Discover St. Clair February 2015

Beeson House • Cather Publishing • Courthouse Artist Drone Business Takes Off • Scenic Drives II • Col. Robert L. Howard

February & March 2015

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Features and Articles Discover

The Essence of St. Clair

Revisiting the

Lovejoy Slingshot Hunt Annual event continues to draw attention

Page 51

Beeson House

Aerial drone business

Cather Publishing

Page 24

A Life of History

Scenic driving in St. Clair Page 38

Page 14

Artist Jamie Merrymon

Page 30

Huckleberry Pond

Page 44 Page 56

96 and Going Strong

Page 58

Col. Robert L. Howard Business Review

UAB Medical-Leeds EDC News AOC Foodmart Opens

Return of the soda fountain Page 74

Page 8

Charter Landing Aultman Dental Young at Heart Gallery

Page 64

Page 68 Page 77 Page 78 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82

February & March 2015

www.discoverstclair.com

Writers AND Photographers Carol Pappas Carol 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 dozens 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, design and web services for companies and nonprofits, Partners publishes Discover, various community magazines for chambers of commerce and Mosaic Magazine, a biannual publication of Alabama Humanities Foundation.

Leigh Pritchett

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.

Jerry C. Smith 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.

Wallace Bromberg Jr. Wally was born in Birmingham. He graduated 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 Education. Wally’s skills in photography blossomed 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.

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Linda Long Linda Long has worked in communications for more than 25 years in print, broadcast, nonprofit promotion and special event planning and implementation. Her writing has appeared in Business Alabama Magazine, Technology Alabama, Mobile Bay Monthly, Birmingham News, Huntsville Times, Partners Magazine, Birmingham Magazine, Alabama Alive, Cahaba Talk, Hoover Outlook and Shelby Living. She served as news and special projects producer for NBC13 News, where her work won national, regional and state honors, including two Emmy Award nominations. Long has served as a press secretary and a political reporting correspondent.

Elaine Miller 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 editor of Birmingham Home & Garden magazine 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 Morning 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 Federation of Press Women).

Mike Callahan 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 magazines. Publishing his work to the internet frequently, he has won many honors for pictures of the day and week.

Tina Tidmore Tina Tidmore was publisher and editor of a small-city newspaper for seven years before launching her freelance communications services business in 2009. Since then, she has won Alabama Media Professionals awards in a variety categories, including for feature articles written for Discover magazine. She is the current Alabama Media Professionals president.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

From the Editor

Images, tales define county’s allure February is one of those in-between months in St. Clair County. The holidays are behind us; the rush behind us, too. Blue skies give way to gray, and there seems to be plenty of time for nights by the fire or the heat kicked up a notch.

February is a time when a detectable anticipation of warmer weather just up ahead hangs in the air as spring inches that much closer. There might be a teaser day or two – those times when sunny, warm skies up above beckon all sorts of outdoor activities below. But as they say in Alabama, stick around, that likely will change. Shorts one day. Snow the next.

What doesn’t seem to change is the allure that surrounds us.

It’s the allure of an old-fashioned Sunday afternoon drive that still intrigues – even in winter. Photographer Mike Callahan takes us on one of those drives this issue, acquainting us with the sights of this place we call home. Some we recognize, like landmarks and historic places. Others may not be so easy to name, but they nonetheless define our roadsides. A rustic barn.

A home reminiscent of days gone by. A cabin reminding us of our roots.

There is a certain allure of personalities like “Ike” Murphree.

At 96, he still works the farm at his country home in Ashville.

The allure of the land brought him back after World War II, never minding that he left the general and future president he guarded behind. He was going home.

The allure of what’s behind a name is always one that draws us in, pulling us toward delving a little deeper. That’s the idea behind the story on Col. Robert L. Howard, Alabama’s most decorated war hero for whom St. Clair’s state veteran’s home

is named. But who knows he also excelled on the big screen with John Wayne in The Green Berets?

Or how about the Beeson House in the shadow of Chandler Mountain, where the blood of Confederate soldiers can still be seen under the staircase. Or fast forward to a budding young artist who tells her own story through abstract creations.

You will find these alluring tales and more in this edition of Discover. Turn the page and discover it all along with us.

Carol Pappas Editor and Publisher

Discover The Essence of St. Clair

February & March 2015 • Vol. 22 • www.discoverstclair.com

Carol Pappas • Editor and Publisher Graham Hadley • Managing Editor and Designer Brandon Wynn • Director of Online Services Mike Callahan • Photography Wallace Bromberg Jr. • Photography Arthur Phillips • Advertising Dale Halpin • Advertising

A product of Partners by Design www.partnersmultimedia.com 6204 Skippers Cove Pell City, AL 35128 205-335-0281

Printed at Russell Printing, Alexander City, AL 7

Beeson House St. Clair County’s second-oldest home a special place full of history Story by Elaine Hobson Miller Photos by Mike Callahan Jay Clark refers to the Civil War as the War for Southern Independence. An admirer of Confederate Major John Singleton Mosby, whose cunning and stealth earned him the nickname “Gray Ghost,” he has portraits of the Virginia officer hanging throughout his home. A proud graduate of Washington and Lee University, who majored in Southern history, he’s almost as proud of a framed certificate that authenticates him as a Tennessee Squire.

So it’s only fitting that Clark should live in an 11-room antebellum home that has deep ties to the War Between the States.

For almost 20 years, Clark has owned the Beeson House in Beason Cove, probably the second oldest home in St. Clair County. (The spelling change is often attributed to the original owner’s children by his second wife.) Built in 1840 by Curtis Grubb Beeson, it has been through several owners since the last Beeson lived there in the 1930s. It has been the seat of cattle farms, bed and breakfast inns and a party and reception venue. Each owner has put his personal stamp on the place, including a commercial kitchen at the back and a balcony with outside stairs on the front, making enough changes to disqualify it for the National Register of Historic Places.

But it’s still a special place to live, according to Clark. “I had always wanted an antebellum house when I found this one,” he says. “At

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This side porch is one of five entrances to the Beeson House.

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Beeson House

Note the small fire box in this original fireplace.

Jay Clark points out a favorite photo.

The front entrance hall is lined with some of the photos, newspaper clippings and certificates Clark has amassed.

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night, when a full moon is rising over Chandler Mountain, you’ll see why I love this place.”

Originally a 2,000-acre cotton plantation at the foot of Chandler Mountain, the Beeson property has been whittled down to 107 acres. Clark, a Birmingham trial lawyer, has time for little more than resting his head there, but still appreciates the qualities that make the place special.

During the Civil War, for example, wounded Confederates hid in a closet under the hall stairs when Union soldiers came through. At least one of the wounded leaned against the wall, and his blood stains are still visible.

“Someone painted over the ceilings upstairs and downstairs, put Sheetrock over the wooden walls and replaced all the downstairs flooring,” says Clark, who has no interest in restoring the home to its former glory. “Upstairs, it still has its original heart-pine floors and original ceiling, though.”

The house was built with three chimneys, each with a small fire box. A rear chimney was damaged during a storm, and Clark had it repaired, adding a larger fire box. Two of the original chimneys and fire boxes remain intact.

A former owner who operated a catering business added a huge commercial kitchen at the back, and Clark enclosed the garage next to it for his cedar-lined den. He also added a swimming pool out back, which his five grandkids enjoy more than he does.

While he could be called a borderline hoarder due to the amount of space his “stuff” occupies, Clark prefers to think of himself as a collector. He collects cameras and tripods, Jack Daniels bottles, beer steins, old carbide lamps and civil war memorabilia. “I’m a student of parts of the War for Southern Independence,” he says.

He has several hundred books scattered about the house, and has read every one of them, some twice. “I don’t watch television,” he says, when questioned about the abundance of TVs. “None of them are connected to anything.”

And everywhere, in almost every room, is the camping and climbing gear. Ropes are piled in the kitchen floor, jackets hang from open doors, shoes and clothes take up most of the floor space in an upstairs room. He also collects old clothes, old books, magazines and newspapers. “I’ve been called obsessive-compulsive,” he confesses. “I have more than one of everything.”

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

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Beeson House

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An avid cave explorer, he displays evidence of his explorations, travels and love of adventure on his downstairs walls.

He has photos of himself just below an entrance to Fern Cave in Jackson County, one of several Alabama caves operated by the Southeastern Cave Conservancy, Inc. Clark is general counsel for the SCCI. Other photos show him at Zion National Park and Arches National Park in Utah, at Canyon de Chelley in Arizona, at Mount Everest, which he visited without attempting a climb to its peak, and in the British Virgin Islands. The latter is a favorite destination for Clark and his sons.

Pecan, black walnut and oak trees surround the home, including a majestic white oak at the back that is about as old as the house itself.

One face of an old red barn shows the remains of a climbing wall that once held the end of a zip line stretching to an oak tree in the front yard. That’s a distance of almost 300 feet.

A dilapidated storage shed, which Clark had moved from another area of the grounds, bulges with more climbing and camping gear. Another two-story shed he had built holds still more of the same.

“I was digging for a garden and discovered the remains of an old blacksmith shop,” Clark says. He believes a sunken area he uncovered is the site of an old outhouse. Other finds include the graves of slaves in the woods, and a metate, which is a flat or slightly hollowed oblong stone on which materials such as grain and cocoa are ground using a smaller stone. Clark believes Indians used his metate to grind corn.

Clark understands why the house didn’t remain a bed and breakfast inn for long. It has but one bathroom on each floor, and the one upstairs is accessible only by passing through two bedrooms.

“No guest wants to walk through other guests’ rooms to get to the bathroom,” he says. l

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

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Cather Publishing A tradition rooted in St. Clair Story by Jerry C. Smith Submitted photos by Cather Family

A.H. Cather prints a page on the Smith Acorn press.

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

When Bill Cather closed the doors of his family’s print shop in Birmingham a few months ago, he laid to rest a family business begun by his great-grandfather more than a 140 years previous, in Ashville. Theirs was among the last of local printing firms that still employed “old country” printing methods.

Beginning soon after the end of the Civil War, using technology little advanced since the days of Ben Franklin, the Cather family business eventually grew into a major printing concern with ties to St. Clair County newspapers which are still published today.

The progenitors of this dynamic clan were George Roberts Cather and Harriet Hart (Heath) Cather. Harriet was of a Mayflower family, also a descendant of the Revolutionary War’s General Beckley, and of Josiah Bartlett and John Hart, both signers of the Declaration of Independence. After her mother died, she was sent to her aunt’s famous school, the Emma Hart Willard Seminary in New York, to study music and art. Harriet would later teach music when she and George settled in Alabama.

Originally a lawyer in Baltimore, George came to Alabama briefly to set up his printing and newspaper business but, at age 21, decided to join the Confederate Army. Before returning to Maryland to enlist, he had purchased a fine Smith Acorn printing press. According to Patrick Cather, this machine and most of George’s printing supplies were later confiscated by Union General Rousseau during a foraging raid on Ashville.

George fought in the battles of the Potomac and Antietam, was captured while on a scouting foray at Ellecat’s Mill, and finished the war in the infamous Federal prison at Elmira, NY. His brother, Robert Cather, fought for the Union.

The George Cathers relocated to Alabama in 1872, where he worked as a teacher and editor of a Cherokee County newspaper to raise money to restore his printing business. He finally located his stolen press in Jacksonville, enduring the irony of buying it for the second time. On Jan. 9, 1873, George used this press to publish the first edition of Southern Aegis, which survives to this day under a different name and ownership.

The Acorn was so named because of the nut shape of its metal framework. In those days, all type was set by hand, locked into a flat-bed press such as the Acorn, inked by hand with leather daubers or rubber rollers, carefully covered with paper, then compressed under a heavy plate by a huge screw twisted by the strong arms of the printer. This technique was little-changed since the days of Benjamin Franklin and Johannes Gutenberg.

That old press has had quite a history. After being recovered some years after the Civil War’s end, it served well for many years in George’s shop. However, George’s son, Belton Cather, sold the historic old machine as scrap iron when he moved the family business to Pell City.

Alonzo Heath Cather, of whom we will hear more later, was furious, and searched until he found it in a Birmingham junkyard in 1937, during the Depression. In his website, 1807 Blog Avenue, Patrick says, “That original Smith Acorn printing press — which printed so many Alabama newspapers over the years (as well as Federal military orders in the field for General Rousseau) is now on display on the fifth floor of the Gorgas Library, University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa.”

Though quaint and very brief compared to today’s periodicals, the newspapers of that era were of enormous value to their readers, particularly in rural areas. In OSCA Review 1985, local historian Mattie Lou Teague Crow described the Aegis thusly: “The paper was the one and only news media. Its arrival was looked forward to eagerly and, be it a weekly, it was read daily

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

Early location of Cather Publsihing, 21st Street next to Redmont Hotel in Birmingham

William Harlow Cather 15

Cather Publishing

The George Cathers at home in Ashville

until the arrival of the next issue. Often newspapers were carefully stored away for future reference. Lucky is today’s history buff who comes across a set of very old newspapers!”

Southern Aegis was published by the Cathers from 1873 until 1944, when it was sold to the Blair family and became St. Clair News-Aegis. Bound copies of later editions are available to the public at Ashville Archives. According to Patrick, some of the oldest issues may still exist at the Department of Archives in Montgomery and/or in the History Collection at Samford University.

According to Mrs. Crow et al, George Cather was first in the South to publish scientific weather forecasts in a newspaper.

Not content to merely foretell the almost-obvious, he diligently studied meteorology, making discoveries which he unselfishly shared with others. A 1972 story in Sylacauga Advance tells of a publication George began in 1883, called the Scientific Educator, later shortened to The Weather, which became one of America’s foremost science journals.

The Eutaw Mirror said, “If Mr. Cather…were publishing a paper in some large city … his prognostications would give him a national reputation, and deservedly so.” In the Nashville American, Cather promised “…the coming winter will be very cold and early… phenomenal for its paroxysmal spells of heat, succeeded by intense cold over the country.”

George was known as an avid reader, and wrote several novels in the late 1880s, including one titled Dora’s Device.

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He served as mayor of Ashville and chairman of the St. Clair Democratic Executive Board.

A staunch Maryland Democrat, George didn’t hesitate to use his newspaper to support his political leanings, both locally and regionally. According to the Advance, he was a longtime member of Alabama Press Association, delivering the keynote speech at its annual meeting in Mobile in the 1880s.

He became an ordained Methodist minister, whose church and civic life were remarked upon in Dictionary of Alabama Biography: “ …a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, served as steward and superintendent of the Sunday School,…but his doctrine was unfavorable for this element and he retired from preaching. “…he was a Mason;…one of the first advocates of prohibition in the country; also (like every St. Clair leader of that era) a champion of white supremacy in state and politics. He was devoted to the causes of science, religion and education; believed in the Divine Origin of Man and preached it; devoted a great deal of study to translation and explanation of Bible meanings and mythology; of hieroglyphics; and published many articles on these subjects in the Southern Aegis…”

When Ashville connected to what would later become the power grid on April 23, 1891, the Cathers’ daughter earned a special spot in history Here’s how it was reported in the Southern Aegis: “ASHVILLE ILLUMINATED! Marcia Ney Cather, the 8

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

The ‘Old Country’ method

When you can’t be there.

Always ere is…

Locking form into chase using quoin key

Printwork using movable type goes back to Asian cultures, more than a thousand years ago, but a more familiar version was pioneered by Johannes Gutenberg a few years before Columbus sailed. For centuries to follow, it was the only way in Europe.

Practically extinct now in favor of lithographic and digital methods, its long history nevertheless deserves to be remembered in detail. Your writer experienced this wondrous but labor-intensive craft in the early 1960s, both in high school and as an apprentice at Strong Company, a job printing shop in Birmingham.

In practice, a printer (the guy who sets type, not necessarily the one who runs the printing equipment, who is a pressman) hand-picks individually cast metal type pieces and assembles them in proper order in a small hand tray called a stick, reading from left to right but upside down. Spaces called ems, ens and els are added between words until the length of the line is exactly right, as measured in picas, using a metal ruler called a pica stick. Several completed lines of type are then slid off onto a galley, a larger metal tray as wide as a sheet of paper and one to two feet long. This process is repeated until a whole page is completed.

Thin bands and spacers called leads are added to provide proper line-spacing, then the whole form is tightly wrapped with string to hold it together for proofing. The galley is placed in a proof press, inked with a roller called a brayer, covered with paper, and a heavy roller passed over it to print a galley proof.

This sheet is checked to be sure all the type is legible and spaced correctly, and is usually sent to an editorial proofreader for literary corrections. Meanwhile, the form is slid out of the galley onto a printer’s stone, a large table with a preciselyfinished slate or granite top.

Next, the fully-proofed form is placed within an open heavy metal rectangle called a chase, surrounded with wooden blocks called furniture, then locked into place on two sides using metal wedges called quoins, tightened by a wrench called a quoin key.

The printer very carefully lifts the assembly slightly to assure that every piece of type is securely in place lest it all fall out in a disastrous heap on the way to the pressroom. The form is now ready to be locked into a press, and the printing process begins.

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

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Cather Publishing

Bays Danforth and Daisy (Kilgroe) Cather

George Cather’s 1881 book on weather prediction

Linotype machine

George Roberts Cather

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

year-old daughter of the editor of the Southern Aegis pulls the switch that floods the city with light! Salutes fired, and the air stirs with shouts! The band turns out and a great enthusiasm is manifested.”

George and Harriet died less than a month apart in 1913, and were buried in Ashville Cemetery, but the family printing business lived on through their descendants.

Taking the helm of the Aegis was George’s second-born son, Belton “Belt” Bledsoe Cather. Belton learned about printing at an early age, and owned the Springville News Item before selling it in 1912 and returning to serve as editor for the Aegis.

DAB defines him as a staunch community figure in his own right, serving two terms as Ashville’s Postmaster and President of the Alabama Postmaster’s Association. Belt was also on the school board, a steward of the Methodist Episcopal Church, Superintendent of Sunday Schools, a member of Alabama Press Association, stockholder in two local banks, and various other civic ventures. Like his father, he was a diehard Democrat who loved politics.

Bays Danforth Cather, George’s third-born son, also worked in the Aegis until 1902, when he moved to Pell City and founded his own weekly newspaper, the Coosa Valleyan. According to DAB, he was also owner and editor of Birminghampublished The Farmer’s Union Guide, in collaboration with his brother, Alonzo Heath Cather.

Like his father and brother, Bays was very active in civic matters, belonging to Odd Fellows and Pythian lodges, Kiwanis, and the Methodist Episcopal Church. His wife was Daisy (Kilgroe) Cather of Pell City.

A consummate newspaper man, he became a part-owner of Pell City Progress in 1908 and, in 1924, moved to Leeds to start a local printing business and the Leeds Enterprise. In 1938, Bays moved his growing family to Florida and established the Dania Press. Bays and Daisy are buried in Dania, FL. Southern Aegis and Pell City Progress were bought out by Edmund R. Blair of Pell City. The Progress was renamed Pell City News for a while, then both papers were combined to form our present-day weekly, the St. Clair News-Aegis.

George’s first-born son, William Harlow Cather, who also learned the printing business from his father, later worked for the Baltimore Sun and the New York World before returning to Alabama to practice law in Bessemer, Birmingham, Ashville, Springville and Centre.

He and his wife, the former Cora Lee Webb, had a daughter and four sons. Two of these sons, Quinn and Dwight Cather, formed another Birmingham company called Cather Brothers Publishing.

Alonzo Heath Cather, fourth-born son of George and Harriet, would ultimately create the family’s final printing business, A H Cather Publishing Company, in Birmingham. Started in 1913, the year of his parents’ death, it would eventually become one of the last to specialize in the aforementioned “old country” technology.

Alonzo’s wife, Jenni Pearl (Johnson) Cather, of the nowsubmerged St. Clair town of Easonville, worked at his side from Day One, remaining at the company even after Alonzo’s passing.

Both companies invested heavily in the electro-mechanical printing technologies of the day, including a used Linotype, a remarkable device that made typesetting much faster and more exact. According to Wikipedia, before Ottmar Mergenthaler invented this machine in 1884, no newspaper had more than eight pages because typesetting was such a labor and time-intensive

William Heath Cather Sr. and son Bill Cather 1985 chore.

It was an incredibly complex, expensive, and somewhat dangerous piece of precision machinery, but one operator at its keyboard could do the work of a dozen manual typesetters.

Using a system of reusable molds, called matrices (mats, for short), entire lines of type were cast at once, using molten lead piped from a crucible mounted within the machine itself.

When an operator finished keying in a line from a 90-character keyboard, he pressed a lever to raise the assembled matrices to a casting section, which automatically justified the line to exact length. He then poured the type line, now called a slug, cooled it, stacked it in a galley beside previous casts, and noisily returned each mat to its own slot in a changeable font case, to be reused ad infinitum.

The Linotype’s exposed maze of cams, gears, levers and molten metal was hazardous to a degree not allowable in today’s OSHA world, but for its day, it was truly a modern marvel that helped modernize a whole industry.

Before finally settling down some 30 years ago at their final site at 3109 7th Avenue South in Birmingham, there were several other Cather locations that changed as the young company prospered.

A 1940s-era roster provided by Bill Cather shows more than 60 printing firms in Birmingham, putting that city on a par with other printing meccas such as Nashville, TN. Alonzo Cather was a tireless pioneer in unionization for printing tradesmen in Alabama.

After establishing A H Cather Publishing Company in 1913, he worked to bring all the various printers’ unions together under one guild, the Allied Printing Trades Council. His company bore the union’s Label Number 1 to signify its rank among dozens of later participants.

Alonzo’s son, William Heath Cather, presently more than 90 years of age, flew B-25 bombers in the Pacific theater of World War 2, and eventually took over the business. William was joined in the 1970s by his own son, William Jr. Known as Bill,

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

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Alonzo Heath and Pearl (Johnson) Cather

William Heath Cather Sr. in earlier years

he started during his high school days, then went into printing sales after serving four years in the Air Force.

Bill took the company to new heights, garnering several government and military contracts in the 1980s. Cather Publishing set a high standard of leadership and craftsmanship for several decades, a family tradition begun by Bill’s great grandfather more than a century previous.

Bill’s brother, James Patrick Cather, became a publishing notable in his own right. He created and published Kaleidoscope, the official campus newspaper for the University of Alabama at Birmingham. It seems all the Cathers had ink in their blood.

The Cather companies were initially based upon what’s known as hot-type letterpress technology, meaning they used mechanically assembled type and cast metal plates instead of later methods, such as lithography and today’s digital printing.

Cather Publishing eventually added lithography, which was becoming an industry standard at the time, but as digital printing began to emerge as the wave of the future, the Cathers decided to rest on their laurels and write a final chapter to the family business annals.

A few months ago, Bill sold off most of the company’s presses and related equipment to a legacy “job shop” in Montgomery that will specialize in printing with vintage equipment. Among these fine relics were Miehle, Heidelberg, Chandler & Price, and Kluge letter presses. Their Linotype machine, originally purchased from the Birmingham News, was donated to Birmingham History Museum, where it will become a major display item when its new site opens.

In a recent interview, Bill explained it thusly, “Our business was built on printing the old way, with everything being created, assembled and printed on site, although we did farm out a few digital jobs to other companies. We set our own type, made up forms, and ran them on real printing presses.

“To keep up in today’s world means you have to invest heavily in some very expensive stuff that will be obsolete in five years. That’s not how we worked. Our hardware was made to operate for decades. So, Dad and I decided to hang it up and let others take it from here.”

Bill expresses regrets that their technology is now almost forgotten, but also feels a well-earned satisfaction that his family was privileged to participate and prosper for more than a century, in the traditional “old country” way.

— 30 — Editor’s note: In keeping with the “old” way of doing things, we concluded this story with the traditional symbol that signified ‘end of story.’

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

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Eye in the Sky Capitalizing on the business of aerial drones

Story by Jim Smothers Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.

David Smith and his son Cameron launch one of their aerial drones near the parking platform below Logan Martin Dam.

You can thank General George S. Patton if you’ve seen a small UFO buzzing around Lake Logan Martin recently. Chances are good you were watching one of David Smith’s remote controlled copters. Smith and his son, Cameron, have three copters set up for taking videos and still photos, and they hope to get in on the ground floor of potential business opportunities using the small flying machines.

What does Patton have to do with it?

The colorful general put one of his ivoryhandled pistols to the head of Smith’s father, Walter, during one of his infamous fits of anger during World War II. That evening, motorcycle courier Smith saw a sign in the mess hall asking for volunteers to sign up for the Army Air Corps, which seemed a much more attractive place to serve.

Smith flew 49 missions in B-17s, most of them in a bomber he named for his wife, the Birmingham Jewell. That plane flew 128 missions, a record at the time.

Smith returned to Alabama to operate an aviation business that inspired his sons to learn about flying, a family tradition now reaching down to his great grandson.

David Smith seemed destined to get involved with today’s generation of remotely controlled aircraft. His background includes remotely controlled aircraft, he’s been a licensed General Aviation pilot for 30 years, he worked as an

Eye in the Sky

From launch, hovering over the controllers to aerial views of the dam 26

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

electronics communication technician for a number of years, and more recently he has worked as a videographer for ESPN. If you’ve seen Chris Fowler and Desmond Howard on ESPN’s College Game Day, you’ve seen his work. He hasn’t missed a national championship game in 20 years.

Smith started flying string-controlled model airplanes when he was seven years old, and graduated to flying radio-controlled airplanes as a teenager. He and his brother, Walt, once mounted a small camera in the cockpit of one of their models and succeeded in taking photos during flight using old-school technology.

Call them what you will — drones, unmanned aerial vehicles, multirotor systems or remotely controlled airplanes and helicopters — they’ve gotten a lot of attention in the past few years. Military uses first caught the world’s attention, with pilots comfortably and safely operating surveillance and weapons systems from a safe distance, sometimes a half a world away.

Now there are remotely controlled copters so small and inexpensive they are being sold as toys and recommended for indoor use only.

Flightworthy units are also becoming more available and more affordable, opening the doors to new opportunities for recreation and service to more people.

Smith sees a number of ways to use the machines as flying camera platforms to provide valuable visual information in a number of ways. The regulatory environment is currently something of a gray area. The Federal Aviation Administration has been given until next year to propose rules and regulations for the small flying machines, and Smith wants to get in on the ground floor of providing low level aerial photography services.

He’s a member of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), and he’s taking pains to be responsible with his flights.

“We don’t fly higher than 400 feet, we always keep a line of sight on them, and there’s always a spotter with me,” he said.

“We also have $2 million of liability insurance.”

When taking a copter up, Smith is the pilot, and Cameron is the photographer. Cameron also makes sure his dad isn’t interrupted while flying.

“If you’re out where other people are around, sometimes they’ll want to come up and talk while you’re flying,” he said.

“Cameron talks to them until we get it back on the ground.”

Smith said they’re careful not to fly over people, and to get permission before flying over other people’s property.

He and others interested in using the new technology are concerned that negative publicity could result in overregulation that would impair growth of a the new industry.

“The Association (AUVSI) estimates that by 2018 there could be 70,000 jobs created and $2 billion changing hands,” he said.

As for how they could be used, Smith said they could be helpful in many ways.

“Farmers could fly these over fields to survey crops and see if there are any problem areas, such as where water is needed.

They could be used for inspections for cell phone and radio towers, solar panels and windmills without having to send a man up there,” he said.

They could also be used to assist in the inspections of bridges and steeples, reducing the danger and expense of putting a person at risk. Aerial photography can be used to monitor progress at construction sites, to survey tracts of property, and in providing detailed mapping. They could also be used in searches for missing persons and surveying damage after a storm or flood.

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Eye in the Sky

Maintaining and operating the drones take special skills.

And of course, there are more traditional uses of the airborne cameras, providing new angle for photos and videos of landmarks, recreational activities, landscapes and more.

“There are thousands of ways these things can be used to make our lives better,” Smith said. “I see them all the time in movies and reality TV shows, too. You can tell. These can’t be flown higher than 400 feet, but airplanes and helicopters aren’t supposed to fly below 1,000 feet. There’s a much more detailed view at the lower level.”

But he has concerns about how negative publicity could result in unreasonable restrictions being placed on their use.

Even though they’re being used all over the country and around the world, most of the time news articles are written when there is a problem with them.

Smith mentioned a case in Serbia when someone flew a remote copter onto a soccer field carrying an Albanian flag during a match between the two countries.

“That just about caused a riot,” he said. “I don’t want to see idiots ruin it for the people that want to make a living doing this.”

He said reactions to the machines have been mixed. Most people seem to be interested and impressed by what they can do.

Some see them as a threat to privacy.

“These things are as noisy as they can be,” Smith said. “I don’t see how you could use them to spy on anyone. But like anything else, it’s all in the hands of whoever is using it.”

Smith has used his copters to capture videos of windsurfers on the lake, unique views of Bald Rock at Mount Cheaha, of watching the floodgates open at Logan Martin Dam and many other scenes.

While there are toy remote copters available very cheaply, those capable of carrying higher quality cameras cost a bit more.

The Smiths currently have three copters and accessories valued at about $30,000. Two of the units are DJI Phantom quadcopters equipped with GoPro cameras. The third is a more expensive and more powerful octocopter, which carries a Canon digital SLR. The camera mount for that copter — the gimbal — is equipped with servo motors to provide movement for different angles of view, and is so finely balanced it works only with one specific camera model and one specific lens. The gimbal alone was a $3,000 expense.

The octocopter with the camera mounted and batteries installed weighs in at 22 and a half pounds and provides about 15 minutes of flight time on a set of rechargeable batteries, which cost about $600.

The models he uses are equipped with GPS sensors that can detect their precise launching point. In the unlikely case that the remote control should fail, they are programmed to return to that spot on their own. They also sense their own battery levels, and are programmed to return to that spot before they lose power.

Smith said he typically spends about three hours on maintenance for every hour of flight time. He uses a torque tool to check every screw on every copter, and keeps logs on how many times each battery is used and charged. And like any good pilot, he uses checklists to make sure he’s not overlooking anything that could result in a failed flight. l Editor’s note: Smith expects his website to be up by the time this edition of Discover is published, where viewers can see some of his videos. Check it out at StarAerial.com

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

Your Guide to Living on the Lake in Print and Online

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All you ever wanted to know about the lake, you’ll find in Logan Martin LakeLife Guide and Magazine, including a map book of the entire lake in the free print edition.

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

Artist’s work making television appearance Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr. Jamie Merrymon sees possibilities when others simply see the object in front of them. Evidence of it hangs behind her mother’s desk in the Pell City courthouse – “a painting without painting.”

Fashioned from frame corners that don’t meet and scores of mismatched buttons from her great grandmother’s button tin, it is a work of art others would never have thought to create.

“I have an eye for it,” she said. That, she does. Jamie sees art in just about everything around her. A wine cork. Newsprint.

Bullets. A stack of old license plates found in the courthouse basement. They all are possibilities in a Jamie Merrymon original.

She once carved a self portrait from a block of linoleum. It took her three months to finish, but when she was done, it earned her the Dean’s Merit Award at Auburn University and a cash prize.

She sees color as her greatest ally, and she isn’t afraid to use bright hues and bold strokes to tell her story on canvas.

“Colorful makes me happy,” she said.

Nor does she shy away from texture, using tissue and paint to create a three dimensional work of art.

Working in the garage of her parents’ Pell City home, she said, “When I get in the mood to paint, I get in and paint.” It is not unusual for her to spread materials on the ground, circling it as she works. Her professor once told her the best abstract looks good from any angle, words that drive her approach. It’s why she signs the back of her work. There is no true bottom or top. It is in the eyes of the beholder.

“Art to me is the freedom to be creative.

There is no right way or wrong way,” she said.

It is that same eye for creativity that landed her a TV gig behind the scenes on the show of professional organizers, The Amandas, after graduating from Auburn in Fine Arts. And it is that same flair for creativity that moved her work in front of the cameras on that show as well as on Fix It and Finish It with Antonio Sabato Jr.

Painting Without Painting

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

31

Merrymon paints herself into TV show

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

Texture and unusual items, like buttons, set her work apart “I wanted to be a decorator, but I couldn’t get out of Chemistry,” she mused.

That put her on course for a Fine Arts degree and a stint as a “starving artist.” She shotgunned 60 resumes and found The Amandas willing to take a chance on her.

“I lived in Atlanta a month, New Orleans a month and Birmingham for a month,” helping behind the scenes with reorganizing rooms and making over houses for use on the TV show.

In New Orleans, after Hurricane Katrina struck, the owner of the house to be redone for the cameras mentioned she loved original art. “We have an artist right here,” Jamie recalled Amanda Le Blanc saying. And with that, she plopped down on the driveway and painted herself right into the show. It was a 5 x 5 foot abstract featured in a room makeover.

Although that show was later cancelled, she got a second chance when Le Blanc sent her a message about creating artwork for Fix It and Finish It. Yet another of her

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

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A peace sign fashioned from old license plates she found

Artwork makes TV appearance in room makeover on Fix It and Finish It. 34

Her ‘day job’ with attorneys Lance Bell (center) and Van Davis

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

Vicki and Jamie Merrymon represent two generations working in courthouse

works appeared in that show.

It gave her the opportunity to work with Orlando-based Pink Sneakers producers Craig Campbell and Trish Gold, who helped produce such reality shows as Project Runway and The Kardashians.

These days she spends her time crisscrossing the county as a court referral officer, carrying on what has become a family tradition of serving St. Clair County. Her mother is judicial assistant to Circuit Judge Bill Weathington. Her grandmother, Sara Bell, was chief clerk of the Probate Office.

“I love my job. I love people,” Jamie said. “I’m a good people person.”

You’ll get no argument from attorney Van Davis, who serves as municipal judge in several St. Clair County cities where Jamie works. “She’s amazing,” he said when he learned she would be the subject of a

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

Sara Bell, Jamie’s grandmother, the first in the courthouse family tradition

35

Her “Self Portrait” carved from a square of linoleum won her awards at Auburn University.

magazine piece.

There’s no argument from District Judge Alan Furr about her artistic talent, either.

He offered her mother $500 on the spot for her Painting Without Painting, she said. But it’s not for sale.

Vicki counts it among her most prized possessions, a Mother’s Day gift from Jamie.

Other pieces are for sale, and Jamie continues to spend her off time producing them in an unlikely sanctuary –

36

her parents’ garage she calls her ‘studio.’ There among the stacks of boxes and usual occupants of a garage, she has carved out her creative corner of the world. “I don’t have to answer to anybody but myself when I’m in my creative zone. I do what I want to do. It’s my zone.”

And as she works toward some of the same goals as other 20-somethings – a house, perhaps a family – her art is never out of the picture for her life. “If I could afford it, I would just retire and paint.” l

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

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Where the road takes you, Part II Driving directions to St. Clair’s scenic spots Words and Photos by Michael Callahan

Bald Rock Mountain as seen from Chula Vista Mountain

Former Hotel - Downtown Wattsville 38

As I stood on my deck overlooking Logan Martin Lake, the wind bore down with a crispness and chill that could only mean winter was upon us in St. Clair County. Above me, a whirling grey mass of clouds, blocked out the sunlight. However, it had been quite a few weeks since I had packed up my camera gear and headed out to bring our readers a scenic St. Clair drive.

While I was badly missing the beautiful colors of fall, I knew where I was headed on this day. With camera, tripod — and warm clothes — I set out. Driving north from Pell City, I turned onto Alabama 174 , then over to Kelly Creek Road. Turning left on Kelly Creek, I just settled back and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Hay fields abound, and that means numbers of scenic pastures with livestock dot the drive along this idyllic road. Kelly Creek Road skirts the western side of Bald Rock Mountain. It had been quite a while since I’d made this drive, and I was taken in by the numerous horse riding stables and facilities.

Traveling down through the valley, I knew where I was headed. A couple of weeks back while working with one of our writers on an assignment in Springville, I had become quite interested in all of the older homes, churches and businesses in the area. I knew I wanted to capture some of what I had seen to share with our readers.

Entering Springville at the Highway 174 and US 11 intersection intersection, I headed up Murphree Valley Road. At the top of mountain, I turned sharp left onto Pine Mountain Road . Just a short distance later, I came upon The Ridge Outdoor Adventure park. After suffering major tornado damage just a short time ago, they are back in business offering the thrill of off road ATV riding, and zip lines abound. Catch a look at the high flying riders. After watching these guys flying through the air, it was time to head back down.

Along the way, I came across Hullet Chapel Independent Methodist Church. As you can see from the photo, it was founded in 1870. That’s a whopping 145 years.

I came back into the downtown area and very quickly realized there is much history here. Taking the back streets, I came upon a very old business, as witnessed by the weathered boards adorned by father

Classic Old House Springville John Inzer House - Ashville

Mr. Bill Watkins - SCV 308 Chapter - Garrisoned in Ashville

Old Business downtown Springville

Classic Old House Springville

Old Business Across From Homestead Hollow in Springville 39

time. As you can see from the photo, it’s been time tested and still standing. Also had to grab a picture of the flag attached to the side of the old place. Just down the way and across from Homestead Hollow, another old business with the classic weathered wood made for a wonderful photo.

Now it was time for the downtown homes and business district. I will let the photos speak for themselves. Many of these classic homes have withstood a century or more of wear and tear. There, the architecture is from a different time and place in our county. Businesses are opening back up in storefronts that have not been occupied for many years. Laster Sundries is a good example of very old business that has reopened. Check out the article by our own Tina Tidmore on this historic business.

Traveling on through town on U.S. 11, I was taken in by the Springville Presbyterian Church circa 1873. Just up the hill you can find an old rock school house that has withstood time for more than 100 years.

As I left town traveling up U.S. 11, I knew where I was headed. About eight miles north of Springville on the way to Steele, a classic road cross still stands.

These sign crosses are a fixture on roadways that many of us can remember from our childhood. Reverend Maye’s Crosses were once on our roadways throughout the United States. The one shown in the photo is located on U.S. 11 close to Steele.

Just a few hundred yards up the highway, I came across the decaying hulk of an original Pan Am service station. The Pan Am stations were the Rolls Royce service centers of their day, back in the 50s. While air conditioning was something virtually no business had in that era, Pan Ams did. You could also get gas, food and auto service if needed. They were something akin to our modern shopping centers, years before their time.

Traveling westward on U.S. 11, I turned right onto Double Bridges road headed back to Ashville and home. Rounding a curve, I was really taken in by what is called a winter/green field. Taking a look at this photo, you just have to admit we have some big sky scenes in our county.

Entering the city limits of Ashville, I came across what was probably a very old apartment house. As you can see from the photo, folks back then used rocks for foundations. A few yards down the street, there’s a Masonic Lodge reportedly built in the 1850s. This building is on the historical register.

Just a few hundred feet down the street stands the historic John Inzer house. Built in 1852 by Moses Dean, it became a home to John Washington Inzer in 1866.

One of the highlights of this place is a bullet hole in the beautiful colored glass on the front of this Greek Revival home. It is reported to have come from the pistol of a Yankee soldier who was occupying Ashville during the Civil War. A very active group of Sons of Confederate Veterans does a wonderful job of preserving this

40

Bald Rock Mountain as seen from US 78 in Cook Springs.

The Old Rock School

Classic Old Business Building Main Street Springville

Laster Sundries Downtown Springville

Roadside Cross Highway 11 The Quilt House - Classic Colonial Design - Ashville

Mainstreet Downtown Springville

Business Downtown Springville 41

historic place. The photo you see is Mr. Bill Watkins, SCV 308 St. Clair County Chapter.

A block over and just off U.S. 231 north in downtown, I found another excellent example of historic architecture. It is now called the Quilt House, and its gingerbread highlights, are ornate examples of an era long past.

Leaving Ashville and heading back down to Pell City, I had to get a photo of one more historic house before my drive was over. Just off U.S. 231 in Wattsville, adjacent to the railroad, this house was once a hotel serving customers of the thriving Seaboard railroad that ran through the Coal City/Wattsville area. Another excellent example of historic architecture.

Thanks for once again, meandering across St. Clair County with me. We want to share more scenic drives with you in our picturesque county and explore more of our rich and historic past. Our buildings and structures say much about who we were and how we got here. I am glad St. Clair County is my home. l

Classic Old Home Springville

Photographers Note: Thanks to Jerry Smith , Discover St. Clair writer, photographer and author of Uniquely St. Clair for his help and willingness to share historical data with this photographer. Thanks again to Mr. Roland Thomas’ invaluable resources.

For more scenic spots and directions, check out Discover online www.discoverstclair.com

Old Pan AM Service Station Highway 11

Flag on Old Building Springville 42

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Arthur Di Mattia

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

Historic moments mark Pell City man’s life Family in the Service from World War I on Story by Leigh Pritchett Submitted photos Fifteen-year-old Arthur Di Mattia had a simple reason for forging papers in 1937 to join the military: He wanted a job and three meals a day. Times were hard.

“We wanted that $18 a month,” Di Mattia said of himself and many others like him. Plus, “that was the only way I could travel cheap.”

Before he would retire from the military, he would serve in three wars, be on the receiving end of shrapnel, be cut off for days from food and supplies, and barely escape a freezing death.

Yet, he humbly insists, “I was no hero.”

Di Mattia served more than 20 years in the U.S. Army.

He was in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War, retiring in the 1960s as a chief warrant officer.

“If I knew I was going to be in three wars, I would have gone the other way,” joked Di Mattia, who will be 94 in April.

Then, he genuinely said, “I never regretted serving. I love my country. That’s why I joined the military – to serve my country.”

A first-generation American, Di Mattia was born in 1921 to Angelo and Rose Di Mattia, who were natives of Abruzzi, Italy. The family lived in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, N.Y. Angelo Di Mattia had earned his U.S. citizenship through military enlistment during World War I. Eventually, Angelo Di Mattia operated three New York factories, where men’s bathrobes and smoking jackets were made.

Before the age of 16, Arthur Di Mattia forged his mother’s signature on documents to join the Citizens Military Training Corps of the New York National Guard.

After he served in the corps, he went on to the regular Army.

By 1942, he was stationed at Fort McClellan in Anniston.

While watching “Gone with the Wind” at an Anniston movie theater, Di Mattia received news that he was to report to the fort for deployment because the Japanese had bombed Pearl Harbor.

As a staff sergeant, Di Mattia was assigned to a gasoline supply company on the Big Island of Hawaii. His company’s responsibility was to deliver gasoline for tanks to islands the U.S. occupied, islands that to Di Mattia were nameless.

His vessel did not land on the islands to deposit the fuel.

Among Di Mattia’s headline moments, he met his future wife when he was bailiff for the famous arsenic murder trial.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

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Arthur Di Mattia Arthur Di Mattia stands on a World War I French Renault 6-ton tank at Fort McClellan in 1940.

Arthur Di Mattia, at 83, stands on the same World War I French tank in 2005 at Anniston Army Depot.

46

Rather, the petrol was put into drums that were tossed overboard as the craft neared the islands. Di Mattia said the currents carried the drums to shore.

“It was scary, but fun,” he recalled.

As he was assisting U.S. troops in battling an empire, he and fellow soldiers were waging a different war, right in their own living quarters.

“We had so many bed bugs in Hawaii back then.” Di Mattia said the bunks and barracks had to be fumigated once a week. The soldiers, though, took their strategic assault a step further. They would put the treatment powder in their shirts, pants and shoes to try to kill the little critters.

Amid the battle for freedom and the battle of the bunks, once-in-a-lifetime memories were being made too. Some of his favorites are of the celebrities he encountered. He has a photo taken with one of them – Jack Benny, who was appearing as part of a USO tour.

Following ever so quickly after World War II was the Korean War. It was there that he was grazed on the neck by shrapnel. He did not even realize he had been hit until someone informed him.

“I was told I was shot. I didn’t know I was shot,” said Di Mattia.

It was also there that he endured several incidents that still elicit much emotion and bring tears whenever Di Mattia talks about them.

One was being stranded in freezing temperatures in an open truck near Seoul, Korea. Two fellow soldiers froze to death. The only way Di Mattia survived was by burrowing beneath some barracks bags.

Another time, pilots flying into Seoul to pick up Di Mattia and other soldiers made a crash landing.

Then, there was the time he and a dozen or more men got cut off from their group. It was freezing. They had no food.

In fact, they had not eaten for two or three days.

They happened upon an abandoned mess hall and discovered food had been thrown into the garbage cans. The men – famished, tired and shivering — ate the frozen, discarded food.

For his efforts during that war, the Korean government awarded him a ribbon. From his government, Di Mattia through the years has received medals for combat and heroism and many other decorations.

By the 1960s when the Vietnam War

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

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Arthur Di Mattia Arthur Di Mattia, center, with Jack Benny, left

Arthur Di Mattia and wife Dorothy

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was under way, Di Mattia had logged approximately 25 years of service to his country. He decided to retire.

Yet, that was not to be the last he would hear from the military.

“They sent him a letter to show up for Desert Storm,” said his wife, Dorothy.

However, by that time, his age was a factor.

After military service, Di Mattia worked at Dresser Industries. Then, he became a bailiff in Calhoun County, a position he held 14 years.

Di Mattia was chief bailiff for Calhoun County Circuit Court during the infamous 1983 murder trial of Audrey Marie Hilley, known as the “Black Widow.”

For 11 days, the jurors were sequestered and it was Di Mattia’s responsibility to make certain they received no outside information.

That trial gave him an unnerving look inside the psyche of a murderess.

“She appeared to be a very cold individual and showed no remorse for the things she did,” Di Mattia said of Hilley.

Yet, that time also offered him the chance to make the acquaintance of a woman named Dorothy Morrison. She was one of the jurors.

Four years later, Dorothy became his wife. Their combined families include five children, six grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren.

In 1993, the couple moved to Pell City, just two years before Di Mattia retired once again.

He filled his second retirement with boating, visiting with buddies at Jack’s restaurant and walking five miles a day.

“He wore out two treadmills,” said Dorothy’s daughter, Janet Morrison of Glendale, Ariz.

He also has proudly worn his military uniform to participate in Veterans’ Day celebrations of Eden Elementary School.

Now, he prefers a quiet existence in the couple’s lake home, enjoying brilliant sunsets and evening visits from a friendly, neighborhood feline that adopted Di Mattia.

Though he has been involved in many historic moments, both on the world stage and in local headlines, he declares that “the best thing that ever happened” to him was marrying Dorothy.

“Look at me now. I’m 93 and still vertical,” Di Mattia said. That, he continued, is a testament to what she has done for him. l

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

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Lovejoy takes aim

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DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

Just Following Up ...

Pat Cummings aids son, Sawyer

Lovejoy, Absolutely Alabama’s Fred Hunter

Revisiting the

Lovejoy Slingshot Hunt ANNUAL EVENT CONTINUES TO DRAW ATTENTION Words and Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr. Legend and tradition meet each year in Ashville when Lyman Lovejoy hosts the Lovejoy Slingshot Hunt in honor of his father, Sim Lovejoy. Breakfast and lunch, cooked over an open pit is always a treat, and the Lovejoys supply flips and ½ inch ball bearings for ammunition.

Today, the flips are produced by Don Hulsey. Don has succeeded in carrying on Sim’s design tradition.

Sim’s ability with the flip was legendary. As young as seven, he was known for killing running rabbits as well as squirrels running through the branches of trees. His accuracy has not been matched by his progeny, and they will not try to tell you otherwise.

His generosity in crafting flips for children was legendary, too. And there is no shortage of children at the Lovejoys each year. They are as much a part

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

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TV cameraman films action

of the hunt as flips and squirrels.

Participants, young and old, practice with their flips and take to the woods for the grand hunt after breakfast in wagons pulled by tractors. Trees are shaken, dogs bark, and comparisons are made to previous years. Another spot is always better, so the hunting party wanders through the woods with heads tilted back, searching feverishly for any sign of a squirrel.

An occasional ball is hurled toward a bundle of leaves stuck in the high branches of a tree, in hopes that the elusive prey will be rousted from the suspected nest. Squirrels, wily as they are, either pretend well to not be there, or are not there at all.

Once one is spotted, the chase is on. Shouts of “Get ahead of him!” ring 52

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

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Martha Able and father, Jim Greene

Don Hulsey, right, now designs flips 54

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

Callie Stewart takes her shot

Nate Stewart gets in on action

through the woods as men, old men, bound through the brush like youngsters. A fuselage of steel balls fly through the air as the squirrel dances from limb to limb, searching for shelter. “Get around him!” “There he goes!”

“Knock him down!” “He’s comin’ back this way!”

Most escape. It is not easy to hit a squirrel with a slingshot.

Once a squirrel is bagged, adolescent boys will give sincere testimony that it was their ball that brought it down. If there is a dispute, the compromise is, “Well, I hit him right when

you did,” which is acceptable, and ends any conflict.

The little girl, whose shot barely left the flip, is encouraged by her father saying, “Well honey, you didn’t hit him, but you sure scared him.”

Sim Green Lovejoy died one day after his 92nd birthday, on Oct. 14, 2006. Buried in his overalls with a flip in the front pocket, his fishing pole by his side, Sim was wearing his favorite cap.

That is not a bad way to go, and the annual hunt is not a bad way to be remembered. l

Editor’s Note: This year, the hunt captured the attention of Fred Hunter and will be aired on Fox 6’s Absolutely Alabama Feb. 20.

For more than 200 additional photos of the hunt check out discoverstclair.com DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

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Huckleberry Pond Just Following Up ...

Artist Wayne Spradley captures special memories of the pond in breathtaking paintings Story by Leigh Pritchett Photo by Michael Callahan Submitted Painting Photo

This pond, situated between Riddle Road and Sugar Farm Road in Riverside, has been a source of fascination for Wayne Spradley since his boyhood.

To the adult Spradley, an artist, it has provided much inspiration through the years. Spradley has made the pond and its essence the subject of numerous works of art.

In fact, the first wildlife scene he depicted was of Huckleberry Pond.

During the summer of 2014, Discover magazine learned that Spradley was making sketches of bluebirds and the familiar Huckleberry Pond tree-scape in preparation for more artwork.

Spradley has completed the endeavor – which resulted in two oil paintings for a private collector in Alabama. Those two pieces number among Spradley’s favorite Huckleberry Pond depictions.

The bluebird paintings grew from a conversation Spradley had with the collector. Spradley had described an unusual scene he witnessed about 15 years ago while fly-fishing at the pond.

Spradley recounted that he saw bluebirds “fly up, hover like a kingfisher,” swoop down toward the water, get some food and

return to their perch on the stumps.

This account of the bluebirds’ behavior intrigued the collector.

“They are generally a field-and-meadow kind of bird,” stated the collector, who asked to remain anonymous. Moreover, bluebirds usually are not seen around water or in groups.

“Wayne said it was the only time he’d ever seen anything like it,” continued the collector.

Because the image so impressed Spradley, the collector became interested in having paintings depicting the recollections.

Two pieces – one for the collector’s primary residence and one for the secondary residence – were commissioned. The collector had a reason for wanting one in each dwelling: “I never wanted to be far from the painting.”

The individual expressed amazement at many aspects of the paintings, especially the way Spradley captured the exact color of the bluebirds.

“Even now, I pinch myself when I walk by (them),” the collector said of the art pieces. l

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

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W.M. (Ike) Murphree standing next to his tractor.

96 and going strong Farmer once served as bodyguard for Gen. Eisenhower Story by Linda Long Photos by Jim Smothers Submitted Photos The old wooden farmhouse is typical of many found in rural St. Clair County. Surrounded by winter swept fields, a Black and Tan hound sits on its front porch poised to sound a welcoming bay to approaching visitors. Across the way, a patch of dark green turnip greens awaits, ready for the picking.

Yes, the old house may look typical, but the farmer who lives here is anything but. At 96 years old, W.M. (Ike) Murphree still works his 105-acre farm, the place where he is the happiest. “I was born to be a farmer and a gospel singer,” he says, but, fate and Uncle Sam had other plans for this quiet, unassuming gentleman. Back in 1943, Ike Murphree found himself on the front lines of history, an ocean away from his beloved country home.

Dressed in his usual starched denim overhauls and a plaid shirt, Murphree chuckled, “I’ve been accused of having a computer in my head.” That becomes obvious as the farmer turned story teller recalls memories of a life well lived. Sitting in his small living room centered by a braided rug and a blazing space heater, Murphree is surrounded by faded black and white photographs, family pictures which line the walls. An upright piano holds a hymnal open to one of the farmer’s favorite songs. And over it all, the American flag hangs proudly.

Reaching back in time to tell his story, Murphree’s steel blue eyes take on a faraway look as he remembers the day his life changed forever. It was 1943. The then 26 year-old young farmer walked slowly back from the mailbox that crisp fall morning, letter in hand containing news which he knew he must share with his beloved wife Alice Lucille. The letter announced his induction into the United States Army.

“One day I was working my farm, the next thing I knew I was packed and ready to head overseas. I had one son, Billy.

We went down to the bus one morning. My wife was crying.

Billy was saying ‘Daddy, don’t go. Don’t go.’ That was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I didn’t know if I would ever see them again.”

Eventually, he did see his family again, but not before fighting in one of the bloodiest battles of World War II, narrowly avoiding disaster on the sea in the North Atlantic, being named a master marksman, serving as a member of the escort guard responsible for the repatriation of American held German prisoners of war and serving as a personal body guard to Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower.

It was January 1944 when Murphree saw some of his toughest combat operations. He was one of the American troops to storm the beach head at Anzio, a signature battle of World War II. Those scenes are etched forever in his memory. “The first wave went in and about 1,700 soldiers and nurses lost their lives at that landing,” said Murphree.

Though he started the war as a member of the infantry, his commanding officers soon learned of the young country boy’s sharp shooting skills, skills honed back home on Chandler Mountain while hunting for rabbit and squirrel. “I shot 198 out of a possible 220,” said Murphree, “everything the army had…30 and 50 caliber machine guns, a grease gun, a pistol, a rifle, the M-1 rifle, a shotgun, and the tanks. I would hit it (my target) every time. I was the only one of 200 people that did that, and it went on my record as a master marksman.”

Murphree’s job was to escort German prisoners captured on the battlefield to concentration camps, a dangerous and often deadly assignment. The old man is still haunted by some of his memories. “ We were climbing a mountain, German prisoners in tow.

German snipers were in the trees, all around. I heard a gun go off. The bullet hit my buddy in the ankle. It tore his foot off, but I couldn’t stop and do anything for him. The next day I heard he bled to death. He had a wife and two little girls back home. I try not to think about that,” said Murphree in a soft voice, “ but I can’t help it sometimes. General Patton, one of the greatest military men ever to put on a uniform, said it best, ‘war is hell.’ You can’t make nothing else out of it.”

For most American soldiers in the European Theater that “hell” came to an end when — as Murphree explained — “the bombers were back on the ground, a peace treaty was signed and the guns were silent. Soldiers were loaded on the ships coming home. I said, ‘I want to go home,’” a simple request, but one that was not to be honored for almost one more year.

“My company commander said, ‘No, you are still on special assignment. General Eisenhower needs you.”

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

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96 and going strong A parade for Eisenhower in Abilene, Kan., with Murphree marching along with the car.

That began the young soldier’s post war assignment as a member of the escort guard, whose duty was to protect General Eisenhower. One of his most memorable assignments in that role was to accompany the war hero on his first return visit to his hometown, Abilene, Kansas. It was on that trip that Murphree faced perhaps the most harrowing ordeal of his military career..

“The General flew to New York,” said Murphree. “Me and the other guards went by ship, the USS Sea Robin, a 55,000 ton battleship. About halfway there in the North Atlantic, we hit one of the worst storms in history. They told us we might have to abandon ship. We lost all our life boats and life lines. We were literally between the devil and the deep blue sea. The ship would rock up on its side and just hang there, and I would think well, it’s going over this time, but it would come back down and hit the water. It sounded like it was going to bust into a thousand pieces. Even the captain who had been sailing for 40 years said this was the worst storm in history. “ Finally,” continued Murphree, “the USS Sea Robin limped into New York Harbor. Boy, it had taken a beating. I don’t see how in the world it made it through that storm.”

Then, pausing in his narrative, Murphree added, “well, actually, I guess I do see how it made it. I went down in the bow of that ship and I got serious with the Lord. I said, ‘Lord, there’s nothing I can do about it except for You. I’ve got a beautiful woman and a little boy back home, and I would like to go back to them.’ About half an hour later, it was announced on the intercom, that the storm had weakened. The captain said we had blown off our course, but he believed we would make it.”

By this time, Murphree just wanted to go home. “Each time I asked, all I was told was, ‘No, you are still needed here.’ I said, I don’t care nothing about being a big shot. I had been gone almost three years away from my wife and baby. All I wanted to do was get out of there, get this thing

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96 and going strong Murphree with his wife Alice Lucille

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over and get back home. I wanted to get back on the farm, pick some cotton, grow some corn, smell some sorghum syrup a-cooking. That’s all I wanted to do.”

Finally, in 1946 , Murphree was discharged from the army. Once back home, he bought the farm where he now lives and where he and his wife raised their son William, Junior and three daughters Elizabeth (Mealer), Linda (Vaughan) and Alice (Cater). And, it was here where Murphree resumed his passion for gospel singing.

According to his daughter Elizabeth Mealer, “Daddy was into gospel singing from the time he was a small child.” As the story goes, one of his uncles took him to a gospel singing, and he actually got up there and directed a song.

Gospel singing was also on his mind in a fox hole in France. According to Mealer, “Daddy said he prayed if the Lord would get him home he would like to have a trio of girls that would sing. He always wanted a singing family, and that’s exactly what he got.”

“We had a wonderful life,” said Murphree, “Me and the Murphree sisters. We traveled around in a Greyhound bus singing the gospel all over the southeast from Montgomery to Georgia. That blood harmony.

There’s no way you can beat it.” And his son sang bass in several gospel groups.

Murphree says about the only time he sings these days is when he’s out on his tractor. Neighbors listening closely might hear him bellowing out old favorites like, “What a Meeting in the Air,” That Heavenly Home will Surely Be Mine,” or Power in the Blood.”

Despite his age, Murphree lives alone, still drives a car, and works his farm along with some help from grandsons Wayne Mealer and David Murphree and great grandson Cody Mealer. He says he’s often asked what keeps him going at his age, and his answer is simple. “Hard work. If hard work would kill somebody, I would have been dead 35 years ago.”

“Somebody once told me ‘you don’t have a bit of business out here doing this at your age. When are you going to quit?’ Well, laughed Murphree. “I said I imagine when my toes are up.” Does he ever think about retiring? “Oh, sure. I think about it every year, and every year I say well, this will be the last one.

But, then the wild onions put up and you can smell them; and the fruit trees bloom out, and the bees go to swarming. It just gets in my blood, and I have to get out there and go.”

Now, with a new John Deere tractor complete with power steering in the shed, Murphree may have even more reason to postpone his retirement. “Yeah, I’m proud of that tractor. When you get my age, it gets harder to steer but now that power steering has taken care of all that.”

“I can say I’ve had a good life,” said Murphree. “I was talking to my cousin the other night. She said, ‘I guess you realize how the Lord has blessed you.’ I do.

He’s given me a good life. He shepherded me through one of the bloodiest wars in history and one of the worst storms ever on the sea. I have had a very good life. I don’t go around bragging about my life, but I am proud of it.” l

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

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Col. Robert L. Howard The legend behind name of veterans’ home

Story by Leigh Pritchett Submitted Photos The military heroics and achievements of Robert L. Howard are no secret.

They earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor, among many other medals and awards.

However, what may not be so well known about this man — who is the namesake of Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home in Pell City — is that he appeared in two John Wayne movies, said his brother Steven Howard.

During his 36-year Army career, Robert completed multiple tours in Vietnam and received a commission from master sergeant to first lieutenant in 1969. He was a Ranger, Pathfinder, Paratrooper, Infantryman and a member of the Special Forces. Ultimately, he rose to command positions. He also was involved in Desert Shield/Desert Storm.

Information from the veterans’ home website reveals that he was an honor graduate as a Ranger, Pathfinder and parachute rigger and was deemed an “outstanding” Infantryman in his class. The site gives an extensive list of medals and awards Robert received, among them the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Bronze Star for Valor, eight Purple Hearts, Legion of Merit and four Vietnamese Crosses of Gallantry.

The awards and medals that Robert received during his military career are, in fact, too numerous to fit in the shadow box display at the veterans’ home.

In 1956, 17-year-old Robert entered the U.S. Army, continuing a family military tradition that dates back to the Spanish-American War, Steven said.

In between Robert’s enlistment in 1956 and his retirement in the fall of 1992, the Opelika native earned degrees from the University of Maryland, Texas Christian University and Central Michigan University and graduated from the National War College.

Robert was also named to the Military Hall of Fame of the Hoover Institute; Military Hall of Fame of the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Alabama; State of Texas War Memorial; Ranger Hall of Fame, and posthumously to the Army Aviation Association of America Hall of Fame.

Robert earned “every medal for combat courage in what is known as the military ‘pyramid of honor’ at least once and, in some instances, multiple times,” Steven said in a speech July 11, 2014, on “Colonel Howard Day” at the veterans’ home. That date was Robert’s birthday.

“From rifleman in the Infantry, he rose to become a recon team leader … with the most elite of America’s special operations units, the Special Operations Group or SOG, as it is commonly known today,” Steven recounted in his speech. “Fifty-four months in Vietnam, 380 combat patrols, 1,683 parachute jumps and eight awards of the

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Purple Heart. It should have been at least 14 instead of just eight. But many incidents Robert just quietly shrugged off as insignificant and unworthy of another medal.”

Robert’s many acts of battlefield bravery and determination, especially in circumstances when the soldiers were surrounded or outnumbered, earned him nominations for the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Oftentimes, Robert put himself in danger to rescue wounded soldiers, Steven said.

One time, Robert executed a daring mission in which he entered an enemy camp and captured a North Vietnamese Army colonel. During later interrogation, the enemy colonel gave vital information about troop placement that aided U.S. strategy and saved the lives of many American soldiers, his brother recounted.

As a result of the capture, the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong placed a bounty on Robert, said Steven, who, himself, is a two-time Purple Heart recipient in Vietnam.

Prior to that, Steven had served alongside Robert in Vietnam. After a price was put on Robert’s head, the Army separated the brothers out of security concerns, Steven said.

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Col. Howard carries wounded prisoner.

The Congressional Medal of Honor that Col. Robert Howard was awarded is on display at the veterans home.

President Richard Nixon congratulates Col. Howard upon receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1971.

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From battlefield to big screen During one tour while Robert was a Ranger, he was wounded and sent to a hospital. President Lyndon Johnson and John Wayne visited the hospital. Johnson remarked to Wayne that Robert was a good-looking Green Beret. Wayne agreed and sought to have Robert take part in Wayne’s upcoming movie, Steven said.

Thus, Robert appeared in The Green Berets. He played the role of an Airborne instructor, according to the website, www.rlhtribute.com.

It was not long before World War II hero-turned-actor Audie Murphy joined Wayne in trying to convince Robert to become an actor, Steven said.

To tout the movie The Green Berets, Wayne, Murphy, Robert and Steven were seen going about New York City together for two nights.

“They were all so much alike,” Steven said of the two actors and Robert. “All of them were nice guys, the kind you’d like to hang out with.”

Steven was elated when he saw his brother on the movie screen the first time. “He was amazing!”

Robert also made a parachute jump in another John Wayne movie, The Longest Day. Ultimately, Robert decided against a movie career in order to be involved in one of the most elite and covert of the Army’s Special Forces, Steven said.

“He had made the decision that the Army was for him,” said Steven.

Author John Plaster took note of Robert’s deeds and battlefield actions and has recorded them in two books, SOG: The Secret Wars of America’s Commandos in Vietnam and Secret Commandos: Behind Enemy Lines with the Elite Warriors of SOG, Steven said.

After Vietnam, Robert’s service concentrated greatly on teaching and training soldiers preparing for Airborne, Infantry, Ranger or Pathfinder assignments. He was also an instructor at the Special Warfare School, and Command and General Staff College.

“He loved his men,” Steven said.

Upon his retirement from the military, Robert settled in Texas and worked with the Department of Veteran Affairs.

He retired in 2006.

“He was a straight-up guy. He was easygoing. You’d never know he was in the building, unless someone told you. My brother was the kind of guy I always wanted to be,” said Steven, who relocated to Pell City from Prattville to volunteer at the veterans’ home.

Robert – who was a husband, father and grandfather — died Dec. 23, 2009, and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

“Much has been written and said about Robert’s chest full of medals — both U.S. and foreign,” Steven said in his July speech. “But I will never forget one statement that he made to me, and it was profound indeed. Looking down briefly at the left side of his uniform, he said, ‘I would trade all of these to train one soldier.’

“To many, he will be remembered as a larger-than-life Green Beret,” Steven continued. “And this, he was. But to me, he will be simply Robert, my brother.” l Additional assistance with this article was provided by the staff of Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home.

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

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Col. Howard, in hat at left, and his brother Steven, third from right, served in Vietnam together.

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Col. Howard landed roles in The Green Berets and The Longest Day.

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St. Clair Alabama

Business Review Louis

An architectural rendering of the new UAB Medicine-Leeds building

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

Story by Jane Newton Henry Photos by Michael Callahan

UAB Medicine-Leeds $5 million building in the works

Fueling growth along the I-20 corridor at the St. Clair and Jefferson counties border is a new $5 million, 17,000 square foot UAB Medicine Clinic now under construction in Leeds.

The internal medicine and pediatric facility, which will be located on Rex Lake Road near Interstate 20’s Exit 140, will feature double-board-certified physicians who have appointments in the departments of Medicine and Pediatrics. It is expected to open this summer.

A UAB Hospital outpatient diagnostic center immediately adjacent to the clinic, will feature MRI, CT, ultrasound, digital X-ray, bone-density scanning and mammography. Full ambulatory lab services also will be provided on-site, and various UAB specialists will conduct weekly clinics there.

“We are excited about this project and what it means for the current and future patients of UAB Medicine,” said Reid Jones, chief operating officer for UAB Health System. “The eastern market is growing so much, especially along the I-20 corridor, and many of our patients from Leeds, Moody and Trussville and from Anniston and Oxford travel downtown to receive lab, X-ray and other services. UAB Medicine-Leeds will enable these patients to receive services in a location more convenient to them. It’s an expansion that is long overdue.”

UAB Medicine-Leeds will replace the current UAB Medicine-Moody clinic. Patricia Pritchett, senior vice president of Ambulatory Services for the UAB Health System and executive vice president of the UAHSF, says the move to the new location was necessary to satisfy customer needs and the expected growth in that region.

“We are relocating to a rapidly growing area,” said Pritchett.

“We’re going to be located right across the street from the Bass Pro Shops and just down the road from the Shops of Grand River. The City of Leeds has a new elementary school planned nearby. It is a great location for our patients.”

Stephen Russell, M.D., UAB Medicine-Moody lead physician, will lead the new clinic in its move toward providing enhanced care.

“The plan is to have four physicians and two nurse practitioners working together when we are fully functional,” Russell said. “Because we will have radiologists there with six primary care providers practicing simultaneously, we will have many of the diagnostic services you can find at The Kirklin Clinic radiology available to us in Leeds. When you add the specialty suite and the outpatient laboratory, it ensures our patients will continue to receive the quality of care they have come to expect from us.”

At a groundbreaking for the facility on Dec. 17, Leeds Mayor David Miller said he is delighted to have this state-ofthe-art facility in Leeds. State Rep. Dickie Drake, R-Leeds,

Groundbreaking for the new building.

was also on hand for the event.

Brasfield & Gorrie is directing the construction of the clinic, and Birmingham-based Johnson Development, which is consistently ranked by Modern Healthcare as one of the leading medical office building developers in the United States, is leading the planning, financing, development and management of the project. l

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Business Review

Laster Sundries

Memory-filled soda fountain reopens in Springville

Sarah Robertson is the owner’s neighbor and works there on breaks from college.

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The RPM Group

Story by Tina Tidmore Photos by Mike Callahan On a 48-degree Friday afternoon in December, eight-yearold Clara Hughes sits at a small round table at Laster Sundries.

Despite the temperature outside, Clara enjoys licking her multicolored sherbet. In doing so, she is following the tradition of her mother and grandfather, going back to the 1960s.

Many in Springville fondly remember after-school walks down Springville’s Main Street to the combination soda fountain/gift shop. Yet, for at least a year and a half, Laster Sundries was closed. It reopened in December under new ownership.

“I came here when I was 12 years old,” said Sandra Tucker, a former owner of the business and current chairman of the St. Clair County Historical Development Commission. “That was the place to go for ice cream, candy, school books and school supplies.” Now that it has reopened, Tucker said she hopes local people will remember it’s there and support it.

“Everyone in Springville has a story to tell of the place,” said new owner Amy Harris. “I wanted to bring back a place for families to make memories. It tugs at my heart strings.”

The long-time Springville resident quit her 19-year nursing career in October to revive the landmark business. Even though her son Taylor questioned whether she’s going through a midlife crisis in making such a drastic career change, Harris is receiving much support from her husband, mother, son, brother and nephews. Usually, one or more family members can be found serving customers in the shop, including a young man wearing a period-style white plaid shirt with a red bowtie.

Harris’ mother, Dean Franklin, can be found there regularly.

She is retired and also has lived in Springville for many years.

As any good mother would, she’s helping her daughter’s dream come true and is a co-owner.

“I always loved cooking and baking,” Harris said. “I always dreamed of owning a business like this.” After the previous owners closed it, Harris said she just kept looking at the building, and the desire to act continued to build. “I loved the history,” she said of the building and the business.

Chad J. Richey, CFP® Senior Vice President–Wealth Management Senior Resident Director Portfolio Advisor, PIA Program 205.298.7467

Merrill Lynch 100 Grandview Place, 2nd Floor Birmingham, AL 35243 http://fa.ml.com/rpm

Life’s better when we’re connected® CFP® is a certification mark owned by the Certified Financial Planning Board of Standards, Inc., and is awarded to individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.

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Investment products: Are Not FDIC Insured Are Not Bank Guaranteed May Lose Value The Bull Symbol, Merrill Lynch Personal Investment Advisory, Merrill Lynch and Life’s better when we’re connected are trademarks of Bank of America Corporation. © 2014 Bank of America Corporation. All rights reserved.

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It’s Not Candy!

“Yes, some kids are popping prescription drugs like candy.

They think they’re safe because they’re used by adults. Join us in protecting our children from this danger. Secure your prescription medications.”

Lee and Otis “Ma” Laster

-- Richard J. Minor District Attorney Teens abuse prescription drugs more than any other illict drug

Teens believe prescription drugs are “safer’ than street drugs

3 out of 10 teens do not believe prescription pain releivers are addictive

ILLEGAL PRESCRIPTION DRUG USE CAN BE DEADLY DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

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Business Review

Laster Sundries Much of that “history” is in the mahogany, floor-to-ceiling display cases, along with a marble counter purchased in 1930 and a soda fountain purchased many decades ago from Pennsylvania.

The building itself is included in the Springville Historic District, which is on the U.S. National Park Service list of historic sites. Harris did some painting and wiring work in the building and is keeping the dark green and white, checkerboardstyle floor.

While reviving history, Harris is also looking forward to the future, hoping to create a viable business by making the right choices and offering food and gifts that her customers want. On top of the Laster Sundries ice cream case are bananas, just waiting to be sliced and put in a bowl with mint chocolate chip, butter pecan or one of the other cold and creamy delights.

In addition to the Blue Bell ice cream and cherry or vanilla cokes, the menu includes madefrom-scratch soups and sandwiches. “I’ve been overwhelmed with how busy it’s been,” Harris said just two months after it reopened. “Most of the business has been the food.”

It’s no wonder. Their Facebook page has soupof-the-day announcements that include hearty winter flavors, such as potato soup, tomato basil soup and wild rice soup. The sandwiches include Mama’s Favorite Chicken Salad, Triple Grill Cheese and traditional choices. The menu offers a Brown Cow, Black Cow, Purple Cow and Orange Cow; all float flavors.

One holdover from the previous owners is the Egg Cream Soda. Harris said she’s not sure why it’s called that because it doesn’t have any egg in it.

Harris is considering adding free Wi-Fi service to attract students to do their studying at the shop.

The gifts, said her husband Brian Harris, will be trendy and for showers or birthdays. They plan to make the building available for after-hours events by appointment. As the temperatures warm up, customers can look for the shop to offer picnic lunches that can be taken to the neighboring public park. They have also been approached to do some catering for weddings.

This is not the first time the business has been resurrected. According to an excerpt from Heritage of St. Clair County, the Lasters started the business in 1927. It remained in the Laster family for years. But at one point, it stopped operating and the building ended up in disrepair.

Then Gerald and Sandra Tucker, along with Lillian and Frank Buckner, did the repairs and opened it back up, still as Laster Sundries. Amy Harris said the Tuckers and Buckners owned it for 16 years.

At this time, Harris is using a Facebook page, Laster Sundries on Main, to communicate with the community. l

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County gets business boost Cutting the ribbon on Unipres in Steele

Ashville, Steele and the St. Clair Economic Development Council are celebrating news from the northern region of the county that should be a boost to business.

Groom’s Aluminum Processing has opened a new facility in Ashville on Industrial Park Drive in the city’s industrial park.

In Steele, Yokohama, Japan-based Unipres, a Tier 1 automotive supplier, has acquired the city’s Yachiyo manufacturing facility.

Groom’s Aluminum Processing is a new venture headed

by Dwayne Grooms, who has years of experience in the aluminum processing and smelting industry. The plant will process aluminum that will be sold to various clients. The new 20,000-square foot facility brings 10 to15 new jobs to Ashville.

“The City of Ashville is proud to welcome Groom’s Aluminum Processing to our city. We are always happy to see new investment and new jobs come to Ashville. We look forward to their growth and success,“ said Mayor Robert McKay. Grooms credited the leadership in helping facilitate that investment. “The City of Ashville has been very helpful to us.

They wanted us to locate here, and we are happy to be building our new business in Ashville.”

“Mayor McKay worked closely with Mr. Grooms from day one to help ensure that this project landed in Ashville. He brought the development team together to make the process go smoothly, and we are happy to welcome Groom’s Aluminum Processing to Ashville and St. Clair County,” added St. Clair EDC’s Jason Roberts.

Stan Batemon, who was serving as chairman of the County Commission at the time of the announcement, echoed other officials’ sentiments. “We are glad that Mr. Grooms chose to build his new facility and bring additional jobs to St. Clair County.”

Groom’s Aluminum is the second project in the past 12 months in Ashville. It comes on the heels of a multi-million dollar expansion at Valmont Coatings earlier in 2014.

Officials view the Unipres Alabama, Inc. acquisition as a good sign for Steele and St. Clair County. It supplies its customers with steel automotive body parts through a global network that includes Japan, China, Indonesia, Thailand, United Kingdom, Brazil, Mexico, Russia and the United States.

According to the company’s website, Unipres USA, Inc. produces premium quality parts for the auto industry, with the goal of total customer satisfaction. Its capabilities include stamping; machining and assembly of metal parts for the main portions of automotive body structures; pressing molded components and precision automatic transmission parts; and helping customers create new parts.

The parent company, Unipres Corp., has supplied Japanese auto and appliance makers for more than 50 years. Since 1987, Unipres has served the North American market from its facility in Portland, Tenn., and now will expand its service through the Steele facility.

“St. Clair County welcomes Unipres to the community,” said County Commission Chairman Paul Manning. “We are always happy to see new companies invest in St. Clair County and make their home here. The investment and new jobs not only open doors for new opportunities for our citizens, but the generations who come after them.”

“The Town of Steele is excited that Unipres has purchased the former Yachiyo facility,” Steele Mayor John Wilcox said. “We welcome them and look forward to many years of success and growth.”

The move brought attention from state officials as well.

“Unipres is a world-class automotive components company with operations across the globe,” according to Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “We are happy to see the company join the growing line-up of auto suppliers in Alabama with this investment in St. Clair County.

The Alabama team will continue to work closely with the leadership of Unipres to help make the new facility productive and successful.” l

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Business Review AOC FOOD MART OPENS, BARBECUE RESTAURANT TO FOLLOW Exposed beams, spacious aisles filled with products are features of new store.

Digital sign tells passersby latest prices

Good Ole Boys Barbecue readies for opening 78

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Story by Carol Pappas Photo by Wallace Bromberg Jr. In a much anticipated move, AOC Food Mart has opened on Alabama 34, and Good Ole Boys Barbecue isn’t far behind.

Owned by Ken Allen of Allen Oil Co., based in Talladega, the convenience store has been completely redone in an upscale design, which lends itself to more offerings, greater features and an extensive bait and tackle shop. Exposed beam ceilings, tile that mimics a weathered, hardwood floor look, chrome all around with neon signs and LED lighting throughout give this store a more sophisticated look than other convenience stores.

Operations Manager Jamie Eddins said the Pell City location makes the company’s 11th store to operate. Others are located in Talladega, Sylacauga, Lincoln, Calhoun County and four stores in Destin, Fla. He credits the vision for the store’s design to Ken Allen Jr., his wife, Hope, and brother, Keith. Ken Allen Jr. has “an artistic thought process,” Eddins said, and he “put it all together.”

The store will be open seven days a week, from 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. It features a freestyle Coke unit that allows customers to make their own drink with 1,000 different flavors. There also is a “for real” milkshake machine, where customers can blend a milkshake on their own.

A walk-in “beer cave” allows room for more lines of beers, microbrews and imports than regular convenience store coolers, and there will be a good selection of wines.

In addition to grocery and snack items, a large section of the store is dedicated to bait and tackle — everything needed for freshwater fishing at nearby Logan Martin Lake. In live bait, AOC has tuffies, minnows, crickets and worms.

Rounding out the offerings are new pay at the pump gasoline units and AOC’s digital signs on the canopy above the pumps advising drivers of the latest gas prices.

Coming soon to the restaurant in the far end of the building is Good Ole Boys Barbecue. Kenny Boggan, who caters, and his son, Daniel, who will operate the restaurant, have teamed to open an 80-seat restaurant. Kenny Boggan owned Whiskers in Childersburg, which was well known for its catfish, and that will be a featured item on the menu. Daniel has been operating the barbecue end of the business, and he has two other locations — one in Sylacauga and one in Alexander City.

Good Ole Boys’ menu includes smoked St. Louis-style ribs cooked on a Southern Pride Smoker, Southern Fried, hand-battered catfish, fried green tomatoes, fried dill pickles, smoked Boston Butts, salads, hand patty hamburgers and hamburger steak.

“We are known for our smoked wings,” Daniel added, noting that everything in the restaurant is made on premise except for the potato salad. The slogan is “Southern Food at Its Finest.”

Good Ole Boys will be open Monday-Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. l

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Charter Landing

news

New upscale community on Logan Martin Lake

Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.

When the gates swing open from handsome stacked stone columns, you catch that first glimpse of an expansive view of Logan Martin Lake. You are now entering Charter Landing Estates, a development of Charter Landing Estates LLC. This new lakeside community features 16 waterfront lots and seven interior lots with water access and assigned boat slips.

In addition, three condominiums already built near the upper end of the property are for sale as well.

Waterfront lots ranging in size from more than a half acre to more than two acres and averaging 200 feet on the water make this gated community quite attractive to buyers, according to owners Ken and Deena C. Montgomery of Orange Beach. The couple has been developing, managing and brokering properties for 20 years, including such developments as The Wharf, Charter Landing and The View at Orange Beach and Bon Secour Village, and they are excited about this new venture on Logan Martin as an impressive asset to the lake community.

The 46-acre development features underground utilities, lighted tennis courts, a pavilion and green space for residents to enjoy.

The interior lots each have an assigned boat slip on a floating dock with electricity and made with Brazilian wood like the Wharf in Orange Beach, which keeps it from deteriorating. Lots range from $49,000 to $69,000 and include the boat slip.

Waterfront lots range from $159,000 to $229,000, and each can be approved to build covered piers. Ken Montgomery said a shoreline work permit from Alabama Power Co. can be issued within a week.

This upscale neighborhood, complete with street lamps with amber lights to give a more muted glow at night, has restrictive covenants, scores of amenities and a panoramic view of the lake.

Condominiums already in place are high end with granite countertops, tumbled marble showers, high ceilings and crown molding. One is 1,800 square feet with two bedrooms and two and a half baths. Another is 1,360 square feet with two bedrooms and two baths.

Upstairs is a 2,300 square foot, three-bedroom unit with private elevator inside. It has three baths and oversized balconies overlooking the lake.

For more information, contact the Montgomerys at charter landing@gulftel.com or call 251-510-1227. l

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Waterfront, lighted tennis courts

Condos for sale

Boat slips assigned to interior lots

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

What is it that makes us different here?

© 2015 Alabama Power Company

Dr. Al Aultman

Maybe it’s just knowing when to help. Here in Alabama, some people are having trouble paying their bills. You can help us help them. Just make a small donation to Project SHARE on your next Alabama Power bill. Or give online at AlabamaPower.com/ProjectSHARE. Together with the American Red Cross we can show everyone what makes us different here.

AULTMAN DENTAL OPENS IN PELL CITY Aultman Dental has opened a state-of-the-art practice in Pell POWI-3822_ProjectShare_3.916.indd 1 12/2/14 City in the Publix shopping center on U.S. 231 South.

Dr. Al Aultman opened the office Jan. 2 and is in the process of building a patient base. At present, he is open on Fridays from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a 30-minute lunch break at 11:30 a.m. In February, he plans to open the office on Mondays as Aliant Bank offers a wide variety of unique services for well. customers, including group travel opportunities. Get your Once the practice is established, he will increase days of passports ready! operation.

Aultman graduated from the University of Alabama at Where are we going in 2015?

Birmingham Dental School and did his residency in San • Hawaiian Island Cruise EXTENDED Antonio, Texas, at the veteran’s hospital. Originally from • Tuscany TRIPS Pleasant Grove, Aultman said he decided to open his practice • Alaskan Inside Passage Cruise in Pell City after his parents moved to Logan Martin Lake a • Danube River Cruise few years ago. During visits, “I absolutely fell in love with the town,” he said. “I thought this would be a great place to open a • Cape Cod with Martha’s Vineyard practice.”

• Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas The office features cutting edge equipment — from digital • Spring Pilgrimage in Natchez, MS QUICK X-rays with more detail and less radiation to the latest in dental • Charleston, SC TRIPS chairs and computers to assist in consultations.

• Branson, MO “The key is patient education,” Aultman said, noting that he • Asheville, NC takes his time with new patients, talking with them one-on-one about their needs. Once an exam or procedure is completed, We also have day trips! Visit our website to learn more: he takes the patient to a consultation room, shows them their X-rays on a computer screen and goes over details if there are www.aliantbank.com/prestige_travel.html problems.

He values personal attention, and it is the centerpiece of his business plan to make a trip to the dentist as pleasant as possible.

Aultman’s practice handles all types of procedures: fillings, cleanings, crowns, veneers, dentures, root canals and extractions. If a specialist is needed, he will make referrals. l

4:27 PM

Time to travel with Prestige!

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news

Young at Heart Gallery & Studio Story by Elaine Hobson Miller Photos by Mike Callahan Deanna Capps wants local artists to have a place to display their work. She also wants to see them make some money.

Those are two good reasons for opening her Young at Heart Gallery & Studio in Pell City.

“Right now, the gallery displays a lot of my own work, but as other artists come in, my work will come down,” she said.

She’s inviting area artists to drop by and hang their work at no cost. She’ll collect a commission of 25% when a piece of art sells. “In Birmingham, that split is 60-40, but artists can’t make any money like that,” she said.

Along with Capps’ works, her gallery features Kathy McCoy’s “Garden Jewels” and “Touch of the Sea” boxes, plus Diamond Lee Solomon’s paintings and Capps’ silk flower arrangements. She also has costume jewelry, some she made, others commercially made. It’s primarily necklaces, rosary beads and pendants of special rocks and semi-precious stones, such as carnelian and white onyx. She also has children’s treasure boxes by Alice Virga.

McCoy’s Garden Jewels are made up of various types of glass and glass objects artfully arranged and glued together on the end of a long, metal “stick.” She uses wine bottles, Depression glass and glass figurines to catch and reflect the light in a garden or planter, according to Capps. The artistic director at Pell City Center for Education and the Performing Arts, CEPA, McCoy makes Touch of the Sea boxes from cigar boxes that her husband has emptied, and she covers them with sand and shells. They sell for $30 to $50 each, while her Garden Jewels sell for $40 to $90 each.

Next door to the gallery, in a separate space, is the studio portion of the business. That’s where Capps teaches art classes and displays more of her silk flower arrangements and some Kentucky Derby hats with silk flowers on them. Local Business and Professional Women’s Club members often meet there for group painting sessions. In addition, Capps has one-on-one sessions.

The gallery and studio opened in mid-October 2014 and will be gearing up for “rug art” early in 2015. Rug art involves a canvas that has been primed, painted and sealed to turn it into a rug.

“I gave away at least 50 of my own paintings, mostly angels, but some landscapes, too, before opening this gallery,” Capps said. She has donated some of her angels to places like the CEPA, which netted $2,000 for the Center, she said.

Lakeside Hospice has an angel painting done especially for that organization, and so does St. Vincent’s Hospital.

You can see more photos of the gallery and its wares on the Young at Heart Art Gallery Facebook page. Gallery and studio are located at 3514 Martin Street South. (U.S. Highway 231 South), Suite 104, across the street from Cropwell Baptist Church. The phone number is 205-338-3339. Business hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturdays. l

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Deanna Capps in her new gallery and studio

DISCOVER The Essence of St. Clair • February & March 2015

Kathy McCoy with one of her garden jewels

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