McClendon’s Legacy • Restauants & Rooftops • Jacob Walker
Brock’s Gap Range • Goodgame Company • Martin Street Mercantile
February & March 2025
Putting historic wheels back on the road Race car restoration
Born to play the piano and sing Floyd Waites
A shared passion for hunting, healing Away from it all
February & March 2025
RESTORATION
Putting the vroom back in vintage race cars AWAY FROM IT ALL A shared passion for hunting and healing FLOYD
Born to play the piano and sing
Brock’s Gap
Shooting range of highest caliber
Jacob’s Ladder
Another local fisherman making his competitive mark Page 38
McClendon leaving special legacy
Jeff State names nursing wing after former senator Page 46
St. Clair Business Review
Goodgame Company marks anniversary with slew of new projects Page 52
More rooftops and restaurants in the works for Pell City Page 60
Martin Street Mercantile opens its doors in key location Page 62
Therapy South now in Springville Page 62
Final Focus Page 66
than a fun moment on the
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. She won dozens of writing awards and was a Distinguished Alabama Community Journalist at Auburn. She serves as president/CEO of Partners by Design, which publishes Discover and LakeLife 24/7 Magazine®.
Roxann Edsall
Roxann Edsall is a freelance writer and former managing editor of Convene Magazine, a convention industry publication. She has a degree in (broadcast) journalism from the University of Southern Mississippi, worked as a television news reporter in Biloxi and as a reporter and assignments editor in Birmingham.
David Smith aka BamaDave, is originally from Birmingham. He and his wife Renee made Logan Martin Lake their home 19 years ago. He is a freelance photographer, videographer and drone pilot. He has worked for ESPN’s College GameDay Show for the last 25 years as a cameraman and drone pilot. He has won 12 Emmys with the show and was ESPN’s first drone pilot.
Graham Hadley is the managing editor and designer for Discover The Essence of St. Clair Magazine and also manages the magazine website. Along with Carol Pappas, he left The Daily Home as managing editor to become vice president of the Creative Division of Partners by Design multimedia company.
Mackenzie Free
Mackenzie Free is an experienced and nationally published photographer with a bachelor of fine arts degree. She is a Birmingham native now cultivating life on a farm in Steele with her husband & 4 daughters.
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. She is a former editor of Birmingham Home & Garden magazine and staff writer for Birmingham magazine.
Paul South, a native of Fairfield, is an Auburn graduate with a degree in journalism and a double minor in history. He also has a Juris Doctorate degree from the Birmingham School of Law. Although sports writing was always his first love, he had a versatile career as reporter, columnist and first full-time sports information director at Samford University.
Joe Whitten was born in Bryant on Sand Mountain. When he arrived in Odenville in 1961 to teach at St. Clair County High School, he found a place to call home. Joe was active in the Alabama Writers’ Conclave and the Alabama State Poetry Society. The society named him Poet of the Year in 2000. Joe has also published several local history books.
Wally graduated from 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.After a 30-year career, he decided to dust off his camera skills and pursue photography full time.
If you follow Discover St. Clair Magazine long enough, you should be able to spot a recurring theme. What makes this place so special?
As I sit down to edit the stories in this month’s edition, I am reminded once again that there’s no shortage of people, places and events that truly do define ‘special.’ Take Floyd Waites, for instance. Here’s a Pell City kid born and raised with a particular penchant for piano and singing.
He moves to New York and plays in jazz clubs, on stages around the world and around the corner with some of the greats, like Rosetta Tharpe and Marie Knight. He played blues and jazz in Harlem. But come Sunday mornings, you’d most likely find him behind the piano or organ at his church, just like back home in Pell City.
His roots run deep here, and when he retired, he returned. And on Sunday mornings, you’ll find him playing at his church once again.
Springville’s Jacob Walker is cut from the same cloth – a passion early in life became his career. Growing up on Logan Martin and the Warrior River, he honed his skills and followed his dream. Today, he is now a professional angler who is garnering national attention as a champion.
As a state senator, Jim McClendon knew that with the office comes a certain amount of power over Alabama’s purse strings. But he also knew he needed to guide the investment wisely. Combining education and workforce development, he successfully drove sizable amounts of funding in Jefferson State Community College’s direction.
Today, its Nursing and Allied Health Wing at the St. Clair Campus bears his name. It’s a fitting tribute to a lawmaker who saw the value of nursing education in St. Clair County to provide quality staff for the nearby hospital and veterans home as well as health care facilities all around. It also enabled opportunities for quality education here at home for citizens who might not otherwise have had the chance.
A trio of physical therapists have developed an unspoken bond through their work in their chosen vocation and as bird hunters through their sport of choice. Their camaraderie delights their patients, and their passion for their dogs and hunting brings them even closer.
What makes this place so special? Ask Brock’s Gap Training Center, and officials will quickly tell you it’s the widen open acreage they were able to secure for a move from Hoover to St. Clair County for long range shooting facilities. The center just opened on 877 acres in the southern part of the county and may just become a target destination point from throughout the Southeast.
Pose the question to Outback Steakhouse, Olive Garden, Longhorn Steaks, Wingstop and Kami Thai and Sushi Fusion why this place is special, and they’ll no doubt cite the soaring growth in Pell City that landed their restaurants on the development menu. In our business section, you’ll read all about what’s opening and what’s breaking ground in the way of new eateries in Pell City.
A pair of Realtors with a successful track record in real estate sales followed it up with buying rental property management and opening a new office house all their services. As if that wasn’t enough to keep them busy, now they’ve turned the bottom floor into retail space for Martin Street Mercantile gift shop. Recognizing the need for more retail offerings in their city, they are seeking to fill the need. Special indeed!
Of course, that’s not all. There’s plenty more in this edition. Just turn the page and discover it all with us!
Carol Pappas Editor and Publisher
Carol Pappas • Editor and Publisher
Graham Hadley • Managing Editor and Designer Dale Halpin • Advertising
Design
Dennis Dobbs and the Springville Police Department show off the Richard Petty car
Story by Elaine Hobson Miller
Photos by Richard Rybka
Cars, airplanes and the museum itself are getting a facelift at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talladega County, thanks to some St. Clair County guys and their buddies who share a love of automotive racing. And it all started when one of them visited the late Bobby Allison at his home in North Carolina.
“I went to his house in Mooresville in 2020 during COVID,” says Eric Perrine, who actually lives in Shelby County. “I had done an event with him in the past. My intention was to take him to the Herb McCandless Museum and have a fun day. McCandless was a champion drag racer for Sox and Martin and a friend of mine through the Mopar Circuit, where owners of Chrysler vehicles have car shows.”
While Perrine expected their conversation to be about cars and racing, Allison took it in another direction. He talked about his disappointment with the deterioration of his airplane at the Hall of Fame, as well as the overall well-being of the Talladega museum, as most people call it.
Wade Wells, Dennis Dobbs, Brenda Allison and Robert Allison
“He talked about getting the museum back into its glory days, and the local support for that,” says Perrine. “Certain things hadn’t been kept up.”
With the help of friends Herbie Griffith, Johnny Capps and Barry Isbell, all of St. Clair, Perrine led the restoration project of Allison’s plane, a twin-engine Piper. Perrine met Dennis Dobbs of Springville at a local car show and invited him to the annual Heritage Preservation Show, which takes place at the museum every fourth weekend in October.
Dobbs volunteered to help Perrine restore cars for the museum, which was established in 1983 adjacent to the Talladega International Speedway, known today as the Talladega Superspeedway. Dobbs brought another Springville resident, Wade Wells, on board. Then, Robert Allison (no relation to the racing Allisons) and Ricky Humphries joined them and the Heritage Preservation Team took shape.
“The Heritage Preservation Show last October went very well ,” Perrine says.
“We had 300 vehicles from all over the USA, about $45 million worth, including the Richard Petty Superbird, Marty Robbins’ Dodge Daytona and his 1973 Dodge Charger, Bobby Allison’s Torino and Mustang. We also had the first Dodge Daytona ever built, which resides there at the museum, the No. 88 test mule (a drivable, pre-production vehicle) and many, many more.”
Visitors came from all over world, including Australia, the Netherlands and Canada, and from all over the United States. The two-day event drew about 700 people, which Perrine says is good for a car show.
The show is always open to cars and spectators, and he wants people to understand the purpose of what the museum and the Preservation Team are doing, and the event ties into that.
“The 2024 show raised $25,000 to spend toward building the Bobby Allison tribute room at the museum,” Perrine says. To
Under the hood of another vintage muscle car
make a donation, go to imhofhp.com. “Look for the sponsorship page.”
In 2022, Donnie Allison’s 1969 Ford Torino (No. 27) became the restoration team’s first car project. Next came the 1974 Richard Petty championship Dodge Charger, then the Buddy Baker Dodge Daytona.
Since the 2024 show, Perrine has been looking for volunteers and sponsors to help build Allison’s tribute room. It will feature personal memorabilia from Allison, who died Nov. 9, 2024, less than a month shy of his 87th birthday.
Perrine gained possession of that memorabilia long before Allison’s death. “I’ve taken in 20,000 items that are in a climate-controlled storage place,” he says. “The collection will be rotated frequently so people can enjoy all the items through
the years. Our whole purpose is to preserve the history of legends and legacies of Alabama racing.”
The team recently restored the Dodge Daytona that was test driven by Buddy Baker. During that test, he became the first driver to average 200 mph at Talladega. “The Baker car is worth a lot of money,” Dennis Dobbs says. “It would easily bring $200,000 to $250,000, and probably cost only $4,000 to $5,000 when it was new.”
Wade Wells talks animatedly about the “neat history” of this car, which was a prototype for Dodge Daytonas sold at dealerships. “Back in the 50s - 70s, race cars had to be street cars first,” he says. “Even street versions had wings on them. Manufacturers had to make and sell 500 of these to qualify that model to be put into a NASCAR homologation.” (According to Wikipedia, a homologation in motorsports is a testing and certification process for vehicles, circuits and related equipment for conformance to technical standards.)
Dobbs also has restored Camaros, Chevelles and Novas, and is working on a 1970 Mustang now. He has a shop next to his house that he calls Red Dog Automotive after a dog he had named, you guessed it, Red. Wade has a shop at his house in Washington Valley, and calls it Real Performance Muscle Cars, meaning real performance muscle cars.
Dobbs comes by his love of race cars naturally, but surprisingly, from his mother, not his dad. “My mother used to drag race in the ‘50s and ‘60s in New Mexico when my dad was stationed there in the Army,” he says. “She tinkered with the cars and that got me interested. Many good friends have taught me along the way.”
As an adult, he worked for Chandler’s Garage in Irondale for 15 years. He has worked for Motion Industries for 21 years and is in the maintenance department now. “The Torino led to the Petty car and that to the Baker Daytona,” he says. “Wade got involved because I asked him to come aboard. Wade is into drag racing and restoring muscle-car classics, like Corvettes and Camaros.”
One of the most challenging aspects of race-car restoration is locating parts, according to Dobbs and Wells. “A lot of them are custom made,” Dobbs says. “Motion Industries, where Wade also worked for 37 years, has allowed us to make some there.”
Numerous companies have donated parts and labor, Wells says. “Bryce Thomas Radiator in Gadsden is one, and U.S. Radiator in Gadsden. Also, V.P. Racing Fuels, through Rick Pennington, their distributor, has been very helpful in getting the special high-octane race fuel for the cars. Jamie Willis of Willis Performance Engines in Pell City has helped us out on all engine machining required. Herbie Griffith Paint and Body, Odenville, painted Bobby Allison’s airplane and other race car pieces. NAPA in Trussville has also helped tremendously. We rely on people’s goodwill.”
Goodyear recently provided them with $5,000 worth of tires and only charged them for taxes and shipping, according to Perrine.
Wells and Dobbs have made a few small pieces themselves, and several companies have put up money to help. Finding time to work on these projects can be a problem sometimes, though. Perrine will push the team when a car show, like the one held each October, is coming up.
“We especially want to thank the Springville Police Department for allowing us to operate these cars on the road (for shows and other events) without license plates,” Wells says. “You gotta road test these cars, right?”
Team members attended the Richard Petty Foundation event
in Gatlinburg this past summer, and Petty was there. “We brought the car to the show for him to enjoy and autograph,” Wells says. “He signed the hood and the trunk, and it’s now at the museum.”
On the short list for restoration is the Wonder Bread car belonging to Ricky Bobby in the movie, Talladega Nights. It’s already at the museum. Bobby Allison’s Matador and a Davey Allison Thunderbird are on that list, too, but the Allison room is up first.
Most of the team members grew up watching the Alabama Gang race on television. “The original Alabama Gang really was only three guys: Bobby and Donnie Allison and Red Farmer,” says Perrine. “The irony is that none of them were from Alabama. They moved up here from Florida and weren’t even born there. They were labeled the Alabama Gang by other racers. You can blame the media for throwing others from Alabama into the gang. Farmer is the only one of the original gang who lives in Alabama. He’s 92. Donnie is 85, and Petty is 87. Bobby died last November at 86.”
The Hall of Fame has 122 -plus vehicles on display, according to Executive Director Adam Stocks. “We have a
couple of volunteer organizations that are absolutely phenomenal,” he says. “They don’t get paid, they do it for love of the sport and restoration of these autos that have great history behind them.
“They put so much of their time, effort and some personal money into raising money and begging companies for parts, to put these vehicles back to running again. That says a lot. And it helps us a lot because we’re then able to take these vehicles to shows and other events. Take the Richard Petty car or Donnie Allison car we have, crank it up, every head turns and people walk to the car. That’s a great piece of advertising.”
The whole purpose of the Hall of Fame is to preserve the history of the legends and legacies of Alabama racing, according to Perrine. The team and other volunteers want to raise awareness of the museum and help raise money for it.
Wells puts it another way. “It’s our love of racing that keeps us going, to be able to carry on the legacy of early NASCAR and all forms of racing.” Adds Dobbs: “We’re restoring cars that belonged to some of the racing heroes we grew up with, and we want to honor their contributions to racing. If these museums close up, the cars end up in private collections and no one will see them anymore.” l
Proper hearing protection is a must
Story by Roxann Edsall
Photos by Mackenzie Free
Drone photos by Eric Love
Additional photos by Michael Goodman
Photos by Ed Tyler
Contributed photos
Like so many, they were looking for a new home. The group had a place they’d outgrown and needed more space, open concept, for sure, with room to breathe. Their dreams were realized when they found 877 acres for sale in St. Clair County.
The search committee for Brock’s Gap Training Center had been peppering the area with inquiries, targeting any large tracts within 30 minutes of their Hoover location. They zeroed in on the perfect location on Camp Creek Road in Pell City. They sold their 90 acres in Hoover and were able to purchase almost 10 times the acreage in St. Clair County for their shooting range and training facility.
Recently opened, the facility boasts one of the longest ranges in the southeast. “We’ll have a 1,400-yard range as one of our offerings,” says Michael Goodman, president of Brock’s Gap Training Center, a membership-based shooting club. “It’s uncommon to have a range of that length. People usually have to travel to Tennessee to practice shooting that distance.”
“There’s a community that really values those longer ranges,” adds Goodman. “We’re hoping to attract those shooters from Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee to come to our range.” Additionally, the new center will have 100yard, 50-yard and 30-yard ranges with covered shelters, along with pistol bays and two “plinking” ranges. (A plinking range is a shorter distance range with metal targets.) Ranges also offer either bench rest or positional shooting.
As you look out over the acreage, you see rows of uniformly sculpted berms, well-drained and seeded. In between those berms, the shooters are protected from ammunition from other ranges.
Range safety officers hold each group to strict code of hard and fast rules, including gun expert Jeff Cooper’s “Coopers 4” rules: 1) Treat every firearm as if it is loaded, 2) Keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire, 3) Never point your firearm at anything you do not intend to shoot, and 4) Be sure of your target and what is in front of and behind it.
Brock’s Gap Training Center offers courses in gun safety, concealed carry, women’s personal safety, competitive shooting and training for security teams. They currently assist local law enforcement by providing facilities for their officers to practice for certifications. They also have had high school students preparing to enter the military come to their facility for training.
“Safety is number one,” emphasizes Goodman. “We hope to encourage and empower people to be responsible gun owners. We prioritize safety, gun maintenance and understanding of the responsibilities of gun ownership.”
Having the facilities to practice with their firearm keeps the gun owner familiar with it and establishes safe and responsible use and care habits. “It’s especially important, if you’re using your gun for self-defense,” explains Goodman. “You need to be introduced safely to
Taking the shot from a standing position
your firearm and learn to establish safe handling practices.”
While Brock’s Gap is a private facility, membership is open to the public. The membership application process is overseen by an elected board. You do not have to be a member to participate in classes or to come to the matches. Those are all open to the public.
In the 62-year history of Brock’s Gap Training Center, they’ve grown to 900 members and host shooting matches and competitive shooting events nearly every weekend.
They’ve already begun hosting their first matches at the new facility. Those matches are a boost for the local economy, with statelevel matches drawing more than 100 people from out of the area into St. Clair County for food and lodging revenue. Brock’s Gap has hosted matches for the International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA), Steel Challenge Shooting Association (SCSA) and the United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA).
With the move, Brock’s Gap has been able to expand the number of shooting bays and stage areas for matches. Most matches are held in “berm-defined” bays, using 6-12 of these bays set as “stages.”
They play in a squad of 8-10 shooters. As in a golf match, those in the squad have handicaps and compete against those with similar handicaps. When each shooter has completed the targets in each stage, the group moves to the next stage in the next bay.
Some of the larger matches can use up to 20 stages. With more bays, they will be able to host larger matches and even have matches that overlap dates. The additional bays will give them the latitude to set up stages for incoming matches while current matches are concluding.
Facilities at Brock’s Gap Training Center include the Range Headquarters building, with restrooms, ice and water availability, and a training room. Future plans include the addition of a small RV park to accommodate out-of-town match participants and an EMS helipad. Current plans use just 250 acres of land, leaving plenty for future development and growth.
area overlooks the range
Berms define individual ranges
Goodman points toward area that will become 1,400yard range
“When my mother had the beginnings of dementia, she was in Birmingham, and I was in Pell City. Working full time, I couldn’t be there. But Always There could, and they helped her with the things she needed to remain independent -- taking her grocery shopping, making sure she got the right medications at the right time, being a companion. Always There allowed her to stay in her own home and took the worries away from my siblings and I when we couldn’t be there for her.”
• Companionship
• Care Management
• Errands
-- Carol P.
• Bathing and Grooming
• Dressing
• Escorts for shopping
• Laundry and appointments
• Light Housekeeping
• Meal Preparation
“There’s a large recreational shooting community in Alabama,” says Goodman. “We need facilities like this one to be able to participate safely in this sport.” There are those like Goodman who shoot every weekend and some who have specific seasonal needs. “We have people who use our facility to zero their rifles to get ready for hunting season,” he says.
The training facility also supports Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP), a national program that provides an environment for student athletes that supports learning through shooting sports activities. They have also been a resource for scouting groups through the years.
“A friend introduced me to competitive shooting,” says Goodman, “so I’d been shooting off and on my whole life. Once I joined Brock’s Gap, it became an every week kind of thing.”
If you’ve set your sights on shooting as a hobby or sport, you now have a neighbor in St. Clair County with a high caliber facility ready and waiting for you to take aim. l
Editor’s Note: Visit brocksgap.com for more information about Brock’s Gap Training Center.
Story by Carol Pappas
Photos by Mackenzie Free
In an open field of tall grass, mud puddles and woods all around, three dedicated physical therapists meet on a Sunday afternoon miles away from the clinics where they work all week long.
Intertwined with the disciplined calls of hunting dogs, they discover solace in a shared passion. Well beyond their clinic walls, where muscles are mended and limbs rehabilitated, they embark on a journey into the wilderness.
It is here in the shadow of towering pines with five dogs among them, they train for the thrill of the hunt, forging an unspoken bond – not just with nature, but with each other. The scene is a powerful testament to their dual passions.
The sun peeks through a scattering of clouds, illuminating a scene in which they all have played a central role dozens of times before. They’re training for their next big bird hunt.
Their journey together has taken them far away from the St. Clair County clinics of Therapy South, where they work. Their hunts have taken them to Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan and Oklahoma so far.
“We train out here,” said Tyler McGrady, motioning toward the field and woods that are part of the 70 acres he and his family own just north of Pell City. Wild birds are not as plentiful in the South as in other parts of the country, which necessitates the travel. But they don’t seem to mind. It simply brings them closer together.
Tyler readily shares his land with fellow PTs, Cade Mullins and Luke Brasher. Tyler is a partner in Therapy
South, and he oversees the clinics in Pell City and Springville, where Mullins and Brasher work.
They joke that bird hunting isn’t a prerequisite for getting hired, it just happened that they all share the same after-hours sport.
On the job, you’ll find them bantering back and forth as they apply their healing touch to patients. The camaraderie is infectious. In an instant, patients join in the conversations about dogs, hunting and the great outdoors, perhaps helping them forget the pain and rise above their own physical limits, if only for a moment.
Tyler calls it “good-spirited ribbing.” A former baseball player at Jacksonville State University, he noted that all three of them are former college athletes and “too much time in the locker room” may be the catalyst for their approach in the clinic and on the hunt.
Luke, who played football at UAB, agreed. “We miss the time spent with teammates,” he said. Mullins played baseball at Delta State. “It gives us a deeper sense of teamwork,” added Tyler.
Once on the hunt, the teamwork becomes man and dog. The pride in each of their ‘best friends’ is evident. Tyler’s Maverick and Charlie are German Short Haired Pointers, whose grace
and ability blend perfectly in pointing or hunting quail.
Cade’s Covey and Coosa are Wire Haired Pointing Griffons, whose loping gallop through a mud puddle or two, seems natural for a breed with an insular coat and webbed toes. Griffons love the water, and on this day, Covey’s penchant for puddles shows.
The pup of the bunch, an English Setter named Duke, belongs to Luke, who he is training himself. As he watches Duke circling through the tall grass – nose up to catch a whiff of a downed bird – Luke’s watchful eye has the noticeable glint of a proud Papa. After all, their dogs are family.
“My wife loves dogs,” Cade said. “They sleep in the bed with us.”
Tyler’s wife is “super understanding” about his past time, he said, and they’ve just added to their brood – a pup named Goose. His daughters, Brooke and Maggie, make it a family affair. They’ve developed a passion for assisting in training the dogs.
Luke’s wife didn’t really want a dog, he said. “Now she takes 20 pictures a day of him because she loves him that much.”
The three of them muse about the rewards reaped from their training and their hunts. “It’s your relationship with your dog. Your dog is your best friend,” said Tyler. “When you see what they were born and bred to do, when it all comes together in the field, it’s pretty cool to watch.” You’re able to turn off the outside world. “You’re in the prairie in the middle of nowhere with your dog.”
Cade loves “getting out and enjoying creation. Every time you go out, you pick something that stands out – a dog pointing – it points back to creation, this awesome place created for us.”
“It’s fun walking through the Lord’s creation,” said Luke. “It’s cool to see something that is innate in their nature – pointing and finding a bird.”
It allows you to become “disconnected from the world,” Tyler concluded.
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• One on one reading classes
• Classes to help with reading skills and comprehension of what you have read
• GED preparation
• ESOL Classes (English for Speakers of Other Languages). Every Tuesday night on second floor of Pell City Municipal Complex (above the Pell City Library)
FREE CLASSES. FLEXIBLE SCHEDULING. (205) 378-9072
They all have a healthy respect for Tyler’s dog, Maverick. Describing him as a stud with a championship bloodline, Luke noted, “If Maverick doesn’t point, there’s not a bird there. He’s pretty much a sure shot.”
How did they arrive at this place of solace and excitement entwined?
Tyler already had a dog when he got into bird hunting, encouraged by another physical therapist, Daniel Eck, who works in Therapy South’s Florence clinic. The two had played ball together in college. He’s been hunting ever since.
Cade grew up deer and turkey hunting on the family farm near Lake Martin. “I got tired of picking up birds and said, ‘Let’s get dogs and do this.’ ”
For Luke, the fascination began when he was 9. A neighbor had Brittany and Boykin Spaniels involved in field trials, and he would take him along. He strayed away from the sport for years, but Cade and Tyler “nagged that I needed a bird dog. It was the only way to be in the crew. So, I gave into peer pressure,” he joked, “but it was worth it.”
It’s all about the relationship with the dog and the excitement of anticipating what is to come, Tyler explained. In a world of otherwise instant information, “It’s the hope of what could be. You never know what the difference is going to be.” l
Story by Joe Whitten
Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.
Submitted photos
In the words of American Bandstand’s Dick Clark, “Music is the soundtrack of your life,” and that fits Pell City musician Floyd Waites like a well-tailored 5th Avenue tuxedo.
Born to Edmond and Beatrice Waites in the Glenn City area of Pell City, Floyd was the youngest of their five children –three boys and two girls. This was a loving family overseen by Mrs. Waites after Mr. Waites became an invalid from a stroke.
By his teenage years, Floyd’s siblings had left home, so his mother depended upon him with chores and cleaning. “I was always singing when I was helping around the house,” he recalled. He heard the music coming from the radio, and he knew in his heart that if he had a piano, he could play those songs.
“I went to my mother and said, ‘I want to get a piano.’” He smiled as he told her reply. “She said, ‘Floyd, I can’t get no piano!’ She wasn’t able to buy a piano. But a few months after that, I began to get a small check from Avondale Mills because my daddy had worked there before his stroke.”
With that income, another plan took shape. “I told my mom that I was gonna try to get a piano (with that money),” he reminisced. “There was a piano company in Anniston, Alabama, called Forbes Piano Company. So, someone carried me there, and I looked around and spoke to the man in charge, and he said, ‘I can let you have it for so much,’ – whatever it was priced at that time. And I said, ‘Well, how much will that be a month?’ He told me what it would be and said, ‘Could you pay ten dollars a month?’ And I said, ‘Oh, I can pay ten dollars a month!’ And, so, they brought the piano out to our house.”
Oh, happy day! Now, with the radio on, Floyd could sit at the treasured piano, with his fingertips eagerly searching out the notes and chords and runs of what he heard. He was a natural –born for the piano and music.
He must have played too much Fats Domino or Chubby Checker, because one day his mother said, “Floyd, I don’t want you playing just anything and everything. You’ve got to play for the Lord.” He chuckled at the memory. “I said, ‘Oh, yes, Mama, that’s what I plan to do.”
And he did just that, beginning at Rocky Zion Missionary Baptist Church under the guidance of Rev. Silas Woods, who encouraged him in his playing for the Lord.
Floyd enjoys recalling those early years with Rev. Woods. “We had a Sunday for the young group to sing, and I began
playing for them – songs that I knew and could catch onto. Rev. Woods liked for the Junior Choir to go with him when he preached at other churches. And I would go with them and play piano. I was encouraged a lot by Rev. Woods.”
In the spring of 1965, Floyd graduated from St. Clair County Training School, began looking for work and found scant possibilities locally. The Waites’ across-the-road neighbors had moved to New York City, and they encouraged him to come live with them. “You could get a job up here in New York,” they told him. “We could take you to the state unemployment agency, and they will find you a job.” Therefore, with hope in his heart, Floyd boarded a Greyhound bus and headed to the Big Apple – without a clue as to the places God and his piano would take him in the years ahead.
His friends met him at the bus station, took him to their home, and gave him a room until he could find work and rent an apartment of his own.
At the New York Unemployment Office, the interviewer asked him what kind of work he was interested in. and he told them he was a church musician. “They went into the back,” Floyd laughed, “and came back with a uniform, a khaki uniform, and they said, ‘This will fit you very good.’ And I said, ‘What’s that for?’ And they said, ‘This is for you to become a New York City police officer.’ And I said, ‘Oh, no! My Lord, no! That won’t work! I don’t think I could handle anything like that! Don’t you think you could find me something else?’”
So, they sent him to another section where he had a more
favorable offer. The lady interviewing him said, “Mr. Waites, we have an opening for a job in the Bronx at a school, and it’s dealing with food service.” This interested him, and the lady’s next question raised his spirits higher, “Can you cook?” Floyd, feeling almost back home in Pell City, replied, “Honey, that’s right down my alley!”
Then she told of a position at the Walton High School, and Floyd said, “I would love to do that because that’s what I studied in school.” He was referring to the St. Clair County Training School where he was more interested in cooking than in farming and had taken Home Economics rather than Vocational Agriculture.
Following the lady’s instructions, he went to Walton High School Monday morning, and after being interviewed there, he was hired. The school system sent him to various training sessions that prepared him for a career in New York City school food services – the job he worked until he retired.
Music opportunities in New York City’s Harlem seemed to find Floyd without his looking for them. The leader of the Jimmy Smith Singers came up to him and asked him if he could sing.
“Oh, yeah, I sing,” Floyd replied, adding, “I’ve got a friend who sings, too.”
“Bring him along,” the leader told him. The friend was one he grew up with in Pell City, and he and Floyd had connected again in New York. The two young men rehearsed and sang with the Jimmy Smith Singers for a while.
“But it was still like something was missing,” he said. His mama’s words, “You’re not gonna play just anything and everything” no doubt hummed in his mind along with sacred memories of Rocky Zion and Rev. Woods.
“The pianist for the Jimmy Smith Singers was playing for a church in my Harlem neighborhood, and he said to me, ‘Floyd, why don’t you come to my church? I play up here at The Gates of Prayer Church. There’s a lady that’s pastor of the church, and her name is Prophetess Dolly Lewis.’ I said, ‘I don’t live too far from there. Maybe I’ll come one Sunday.’”
Not too long after that invitation, Floyd attended The Gates of Prayer Church, and there, by God’s providence, he found his spiritual calling.
Living close to the church, he walked to the service, and as he got closer to the sanctuary, the organ’s chords and crescendos urged him onward. He opened the church door and looking up to the pulpit, he saw a woman dressed in gleaming white looking out over the assembling congregation – Prophetess Dolly Lewis.
Floyd remembers the day. “She looked directly at me and says, ‘Come on in. Go over there and sit down at the piano.’ I must have looked funny, because she said, ‘Yeah, you can play, and you can sing.’ Now, nobody in New York had heard me play, and I wondered, ‘How did this lady know this?’ But I never did ask her.”
From that Sunday, Floyd played piano and sang at The Gates of Prayer Church under the guidance of Prophetess Lewis. When she went to other cities, he traveled with her to play piano at her preaching services. For one who had never flown, an added excitement was flying to and from these destinations. On these trips, she also held private sessions in her hotel room, and people would be lined up to get messages from her. “A word from the Lord” in today’s Pentecostal parlance.
Prophetess Lewis introduced Floyd to two famous gospel singers – Marie Knight and Sister Rosetta Tharpe. He enjoys recalling those singers. “One Sunday, this lady walked into the church, and everybody looked around. Prophetess Lewis
Floyd and Marie Knight take a bow at a concert in Paris
looked at the newcomer and said, ‘Come on up, Marie Knight.’ She was a professional singer, and she would travel all around with this other lady, Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Rosetta was an electric guitar player.” He paused, smiling, “Oh, she could lean back on that guitar and play.”
Rosetta Tharpe was born in Cotton Plant, Arkansas, in 1915 to Katie Bell and Willis Atkins. Katie Bell played the mandolin, sang, and preached as a Pentecostal evangelist, according to the online Encyclopedia Britanica. She began playing guitar at age four and at age six she traveled and sang with her mother. After moving to Chicago, she developed her own guitar style under the influence of Chicago’s blues and jazz musicians. When she moved to New York City in the 1930s, “…She sang traditional gospel songs with contemporary jazz tempos that she played on her electric guitar. With these performances, she introduced gospel into nightclubs and concert venues. Her work influenced early rock and rollers such as Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard and Elvis Presley.” She came to be called the “Godmother of Rock and Roll” and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
Marie Knight, born in Florida in 1920 or 1925, depending on the source, grew up in Newark, New Jersey. According to the online African American Registry (AAREG), Marie started touring in 1939. Sometime in the 1940s, she performed at the Golden Gate Auditorium in Harlem along with Mahalia Jackson. Sister Rosetta Tharpe attended that concert and “… recognized something special in Marie’s contralto voice.” Rosetta invited Marie to tour with her, and they performed as a team for several years. Sister Rosetta and Marie’s 1947 recording of Up above My Head There’s Music in the Air reached number 6 on the Billboard chart in 1948. Marie sang both Gospel and Rock and Roll, but in her later years sang only Gospel.
When Marie Knight moved back to New York City, she began attending Dolly Lewis’ Gates of Prayer Church, where she organized the choir. Floyd was the pianist and his friend from Pell city the organist. “So, we started playing for Marie,” Floyd smiled. “I’ve got albums that I’m playing for Marie.” He lowered his voice to a baritone before saying, “She had a voice!”
When Marie began planning another tour, she came to Floyd and said, “How would you like to travel to Europe with me?” Floyd laughs as he tells it. “I said, ‘Oh, I don’t know about that!’ ‘Well, you’re gonna get paid,’ she told me. So, I said, ‘We’ll have to ask Mama.’ That’s what we called Pastor Dolly Lewis.”
Floyd asked Lewis’ advice, and after consideration, she agreed for him to travel with Marie, and assured him, “I’m gonna make sure she pays you, cause she’s kind of close with money.”
Floyd flew with Marie Knight and her entourage to Paris. Landing at the Charles De Gaulle Airport, they were met with the concert tour officials who took them to their lodgings for the night. From Paris they traveled to a city in southern France, whose name Floyd could not recall. From that city, Marie, accompanied by Floyd at the piano, gave concerts in various locations.
Then, it was on to San Sebastian, Spain, for the concluding few weeks of Marie’s tour. Then back to New York City.
“From that day,” Floyd recalls with pleasure, “Marie was happy to have me with her. But she paid,” he laughed. “Those hundred-dollar bills smelled good! And I kept on playing for her.”
Floyd met his future wife, Evelyn Keith, at Gates of Prayer Church. Evelyn grew up in Childersburg, so they had mutual connections back home. She was a singer, so she and Floyd sang together at whichever church he played for. They had one son, Kenny.
Floyd continued playing piano for Prophetess Dolly Lewis at Gates of Prayer Church until she died. When Lewis died, Marie Knight – now singing only Gospel –became pastor of Gates of Prayer. Floyd played piano at the church until Marie died in 2009 from pneumonia complications.
The Waites were on vacation in Alabama when Marie passed, Floyd relates. “They got in contact with me while my wife and I were down here on vacation, and we rushed back to New York.” When asked if he played piano for her service, Floyd responded, “I didn’t do too much playing, but I did sing some of the songs that she
had sung, and I had played for her down through the years.”
Floyd also directed the choir in singing one of Marie’s best known Gospel recordings, Didn’t It Rain
Most of the years that Floyd played piano at Gates of Prayer, he also played for another nearby church, Greater Hood Memorial AME Zion Church. “I was playing at Hood Memorial all along, because it was on a different time schedule for that church … And it was just around the corner from Gates of Prayer. I played the piano for them for years. And I played organ for them, too, because I had gotten into playing the organ. I played for the choirs – they had a nice senior choir that sang anthems,” Floyd paused, then added, “It was a fairly big church.”
Greater Hood Memorial is historic in Black churches in America. Established in 1824 as Harlem AME Zion, this oldest Black church in Harlem has survived economic downturns (the Great Depression put them in dire financial circumstances), several relocations and a few name changes. But it has survived with Sunday services continuing for 200 years.
Having reached retirement age, Floyd supervised his last school lunch, played his last Sunday service in Harlem, packed his belongings and returned to the place called home, Pell City, Alabama.
Floyd relates how he and Evelyn came to Pell City every year for the month of August to visit relatives and churches in the area. They always visited Coosa Valley Baptist Church in Vincent where Rev. Willie Joe Posey was pastor.
“He would always tell me, when me and my wife would come down from New York, ‘Floyd, come on up here and sing, you and your wife,’ and we’d go up and sing for him. And he’d say, ‘Y’all see that man there? If he ever decides to come outta New York City, I want him right there,’ and he’d point to the piano.”
Today, Floyd is the full-time pianist at Coosa Valley Baptist where Rev. Posey still pastors. However, he ministers alone, for Evelyn died while they were living in New York. “I’ve been with Rev. Posey ever since I came back home to live,” Floyd muses quietly.
“I don’t charge them at the church, but Rev. Posey told me, ‘Oh no, you have to accept something, because people know how good you play and sing, they gonna take you away from us. The church will have to give you something. We don’t want you to leave us.’ So, I said, ‘Well, just sometime give me a love offering, but I don’t expect to be on salary. I don’t charge anything.’ So, every third Sunday, they give me a love offering, and I accept it.”
Rev. Posey has pastored the church for 48 years, and speaks highly of Floyd. “He has proven himself a believer in God and Christ. He’s a faithful man. He’s true to his word. … When he was in New York, I told him when he moved back here, he had a place (at our church), and he’s been with me.” Rev. Posey also noted the beautiful vocal harmony when Floyd and Evelyn sang together at the church.
In the community, Floyd is frequently asked to play for revivals, funerals and special events. At the 2024 Black History event at the Pell City Museum, he was one of the featured musicians of the day.
Many in the community call him “Uncle Floyd,” as did Amelia Beavers when she was asked for a comment. “There are so many things that I could say about Uncle Floyd, but the best thing is that he loves the Lord, and he loves people. He helps throughout his community any way that he can.
“If a loved one dies, he is willing to come to play and sing for
the family. He has been a jewel of a friend coming back home to live. He is a beautiful asset to our community. I pray for him many years of serving the Lord and his community. All you have to do is ask and if he does not have another engagement, he is more than willing to accommodate.”
Floyd and Evelyn’s son, Kenny, lives in Childersburg, so Floyd is active in his life and the lives of his four grandchildren – two girls and two boys.
How would he like to be remembered? “I’d just like to be remembered as using the gifts that the Lord has given to me. If I was called to do something, it wasn’t for reimbursement. I thank God for the gift, and I thank Him that He allowed me to use it … It’s a gift that He has given, and I just want to give back.”
As a child and as an adolescent in Pell City, music captivated Floyd Waites and has held him fast all his years. One of the songs he played for Marie Knight was the traditional song Up Above My Head, and the lyrics are true for Floyd –
Up above my head, there’s music in the air
Up above my head there’s music in the air,
Up above my head there’s music in the air, And I really do know,
Yes I really do know, There’s a heaven somewhere.
So, Floyd Waites, keep on playing and singing “for the Lord” and sharing your God-given gifts, for without a doubt, you enrich the music life of Pell City and St. Clair County. l
A lifelong love of fishing has Springville’s Walker climbing in pro fishing circles
Real money is at stake in these competitions
Like most anglers, from weekenders to tournament champions, Jacob Walker’s love affair with fishing brings with it a creel full of family and friends who taught him the art and science of the sport.
Like a teenage boy smitten by the homecoming queen, Walker fell fast and hard for angling. Even as a small boy, from the Warrior River to Logan Martin Lake, fishing and family were his Alpha and Omega.
He and his friends even engaged in a little truancy to take to the outdoors. “We didn’t skip school to do bad things,” he said. “We skipped school to go fishing and hunting.”
After high school, he enrolled briefly at UAB. But boats and tackle, not books and tests, won out. While working at Mark’s Outdoors, a Vestavia store, Walker’s fire for fishing – sparked as a small boy by his grandfathers, father, Geoff Walker, stepfather, Dexter Laird, and friends – only grew.
One grandfather owned a place on Logan Martin Lake. “When I was little, my grandfather took me to Logan Martin all the time,” Walker said. “It seemed like we got up at 1 in the morning when we’d get up early and get out on the water.
“They would never see me from the time we got there until it was time to leave,” he recalled. “I was walking around, fishing. I’ve been doing it my whole life, man. It’s crazy.”
From those earliest days, Walker began to craft his own style of fishing. Now on the Major League Fishing Circuit, that style has served him well.
In 2024, he captured his first MLF tournament title in a weather-abbreviated event at Lake Champlain, N.Y. On the circuit, he carries counsel from his early teachers in his mind and heart: Find your own style – from water depth, to location, to lures – and strive to be the best.
“You can’t beat everybody at their technique. You can’t always be the best at every technique. So, when I was growing up fishing on the Warrior River, I spent a lot of time fishing in shallow water… around a lot of grass and logs and lily pads and stuff. What’s really got me (to the pros) is shallow fishing.”
What advice would he offer to someone dreaming of a pro career?
“Try to do it all. Try to learn everything. But do what fits you. Don’t try to copy someone else’s style. Try to find a style that’s going to work for you. Sometimes, that’s not going to work out. But when it does, it’ll pay off.”
That philosophy has worked in Walker’s brief tournament career. According to the MLF website, in 12 tournament appearances he has five top 10 finishes, including the Lake Champlain title, earning more than $150,000.
Tournament fishing, like the rest of society, is increasingly technology driven. But even at 26, Walker considers himself “old school.” Sure, he uses tech gadgetry, but his fishing is driven by attributes as old as fishing itself.
“There are a lot of younger guys coming out of high school and college, I would say 24 and under. Those guys are very, very good at technology … But the guys like me who are between 25 and 35, we grew up fishing the oldschool techniques, not a lot of technology. The really good technology we have now, we go to watch it advance.”
He added, “A lot of guys like me, we grew up learning from the old school fishermen. No technology. They would just go off their eyes, their hearts, their instincts. (Younger tourney anglers) don’t really know the old-school techniques – fishing off your instincts and reading the water.”
So he holds fast to the old ways, even In these modern times. Shallow water. Fishing around cover and around docks. For Walker, style matters, but so do the old ways.
“Luckily, I’ve got the old-school instincts. But fortunately, I’ve been on board with the technology. So I can do both.”
He calls that period for fishermen between the mid-20’s and mid-30’s “the magic number.”
And Alabama is loaded with talented anglers, buoyed in part by the state’s diverse waters with different depths and stains and currents.
“The Coosa River, all these rivers, there’s all
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kinds of styles of fishing you can learn. So I was very fortunate to grow up fishing here. It’s taught me everything.”
And that knowledge along with the support of his wife, Alyssa, and other family, friends and corporate sponsors have driven his dream. He knows his career will involve fishing. What form that professional life will take is the great unknown.
He’s a brand ambassador for NSR Fishing, Coosa Cotton apparel, Phoenix Boats from Stateline Marine in Lanett, Mark’s Outdoors, Megabass, Deps lures and Dirty Jigs Tackle and other firms and individuals. Walker has a long list of supporters.
“Part of the reason I decided not to go to college was I knew I wanted to pursue fishing as a career. Whether it’s fishing in tournaments, or being in the industry, I still don’t really know 25 years from now what I’ll be doing. But I know I want it to be (fishing) industry related. Working at Mark’s Outdoors gave me that golden ticket.”
His tournament career began in the pandemic year2020 in the Bassmaster open series. He finished second in his first event at Lay Lake, winning more than $18,000. In the next year, he narrowly missed qualifying for the Bassmaster Elite Series.
“I was confident after that. I know I could do this.”
After moving to MLF in 2023, Walker, now the proud father of a new baby, fished closer
Another perfect catch
to home, but managed to finish sixth overall.
He credits Alyssa for her support and keeping the waters steady at home. Thanks to his job and the support of corporate and personal sponsors, he’s been able to compete in tournaments that carry with them $5,000 entry fees.
“It’s been a great year,” he said. “I finished seventh overall. I fished in six tournaments. I got a check in five, including Lake Champlain.
“It’s crazy that a guy from way down in Alabama could go all the way up there close to the Canadian border and win,” he said. “That was such a cool experience.”
High winds that made waves treacherous on a lake that features an “inland sea” cut the tournament short. In the joy of winning, something gnawed at Jacob Walker’s heart. It didn’t feel like a full-fledged win. That led to an unusual victory celebration. There was no cracking open a bottle of champagne, no lighting a victory cigar. He had to settle his mind and know that had the tournament not been cut short, he still would have won.
But it seems his celebration would have been a hit with family and friends who stoked his passion for fishing when Walker wasn’t much bigger than his rod and reel.
“I went fishing,” he said. “After that, I got to prove to myself I would have won anyway. It was a ball.”
And if there is a takeaway from Jacob Walker’s story, it’s thankfulness, family and friends.
“I’m very thankful to the people who took me fishing when I was a kid. I’m very thankful to my sponsors and to my wife, too. Without them, I wouldn’t be here.” l
Story by Carol Pappas
When Jim McClendon was first elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 2002, state Sen. Jack Biddle asked him what he wanted for his future in politics.
“I want your seat,” he told Biddle, one of the most powerful senators at the time. Biddle retorted, “You’re not ready yet. You don’t know where the money is.”
In the years that followed, Senator McClendon not only found the money, he invested it in what is becoming a lasting legacy for St. Clair County and the region.
Jefferson State Community College recognized the longstanding support of McClendon by naming the Nursing Wing at the St. ClairPell City Campus in his honor with a ceremony on Wednesday, Dec. 18.
Dr. McClendon has been an ardent supporter of Jefferson State initiatives for many years. He was instrumental in the opening of the St. Clair-Pell City Campus in 2009 and the establishment of the Nursing Wing in October 2017, an expansion that included two simulation labs, a fundamental instruction lab, two classrooms, six offices and a conference room.
“Dr. McClendon was instrumental in Jefferson State starting in St. Clair County,” said Jefferson State President Keith Brown. “Because of his efforts, we’ve been able to educate hundreds of RNs, and they’re working and caring for people right here in this community.”
Just before unveiling the plaque commemorating the new name, Brown talked of McClendon’s dedication to education and health care in the form of support for the college. “It’s just my job,” Brown said McClendon told him.
“I’ve always had an affinity for nurses,” he joked to the crowd gathered for the ceremony. “I married one.”
Jefferson State’s first presence in the county was in Moody, but it was only temporary – representing a “foot in St. Clair County” – as McClendon described it. The college was built in 2009 with an LPN program. In 2012, the RN program became a reality, and the
Display of early nursing graduates, a reminder of the program’s impact
opening of St. Vincent’s St. Clair Hospital in 2011 and the Col. Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home in 2012 catalyzed the program’s growth.
“All of this was critical to educating these folks here and creating good jobs,” McClendon said. He noted that graduates have a 100 percent rate of job placement before graduation. “It’s a model for other state programs. They are educated here. They come back here. Health care in our area is getting better and better because of what’s going on at Jefferson State in Pell City.”
The college, he said, represents so many opportunities for St. Clair Countians. Many times, it is the first time higher education doors are open to families. “It’s changing Alabama. It’s changing our community. And they’re doing it the right way.”
Looking back to the earliest conversations about locating a community college in St. Clair County, “there was always a recognition that there was a need for what a community college could bring to our region,” said Guin Robinson, dean of Economic Development at Jefferson State.
“Workforce development was at the top of that list,” Robinson said. “It was very obvious that health care was a driver for St. Clair County and the entire region, so it made sense there would be a need for nursing in Pell City and St. Clair County. It has certainly been a priority,” bolstered by the location of hospital and the state veterans home near the campus and doctors’ offices throughout the area.
The nursing program is expensive to operate and is not fully funded by tuition. The community’s and McClendon’s support have been “vitally important,” Robinson stressed. “Sen. McClendon has been our partner since the beginning. He could not have been a greater partner.”
McClendon’s influence and determination ensured that this legacy will continue, Robinson said. “And he did it without fanfare because we needed it for our community. He played a major role in the generational impact it is having in our community, and we wanted to honor him now so that we can show our appreciation.”
Born in Mobile, McClendon earned his Bachelor of Science degree at Birmingham-Southern College in 1965 and his Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of Houston in 1967.
McClendon then joined the United States Navy Medical Service Corps in 1968 where he was commissioned as an officer. Lt. McClendon served with distinction in Vietnam, for which he was decorated with the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device.
Over the course of his optometry career, McClendon distinguished himself as a leader in Alabama›s optometry community, serving as president of the Alabama Optometric Association.
In November 2002, McClendon retired from his
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private practice to pursue public service. That year, he was first elected to the Alabama House of Representatives, representing the state’s 50th District, where he was subsequently reelected for two additional terms.
Among other notable postings and accomplishments (including Chair of the House Ethics Committee and Chair of the House Redistricting Committee), Rep. McClendon served as Chair of the Health Committee, where he played a pivotal role in the passage of the Medicaid reform legislation.
In 2014, McClendon was elected to the Alabama Senate where he represented Alabama›s 11th District for two consecutive terms. He served on and provided leadership for various critical Senate committees, including the Rules Committee, Education and Youth Affairs, Fiscal Responsibility and Economics Development, Transportation and Energy, Health and Human Services, for which he served as Vice Chair, and the Senate Healthcare Committee for which he served as Chair.
McClendon personally introduced 210 bills in the House and Senate on a range of critical issues, including education, public safety, economic development, and, of particular personal importance to him, healthcare and the advancement of Alabama’s healthcare professions.
“During my time as a legislator, I always heard the importance of job creation, employment and improving Alabama by creating good jobs,” said McClendon. “That’s exactly what Jeff State is doing, and it is a model for all other programs in the state.” l
Representing the 3rd District of Alabama
It has been my privilege to represent the 3rd Congressional District and St. Clair County. I am honored to serve with such a dedicated team of lawmakers to ensure that our strides in growth continue to serve our constituents well.
Pell City-based Goodgame Company, Inc. apparently knows how to celebrate a 70-year success story – with the announcement of seven new project awards in 2025.
This significant achievement marks seven decades of growth, innovation and unwavering commitment to delivering quality construction solutions. As the company enters this new chapter, it remains dedicated to excellence and shaping the future of the industry.
Among the new awards are:
• First Baptist Church (Pell City, AL) This project is set to create a centralized welcome/information center plus the addition of five classrooms and a centralized elevator. It will be built out of typical conventional construction methods that would include structural steel, slab on deck, light gauge metal trusses with shingle roof.
• Riverside Baptist Church (Riverside, AL) This project includes a complete new 10,000 square foot church after their entire church was razed by fire in June. The new Church will include a 150-person sanctuary, fellowship hall, seven classrooms, safe room and full-size kitchen.
• Talladega Superspeedway (TSS) New Grandstand Elevator (Talladega, AL) This project involves the installation of a grandstand elevator to improve accessibility and enhance the experience for racing fans.
• Conecuh Corporate Headquarters (Andalusia, AL) Design-Build by Goodgame Company, this new 11,000 square foot facility will house corporate operations, administrative employees, sales and executive officers. It will represent Conecuh’s new look and be adjacent to the new product facility in Andalusia.
• Avient (Birmingham, AL) There are currently three projects at Avient: a warehouse addition and two resin mixing rooms. The warehouse addition is a 70foot x 140-foot pre-engineered metal building with insulation, heating and
Pell City Fire Department, Station 2, Cropwell
Central welcome and information center at First Baptist Church, Pell City
cooling. It includes two loading docks for handling shipments. Building 3 resin room is a 20-foot-by-54foot, explosion-proof, steel-reinforced mixing area with specialized HVAC to safely handle volatile materials. Building 5 resin room is a 20-foot x 30-foot version of the Building 3 room, featuring an adjacent tank farm with two 15,000-gallon insulated tanks and heat-traced piping. This area is covered by a 43-foot-by-50-foot open-sided structure to facilitate resin offloading.
• Pell City Police Department (Pell City, AL). This 17,000 square foot facility will replace the current 3,000 SF space, it will feature evidence management, ample storage, break areas, a gym, training and conference rooms, office space, an operations center, and a 3-bay garage. It is located on 19th Street South
• City of Pell City Fire Station No. 2 (Cropwell, AL).
A new 16,665 square foot fire station with 4-bays and eight bunkrooms, hardened storm shelter area, and other residential operations for a daily facility with three shifts. It is located on U.S. 231 South.
Goodgame had its beginnings in 1955 as Goodgame Welding. Ten years later, the late Adrick Goodgame bought the business and began managing it.
Adrick Goodgame was described as a visionary, seeing needs and changing market conditions and tailoring his company to meet those needs. The diversity of the company showed in its pre-engineered building sales and erection and general contracting in the 1980s.
By the 1990s, the general contracting business had grown so much they doubled the employee roster from 10 to 15 workers to 30.
In the 2000s, the auto industry grew in Alabama. So did Goodgame. The company became contractor for Honda Manufacturing of Alabama in Lincoln. The workforce grew to over 100 employees and is one of the leading construction companies in Alabama.
Goodgame passed away in 2022. His son, Jason, now leads the company as president.
Jason Goodgame had served as corporate vice president and senior project executive.
Longhorn and Olive Garden are going in behind Walgreens
Story by Carol Pappas Staff and submitted photos
In what is usually a relatively quiet meeting – the final one of the year – the Pell City Council in December took action residents around these parts have anticipated for years.
The Council made it official – Longhorn Steakhouse and Olive Garden – are coming to Pell City. Leases are signed, and infrastructure work is expected to begin in February. Owned by the same company, Darden, the restaurants will be located next to each other on Veterans Parkway near Walgreen’s.
“It’s supremely located,” said City Manager Brian Muenger, noting that the sites are the last remaining quadrant along that section of interstate, which is prime property for developments like these.
To ensure that work moves at a good pace, the city invested $2.5 million in site preparation funding. The property had some challenges, requiring utilities to be relocated and other work to get it ready for construction.
The Council reasoned that the investment will yield dividends in tax revenue generation as well as being able to fulfill residents’ ‘wish list.’ “We are aggressively pursuing things people tell us they want,” Muenger said.
City leaders are confident that the growth trend will continue based on the successes of other projects locating in the city. “These brands are thriving, and they will do exactly the same here,” Muenger predicted. With names like Longhorn and Olive Garden, “more brands will look to locate here,” he said. “We’ve demonstrated success, which gives green lights for other developments.”
He has good reason to be confident. The announcement comes on the heels of the opening of Outback Steakhouse, just across the interstate near Pell City Square shopping center. Outback is expected to open in February.
The new shopping center saw over 1 million visitors over the past year. Wingstop just opened in the strip center anchored by The St. Clair, Tavern, Starbuck’s and Jersey Mike’s.
Just across the way, Whataburger opened on John Haynes Drive.
Kami Thai Sushi & Fusion has just announced that it, too, plans to make Pell City home, giving greater diversity to the restaurant scene. Its sights are set on the former Papa Murphy Pizza location near Publix.
“We’re a growing area with growing demand,” Muenger said. “It speaks to the area’s needs. I’m glad to see business succeeding here.”
Planet Fitness opened in January, and Mariott’s TownSuites hotel may be open by summer.
“There has been a lot of investment in the (interstate) corridor,” Meunger added, “and we’re happy to be able to meet the demand. We’re excited to see people enjoying it.”
He cited rising population and strong community support as factors in swinging the latest deals. Pell City is seeing sizable increases in the housing market year over year.
The newest residential development on Florida Road, Oak Village, has completed the preliminary phase of roads and infrastructure and permits for construction should follow quickly. There are over 200 lots in the development.
Sumter Landing and Dickey Drive are in the final phase of building out. Meadowbrook on Hardwick Road is nearing full build out, as has Horizons on Logan Martin Lake. The fourth phase within Morningside should be “going vertical” soon, said Muenger.
Pell City has averaged adding over 100 new residences per year, sometimes much higher, over the past five years. In 2024, Pell City saw the same level of new construction as it saw the previous year – even in a higher interest rate environment. “We’ve seen steady growth since 2018. We don’t think it will stop in the near future.”
There also are housing developments just outside the city limits that should have an impact on the area’s growth.
He noted, “There is a lot of demand for people wanting to get into the area,” and multifamily rental property is a need, too. The planning commission has just approved plans for a new set of apartments on 19th Street South. It has not gone to the council yet, but 60 units are planned in what is the first multifamily property planned since 2012.
Wingstop has opened next to The St. Clair and Jersey Mike’s
Outback is expected to open in February
Oak Village has completed preliminary site work
Just when you thought Realtors Nicole and Amanda Anderson-St. John’s schedule couldn’t get any fuller, they open a retail gift shop … at Christmas.
It follows their purchase in the Fall of The Realty Pros building at the corner of U.S. 231 South and John Haynes Drive on 12th Avenue North to operate the The Anderson Group of Lake Homes Realty. Then, they bought the property management asset of Realty Pros, and Lake Homes Property Management now manages 40 rental properties and two homeowners associations.
One would think that was plenty for one year, but these two entrepreneurs weren’t quite finished. The realty building has two floors. On the top floor is the Nicole Anderson Group, and they expanded to include South Bend Land Solutions contractor, property management and Real Source Title and Closings. It gives them the ability to offer a range of real estate and property services all under one roof.
On the bottom floor, you’ll now find their newest venture, Martin Street Mercantile, a gift shop featuring specialty gifts and apparel for the whole family. It may seem like quite a leap from their real estate business, but the two had always wanted to open a retail store. They were out of town and saw a mercantile shop, and “we fell in love with it,” Nicole said. “Something hit us, and we said we should just do it.”
They already had the space, originally planned for office rentals, but the open floor plan lent itself well to the shop. They opened just as the Christmas shopping season began. “It has been so well received,” Nicole said. “It shows there was a need.”
The mercantile is filled with all sorts of products –from locally made to national brands, from cradle to special items for men and women. Men’s gifts were really popular this Christmas, she said.
Browse around the store, and you’ll find local vendors like Goodnight Moon Candle Co. and Yae’s Yae’s Soap Shop, coffee from Red Bike, a bamboo line of linens, pajamas and slippers from Face Plant Dreams.
Especially popular have been the Capt. Rodney’s soups, dips and glazes, Mud Pie, towels and pillows.
There’s plenty for babies, teens and tweens – a little something for everyone, Nicole said, and they continue to add more lines and products. It was one of those leaps of faith that might not have worked. But judging by the response so far, Nicole said, “we did right.”
TherapySouth has expanded its presence in St. Clair County, adding a clinic in Springville at 300 Springville Station Boulevard, Suite 600. Cade Mullins serves as clinic director, and Libby Watkins is office coordinator.
Mullins earned his Doctor of Physical Therapy from Samford University. He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with a passion for impacting his patients physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
“I am thankful for the opportunity that TherapySouth offered me coming out of school,” Mullins said. “When I was in school, we had to go to four different clinicals, and one of them was with TherapySouth, and I knew from the beginning that this was the company that I wanted to work for. They offer a unique model that is different from the rest of PT companies, that is where we are owned and managed by active PTs.”
The advantage, he added, is that “any discissions made by higher ups has been in my shoes of treating patients in that clinic. They also believe that that faith guides our service to patients, and as a Christian, I believe that we are called to serve wherever God takes us. It gives me confidence that I can openly talk about my faith with patients, and our company supports that.”
TherapySouth was founded in July 2006 by Steve Foster, PT, LAT, with a vision that it would be a therapistowned practice, specializing in “hands-on care, close to a patient’s home or work”. Clinics are known for maintaining an informal atmosphere that helps patients feel comfortable in the surroundings and in their therapy.
“I am excited to serve the community of Springville with a great company whose core values align with mine,” Mullins said. “We treat a wide variety of injuries and impairments here. If anyone is interested in knowing more about us, they can call, or even drop by and talk in person.”
What if, instead of making lofty New Year’s resolutions, we all agreed to simply try a little harder to be a little better than we were the year before?
To be kinder – not just when it’s easy, but when it’s hard and inconvenient. To be more honest, even when it’s uncomfortable, and to forgive more readily, knowing we’ve all fallen short at some point.
What if we gave a little more – of our money, our time and our patience? What if we extended a little more grace to the people who need it most, including ourselves?
What if instead of looking too long at what’s behind us or constantly chasing what’s next, we took more time to appreciate what’s here now?
What if we loved a little better the people we often take for granted? The people who stand beside us and see us clearly – flaws and all – and choose to love and support us, not just for who we will be ... but for who we already are today.
What if we try a little harder to find joy in the present moment – and keep our feet firmly planted in appreciation for the beautiful gift of life right now?
- Mackenzie FreeWife, mother, photographer & current resident of
the unassumingly magical town of Steele, Alabama
