and ArticlesDiscover The Essence of St. Clair

December 2014 & January 2015

St. Vincent’S St. clairPage 26

OdenVille celebrateSPage 46

FarrierS cOmpetitiOnPage 48

Financial WizardSPage 52

FrOm brOadWay

tO Green acreSPage 60

mOOnShinerS ViSitPage 66

backpack buddieSPage 70

buSineSS reVieWBuckner Barrels: Big Picture

Page 72Traveling with Aliant Bank

Page 84Crawford Skinner study

Page 86

www.discoverstclair.com

Holidays atthe Capps housea special treat

A farmwith a view

Page 38

Page 8

Destination:St. ClairAirportPage 16

A guideto spectacularscenic drives Page 34

Welcome home for

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6 DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • December 2014 & January 2015

Writers AND PhotographersCarol Pappas is editor and publisher of Discover St. Clair Magazine. A retired newspaper executive, she served as editor and publisher of several newspapers and magazines during her career. She won doz-ens of writing awards in features, news and commentary and was named Distinguished Alabama Community Journalist at Auburn University. After retiring, she launched her own multimedia company, Partners by Design Inc. In addition to marketing, de-sign and web services for companies and nonprofits, Partners publishes Discover, various community magazines for cham-bers of commerce and Mosaic Magazine, a biannual publica-tion of Alabama Humanities Foundation.

Carol Pappas

Jerry C. Smith’s interest in photography and writing go back to his teen years. He has produced numerous articles, stories and photographs for local websites and regional newspapers and magazines, including the St. Clair County News, Sand Mountain Living, and Old Tennessee Valley. His photos have appeared in books, on national public television, in local art displays and have captured prizes in various contests. A retired business machine technician and Birmingham native, Jerry now lives near Pell City. He recently published two books: Uniquely St. Clair and Growing Up In The Magic City.

Jerry C. Smith

Graham Hadley is the managing editor and designer for Discover The Essence of St. Clair Magazine and also manages the magazine website. He has won more than 20 awards for reporting, editorial writing and graphic design. Along with Carol Pappas, he left The Daily Home as managing editor to become vice president of the Creative Division of Partners by Design multimedia company. An Auburn journalism gradu-ate, Hadley also served as the news editor for The Rome News Tribune in Rome,Ga.

Graham Hadley

Mike Callahan is a freelance photographer who resides on Logan Martin Lake in Pell City. He specializes in commercial, nature and family photography. Mike’s work has been published in Outdoor Alabama Magazine, Alabama Trucking Association and Alabama Concrete Industries maga-zines. Publishing his work to the internet frequently, he has won many honors for pictures of the day and week.

Mike Callahan

For almost 30 years, Leigh Pritchett has been involved in the publishing industry. She was employed for 11 years by The Gadsden Times, ultimately becoming Lifestyle editor. Since 1994, she has been a freelance writer. Her work has appeared in online and print venues. She holds the Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Montevallo.

Leigh Pritchett

Wally was born in Birmingham. He gradu-ated from Mountain Brook High School in 1973, and went on to Auburn University where he graduated in 1976 with his BA in History and minors in German and Educa-tion. Wally’s skills in photography blos-somed during college. Upon graduation, he entered his father’s business, National Woodworks, Inc. After a 30-year career, he decided to dust off his camera skills and pursue photography full time.

Wallace Bromberg Jr.

Loyd McIntosh is a freelance writer and former news reporter and sports writer for several newspapers throughout the South-east, including The Daily Home. In over 10 years as a freelance writer, he has published work in a variety of magazines. He is a na-tive of Trussville and now lives in Pell City with his wife, Elizabeth, and daughters Em-ily Grace and Lily. Loyd is currently the marketing manager for the Birmingham YMCA.

Loyd McIntosh

Elaine Hobson Miller is a freelance writer with a B.A. in Journalism from Samford University. She was the first female to cover Birmingham City Hall for the Birmingham Post-Herald, where she worked as reporter, food editor and features writer. A former edi-tor of Birmingham Home & Garden maga-zine and staff writer for Birmingham magazine, she has written for a variety of local, regional and national publications.including American Profile, Woman’s World, The Dallas Morn-ing News and The Birmingham News. She is the author of two non-fiction books, Myths, Mysteries & Legends of Alabama and Nat King Cole: Unforgettable Musician. She is a member of Alabama Media Professionals and NFPW (the National Fed-eration of Press Women). Follow her weekly blog about life with a dozen four-legged critters, life in the country and life in general at http://www.countrylife-elaine.blogspot.com.

Elaine Miller

7

Discover The Essence of St. ClairDecember 2014 & January 2015 • Vol. 21 • www.discoverstclair.com

Carol Pappas • Editor and PublisherGraham Hadley • Managing Editor and Designer

Brandon Wynn • Director of Online ServicesMike Callahan • Photography

Wallace Bromberg Jr. • PhotographyArthur Phillips • Advertising

Dale Halpin • Advertising

A product of Partners by Designwww.partnersmultimedia.com

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I dare say few regions have the wealth of beauty, the deep-rooted places of interest and the inviting people that St. Clair can claim.

After covering the county in one way or another — in one capacity or another — over the past 30 years, I still say there’s a story around every bend. It’s never more evident than when we attempt to whittle down our story list for each edition. After all, the list is huge and seemingly endless. But more than that, their content is nothing short of compelling, making our choices that much harder with each issue.

Take photographer Mike Callahan’s idea to take our readers on a Sunday drive, for instance. It is reminiscent of days gone by when our parents used to load us kids up in the car and drive nowhere in particular. The scenery was always good and except for a few sibling spats, a memorable afternoon was had by all.

You can almost hear the clanging of metal being forged or feel the heat of its glowing flame when fellow photographer Wally Bromberg takes us to the St. Clair County Arena in Odenville. Through words and pictures, readers will see how farriers from around the country and England compete in what is more than a vocation, it’s an art form. And it happened right here in St. Clair County.

Of course there’s more. St. Clair has a long list of claims to fame, but maybe not quite so interesting as a child Broadway star or an affable television character named Mr. Ziffel — both of whom called a little town by the name of Springville home. Mr. Ziffel’s pig, Arnold, wasn’t from St. Clair County, but

From the Editor

A story around every bend

we’ll claim him as honorary.Around a few more bends, the St. Clair County Airport,

whose storied history yields more than a few interesting facts.As a special Christmas treat, step inside the Pell City home of

Deanna Capps. Its unusual architecture has turned many a head of passersby

who have only seen it from the outside. Come inside at this time of year, and you’ll find the treasure of Christmas in every corner.

To the north in Beaver Valley, we find breathtaking views in any direction of a farm where rare cattle once roamed and people from all over the country came to bid on its prized breed.

This edition is chocked full of those memorable stories and more, deftly told through words and photographs. Take a ride though St. Clair County and discover it all along with us.

Carol Pappas

Editor and Publisher

8

9

A Farm With a ViewFaulkner Farms has million-dollar

views, precious memoriesStory by Carol Pappas

Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.

Head down County Road 33 in Beaver Valley, and it’s like a Sunday afternoon ride in “the country.” Rolling hills and wide-open pastures with towering pines and hardwoods forming the picture-perfect backdrop greet you with the familiarity of an old friend.It feels like home — or at least the one dreams are

made of.A sign along the road says, Faulkner Farms,

Est. 1972. A wooden, split-rail fence encircles a lush green pasture — its only residents an old barn and a covered arena where rare cattle from these parts once went to the highest bidders from around the country.


A Farm With a View

Realtor Lyman Lovejoy remembers the pasture packed with vehicles and people, “guests” of Dr. Jim Faulkner, who had traveled from as far away as Canada, Wyoming, Montana and the Dakotas. He would hold an annual auction, the “Southern Gentlemen Sale” in spring at the Ashville farm.

“Part of the pleasure was having the sale here once a year,” said Faulkner, who noted that he formed lifelong friendships with many who visited. His bond, too, was with the Simmental cattle he raised. “The worst part was selling them.”

The love of farming and the outdoors goes back to childhood, he said. He was born in Georgia in 1927 and raised in Montgomery. “It was during the Depression. Nobody had anything, but we didn’t know we didn’t have anything,” he mused.

He had kin in nearby Pineapple, and his uncle would pick him up on the weekends to work the farm. “I plowed a mule and picked cotton. It was a great raising up,” he said. He attended Auburn University, joined the Navy in World War II and later

Dr. Jim and Diana Faulkner


A Farm With a View

Exterior and interior of rustic cabin built on nearby creek


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graduated from Vanderbilt University. Medical school took him to the University of Tennessee at Memphis, and after an internship in Greenville, S.C., he returned to Alabama, doing his residency in orthopedic medicine in Birmingham at the Hillman Clinic, now part of UAB Hospital.

After years of a successful practice in Woodlawn on Birmingham’s eastside at Slappey, Faulkner & Morris, he decided to buy a farm. He asked old friend, Joe Meacham, if he knew of a good place, and he pointed him in the right direction. He bought the land — more than 500 acres — in 1972 and hung its first Faulkner Farms sign, handmade in Maine.

His son, James Jr., lived there for a few years, building the fences, planting the grass and clearing the woods until he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a doctor.

In 1976, Faulkner built the house with Western Cedar logs from northern Michigan near the Canadian border. All the logs were numbered and smooth on the inside. It became his family’s retreat built on Beaver Creek, which meanders nearby. Today, it is a two-story home overlooking a vast expanse of pastureland and woods with a few head of cattle or a horse or two passing by in the distance.

A rustic, covered porch frames the entire breathtaking view. At first, Faulkner raised cattle as a hobby. “It ended up a

business,” he said. Once a year, “cowboy buddies” would venture to Beaver Valley for a two-day event that culminated in


A Farm With a View

the selling of cattle whose origin was another valley far from St. Clair County — the Simme Valley in Switzerland.

In a 1984 Gadsden Times story about Faulkner and his Simmentals, it said this farm of “valley and ridge may be as close to the Alps as Alabama will ever come.”

Faulkner bought his own cattle in Germany and England with a bull bringing the highest value at auction, $6,000 to $8,000. At one time, he had close to 200 head.

“It was really a great thing. We would invite people a few months ahead.”

On Friday nights would be a barbecue at the farm or dinner at a nearby restaurant. The next morning, 100 to 120 people would gather in that front pasture, and a tent would be set up with a catered brunch. At noon, “we were ready to start,” Faulkner said.

A brochure told them what was available, and they chose what they wanted. Auction bleachers were set up underneath

The American Simmental is described in the 1986-87 directory of the Georgia Simmental/Simbrah Association as “a performance-tested breed of beef cattle created from a blend of the best strains of Simmental cattle that originated in Europe.”

As a breed, they usually have larger and longer heads than British cattle. Their ears are larger and set lower on their head.

They are known for ruggedness and substance of bone because they were originally selected for “draught purposes as well as meat and milk production.”

Mature Simmental cows weigh between 1,100 and 1,500 pounds and mature bulls from 2,200 pounds to 2,800 pounds.

Faulkner served the Alabama Simmental Association as its president in 1982-84. He also served as president of the St. Clair County Cattleman’s Association.

Simmentals and Beaver Valley


the covered arena so buyers could get a good look. “They were a great bunch of people,” Faulkner said. They were good family-type people. You could deal with them.”

Faulkner retired from practice in 1990. His wife, Rose, passed away, and he has traveled the world doing mission work. He remarried an old friend, Diana, whose husband had passed away, and they are a loving couple who see the value in each other and the world around them. “She saved my life,” he said. “He’s a sweet, good man. He’s a prince,” she concluded.

As he looks around what is now 472 acres of Faulkner Farms, he appreciates the time spent building a farm, a business and a life there. Gazing out from the porch, where rocking chairs are the best seat in the house for enjoying the aesthetics, Faulkner chooses his words with an undisguised awe: “It’s God’s creation in its fullest.” l

Creek flows near cabin

Lovejoy talks property history

16

Story and Photos by Jerry C. SmithPhotos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.

Peeking through a fence at Pell City’s St. Clair County Airport, 9-year-old Aaron Mathis already knows without a doubt what he wants to do for a living: he will be an airline pilot. For Aaron, this little country airport would soon become a field of dreams.

Established a few years after Logan Martin Lake was first created, St. Clair Airport, known officially as KPLR Hugghins Field, would one day cater to young Aaron’s aspirations, along with many others bitten by the aviation bug.

In 1966, Dr. Horace Clayton, an aviation medical examiner, secured a tract of farmland from Marlin Hugghins, a St. Clair businessman whose family still runs Hugghins Sod Farms. It was officially designated as airport property under a lease/payoff agreement with the newly-formed St. Clair County Airport Authority.

The airport’s infrastructure was built by insurance magnate Kyle Vess, under the name of KV Aviation, including the field’s first flight training school. KPLR was a deluxe operation from the start. The opening-day ceremony in 1966 was attended by Gov. George Wallace.

The runway, taxiway and airport grounds were kept in immaculate condition. No expense was spared to provide the best facilities and services available. Vess even built a control tower in anticipation of a great increase in air traffic, but it was never used except during air shows.

Robert Waldrop, who worked there as a lineman before moving into aircraft mechanics, tells of actually rolling out red carpets before the doors of visiting aircraft, while other linemen worked at clearing windscreens and leading edges of wings from dirt, smears and bugs, then waxing them for smoother airflow.

Take tothe skiesDestination:St. Clair Airport


Robert got started in aviation at Talladega Airport as a lineman and general helper for $15 a week plus one hour of flight time, but soon moved to St. Clair, where he enjoyed a lifelong career of some 56 years in aircraft maintenance.

Discover St. Clair photographer Mike Callahan, who also worked at the airport in those days, recalls that Kyle Vess was one of those truly charismatic people whom everyone liked and trusted. He was a large man, very tall and weighing in at more than 400 pounds. Everyone appreciated the way he treated employees and customers. Many who knew Vess agree that, generally speaking, no nicer man ever ran a better airfield anywhere.

KPLR’s aircraft maintenance and avionics shops were so well-equipped and proficient that planes were brought in from hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles away for service. Birmingham-based Bill Woods Beechcraft routinely used these shops. All of Vess’ aircraft technicians were also rated pilots who could test-fly their work. Mike relates that the shop’s manager, Gene Tuggle, was very easy to work for and understood young people.

According to Mike, one of Tuggle’s top priorities was teaching his men to avoid walking into spinning propellers, which is more common around airfields than one would think. His workers and other airport personnel got reduced rates at the flying school. Vess would also help them go to college. Mike says the avionics shop, managed by Horace Diehl, operated around the clock in times of special need.

Take tothe skies

Old FBO and tower before de-

molition

Ed Stringfellow in cockpit of his P51 Mustang, Tiger Lily Courtesy Ed Stringfellow

Tiger Lily making high-speed pass,

Courtesy Ed Stringfellow

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To say Aaron Mathis wanted to be a pilot is an understatement. He’s lived his ambition every day since age 8.

His parents, John and Regina, tell of a model airport he made of Legos, which stretched some 50 feet along an entire living room wall, complete with airplanes and every accoutrement of a real airfield. No question of what to get Aaron for Christmas, as long as it had a wing.

Microsoft Flight Simulator airliner programs seemed custom-made for young Aaron, but to complete the illusion, he wore a replica of an airline captain’s shirt, complete with shoulder boards and a wings badge.

Not content with working from a desk, he built a completely enclosed flight simulator module of his very own, similar to a Link Trainer, in which he could select and fly any of dozens of aircraft types. This unit still stands in the Mathis’ living room today, albeit stripped of its electronics for other uses.

Aaron is a fine, intelligent young man who speaks of aviation with a certain glow seen only among those who know where they are going. His parents, and all who know him, are justifiably proud.

Head in the clouds

A popular hubSt. Clair Airport became a base for several military reserve

units, such as 87 Maneuver Area Command (aka 87th MAC), and the 121st Aerial Recon Wing. Military versions of civilian aircraft were kept there, including Beechcraft Queen Airs, UH1 Huey helicopters, DeHavilland Beavers, L19 recon planes, OH58 Bell Kiowa helicopters, and a host of related equipment. One of KPLR’s Hueys was later recognized by its tail number in a news film as a copter being shoved off the side of a ship during the Vietnam evacuation.

The now-defunct Pine Harbor Golf & Racquet Club also had an airport connection. You knew you had become part of the local inner circle if you had a membership at PHG&R, a home on the lake, and an airplane at St. Clair airport. The club also had a seaplane facility at its Lake Logan Martin pier.

Danny Davis and the Nashville Brass visited KPLR in the 1980s in a plane emblazoned with a saxophone emblem.

However, Vess’ dream of an aviation empire would soon be halted by a process better explained by accountants and lawyers. In the mid-1970s, the field was transferred to St. Clair Airport Authority, which has owned and controlled it ever since. Sadly, Mr. Vess went to jail.

After the changeover, a southeastern distributorship for Cessna aircraft and a new flight school were established under the aegis of Sunny South Aviation in Florida. The flying school kept Handy Ellis and two other instructors busy training new pilots and re-certifying others with former military air service.

Present airport manager Bob Brown ferried new Cessnas from the factory to Sunny South in those days. He often stopped for fuel and a layover in St. Clair, never suspecting he would one day manage the airport.

Although a little belt-tightening became necessary, St. Clair Airport remained in service as a general aviation field which would soon became a mecca for area recreational pilots.

Take tothe skies

Young Aaron Mathis using Flight Simulator

Photo courtesy Mathis family

Aaron Mathis with solo T-shirt


$50 hamburgersAaron is in Seventh Heaven. Having arrived at Sammie’s Touch & Go just after

the doors opened, he is soon surrounded by dozens of veteran pilots, weekend patch pirates and hangar bums. The grassy field in front of Sammie’s hosts three or four dozen small aircraft, vintage warplanes, ultralights, even a powered paraglider. Aaron’s left ear is glued to a hand-held aircraft scanner as even more pilots fill the local Unicom frequency with radio chatter as they vie for landing clearance.

Sammie’s Touch & Go was named after its founder, Sammie Moore, and for a practice maneuver familiar to all pilots. Founded in 2000 as a place where Sammie could meet, eat and mingle with his flying buddies on a regular basis, it soon evolved into a fine public restaurant, patronized by hundreds. Their motto was DRIVE IN OR FLY IN, offering flying visitors a large, grassy aircraft parking area just off the north taxiway.

Local Chapter 1320 of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) was also formed in 2000, for the benefit of dozens of recreational flyers and home-made aircraft builders who frequented St. Clair Airport. Membership quickly swelled to about 85, and the chapter was very busy for the next five or six years with all kinds of flying events and sponsorships. Sammie began holding monthly Fly-In Breakfast events to sponsor EAA1320 and to provide yet another reason for his flying friends to congregate.

Places like Sammies are where the term “$50 hamburger” originated. Pilots often traveled hundreds of miles to visit plane-friendly cafes, and since there is no cheap way to fly any kind of aircraft, it was often joked that the hamburger they ate for lunch cost them at least 50 bucks. These days, though, it’s more like a hundred-dollar burger at the few such places that still exist.

Tommy Thompson, local general contractor, plane builder and pilot, said, “Everyone loved coming (to Sammie’s). It was a friendly local hangout for pilots and has contributed a lot to general aviation in central Alabama.”

Sadly, Sammie lost his life in March 2002 when his Breezy experimental plane took a sudden plunge into the ground shortly after takeoff. It was a devastating blow to the community, resulting in one of the largest funerals in St. Clair history. But his charisma lived on, and so did Sammie’s and the monthly Fly-Ins.

On a nice Saturday morning, it usually hosted 30-40 small planes, their pilots and friends thronging the restaurant and grounds. For a small sum that went to benefit local EAA programs, visitors could gorge on eggs, biscuits, gravy, grits, pancakes, juice, hash browns, omelets and coffee while enjoying abundant camaraderie. Local folks also loved to gather at these Fly-Ins, fascinated by all those often-strange aircraft and the people who flew them.

Lynn Glenn, young Aaron Mathis and Tommy Thompson at Sammie’sCourtesy T. Thompson

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Your writer recalls getting up before the crack of dawn to fry 18-20 pounds of thick-sliced Royal bacon, bake a hundred or so biscuits, and help with logistical chores shared by folks like 1320 President Tommy Thompson, Lynn and Bill Glenn, Terry Richmond, and any others who could be lassoed into volunteering.

Legendary landingsIt was truly a wondrous place for aviation buffs, often visited

by living legends like Joe Shannon and the Henley brothers — a magical environment in which young Aaron Mathis began putting a fine edge upon his chosen future in aviation.

The national EAA sponsored a program called Young Eagles, which provided funding for youngsters’ first airplane rides. One fine Saturday brought a visit from an intrepid young man who was going to fly a Cessna Skyhawk around the world. Aaron was chosen to take his official Young Eagle flight with this adventurer.

Actually, Aaron had been aloft in a small plane once before at St. Clair as a gift for his eighth birthday, but on this day he was actually allowed to handle the controls during the flight!

Bill, Lynn and Chris Glenn hosted many Young Eagles’ functions in their superbly equipped hangar near Sammie’s. Bill is a retired United Airline pilot, and Lynn is a pilot and expert aircraft restorer. They have since relocated to a private airfield near Wilsonville, but during their tenure at KPLR, the Glenns’ hangar was the hangout of choice when Sammie’s was not open.

Another noteworthy denizen was Ed Stringfellow, who holds ratings on more types of airplanes than he can recall all at once. Ed had the largest hangar at the airport — some 12,000 square feet. At one time, this cavernous building held a Mitchell B-25

bomber, a North American P-51 Mustang fighter, a North American AT6 Texan advanced trainer, a Piper J3 Cub and a BSA motorcycle. Ed loved old planes and employed expert mechanic Ted Campbell full-time to maintain his flock of collectibles. Robert Waldrop has also worked for him. Over the years, Ed has owned a Cessna 310 twin and several Beechcraft Staggerwing biplanes, plus a number of other small craft.

He came to St. Clair in 1978 looking for a place to hangar his 310, which he flew in connection with his lumber business. Over the years he’s racked up thousands of flying hours, and holds every rating possible for propeller-driven aircraft, including certified flight instructor.

Ed built his first hangar at St. Clair in 1988, later erecting a much larger one to hold the B-25 bomber he had just bought. But his pride and joy was Tiger Lily, his beloved P-51 Mustang. People used to rush to the airport every time they heard him flying overhead because they knew he always made a sizzling, low-level, high speed pass over the field before landing.

P-51s were the hottest fighters of World War II, the best ever built. To hear one pass by just a few yards away at full speed, its engine ablaze with raw power, is an unforgettable experience. Ed’s Mustang fly-bys were the highlight of many a weekend day at St. Clair.

Now 86, Ed still flies. He, too, relocated to Wilsonville, but has reduced his covey of vintage warbirds to a single Boeing Stearman WWII-era trainer biplane.

Tommy Thompson’s ¾ scale Loehle P5151 Mustang was a superbly crafted knockoff of the real thing, much admired at air events. Tommy has built and sold three of them, and was working on a ¾ scale Spitfire based upon the same fuselage, but was unable to complete it due to various events that would forever alter the field’s persona.

Take tothe skies


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Change in the windTrue to the axiom that the only real constant is change, in

recent years KPLR has gradually evolved from its previous, free-wheeling format to more of a mainstream player in general and corporate aviation. The old FBO (air terminal building) where all gathered to chat, drink stout coffee and critique each other’s landings was torn down and replaced with a new building constructed to current FAA standards and the needs of a modern air facility.

Fly-in breakfasts gradually faded away as attendance fell off for various economic, personal and logistical reasons, finally resulting in the dissolution of EAA Chapter 1320 and a turning point in local interests. Some hangar tenants relocated, while others sold their planes and moved to other ventures.

The good folks at Sammie’s later tried to revive the Fly-Ins to benefit a local charity, but that effort was short-lived. Eventually, Sammie’s closed its doors to the local daily dining scene, but Sammie’s daughter and son-in-law, Michelle and Craig Frickey, still use this unique venue to host receptions, holiday parties, meetings and other catered affairs.

Vital modifications were made to the taxiways and runway, a large parking apron was built in front of the new FBO, several large, improved hangars were added, and an automated weather-reporting system tower was installed in an area once used as a landing zone by a skydiving club.

It’s a place with great potential. Terry Capps, Airport Authority member and former field manager, says KPLR will always be a general aviation airport, plus, the FAA now has it officially listed as a “reliever” airfield for larger airports like Birmingham. There is a new flying school on premises, Etheredge Aviation and Flight Training Services, to fill the void left by long-time instructor Jim McLeod, who has retired to Tampa, Fla.

Ed Stringfellow helped negotiate for state and federal grants to fund these improvements, often dealing with Aviation Commission Chairman Gene Tibbets, son of World War II bomber pilot Paul Tibbets, whose plane, the Enola Gay, dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. No doubt the P-51 rides Ed provided for various notables helped smooth the way.

Even with its changes, St. Clair maintains a lot of the old spirit and fellowship. Pilots still gather for coffee at the new FBO and its spacious pavilion overlooking the apron and runway. Many hangars still shelter experimental and light sport aircraft. New aviators still learn to fly and still get their shirttails cut off upon completing their first solo flight.

There are several familiar faces there, folks like former Pell City mayor Bill Hereford, who once owned three planes at St. Clair but is now down to a single Piper Archer named Baby. He got his license in 2003 at age 63 under the watchful eye of his instructor, former Pell City Councilman Donnie Todd.

Ron Gilmer is another St. Clair stalwart whose favorite thing was taking kids up in his superb Cessna Skyhawk, 53Romeo that every local pilot, your writer included, loved to fly. Other flyers include Joe West, retired Birmingham fire chief and ultralight pilot; Discover St. Clair photographer, Wally Bromberg with his Piper Tri-Pacer; Terry Capps, Airport Authority member and Ercoupe pilot; and attorney Erskine Funderburg, who is also chairman of the Airport Authority.

Other Authority members are Mike Fricker, Joe Suttle and Pell City Police Chief Greg Turley. The airport facilities are currently managed by Robert Brown, a retired Delta Airline captain.

Bob has impressive credentials, having spent most of his adult life working around airports and aircraft. With more than 20,000 hours of accident-free flying time in airliners, freight haulers and numerous smaller craft, Bob knows about airplanes and aviation.

He got his wings in Miami in 1963, earning his license in an Aeronca Champ. After serving in the Air Force, he flew freight service in a Lockheed Electra, hauling

varied cargoes from racehorses to bundles of new shirts being delivered to Bogota, Colombia.

After taking his position at KPLR about a year ago, Bob has made several safety improvements, such as daily runway inspections to remove foreign objects and debris that might cause damage to aircraft and their engines. Fuel tanks and supplies are monitored daily for condensation and tampering. He also provides full training for linemen in safety and fire fighting. Bob is working with the city to get a full-time fire truck on premises.

He says that around 90 airplanes are based at St. Clair. The field has proven very useful for search-and-rescue operations, aerial real estate showings and utility/power line surveys as well as a base for banner tow-planes, advertising blimps and crop dusters. There are two large corporate hangars on field, and companies are encouraged to build their own, using a ground lease arrangement.

Ron Gilmer’s nephew, Rickey, now operates an airframe and engine repair service called Gilmer Aviation in a large hangar once occupied by Christine Beal-Kaplan’s SARCO (Small Aircraft Repair Company). Holder Aviation handles avionics services in another hangar.

And what of our wide-eyed youngster, Aaron? Well, he soloed in 2012 at St. Clair under the guidance of Jim McLeod, proudly sacrificing his shirt tail to hang on the wall at the FBO.

He’s 19 now and well on his way to a commercial air transport license. A student at Wallace State in Hanceville, Aaron is involved in an intensive aviation syllabus involving dozens of flight hours each month.

He says the time is right for new transport pilots because most of the Vietnam-era crossover pilots are now retiring. He feels that commercial aviation is leading the recovery from America’s general economic slump.

No doubt he will always treasure the days spent at KPLR as a child, looking through the fence, not over it, and dreaming of the day when he would say, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is Captain Mathis. I’d like to welcome you aboard our flight to. …”

Hearing that as an airline passenger would certainly make my day, too. l

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The underlying goals were to create a cutting-edge, state-of-the-art medical facility that had a warm, welcoming — and comforting atmosphere, all of which are part of the overall big-picture goal of better serving the people of St. Clair County and surrounding communities.

To that end, St. Vincent’s has gone beyond all expectations and continues to do so, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the on-site surgical facilities and services.

“St. Vincent’s St. Clair offers a very unique opportunity to a growing community,” said Dr. Jeffrey D. Lawler, an orthopedic and sports medicine surgeon. “Being centrally located, St. Vincent’s St. Clair allows patients to have world-class care without having to travel. Having a surgical procedure can be a stressful experience. St. Vincent’s staff, operating facility, and state-of the-art equipment help eliminate a lot of these stressors and make for a positive experience.”

A new day for surgeons …And patients

Because of the forward-looking approach the hospital designers took back in the early planning stages, St. Vincent’s is able to offer surgical procedures to residents in the region that before would have required a trip to Birmingham or another big city.

According to Director of Surgical Services Kara Chandler, St. Vincent’s St. Clair offers colorectal surgery, epidurals, gastroenterology, general surgery, gynecology, orthopedics, ophthalmology, otolaryngology (ENT), pain management, urology, vascular surgery and more.

St. Vincent’s St. Clair three-year anniversary

Surgical Services above equalStory by Graham Hadley

Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.It’s been three years since the dream of a new hospital in St. Clair County officially became a reality when the new St. Vincent’s St. Clair opened its doors just across Interstate 20 from the center of Pell City.

27

St. Vincent’s large surgical suites have all of the equipment

suspended from booms so doctors and nurses can easily move around

the room.

State-of-the-art equipment is a key feature of the surgical suites.

St. Vincent’s


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“In the near future, we will start performing minimally invasive weight-loss surgery, including lap band, laparoscopic gastric bypass and laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy,” said Dr. Jay Long, general and bariatric surgeon.

“There are 24 specialists on staff here at St. Clair — 16 surgeons in the ORs, and eight gastroenterologists work in our GI Labs,” Chandler said.

Not only are these procedures available right here in St. Clair, but because of advances in medicine and surgical technology and techniques being implemented at St. Vincent’s, they can mean a much shorter stay in the hospital and, in many cases, a less painful and quicker recovery for the patients.

Foremost among those advancements is the continual honing and perfecting of laparoscopic surgical procedures. Where before, surgeons would have to literally open up a patient, cutting through many tissue layers and muscle with large incisions, now they can make several small incisions and, with the aid of a flexible scope and tools, perform many surgeries in a much less invasive way, said Dr. Scott Smith, a general surgeon and medical director and section chief of Surgical Services at St. Vincent’s St. Clair.

That means a better outlook for the patient — fewer complications and a much faster recovery. Some surgeries that would require a week or more recovery in the hospital now only require a two- to three-day stay. After most surgeries performed at St. Vincent’s St. Clair, the patients can leave after a day. Some surgeries are even done on an out-patient basis.

“Laparoscopy has been one of the most revolutionary things in medicine, especially when it comes to patient recovery and decreased post surgical pain and discomfort,” Smith said. “What was a former six-week recovery for gall bladder surgery now can mean a return to normal activity in a week. … Colon surgery can be done with a three-day stay instead of seven-day stay.”

Many of the most common procedures — appendectomies, hernia repair, gall bladder surgery and other basic gastro intestinal surgeries fall into those categories.

In a similar vein, the hospital also can do endoscopic GI procedures, sometimes in conjunction with the laparoscopic surgery. St. Vincent’s utilizes laparoscopic and endoscopic equipment that is cross compatible with the hookups in the operating rooms.

“We have two GI Suites that are designed with identical equipment so the physicians are comfortable in both rooms. Our GI Suites are state of the art with high-definition digital endoscopic equipment and video tower systems. Our video screens are suspended from the ceiling to allow maximum room and convenience,” Chandler said.

Attention to designThat cross compatibility did not happen by accident.

St. Vincent’s St. Clair has two operating suites and two gastrointestinal suites — and their design could be called an industry-setting standard.

The large operating suites have all of the major equipment suspended by booms over the surgical areas. This means nurses and doctors have plenty of room to move around and work on their patients without bulky equipment getting in the way.

“The rooms were custom designed with the equipment


St. Vincent’s

centrally located around the surgical table. The equipment is suspended on towers from the ceiling and move in any direction to accommodate the visual needs of the surgeon. This allows for optimal positioning of the healthcare team without requiring them to maneuver around the equipment,” Chandler said.

For orthopedic surgeons — another common surgery performed at the new St. Clair hospital — that is of primary importance. Those surgeries, in particular, use lots of equipment that requires a lot of space.

Thanks to the large operating suites at St. Vincent’s St. Clair, they have all the space they need. “We have a luxurious orthopedic surgical suite that is significantly larger than the other room to

accommodate orthopedic surgery, which requires a great deal of equipment and instrumentation,” Chandler said.

To further cater to the special needs of the surgeons, nurses and other doctors and staff involved in the complicated surgical process, the hospital sets up the rooms identically — the equipment and the surgical tools are in the same place in each room. That makes it much easier for them to move from one surgery to the next without having to readapt to a different surgical environment each time.

The laparoscopic surgery is the future of surgical medical care, and the equipment at St. Vincent’s reflects that. The fiber-optic light and camera are connected to the latest high-definition monitors so the surgeons can see exactly what they need to while operating remotely through flexible laparoscopic sleeves.

Because not all surgery can be conducted laparoscopically, surgical theater lighting is of the utmost importance. Like the high-definition monitors, the better the lighting, the better the surgeons can see what they are doing.

Dr. Scott Smith, a general surgeon at St. Vincent’s St. Clair, says he is impressed with the level of technology and design of the surgical facilities at the new hospital.


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Replacing the traditional doctor’s halogen lights are new low-shadow LED lighting systems that not only provide doctors with a good view of what they are doing, they generate much less heat than the older lighting systems — something that is very important during longer surgeries.

“The lights in our operating rooms are innovative technology. The lights hover from a boom over the operating room table. They are simple to position and have shadow control. The lights are designed for heat reduction so the surgical team does not become overheated during the surgery,” Chandler said.

As a bonus, the modern equipment is infinitely more energy efficient than its older counterparts.

Those advances carry over to the GI labs, said Dr. Owen McLean, one of the gastroenterologists at St. Vincent’s St. Clair. “The equipment is excellent, and the staff are well trained to work with the surgical and endoscopic cases.”

In addition to scheduled surgeries, the surgical staff is on hand to support cases that come in through the emergency room. Though they are not a trauma center, they provide whatever surgical procedures are immediately necessary and within their scope, even if the patient ultimately requires transfer to Birmingham for more specialized trauma care.

All about the careWhat ultimately makes the difference at St. Vincent’s St. Clair

is the quality of the staff and the importance they all place on patient care and serving the community’s needs. With all the new equipment, all the special considerations the designers made when planning the surgical suites and GI labs — as amazing as all of the technology is — it still comes down to quality care. And they all are benefits patients receive locally without a long drive to a big-city hospital.

The new hospital boasts a wide array of talented physicians who bring a growing number of specialties to the table, from general surgery to pediatric care and orthopedic medicine.

A big part of what is attracting this deep pool of talent to St. Clair is the cutting-edge facility and the hospital’s proactive approach to patient care.

For Smith, who “practices the full scope of general surgery,” the decision to come to Pell City was easy.

“With the move to this facility, it became clear there was a need in this community. There were new industries, new population. There was a population here that did not want to go to Birmingham,” he said.

“The facilities are on par with any facility I have operated in. The advanced equipment is here to do the laparoscopies. The staff and the expertise to do that are here, so it was an easy choice for me to come to St. Vincent’s St. Clair.”

The other side of that is the experienced and professional nursing and support staff, who make it their No. 1 concern to work with the physicians to provide the best patient care possible.

“Here at St. Clair we have the most wonderful surgical team any hospital could ever ask for. Our registered nurses hold dual certifications for both adults and pediatrics and offer over 100 years of combined nursing experience,” Chandler said.

And for the people who make St. Vincent’s St. Clair the top-notch medical facility that it is, serving the local residents who depend on them is the ultimate end game.

That they can do it here in Pell City, providing premium medical care to people not just from St. Clair County, but surrounding areas as well, is a testament to just how well the dream of creating this new hospital here has succeeded.

That achievement is reflected not just in the growing medical offerings at the hospital, but the continually positive response those associated with the hospital receive from the surrounding community, patients and their loved ones.

“I think the community has been receptive to the increased service line here at this hospital. I continue to hear good feedback from people and their families who have been patients here, and not just people I have treated, about the quality of care here,” Smith said.

For the doctors, nurses and staff, nothing is a better measure of St. Vincent’s St. Clair’s success.

“We just want to offer a high level of health care here locally so patients can feel like they are getting first-class medical care at their doorstep without having to go to Birmingham,” Smith said. “With the facilities here and the influx of medical specialties, we are providing that.”

Chandler agreed, “This team is more than a team — it’s a family, and they have one mission — to offer our patients the highest standard of care and services. They collaborate each day regarding each and every case, making sure they have everything they need for the patient. They help each other in every circumstance — they are partners.” l

The lighting was specially designed to put out less heat and improve

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Where the roadtakes youDriving directions toSt. Clair’s scenic spotsWords and Photos by Michael Callahan

For many of us growing up, the Sunday evening drive was something both parents and children looked forward to. It became something of a ritual down through the decades. I was fortunate that my father was something of an explorer. He never found a main or side road that he did not want to investigate. As my Mom often said, “There is not a pig trail” in this county your father has not been down. This was a trait he passed along to this writer/photographer son.

Somewhere between finishing high school, furthering my education, marrying and the demands of life, my spirit of adventure and my father’s beloved Sunday evening drive got lost. Add to that Arab oil embargoes in the mid-1970s and for so many of us, a wonderful tradition was all but lost.

The good news these days is that oil prices are on a decent downward trend. Add to that fact we live in a beautiful county with diverse landscapes from the northern to southern county boundaries, and we have the makings for many a great Sunday evening drives.

So this writer/photographer, armed with a full tank of gas and ample photographic gear, spent many days traversing scenic roads in the northern part of our county to capture some new memories. Why the northern part? Well, elevations bring out a bit more color during the Fall season. What I want to leave you with is a sense of, “Hey that looks like a great way to spend a couple of hours on Sunday evening.”

Starting out on U.S. 231 from Pell City, I made my way north toward the Ashville area. As I passed the city limits of Ashville and started my climb up Straight Mountain, the views were becoming exactly what I had hoped for. At the top of the mountain, I turned on to County

A majestic view awaits you as you turn into County Road 26 & 33 intersection. Turn right and proceed 4.5 miles east off U.S. 231.

Traveling up U.S. 231 turn on County Road 35, better know as Gallant Road to County Road 44 or Camp Sumatanga Loop. When rounding the curve in the camp area this lake is simply breathtakingly beautiful.

35

Take U.S. 231 to Ashville and turn right onto U.S. 411. Please take the time to drive for miles and miles. Large farms and majestic skies dot the countryside for miles.

Just have time for a short drive, then take a look at what is close in. Take a run down Golf Course Road in Pell City. You will not be dis-appointed.

Traveling down Straight Mountain on U.S. 231 South early in the day, the morning mist has an ethereal quality to it, that can present some interesting views.

Traveling U.S. 231 north to the top of Straight Mountain, take a hard left onto County Road 12. You then would proceed 100 yards to county road 24. Take another left and follow the gentle turns to this overlook. At no other point in the county can one view so much of St. Clair County. It is simply majestic.

Logan Martin Dam sunset drive. Take U.S. 231 South to the Logan Martin Dam Road. It is from here one can see the expanse and beauty of Logan Martin Lake.

Looking east from the rim of Chandler Mountain driving the Loop Road, your eyes are greeted to a majestic sight this day.

36

Road 12. I drove roughly 100 yards and turned on to County Road 24 for a short but winding trip of about two miles. As I rounded the final curve, an immense vista of St. Clair County lay before me. It is a view you will want to relish and just stand and soak in. Bring a camera. You will need it. Too soon I had to move on. As I started back down Straight Mountain into the valley, the mist made for some wonderful viewing.

At the bottom of the mountain, I turned hard left onto County Road 35/Gallant Road and immediately was in awe of the views unfolding before me. Further down the road, I turned left onto County Road 44/Camp Sumatanga Road. As you can see from our pictures, you must take the Camp’s loop road. Back onto Gallant Road, awesome views were around for many a mile.

Wanting to explore further, I came back down Gallant Road and turned onto County Road 42/Chandler Mountain Loop Road. After ascending the mountain, Horsepens 40 invited me to make a short visit. What a place. Rock climbers from all over the world come here to try their skills against some of the incredible rock formations — a must see.

Continuing down the loop road, I was treated to wonderful scenic views of the rim of Chander Mountain to the east. Just a quarter mile down the road, the tomato fields stretched out before my windshield for hundreds of acres. Stopping by a roadside produce stand, I was able to buy some of the last succulent Chandler Mountain tomatoes of the season. You can also grab a five-gallon bucket and pick them right out of the fields yourself.

As I made my way back down to U.S. 231, I knew my next drive would be U.S. 411. Just go to the square in downtown Ashville and head northeast on 411. Beautiful farms and huge expanses of “Big Sky” await you. While driving down 411, I decided to turn right onto Mountain Spring Road leading over to County Road 33. I was rewarded with scenic farms and large expanses of sky. Well, it was getting time for me to head back and wrap up my drive and returning down to 231, I came across the turn-off to County Road 26. I had to stop and capture some of this beautiful valley before I wrapped up the afternoon.

Just so you folks that take short drives don’t think we have left you out, I have included some short but really nice drives you can do close to home. So go ahead and treat yourself and your family. Just sit back and enjoy the drive in this breathtakingly beautiful county we call home. l

Photographer’s Note: Thanks to Mr. Roland Thomas, who inspired this article, and Jerry Smith of Discover Magazine, who served as a tireless tour guide for my camera and me.For more scenic spots and directions, check out

Discover online www.discoverstclair.com

Traveling on U.S. 231, turn onto Alabama 144 toward Ragland. After 1.2 miles, turn right onto Morgan Bridge Road and follow the stream bed.

Scenes like this greet you at so many locations along Walker’s Gap Road, just north of Spring-ville.

37

Lake Sumatanga showing the first signs of Fall Foilage really catches one’s eye.

Striking views are offered traveling the Chandler Mountain Loop Road. This is just a mile down this very scenic loop from Horse Pens 40.


Welcome home for

ChristmasHolidays at the Capps house a special treat

Story by Elaine Hobson MillerPhotos by Michael Callahan

When Deanna Capps and her late husband, Curtis, were planning their new house, they wanted something light and airy that would bring the outdoors inside.

Curtis didn’t have a whit of architectural training, yet designed a two-bedroom, three-and-a-half-bath home with spacious rooms that flow easily from one to another. Although Deanna has changed the function of a couple of those rooms, the design retains its original intent.

“This house floats” is the way Deanna describes it. “I like to entertain, and people can float from one room to another.”

It’s difficult to describe the style of the house. With its stone steps and pillars, stucco walls, wide, wrap-around porch and clerestory windows, Craftsman cottage meets Mediterranean villa comes to mind. Deanna says she doesn’t have a theme to her decor, either. She likes to mix things up so she doesn’t get bored. That’s why some kitchen cabinets are brown, some are black. Some drawer pulls are in the shape of roosters, others are plain. Kitchen counter-tops are granite and marble in three different color combinations.

African animals are repeated, but not enough to become a theme. The great room is home to a mother elephant and her baby, an adult giraffe and a zebra. A baby giraffe guards the loft bedroom. There’s a ceiling fan with pond-frond blades in almost every room. And everywhere, on almost every wall, is Deanna’s artwork. Three-dimensional musical instruments hang over the piano in the Great Room, while landscapes, animals, angels and crosses are everywhere.

“Angels are my signature,” she says. “I started painting when my husband was sick. It kept me busy and my mind occupied on spiritual things.” Curtis Capps, who owned Royal Foods next door to the house, died in July of 2013 after a two-and-a-half-year illness.

Deanna’s right about the house floating. The great room that runs the width of the front leads into the eat-in kitchen, which leads to a hall that’s flanked by pantries the size of small bedrooms. Down that hall is the master bedroom. A series of pocket doors open the bedroom into a bath, the bath into another bedroom, and that bedroom into a back hallway that, in turn, leads to a bathroom-cum-closet and large laundry room. Of course, guests don’t wander into the master bath. But if they

Deanna doesn’t depend on her butler for much, but enjoys having him hang around.

Set for the Christmas

holidays, the dining table will seat 10 people.


did, they could hold a party in that room alone.“The master bathroom is bigger than my

bedroom,” Deanna admits. A 109-year-old grand piano dominates one

side of the great room. A whimsical polyresin butler stands silently in one corner, between the powder room and the stairway leading to the loft. “He doesn’t wait on anybody, he just holds our instruments,” Deanna says, pointing to the bowed psaltery in his outstretched hands.

A long, farmhouse table separates the seating area from the music area. While the table seats 10, Deanna frequently sets up smaller tables to accommodate larger crowds. “I used to bring folks home from church for Sunday dinner, to get to know them,” she says. Her church is First United Methodist of Pell City, where Deanna is keyboardist for the contemporary service.

The seating area has a red leather couch and two matching love seats that face a stone fireplace with the television mounted into the stone above it. “We don’t have a problem with the piano at one end and TV at the other, because we don’t use both at the same time,” Deanna says.

A powder room under the stairs features a crown bowl with bamboo-style faucet and fixtures and has faux-painted walls with a

Welcome home for

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One of thehanging beds

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Several Christmas trees are part

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ceiling of gold and gold leaves. Local artist Laura Darnell painted the twig-themed red wall behind the sideboard next to the powder room door to pick up the red in the sideboard.

Overlooking the Great Room is a loft bedroom with twin “swing beds,” as Deanna describes them. The beds are held to the ceiling by chains, but are also attached to a wall and held up by floor posts. Sateen quilts with gold-threaded patches of bright turquoise, hot pink, blue and orange cover the beds, while a Tiffany-style lamp tops a small table at each head. A bath and closet are at the far end of the loft. “The grandchildren always loved this room,” Deanna says. “They’re 18 and 20 now, but they still use it when they come to visit.”

In the kitchen, pendant lights with glass prisms hang over a bar-height table. In fact, the house is full of prisms, another way of bringing light inside. “The glass in the front door was cut to reflect lights,” Deanna says. “It’s particularly beautiful at night when car lights reflect as colors. The window above the front door has prisms around its perimeter, and the kitchen blinds are silver-reflective, like metal. I can sit in my breakfast nook and see who is coming up the drive by looking in the window next to it.”

The slate flooring starts in the kitchen, then continues through the hallway and into the pantries. It’s repeated in the master bath and dressing room, the back hallway and laundry room. One of those pantries measures 10 feet by 7 feet and serves as a preparation and clean-up area when Deanna hosts dinner parties. It has an ice maker, sink, dishwasher, toaster-oven and other small appliances. “It’s like a second kitchen,” Deanna says. “The prep and clean-up can be done in here, which cuts down on the visible mess and leaves the main kitchen free for serving people.” Across the hall is the butler’s pantry, with a second refrigerator and storage for china and glassware.

The hallway leads into the master bedroom, which Deanna also uses as her office. It has a curved desk for her computer and shelves in one corner, and twin, horizontally-mounted Bogie fans Deanna never uses. “They’re strictly for looks,” she says. “I’m afraid to use them, because they aren’t balanced.”

Dominating the bedroom is the mural that covers one wall. Another creation by Laura Darnell, whose signature is Genesis. It’s a blue sky with fluffy white clouds and flying doves. Deanna’s own small painting of an angel, which is her signature, repeats the sky motif in such a way the painting melts into wall, as if they were one.

The master bathroom features not only his-and-hers sinks and vanities, but his-and-hers toilets, each in its own little marble cubicle with twig sconces. The double shower is large enough to

Welcome home for

Christmas

A Christmas pillow adorns a red sofa

in the seating area.

Even the bathroom is used to showcase

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dance in, and Deanna recently removed a leaky hot tub from one corner of the bathroom to add a walk-in tub.

Behind the bath is what Deanna calls her Pink Room. Originally a sitting room, it became Curtis’s sickroom after he suffered a stroke. Pink was Curtis’s favorite color, so after he died, Deanna moved out the hospital bed and moved in iron twin beds with pink bedspreads. The beds face an electronic keyboard where Deanna sometimes practices for Sunday morning worship in the middle of the night when she can’t sleep.

“It soothes my soul,” she says. Behind the keyboard is the carport that the

Capps screened in to become a sunroom before Curtis died so Deanna could wheel him through the French doors to enjoy the fresh air and scenery. Off the back hall is the laundry room and a former bathroom that she turned into a closet. “I needed storage space more than another bath,” she explains.

Outside, behind the screened carport, Deanna has an outbuilding that she calls her flower house. It’s where she stores seasonal decorations and silk floral arrangements, which she designs herself. She normally decorates for Christmas before Thanksgiving, and leaves the decorations up until February. Why?

“Because I enjoy them,” she says. l

Welcome home for

Christmas

Curtis Capps designed the unique house

with both elements of Mediterranean and

Craftsman styles.

Deanna calls this end of her great room the

music room.


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The summer of 2014 was an especially festive one for citizens of Odenville as they celebrated the 100th anniversary of the town’s incorporation in 1914, with a nicely-hosted indoor gala at Odenville public library. Another festival soon followed — a major outdoor event with special emphasis on ice water.

Well-attended by scores of local folks and visitors, the library’s anniversary party featured stories and heritage speeches by prominent historians and old-timers, dynamic displays of old photos and documents on the library’s computers, a fine variety of foodstuffs and, as always, the jovial camaraderie typical of small St. Clair County towns.

The second event, held just a couple of weeks later, arose from an Ice Bucket Challenge to a local citizen. A major outdoor festival quickly fell into place surrounding this challenge, with only a scant 40 days of planning time.

Hundreds of visitors thronged Odenville’s City Park to enjoy plentiful food, activities, ice-water soakings, an art auction, and various performers and small groups making down-home music under the park’s shady hardwoods.

Odenville apparently loves to party. The summer of 2014 was no exception.

Odenville Celebrates

Story and Photography by Jerry C. Smith

Branchville historian Kenneth Hodges, Greg Bratcher and Odenville historian Joe Whitten slice into official town cake.


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Farriers CompetitionThe ultimate game of horseshoes

Words and Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.

49

The Southeastern Farriers Association made its debut at St. Clair County Arena in its Triple Crown Competition circuit, drawing competitors from around the country and England and helping fulfill what arena promoters envisioned when they built it.

It was more than a competition for skilled craftspeople shoeing horses. The event itself signified the value of tourism and quality of life the arena brings to St. Clair County. “We are excited about it. Now we can host events here, attracting people to the area for all kinds of events,” said Lude Mashburn, chairman of the county’s Parks and Recreation Board. It is boosting tourism and raising the profile of agriculture and recreation in the region, he noted.

With several rodeos and a huge celebration dinner already under its belt, a dance scheduled and a dog show involving 2,000 to 3,000 people coming in 2015, the diversity of uses for the facility is evident.

And this weekend in September was no different with the arena playing host to farriers who came to compete, hone their skills and spend some time in St. Clair County.

Farriers tell their storyThere were two competitions, divided into various divisions and classes.

The first was to see who could best match a shoe produced by an instructor. The second, more difficult, involved fabricating a shoe according to specific instructions and fitting it to a very patient horse.

In each case, the farrier began with a bar of steel, placed on a coke fire and heated until cherry red. “If you get distracted for a moment, the steel is ruined. You have to really watch what you’re doing,” explained one competitor.

The steel is forged into shape, using hammers and anvils, punches and pliers, heat and quenching. The process is blacksmithing reduced to a science. In the competition, the shoe is produced to a specification supplied by the organizers of the event and judged according to strict criteria.

In day-to-day farriering, the shoe must be made and fit properly, taking into consideration the angles of the horse’s hoof as well as the work the horse will be doing.

Those who participate in the Alabama Professional Farriers Association events try to share their knowledge with “horse people.” According to Glen Reese, president of the local APFA chapter, “Skilled farriers are not the same as some of the ‘whack and tack’ guys who go around shoeing horses. If it isn’t done right, over time, a horse will be damaged, and a veterinarian will get involved.”

“Being a good farrier means a lot more than making a pretty shoe you can hang on a wall,” said Dr. Ed Murray, AKA “Dredvet,” owner of Coosa Valley Equine Center in Pell City. “It requires understanding the physiology of a horse and the ability to recognize what is going on with the animal.”

When a horse has problems that involve a veterinarian, the first thing you have to do is figure out where you are through observation. X-rays may be involved to determine how to trim the foot in order to bring it back to its natural stance. You may hue it to its natural foot, or if there are shortcomings, you may select a shoe as an intermediate step to bring it back to its natural foot.

In the APFA competition, old-style blacksmithing skills are learned and demonstrated as an art form. In the day-to-day practice, there are new materials and concepts applied to put the hoof in good shape and keep it that way.

“New technology in aluminum allows us to apply a much lighter shoe with a higher degree of flexibility. For example, a wedged aluminum shoe with a rounded toe may be used to compensate for a low heel. Plates may be welded and lined with padding material,” Leila Rice explained. “What we’re looking for with all of this is a comfort level for him (the horse).”

Farriers have come a long way from the days of the blacksmith who cobbled out shoes along with plows, wagon-wheel rims and other farm tools. The technology has evolved as has the relationship between man and horse.

How does one become a farrier? “I have been doin’ this for 23 years with that man who’s my boss back there,” Rice said. “He’s the one you should talk to.

“I had been in the white-collar world since college and was really burned out on what I was doing. I took a hiatus from my job, thinking I would find something in my chosen profession. I just never wanted to go back to working inside. Terry (LeDuke) was my horseshoer, so I just kept bugging him until


51

Farriers Competitionfinally, he let me ride with him one day. He never hired me, but I’ve been making lunch ever since.”

LeDuke explained, “I’ve tried every way I know to break her of this bad habit. I carried her to the worst barn I had with the biggest horses on the first day of work. Every time I fire her, I have to hire her back the next day.”

Terry has been shoeing horses for 47 years. It’s in the lineage. “My granddaddy was a blacksmith, and I learned it from him.”

Around these parts, Dustin Sigler and Travis Reed work primarily in St. Clair and Shelby countys. They run a route, taking care of close to 300 horses. According to Travis, some get shoes religiously every four to five weeks. Others are intermediate, depending on weather and when the owner wants to ride. By the time they finish their route, it’s time to start over again.

“They have different schools,” Reed noted, explaining how farriers get their training. “I went to Lookout Mountain School of Horseshoeing in Gadsden. There’s only so much they can teach you there. You really have to apprentice.

I started out mucking stalls as a kid and went to horseshoeing school. I apprenticed shoeing saddlebred horses and then went out on my own. Some go out on their own, but most apprentice,” he said. “Of 10 people who go through horseshoeing school, only two are in business after five years and only one after 10 years.”

There are several obvious reasons. First, working as a farrier is backbreaking work. Your primary work posture is bent over, straddling the foreleg of a horse. From this position, you clean and trim the hoof and apply the shoe. When you’re not straddling the foreleg, you are still bent over trimming nails or smoothing the hoof and the shoe. It is plain hard work.

Second, to survive as a Farrier, one has to be a shrewd, but fair business person. You have to understand your real costs. “Running a rig like ours isn’t cheap, and a lot of folks think they’re making money when they’re not. They get tired of working and having nothing to show for it, so they don’t last. You have to charge a fair price.”

And third, “Sometimes horse people ... well, they’re different. They tend to be pretty used to getting what they want when they want it and sort of don’t understand when you have something else to do. You wouldn’t think so, but this job can be pretty stressful.”

There are no requirements for certification as a farrier, but you can get certification from the American Farriers Association. According to Reed, you can pick up a set of tools, hang out a card and start to work tomorrow. The AFA and other associations try to educate the horse owners, but most don’t know or understand the difference until their horse has problems.

It gets in your blood. There’s something magic about working with these large animals. Maybe it’s the earthy smell, or perhaps it’s the understanding that if a man and a horse get into a strength contest, the horse will always win. Yet, when you work with that beast, it is usually compliant, even appreciative, like the fabled lion allowing the mouse to pull the thorn from his paw.

No one can say with certainty how many horses there are in St. Clair County. Unlike beef, poultry and swine, the Agricultural Statistics Service does not track the number of horses. But take a ride down any country road. You’ll see a lot of horses, and every horse needs well-kept hooves, for without a hoof … you have no horse. l

For Want of a NailFor want of a nail the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe the horse was lost.For want of a horse the rider was lost.

For want of a rider the message was lost.For want of a message the battle was lost.For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.


Financial wizards of St. Clair County

One PCHS graduating class, lots of talent

Friends since they were boys, Jim Tollison, Adam Miller and Chad Richey have all made names for themselves in the financial world.


Story by Graham HadleyPhotos from Jim Tollison, Chad Richey, Adam Miller

Billions of dollars — money in the ten-digit range — is an astronomical sum, by any standards.

For a group of three close friends from St. Clair County, though, it is all in a day’s work. In fact, they are not only all from St. Clair County, they all graduated from Pell City in the same year — PCHS Class of ‘92.

Jim “Jimbo” Tollison is a vice president and the Talladega Branch manager for Alabama Farm Credit. Chad Richey is a senior vice president with a CFP designation from the Board of Certified Financial Planners and is working as a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch and as senior resident director for their office in Birmingham Southeast. And Adam Miller is an underwriting team leader for Regions Bank.

Though all of these men are very successful in the financial world, every single one of them cut their teeth in very different job markets: Chad working for his father’s timber company. Jim worked on his family farm and with his dad working on heavy machinery, then he and Adam ended up working for Rock Wool Manufacturing — a large insulation company in St. Clair.

And though Chad had an interest in finance, none of them really had any idea they would end up in top financial positions, and certainly not as quickly as they did.

All of them were what can conservatively be called “free spirits” in high school, and not everyone was even sure they would go to college.

“When Jimbo and I were young, we would run up and down I-20 as fast as we could go. You might not have thought we would be doing this today,” Chad said.

Chad Richey“I grew up working for my dad in the excavation business,

working heavy equipment since I was 14 years old. That will put a work ethic in you,” Chad said. He had always had an interest in finances, but getting from working in timber to what he likes to think of as a financial and investment educator had its pitfalls.

He got his degree from Birmingham-Southern College and was ready to work for Merrill Lynch.

“I went and took a test and they told me I was not qualified,” he said.

So he went back to work for his father’s company. “I was on a business call and ran into a guy from Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, he said come by and see if we have a job for you.”

As part of that process, Chad found himself in New York City in August 2001 — at one point at the top of the World Trade Center.

“I come home, go to work on Tuesday, and see those buildings come down. I cheated death. That is when I decided to get my priorities right and stop acting like Jimbo (Tollison) and I did when we were young. You only have a small time on the planet,” he said.

He knuckled down on his work — and he also settled down. “That is when I called up my, now, wife Janet. We got together and now we have three kids, Jack, 11; Robert, 9; and Guy, 5.

He tapped into his blue-collar work ethic instilled in him growing up — he still does — and things started moving his way.

“It’s a good upbringing. I come into this office and put a blue-collar attitude into it. I come in here and I work. In the

beginning, I started out working late — it drove my wife crazy. I would come home around 9 at night. I was doing all these cold calls, it was hard work.

“Then I came over to Merrill Lynch running a small office, a starter job. Then I came here. I used that blue-collar attitude and it has served me well,” he said.

His office serves thousands of households and handles billions of dollars in investments.

“I have a big job at Merrill. I am not only a financial advisor on a team, I am the senior resident director of the office. I supervise every employee in this place. My team gives advice on over $240 million in assets, and my supervisory responsibility is around 3.3 billion in assets.”

The other half of his work, Chad sees himself as something of a financial guide for his clients.

“I was always intrigued by the way money works. I did not know what I wanted to do, but I was also good with people. That is perfect for what I do. I want every family to have a family financial strategy for the future,” he said. “The way I can make a difference in the world is to teach people to go out and save up enough money on their own without the government having to take care of them.

“That’s what keeps me going. You have to have a higher purpose, you can’t just come in here and charge people to make them money.”

Eventually, because of the commute from Birmingham to St. Clair, Chad moved his family to Mountain Brook. “I got tired of having to rush home and change clothes in the car in the civic center parking lot before my kids games. So we moved here,” he said. But St. Clair is never far from his heart.

“I wanted to bring the family closer to my work, and I am only 45 minutes away from Pell City when I want to come back,” he said.

And since he and his St. Clair friends like Jim have remained close, those trips come often.

Jim “Jimbo” TollisonWhile Chad had an inkling he wanted to go into finance,

Tollison had … none. “I had not really planned on going to college. (Pell City

High School teacher) Deanna Lawley encouraged me to go. She had grown up around Lewis Grizzard. I had always liked him, liked journalism, so I went to Jacksonville State University in journalism,” he said.

And he was just spinning his wheels. He ended up back working with his Dad again on the family

farm and in his business. “I went on a service call — my Dad worked for a forklift

repair company — to Rock Wool Manufacturing with him and they needed some workers. Dad said, ‘Hell, hire him.’ And that was the beginning of me working in insulation for the next few years.

“I would go to school during the year and work over the summer, work seven days a week, sometimes up to my armpits in insulation.”

In fact, at one point, he helped Adam get a job there, and the two of them worked together — the reality of working that job and a serious accident changed Jim’s outlook on life and on what he wanted to do.

“I had an accident, nearly burned my face off. Chad was there. We were burning some stuff and were stupid and used gasoline to start the fire. It blew up in my face. I spent two months in bandages — did not know if I would have a face,” Jim said.


Chad said he was the one who put Jim out that day.It made Jim take a second look at the path he was on.“I thought I would have to go to Atlanta to be a journalist. A lot

of my professors told me you had to start out in a big city. I just realized it that was not where I wanted to be. I realized I loved the farm, agriculture, and wanted to do something with it. I got the best bad advice from those journalism professors,” he said.

When he went back to school, it was not to JSU, but to Auburn University and he enrolled in agriculture business.

“I ended up at Auburn. I did not want to go straight into business, so I did agriculture economics and business. I took 21 hours a quarter just about every quarter there. I had transferred in as a junior.

“I had an 8 a.m. weed-out class, micro economics, and it was not that tough. I started nailing it — blew the curves. …”

Jim wanted to go back to St. Clair, but his professors told him that was not a realistic place for him to start his career.

“I told them I would rather dig ditches in St. Clair than work anywhere else. I wanted to come back to the farm. I always wanted to come back here,” Jim said.

“The Federal Land Bank, now Alabama Farm Credit, came to Auburn and interviewed me for a job. I liked the idea because it gave me the perfect mix of business and agriculture, which I love,” Jim said.

Like Chad, Jim had inherited a strong work ethic growing up, and he put it to good use in his new job at their branch in Albertville.

“I had gotten a really good work ethic from both of my parents. If you want something, you work for it. My Dad started out this farm with nothing. He bought it from his parents,” Jim said.

He started out in Albertville as an entry-level loan officer and appraiser. “I worked there for four or five years, then took over the Talladega branch in 2001 right before Sept. 11 and the economy stopped. It was the smallest of everything we had in Alabama, but it was mine. I was not branch manager, but I was in charge.”

Under Jim’s direction, even in the worst of economic times, the Talladega office has flourished, bringing in millions and millions of dollars in well-grounded loans.

“We turned it around. It was grass roots. We went out and talked to people. We have been blessed. … We are still one of the smallest, but we have the best in collections and credit quality of anyone. And because we are a coop, we can return some of the profit in a good year to our clients. Last year, that was $6.3 million in 27 counties in North Alabama,” he said.

Jim and his family have remained in St. Clair, building their house on the old family farm he shares with his parents near Ragland.

Adam MillerYou would think Adam would have been a natural pick at an

early age for a future in finances given that his father is banker Ray Miller — someone all three give lots of credit to as being a mentor and a huge influence on their ultimate decisions to go that route.

And you would be wrong. Jim and Chad both refer to Adam as the one they thought would

go far in college, the “smart one” and the voice of reason (Adam had just left the day Jim lit his head on fire — “I regret that. I probably would have been like, ‘Guys, that is not such a good idea.’”)


Chad Richey

Jim Tollison


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“We would be walking down the road, Chad and I would be picking up rocks and throwing them. Adam would be picking up rocks and looking for fossils,” Jim said.

Adam agrees, “When I was growing up, there was no way I was going to be a banker like dad. From a the time I was a little kid, I wanted to be a meteorologist. That lasted through three years of college.”

Like Jim, he was just spinning his wheels after high school.And like Jim, he ended up at Rock Wool working long, hot

hours.“After I had wandered around Tuscaloosa for a few years,

enrolled more than attended, I ended up at the insulation plant. After working in the insulation plant from 3 to 3, it did not make it so hard to get up for that 9 a.m. class,” Adam said.

He got back in school — and like the other two, had something of an epiphany.

“I took a finance class and it went well and took another one that summer, loved that. It played into the analytical things I liked in science. I did not think I had an aptitude for math — as my high school teachers will attest to. But I had an aptitude for finances,” he said.

He was taking classes at JSU and credits several of the professors there with inspiring him and helping develop a work model he still employs today. One in particular, Professor Brown, would not only grade students’ tests, he would grade his own teaching — if everyone missed something, he would strike the question and reteach that.

“He had high expectations of us and himself. That is what I carry over into our business today. If I ask someone to do something, I have to be willing to do it at least as well,” Adam said.

Today, Adam is a regional underwriting manager for Regions Bank and is based out of Hoover, but before he got there, “I did a bit of everything” from getting his real estate license to working in manufacturing.”

“At Regions I have two underwriting teams serving the Eastern Time Zone for businesses under $20 million in revenue. It could be anything from medical practices to manufacturers. It’s a broad swath of the small-business sector.”

Their loan portfolio is in the $4 billion range. “That is what I am kind of held accountable for,” he said.

Much like his two friends — though their jobs are very different in nature — at the core is a desire to help people and businesses.

“What I do really is evaluate risk and propose solutions. The rewarding part of the job is digging in, getting to understand someone’s business and providing them with the appropriate credit for their needs, to help them manage their risks and grow their business in a healthy manner,” he said.

And like Chad and Jim, it is that strong work ethic learned growing up and forged working tough jobs early on that Adam says helped make him a success.

“It’s the same thing I tell everyone every day: I bring my lunch-pail mentality to work. Be glad for what you have and realize that there is a long line of people who would love to have the same opportunity I have. I come in and I work hard,” he said.

“There is no magic bullet. It’s that attitude of we can do this, whatever it may be. …

“And I was the guy who would be more apt to pick up the rock and examine it. It goes back to my analytical nature, and it goes to how I see business today. I don’t just see the rock, the business; I look at the whole business, look at how it works,” he said.

Working … and playing … togetherThough they are all in very different finance jobs and

separated by miles, the three friends remain close and see each other as often as they can.

“We are still good friends. We have never lost touch. We don’t get to hunt or fish as much as we would like — mostly because we have eight kids between us. But we are still tight and it make us cherish the time we have together better,” Adam said.

And they have no trouble mixing business and fun — often at the Tollison Farm.

“Next week, we are going to have a dove hunt here at the farm,” Jim said. “We will have Chad’s customers; we will have my customers. We will have food. Why not have a group of customers out here on the farm and make it work for you?”

They also often find it necessary to refer clients to each other. Jim will have a farmer client who needs estate planning services or needs financial advice, so he sends him to Chad.

“Sometimes, in my work, I will see people who need financial advising. Chad can help them do the things they need to do,” Jim said.

Likewise, Chad has referred some of his clients who are interested in branching out into agriculture to Jim.

Of course, it is not just the three of them anymore — like

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Chad, both Jim and Adam have families, so when the three friends get together, the party is somewhat bigger these days.

“My wife, Emily, and I were married in June of 2005 and have three children: Hudson, 7; Hayes, 4; and Mary Brooks, 2,” Adam said. Jim and Brooke Tollison were married the same year and have two children, Jay and Claire.

But at the core of everything is their friendship.“We stuck together. Me and Adam and Jimbo are still good friends

today. I took Adam to the Alabama game a couple of weeks ago,” Chad said, adding jokingly, “For Jim, of course, that would have been a punishment. He did email me, saying ‘Y’all don’t care about me anymore.’”

Adam said they each bring something uniquely their own to their relationship; they approach life differently, and that has been part of what cements their friendship.

“In all honesty, Jim needs to know how proud I am of him and his accomplishments, what he brings to the table as a friend and confidant. Chad is different, but also great. Chad had to work really hard to get where he is.

“They bring so much balance to the table. I would love to do a personality test on us, but I would bet it would show we all approach problem solving from a different angle,” Adam said, again, pointing out he is the voice of reason.

“I am probably the dead weight with that bunch, but was always glad to be along for the ride.” l


Jim, Adam and Chad at one of their get-togethers.

Chad and Janet Richey and Adam and Emily Miller


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Claims to Fame

From Broadway to Green Acres

Springville’s contribution to acting

Story by Leigh PritchettSubmitted photos

At first thought, it may seem difficult to connect a 1920s Broadway actress, a 1960s character actor and St. Clair County, Ala.

Yet, the link is simple and takes only one step.

The actress, Margaret Byers, and the actor, Hank Patterson, both were Springville natives.

Though Miss Byers spent her early adult years on Broadway, she is best known for her role in society afterward – as an adored first-grade teacher.

Patterson was a familiar face in many westerns. However, it was his part in the television comedy, Green Acres, for which he may be most remembered. In that, he was the gruff-but-lovable farmer, Fred Ziffel, whose heir apparent was a pig named Arnold.

Margaret ByersMargaret Byers — called “Mog” by

family and friends — was a woman of small stature, said her niece, Dorothy “Dottie” Byers Erwin of St. Petersburg, Fla.

In fact, Mog was scarcely taller than a first-grader.

This made her the ideal choice to play children’s roles on New York’s Broadway. Mog appeared in several productions, among them, Babes in Toyland, in which she was “Bo-Peep,” Ms. Erwin said.

“She loved her part as ‘Little Bo-Peep,’” said Ms. Erwin.

Mog was in her 20s when she began appearing on Broadway, said Ms. Erwin. “She had a beautiful voice. She had a trained voice.”

Mog also traveled for a time with a touring troupe, Ms. Erwin added.

Before Mog went to Broadway, she studied at Huntingdon College. After Broadway, she completed her education at Jacksonville State

Margaret Byers in her Rock School classroom


University and became a first-grade teacher in Springville, Ms. Erwin said.

Mog taught at the historic “Rock School” and then at Springville Elementary School, which was constructed years later.

Mog was a teacher whose personality, manner and methods endeared her to her students.

“All the children absolutely adored her,” said Ms. Erwin, who was in one of her aunt’s first-grade classes early in Mog’s teaching career.

This adoration is evident on the Rock School Facebook page, where former students have posted many pleasant memories of “Miss Margaret.” Some former students even speak of how she also taught their children years later.

Gerald Tucker of Springville, who was in the same first-grade class in 1942 as Ms. Erwin, said Miss Margaret made school interesting and did special things for the students.

“She always had something for us to play with,” a toy or item that was new to the students, Tucker said. “She was really something, always just as pretty.”

Being taught by a former Broadway actress “was like being in a fairy tale,” Tucker said.

Miss Margaret treated all students equally, Tucker said. She made no difference between the barefoot students and the affluent ones.

Hank Patterson was a key figure on Green Acres as farmer Fred Ziffel, who owned Arnold the pig.

Margaret Byers in the school annual.


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“She was the perfect first-grade teacher,” said Carol Pearson Waid of Springville Preservation Society and another of Miss Margaret’s former students. “She loved the children.”

Ms. Erwin said Mog had a piano in her classroom. She would play songs for her students to sing or she would sing to the children.

“Mr. Sandman” and “Sugartime” were two tunes she might sing to the students, said Donna Cole Davis of Springville, one of Miss Margaret’s former pupils.

“Her size is what fascinated me,” Mrs. Davis said. “She was like a small doll.”

The tininess of Miss Margaret’s shoes also intrigued Mrs. Davis as a child.

Ms. Erwin said Mog’s high-heel shoes – in a dainty size 1 – were specially ordered. “She had the cutest little shoes.”

Regardless of her size, though, “I can’t ever remember her having discipline problems,” Tucker said. “We knew better than to misbehave.”

Tucker went on to say that Miss Margaret had a very significant influence in his life. Her encouragement while Tucker was in first grade convinced him that he could do anything to which he set his mind.

As a result, Tucker had the ambition to further his education. At 28, he earned his degree in engineering from Auburn University.

Mog was equally as memorable as a family member.Ms. Erwin said Mog was her very favorite aunt, “no doubt,

as with all my children.” Mog, for instance, would give Ms. Erwin’s children “TV refreshments,” which were Coke floats served on TV trays as they watched “The Lawrence Welk Show” before bedtime.

Mog was born in 1901 to George and Nellie Byers. She was one of three children, according to information from Census of Springville Cemetery, Springville, AL.*

The business endeavors of Mog’s father gave him a significant role in the community. He ran a mercantile, assisted people in obtaining loans and deeds, and operated a Ford dealership, said Tucker, Donna Davis, and Joyce Davis, who currently lives in the Byers home.

Mog never married, was active in Springville First United Methodist Church and lived in her parents’ home, said Ms. Erwin, whose father was Mog’s brother, George Byers Jr.

That home – in a soft yellow, with white trim, green shutters and spacious porches – sits across the street from Springville Middle School. A historic marker notes the home was built circa 1891.

One of Ms. Erwin’s childhood memories is of singing around Mog’s baby grand piano in that home after dinner on Sundays. “That (piano) was her pride and joy,” Ms. Erwin said, noting that it is still in the family.

Ms. Erwin said certain features of the home were designed to accommodate Mog’s small stature. One was kitchen cabinetry. In her mind, Ms. Erwin can still see Mog kneading dough on a cabinet dough board situated at just the perfect height. Mog was known for her breads and cakes.

Joyce Davis, who with husband Jack, has owned the home about 20 years, said she has that piece of cabinetry with dough board, as well as a tin sign from the mercantile.

In 1989, Miss Margaret died at age 88. She is buried in Springville Cemetery, just up the hill from the Rock School where she taught for many years.

Hank PattersonCarol Pearson Waid made a surprising discovery back during

the summer: She is related to somebody famous.Until then, she had no idea that this celebrity numbered

among her relatives.Oh, she had the man’s name – Elmer Calvin Patterson – right

there in plain sight on the extensive family tree diagram she has compiled. Yet only months ago did she learn that “Elmer Calvin Patterson” was also known as “Hank Patterson,” the actor who played “Mr. Ziffel” on Green Acres.

Patterson was Mrs. Waid’s “second cousin twice removed.” In other words, her great-great-great-grandfather, James Pearson, was Patterson’s great-grandfather. Her grandfather, Marcus H. Pearson, and Patterson were second cousins, she said.

Now that she knows the kinship, though, she can definitely see Hank Patterson’s family resemblance. “He looks a lot like my granddaddy,” Mrs. Waid said.

Tommy Burttram of Springville had known since a boy that he was related to another Green Acres actor — Pat Buttram,

Claims to Fame

Hank Patterson became a regularin Westernmovies and TV.

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who was the wheeling-and-dealing “Mr. Haney.” So when Mrs. Waid told cousin Tommy Burttram that they are related to “Mr. Ziffel,” Burttram was pleased.

“I was kind of surprised. That was all right because I always liked Mr. Ziffel,” said Burttram.

Burttram’s wife, Kathy, found it “neat” that her husband has these famous people in his lineage. In fact, Mrs. Burttram has one of her own. Through the line of Mrs. Burttram’s mother – the late Christine Colley Dillard — is kinship to Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon, also known as “Minnie Pearl.”

“History is a lot of fun,” said Mrs. Burttram, who is editor of Northeast Alabama Genealogical Society’s publication, Northeast Alabama Settlers.

Mrs. Waid agreed completely. “I love puzzles and mysteries,” which is what genealogy and history are.

Hank Patterson’s parents were Green and Mary Patterson. Green Patterson is a descendent of James Pearson and Mary Patterson’s maiden name was “Newton.”

Two publications about St. Clair County’s history indicate these two families were early settlers of the county. Both arrived before Alabama became a state in 1819.

The first bit of information comes from the book, By Murder, Accident and Natural Causes: Death Notices from St. Clair County, Alabama, Newspapers 1873-1910, compiled by local historian Joe Whitten. An item from the Springville News section of the Southern Aegis newspaper on Jan. 26, 1898, notes that “James Pearson … moved to this community from (South Carolina) with his wife and settled here in 1818. He remained here until his death; hence the Pearson family is one of the oldest, highly respected and most extensively connected of any family in the community.”

Both James Pearson (1796-1870) and wife Margaret Pearson (1798-1863) are buried in Springville Cemetery.

Mattie Lou Teague Crow, in her 1973 publication History of St. Clair, details the Newtons’ arrival in the area. Her account reports that the Newtons and Ashes came to the area as part of a wagon train from the Carolinas.

Her history states that the Thomas Newton home was built in Beaver Valley in 1817, with the help of son-in-law John Ash. John Ash is the namesake of Ashville.

Boyd Magers, in a Characters and Heavies biographical sketch on the website, Western Clippings, says that Patterson’s family relocated from Alabama to Taylor, Texas, in the 1890s.**

At age 28, Patterson filled out a World War I draft registration card, listing his address as Lubbock, Texas, and his occupation as “actor.”

Claims to Fame

Imperial Theatre

Playbill for Babes in

Toyland with Margaret

Byers as Bo Peep


While the card gives “Birmingham Alabama U.S.A.” as his birthplace, most biographical sketches about Patterson, including the one by Magers, say the actor was born in 1888 in Springville, Ala.

Music was Patterson’s first interest, Magers writes. At one point, Patterson played piano with traveling vaudeville shows.

Patterson’s acting career spanned several decades and encompassed different genres, such as the rural comedy, Green Acres, the courtroom drama, Perry Mason, and the western series, Maverick. He was also in the iconic “Kick the Can” episode of the original Twilight Zone.

“Hank Patterson was one of a handful of character actors who cornered the market on portraying cantankerous old coots in westerns,” Magers says. This knack translated into steady work, such as eight projects in 1946 alone.

Magers reports that Patterson appeared in the “juvenile TV westerns” of Lone Ranger, Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers, Wild Bill Hickok, Gene Autry and Cisco Kid, among others. Then, Patterson transitioned to the TV westerns geared more for adults, such as Gunsmoke, Wyatt Earp and Texan.

Patterson was in his 70s when he played the role of Mr. Ziffel, Magers states.

According to Magers’ information, Patterson died in 1975. l

Additional assistance with this article was provided by Sandra Tucker, chairman of St. Clair County Historic Development Commission; Kylie Kerr of Pell City Library and Randy Davis. Charlene Simpson of Ashville Museum and Archives was instrumental in “connecting the dots” of Hank Patterson’s lineage, which assisted in locating some of Patterson’s relatives.

*Census of Springville Cemetery, Springville AL was compiled by Donna Cole Davis, Carol Pearson Waid and Kathy Peoples Burttram.

**Boyd Magers’ “Characters and Heavies” biographical sketches appear on the website, Western Clippings (www.westernclippings.com), 1312 Stagecoach Road S.E., Albuquerque, NM 87123.

“Hank Patter-son was one of a handful of character actors who cornered the market on portraying cantankerous old coots in westerns.”

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Revisiting NASCAR’s roots

Lakeside Package owner Blair Good-game poses with Moonshiners star

Tim Smith.


Cast of latestreality showsuccess makespecial stop in Pell CityStory by Loyd McIntoshPhotos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.

Each fall and spring, the sports world turns its attention to a 2.6-mile tri-oval of asphalt to the east of St. Clair in Talladega County. And with a spotlight that reaches well beyond county borders, you never know what celebrity from lists A to Z will make their way to the region for Sprint Cup events at Talladega Superspeedway.

In October, one of the more colorful luminaries to rub elbows with Pell Citians was Tim Smith, the star of the Discovery Channel reality show, Moonshiners, appropriate considering NASCAR’s roots in running illegal liquor throughout Appalachia.

Together with his protégé, known only as Tickle (real name, Stephen Ray Tickle), Smith is one of the most popular personalities on the show about illegal moonshine runners and the authorities attempting to break up their operations throughout the Carolinas and Virginia. Known simply by his first name, Tim, on the series, Smith is a third-generation moonshiner and volunteer firefighter from Virginia. In a story arc running the past couple of seasons, Tim is seen working to realize his dream of “going legal,” documenting the struggles raising seed money, navigating the legal red tape, and dealing with regulators and state alcohol boards. All the while, Tim fights the temptations and pressure from his former right hand man, Tickle, to go back to brewing underground.

His efforts to go legal have proven successful, which is the reason for his visit to Pell City. Wearing his trademark denim overalls with no undershirt, Tim made an appearance at Lakeside Package Store, standing for photos and signing bottles of his whiskey, Tim Smith’s Climax Moonshine. Marketed with the tagline “Drink of Defiance,” Climax Moonshine dubs itself on its website, a 90-proof moonshine “distilled from corn, rye, and barley malt. Clean and natural tasting with a subtle sweetness and bold defiance.”

Most of the crowd in the shopping center parking lot, arms loaded down of bottles of Smith’s products, were here to get a glimpse of this modern-day folk hero.

On this beautiful, sunny day in mid-October, Smith meets with fans and signs dozens of bottles. He handles

Fans get autographs, photos



this publicity event like a an old pro, but even after four years of television stardom, Smith is still shocked by his fame. “No, I didn’t ever think I would be a celebrity,” he says in his rural Virginia accent. “I always wanted to put my name on a bottle, and the TV show’s done helped me do that. Now I can go anywhere in the world, I can sign my name on a bottle and just be proud of it.”

For many men and women who gravitate toward moonshining, they do it out of sense of tradition, doing their part to preserve the time-honored ways of their ancestors. Smith has passed these traditions on to his son, J.T., however he’s not terribly optimistic the old ways are going to survive in the future. His opinions as to why the art of moonshining is losing favor are as varied as the digital age to a general lack of work ethic.

“We know the white whiskey category is growing because of the TV show, but I’m thinking we skipped a generation when we went to the computer age,” Smith says. “Everybody jumped from the regular telephone to the cell phone, and from the library to the Internet, so we lost about 30 to 40 years and got a bunch of lazy people out here.

“There’s a lot of guys out there trying to make moonshine, but I try to warn them it’s not easy to make good, drinkable alcohol,” he adds. “You can make alcohol. That’s simple. You can learn that on the Internet, but don’t think you’re going to make drinkable moonshine by looking on the Internet and trying to learn something.”

With the success of the television show, Smith has been able to not just realize his dream of bottling legal moonshine. His brand is now available legally in 30 states, but his old friend Tickle and other cast members can still be seen each Tuesday night on the Discovery Channel, hiding homemade distilleries in the woods and outrunning the law.

On this day, Smith is surrounded by a collection of Pell City’s finest, but they’re providing a police escort rather than closing in on him in order to haul him to the hoosegow. The irony is just delicious. However, the scene does lead to one question: How do these guys avoid getting caught with all these cameras in tow? Smith spills a little of the secret behind the show.

“With the cameras following making the show, we take a lot more precautions than before. If you couldn’t catch us before, you’re really not going to catch us now,” he says. “There are a lot of things behind the scenes people don’t know about. There are people getting arrested making moonshine. We’re not perfect drivers and sometimes we total loss vehicles. You probably see 20 percent of what we do, because we’re not highly-paid TV stars.

“Law enforcement don’t really need to be following the cameras around anyway. They need to be out here catching people breaking in houses and drug dealers, you know, the bad guys,” Smith says. “We’re not bad guys. We’re just trying to do something to make a livin’ like everybody else is.”

The last of the bottles signed, hands shaken and cell phone photos snapped, Smith ambles off, uniformed officers in tow, ready to head to his next appearance at the Talladega Superspeedway to sign more bottles of his moonshine. His legal moonshine, that is. l


BackpackBuddiesHelping children

battle hunger

Fans get autographs, photos


Story by Carol PappasPhotos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.

The reason behind their mission is easily found in the poster that succinctly tells why a group of adults from St. Clair County spend their free time raising funds and packing backpacks for children they don’t even know.

Their poster is a scene of two young children walking hand in hand away from the camera lens, their backpacks as much a part of their attire as blue jeans and tennis shoes.

They are walking down a road, presumably home from school. The caption is simple: Because hunger does not take a break on weekends.

The group is called Backpack Buddies, and each week they gather in vacant classrooms in the old Moody Elementary School building, Sunday School Rooms or basements that have been turned into work stations. With the precision of an industrial assembly line, they pack single-serving microwavable foods like macaroni and cheese, peas, carrots and corn.

Canned meat, snacks, cereal and soups — all name brand — are a part of the fare, too. They are divided into plastic sacks, and by the end of the week, they’ll be safely tucked inside the backpacks of children who may not be going home from school on the weekends where meals await them.

“It’s hard to imagine in America kids do not have meals to eat on the weekends,” said Sheilah Vick, who coordinates the program. “The stories are heartbreaking.“

Backpack Buddies aims to ease the pain. It is a national movement designed to feed children from “food-insecure” homes, meaning they are at risk of going to homes that lack reliable access to a sufficient amount of nutritious food.

In St. Clair County when the final bell rings for the week, it is estimated that one out of every five children go home not expecting to eat until they return on Monday morning. Couple that with holidays, weather days and school breaks, and the enormity of the problem simply magnifies.

Backpack Buddies in St. Clair County is growing to meet those needs. “It spread so fast. God knew there was a need,“ Vick said. In just one year, more than 250 kids in the St. Clair and Pell City school systems have become buddies and receive weekly bags of food to take home in their backpacks. They are recommended by a teacher or counselor and given six balanced meals and four healthy snacks each week.

The items are easy for children to open and fix a meal for themselves — like pull-tab cans and plastic containers with easy-open lids. “Some don’t have electricity or water,” Vick said. “Everything (in the bag) is designed for the kids.”

Backpack Buddies began in September 2013 with two small boys at Moody Elementary. With the help of sponsors and volunteers Backpack Buddies is now serving 16 schools. There still is a need for Ashville, Odenville, Ragland and Pell City high schools as well as Ragland and Odenville middle schools and several schools in Pell City.

The cost is about $5 per child per week, and there are ways to donate online at the local website, stclairbuddies.org. Sponsor a child for $20 a month or $200 a school year. You or your group can sponsor a school and ensure that the school receives the needed number of bags each week. Or donate food from the sample menu online to make sure the correct types of food are collected and donated. Your church, club or business can even host a food drive.

“Our goal is to have every school covered in St. Clair County

in five years,” Vick said.“Collectively, we cover each other. We don’t want to turn one

kid away. And every dime goes directly to buy food.”The entire process is completely private. Those who

volunteer for the effort don’t know the identity of the children they are helping. They get a number, and they pack the food for that number. “We know when we get that number, that child needs to be fed,” Vick said.

“It’s not about us,” her husband, Joe, added. “We don’t know the kids. We just pack the bags and deliver them.”

And because they do, hundreds of St. Clair County kids will go home this weekend, knowing exactly where to find their next meal. l

For more information or to contribute:Greater St Clair County stclairbuddies.org

or call Sheilah Vick at (205)531-3822Pell City Schools facebook.com/pc4buddies

Joe Vick

Gary and Peggy James

Louis

72 DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • August & September 201372 • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • Business Review

St. Clair Alabama

Business ReviewMetal barrels still make up a big

part of Buckner Barrels’ business

73 DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • August & September 2013 Business Review • DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • 73

Business done rightBuckner Barrels focuses on the big pictureA sound business philosophy pays off

Profits are nice. Sustainability is better.For Springville-based Buckner Barrels Sales Corp., that

is the idea that has been driving the company to success ever since Frank Buckner purchased his long-term place of employment in 1972 and changed the name.

“All our work has been geared toward a 50-year plan of sustainability. We put together a plan to make ourselves sustainable. As a multigenerational family business, we feel that is very important,” said Heath Buckner, president of parent company, Buckner Holdings.

A business that started with a handful of employees now encompasses more than 70 workers and a payroll of approximately $3.5 million, with locations in Alabama, North Carolina and South Carolina and distributor locations in Detroit and Eastern Texas. It focuses on 16 states and business reaching across the country, Buckner said.

Buckner Barrels Sales reconditions and recertifies a wide variety of packing and transportation materials, ranging from classic metal barrels to modern intermediate bulk containers, fiber drums, glass bottles and more.

“What Buckner Barrels does is bring in dirty, used and empty containers that have been used to transport and store all manner of things, from food to petroleum products. We clean them, refurbish them, recertify them and send them back out,” Buckner said.

Under the umbrella of Buckner Holdings, the company has expanded into other businesses, such as Buckner Trailers, which handles the manufacture, restoration and reconditioning of specialized and heavy-haul trailers.

That diversification goes to the heart of the long-range goal of corporate sustainability.

“It’s a niche industry. There are only a few companies nationwide that do what we do. … And it is a very mature industry. The steel drum has been around for 75 to 80 years — it has gotten thinner, a lighter gauge metal — but it is essentially the same,” Buckner said.

“We have to find ways to remain viable every day, to expand our footprint.”

To do that, Buckner Barrels has done everything from continually looking into different kinds of containers to branching out into other areas of related business, such as transportation and distribution.

The company has been expanding and working toward that goal, with much of that growth taking place in the past decade.

“Our legacy company dates back years, to the 1920s. The

company that exists today is a new company. My dad went to work in the 50s as a laborer there. In the late 1960s, he could buy into the business and in the 70s, he bought the owner out,” Buckner said.

The 1980s saw the addition of a second warehouse location. In 2008 and 2009, things really got rolling with the acquisition of West Drum Company, which was relocated and became its Charlotte, N.C., location. Also in 2009, it acquired Mitchell Container in Saraland, Ala., and moved the reconditioning operation to Springville and reworked the Saraland site to a distribution point.

And in 2013, the new plant in Springville came online — giving Buckner Barrels Sales one of the most modern such operations in the nation.

Story by Graham HadleyPhotos by Michael Callahan

Reconditioning barrelsis cheaper and more environmentallyfriendly than recyclingor making new ones.


Business Review Buckner Barrels

Buckner Holdings covers a wide range of businesses, from containers

to rebuilding specialized heavy-haultrailers.


Going Green“The new facility was the first turn-key plant in our business

in North America with a closed-loop system,” Buckner said.“In our industry it is cutting-edge technology and really

represents a gold standard in environmental friendliness.”The very nature of the operation was already very

environmentally friendly — reconditioning falls somewhere between fabricating new containers from scratch and recycling — melting down old containers to make new ones, and uses less energy and has a smaller carbon footprint than either of those, he said.

“It is more efficient to clean and recertify an existing drum than to melt down a metal or plastic drum and have it remanufactured into a new product. Our customers buy products from us because it is cheaper than buying a new drum, and the added benefit for everyone is a better environmental footprint.”

The new plant, a near $10 million investment, takes that a step further, closing the waste discharge loop.

“We are possibly the only industry of our kind in the country that is zero discharge. We have a number of proprietary reclamation processes” that reclaim the waste products and reuse that energy to help power the facility, Buckner said.

That means a more efficient operation at its plant and a low environmental impact for the surrounding Springville community.

Good Corporate CitizenThat commitment to running an environmentally friendly

company is just one piece of the business ideal of being a good corporate citizen that drives all facets of Buckner Holdings.

“One thing we are big proponents of, and our parents are big proponents of, is that our business should benefit all of its stakeholders — customers, the community, vendors, employees and the shareholders,” Buckner said.

“If every day you make that a focus of your operating principles — benefiting all your stakeholders, overall your business has a better long-term chance of being sustainable. Size and profitability metrics are not the big pressure for me. I feel a great pressure to maintain a sustainable business.”

Part of that means taking care of its employees, many of whom have been with the company for well more than a decade.

The Springville operations are just a part of a multi-state business.


Business Review Buckner BarrelsIn addition to competitive wages, “we provide a

lot of benefits for our employees, from healthcare to company-funded retirement accounts and more … and compensate employees with enough to cover matching fees,” Buckner said. That also includes things like life and disability insurance.

“If the company benefits the employees, they stay here. We can offer a consistent product, and that makes the customer happy.”

Part of the business ideology means taking care of the community, too.

Buckner Holdings brings in millions of dollars in payroll alone to the Springville area — many of the employees live within 15 minutes of the plants. As a result, most of the money stays in Springville.

“Part of the reason for having a business like this, for bringing the money back here, is that the community benefits from that,” Buckner said.

In addition to pumping money into the local economy through business, Buckner Barrels finds other ways to help through fundraisers and other community-focused and charitable giving.

“We try to be a contributing member of the community, particularly the schools, but also other things like Relay for Life and the Big Springs 5k Run,” Buckner said.

Expanding HorizonsUntil recently, Buckner Barrels expanded

by increasing customers and distribution of traditional packaging — but that market has its limits.

“We have grown by growing our market share of steel drums, but that market is stable and not growing,” he said.

So the company is turning its attention to new materials and new business ventures.

“The IBC (intermediate bulk container) market is growing. We are hoping to have a number of expansions open by this time next year involving the IBC and poly drum part of the business,” either through the expansion of the Springville operation or the acquisition of other facilities, Buckner said.

“Over the next two or three years, we expect to be aquisitive in expanding our footprint, getting a bigger piece of the market.

“We will always choose the path that takes us toward long-term sustainability, even if that comes at the cost of short-term profits,” Buckner said. “And that is often the case. Many times, what is good for your profits this week is not what is good for you in the long-term.

“We created Buckner Holdings with the idea that we could take that same philosophy into other businesses. The story of Buckner Barrel is how we run our businesses and the way we feel about business. Who we are is summed up by our business philosophy.” l

Work beingdone on a heavy-haultrailer

Buckner Barrels employeesare a big part of thecompany businessmodel.

Visitors get a glance insideBuckner Barrels.

1122 INDUSTRIAL DRIVE PELL CITY, AL 35125205.884.4766 800.226.5098 www.garristonsteel.com


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Business Review News

It started with a ‘what if?’ What if potential customers had more reason to bank with an institution other than their account?

That question gave birth to Aliant Bank’s Prestige program, begun in 1988 by then Chairman of the Board John Russell Thomas. Prestige offers “extras” for its clients inside the bank with additional free services as well as outside perks with travel and social opportunities.

Today, banking clients and others in St. Clair, where Aliant Bank operates a branch in Pell City, board buses, ships and airplanes en route to adventures near and far as part of a bank travel club. The concept is popular around the country, but Aliant is one of the only Alabama-founded banks organizing and guiding tour groups, according to Nannette Smith Sheaffer, Aliant’s marketing director.

In its premier trip from Pell City, more than 30 people traveled to New York, seeing Broadway shows and other points of interest by way of Prestige. “It is a way to travel and enjoy a group,” Sheaffer said.

Prestigeprogram

Aliant Bank offerstravel opportunities

Story by Carol Pappas • Contributed photos

The group takes notes at at the Viking Cooking School

in Greenwood, Miss.


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Business Review News

Business BriefSPRINGVILLE INSURANCE AGENCY TAPPED FOR ‘BEST PRACTICES’ STUDY

The Crawford Skinner Agency in Springville has joined an elite group of independent insurance agencies around the United States participating in the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) “Best Practices” Study Group. More than 1,100 independent agencies throughout the United States were nominated to take part in the annual study, and only 216 qualified for the honor. To be chosen, the agency had to be among the 35-45 top-performing agencies in one of six revenue categories.

The Crawford Skinner Agency was nominated by an IIABA-affiliated state association or an insurance company and qualified based on its operational excellence.

Each year since 1993, IIABA and Reagan Consulting, an Atlanta-based management consulting firm, join forces to study the country’s leading agencies in six revenue categories. The agencies making up the study groups are selected every third year through a comprehensive nomination and qualifying process and awarded a “Best Practices Agency” designation. The selected “Best Practices” agencies retain their status during the three-year cycle by submitting extensive financial and operational data for review each year.

The Crawford Skinner Agency was founded in 1944 and offers insurance from companies including Travelers, Auto-Owners, Progressive and many others, providing a full range of property and liability insurance products and services.

For further information, please contact Adam Skinner of the Crawford Skinner Agency at (205) 467-6777 or visit www.crawfordskinner.com.

Another Pell City band of travelers boarded a bus earlier this year and headed to Mississippi, seeing where the movie The Help was filmed and fine tuning their culinary skills at the Viking Cooking School in Greenwood, Miss.

Yet another stop for the traveling St. Clair Countians was Savannah, Ga., and Tybee Island.

Day trips in 2015 included Atlanta to see Wicked, the Gone With the Wind Tour, Gee’s Bend, and a noted Atlanta landmark, Scott’s Antiques.

Those who go on the trips do not have to be a client, but Prestige’s aim is to build client relationships for the bank. “If they are not a client, it’s OK,” Sheaffer said. “Hopefully, the residual effect is that they will become a client with us.”

The plan seems to be working. There are now 5,000 Prestige members in all of Aliant’s markets.

Up ahead in 2015, Aliant hopes to help clients and non-clients alike make a “wealth of memories” with trips planned to Tuscany, Alaska, Cape Cod and Salt Lake City for its longer treks. For shorter, three-day journeys, planned are a Spring Pilgrimage in Natchez, Miss.; Southern Charm in Charleston, S.C., Showtime in Branson, Missouri; and Biltmore and Grove Park Inn in Asheville, N.C.

One-day trips to Atlanta; Franklin, Tenn.; and other destination points are on the schedule as well.

Bingo nights and holiday parties are on the calendar, too. It’s all about building better relationships through social, travel and

educational opportunities. And the banking benefits are all a part of the package. l

Prestigeprogram

Times Square, a celebrated destination point for the traveling group.

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Discover St. Clair December 2014 January 2015