Walker Magazine | Fall 2018

A Publication of the Daily Mountain Eagle

volume 7 • issue 1 • fall 2018

FREE

What's Inside

+ Lasting Impact + Old Time Gospel Barn + Legacy Under The Lights + More!

CHAMBER CHECKS ARE HERE! 204 19th St. E, Suite 101, Jasper, AL

TOP TEN REASONS TO BUY LOCALLY 1) Keep Money In The Community 2) Embrace What Makes Us Different 3) Get Better Service

205-384-4571 • www.walkerchamber.us

DID YOU KNOW...

6) Help Out The Environment 7) Invest In The Community 8) Put Your Taxes To Good Use 9) Quality Of Life 10) Believe In Walker County

Here’s How It Works To Give Chamber Checks:

CHAMBER CHECKS HELP SUPPORT OUR LOCAL ECONOMY BY ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO BUY LOCAL.

4) Buy What You Want 5) Create More Good Jobs

ANYONE CAN GIVE CHAMBER CHECKS

CHAMBER CHECKS ARE AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY AT THE WALKER COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE. THEY MAKE GREAT GIFTS

1. Each Chamber Check comes in ten and twenty-dollar increments.

Companies or individuals can send or bring a check for the total amount desired, along with a list of recipient’s names to the Chamber office.

2. The Chamber will print the individual checks, which will include the recipient’s name, the dollar amount, and your company/ individual name.

3. The Chamber will also provide an information brochure to give to your recipient, explaining how the program works and where they can redeem their Chamber Checks.

FOR EMPLOYEES, TEACHERS, COACHES, BIRTHDAYS, WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARIES AND MORE!

Because Chamber Checks can be used for goods and services provided by Chamber members, your recipients are able to spend the dollars however they want or need.

The Chamber of Commerce of Walker County has a unique program designed to encourage people to shop at home and pump money back into our local economy! Chamber Checks are available for purchase needs, whether it’s Christmas, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, or any other special occasion.

Chamber Checks are gift checks that may be used at any business that is a member of the Chamber of Commerce of Walker County. This gives recipients around 200 choices of where to spend their chamber checks, and fellow Chamber members will also benefit!

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VOLUM E 7 • I S S U E 1 • FAL L 2 018

FromTheStaff...

For the fall issue of Walker Magazine, our staff tackled the most ambitious project in our six-year history. Our goal was to find out more about the men whose names are attached to high school football stadiums throughout the county.

Like many of our readers, most of our staff are graduates of the local school systems. We were familiar with the names but not the stories. Working on this project gave us a greater understanding of not only the contributions that these men made but also of our communities. When community members chose to place the names of these men above all others, they were implicitly telling future generations which qualities they value — excellence, integrity, discipline, service.

These men lived in different eras and served in different capacities. Some were successful coaches.

Some were longtime principals. Some were donors.

All made their mark on the school and surrounding community in some unique way.

Time has a way of stealing stories and even the correct spelling of names in the case of Theo Kerby, the first principal of Cordova High School. We hope that this project, which we have called “Legacies Under the Lights,” will help preserve the stories of these men and the communities they loved for current and future generations.

Also in this issue, we tell the story of the Gospel Barn, where Southern Gospel groups and fans come one Saturday night each month from January through October. The Gospel Barn’s ministry through song was so important to property owner James Parr that he wanted written confirmation that the free concerts would continue as he battled cancer.

We also have a story on summer travels from Oakman High teacher Jeremy Brown and Jasper native Julianna Hallman. Brown traveled to Rwanda to study the Rwandan genocide while Hallman served in an orphanage in Haiti.

We welcome feedback and suggestions. You can contact us at walkermagazine@mountaineagle. com or 205-221-2840.

M A GA Z I N E Established October 2012

PUBLISHER James Phillips EDITOR Jennifer Cohron ART DIRECTOR Malarie Brakefield CONTRIBUTORS Johnathan Bentley, Scott Eric Day Photography, Elane Jones Ron Harris, Ed Howell, Nicole Smith, Rick Watson ADVERTISING Jake Aaron, Brenda Anthony, Zach Baker, Renee Holly, Christy Hyche, Liz Steffan BUSINESS MANAGER Charlette Caterson DISTRIBUTION Michael Keeton Walker Magazine is a publication of and distributed seasonally by the Daily Mountain Eagle, a division of Cleveland Newspapers, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored for retrieval by any means without written consent from the publisher. Walker Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited materials and the publisher accepts no responsibility for the contents or accuracy of claims in any advertisement in any issue. Walker Magazine is not responsible for errors, omissions or changes in information.

The opinions of contributing writers do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the magazine and its publisher.

Our mission is to promote Walker County and to showcase its many attributes as a quality place in which to live, to work and to play. We welcome ideas and suggestions for future editions of the magazine. Just send us a brief note via email.

Jennifer Cohron, Editor

OnTheCover

Mountain Eagle of the Daily

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© 2018 Daily Mountain Eagle WALKER MAGAZINE P.O. Box 1469 Jasper, AL 35502 (205) 221-2840 email: walkermagazine@mountaineagle.com

de What's Insi Gospel Barn ct + Old Time

+ Lasting Impa

+ Legacy Unde

+ More! r The Lights

Call: (205) 221-2840 Email: editor@mountaineagle.com

::: FOLLOW the Daily Mountain Eagle and Walker Magazine on Facebook for the latest community news!

::: SUBMIT AN IDEA We are always eager to receive suggestions from our readers. Please email your ideas to walkermagazine@ mountaineagle.com.

::: ADVERTISE For any information needed on how to promote your products and services, call (205) 221-2840 or send an email to advertising@ mountaineagle.com.

GetHooked!

The cover of this issue is a compilation dedicated to the local high school football stadiums and the men for whom they are named.

2018 issue 1 • fall volume 7 • n A Publicatio

::: SUBSCRIBE to Walker Magazine! If you’re an out-of-towner, get a year of great stories right at your doorstep.

Find this story on page 24.

For your entertainment we have placed this fishing hook (actual size) within the pages of Walker Magazine. This will be a permanent feature for our readers. We hope you enjoy searching for the fishing hook in each issue.

HAPP Y HUNTING!

Thank You To All Of The Sponsors, Vendors, Staff and Attendees For Making This Year’s Foothills Festival A Success!

ROBERT RANDOLPH & THE FAMILY BAND

H TAYLOR

ICK S

THE STEELDRIVERS

PAUL TH O

RN

FoothillsJasper.com

THE CITY OF JASPER PRESENTS THE COCA-COLA 2018 FOOTHILLS FESTIVAL INVESTORS: Honda of Jasper • Hyundai of Jasper • Pinnacle Bank • Tallulah Brewing Co. PREMIER SPONSORS: Jasper Orthodontics • Carl Cannon Chevrolet, Buick, GMC, Cadillac • WJLX 101.5 Jasper Ford, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep • Byars-Wright Insurance • Daily Mountain Eagle SPONSORS: Designs On You • Synovus • Aaron’s • Desperation Church • Lavish Boutique Bank of Walker County • 5 Loaves Catering SUPPORTING SPONSORS: Alabama Power • The Chamber of Commerce of Walker County • TriGreen of Jasper ALFA Insurance • Jasper Main Street • Joseph Carter Realty • Bare Bones Cargo • Metal Central • Jasper Auto Sales The Eye Center of Alabama • The Cigar Box • Milo’s • Saturday Down South • Byars Realty Los Reyes Mexican Grill • Guin Holiday Inn • Milo’s • HTNA FRIENDS: Bevill State Community College • Reed Energy • Walker College Foundation West Alabama Bank • Warehouse 319 • Rock ‘N Roll Sushi • Johnny Brusco’s

Mayor David O’Mary District 1 Sonny Posey Inc. 1887

District 2 Danny Gambrell

District 3 Gary Cowen

District 4 Jennifer W. Smith

District 5 Willie Moore, III

(205) 221-2100 | 400 19th St. W, Jasper, AL 35501 | www.jaspercity.com FALL 2018

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What’sInside 08 | From The Vault Veterans Day Parade, 1984 & 1990

8

10 | Lasting Impact Two people from Walker County traveled overseas during the summer 18 | Old Time Gospel Barn A Joyful Noise

18

24 | Legacies Under The Lights A look at the history of the area football fields and the men for whom they are named 44 | Community Calendar What’s going on in the county 46 | Snapshots Past events in Walker County 50 | We Are Walker County Linda Smith

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24 6 / WALKER MAGAZINE

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From The

Veterans Day Parade, 1984 & 1990 Compiled by Jennifer Cohron Photos courtesy of the Daily Mountain Eagle

For years, Jasper hosted the second largest Veterans Day parade in the state behind Birmingham. In 1984, the parade honored World War I veterans and Gold Star mothers. A highlight of the day was a parachute jump from 10,000 feet conducted by members of the U.S. Army Silver Wings Parachute Team from Fort Benning, Georgia. In 1990, the looming war in the Persian Gulf cast a shadow over observances. Over

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230,000 U.S. troops were stationed in Saudi Arabia at the time.

Curry Elementary School’s “Little People” sang patriotic songs during the event. Major Gen. Charles A. Hines, commander general of the U.S. Army Chemical and Military Police Centers at Fort McClellan, was the guest speaker. While in town, he stopped by the house of 100-year-old World War I veteran Glenn Kidd and made him an honorary member of the MPs.

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with Rolando - 2018

Home visit.

3 < ! i Hait

Rwa nd a

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Lasting Rwa n

IMPACT

da

with Rol ando - 2012 Text by NICOLE SMITH Photos submitted by JEREMY BROWN and JULIANNA HALLMAN

O

akman

High School

history teacher Jeremy

Brown traveled to Rwanda in August to study the Rwandan genocide. He says the experience was a spiritual journey he is still trying to process.

The Rwandan genocide resulted in one ethnic group, the Hutus, killing another, the Tutsi. At least 800,000 Tutsis were brutally slaughtered in 1994 during a 100-day period.

The ethnic classifications occurred after Belgians assumed control of Rwanda.

“In 1994, the Rwandan president’s plane was shot down, and the Hutus decided that the Tutsi were trying to take too much power,” Brown explained. “So the Hutu put their own people in government, and they started a genocide.”

Over two decades later, Brown said it is evident how fresh trauma

Two people from Walker County traveled overseas during the summer — one over 7,000 miles to Kigali, Rwanda, and the other roughly 1,400 miles to Port-au-Prince, Haiti. They say the lessons learned in each region are life-changing, yet heartbreaking, and they’ve both found solace in the strength of youth they met in each region.

from the genocide still is among Rwandans.

“People there are still dealing with their own issues about it. One of the gentleman I talked to witnessed his family being murdered,” he said.

Brown’s trip to study the genocide was made possible by a grant from Fund for Teachers, and he toured Rwanda with other educators and students.

During Brown’s visit to Rwanda, he spent time with an American man named Carl Wilkens, who has lived in Rwanda for many years with his family. Wilkens was one of the only Americans to stay in Rwanda when genocide began.

“He stayed to initially protect some folks that he knew, but then he ended up helping to save 450 people in an orphanage and some other people,” Brown said.

One of the most eye-opening

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experiences of his trip was a visit to the Teige Camp, a prison for men who slaughtered people during the genocide.

“All of these men have committed genocide, and they’re in a camp that has no walls, has no guns.

And you ask them, ‘Why don’t you just leave?’ They say, ‘We understand our sins,’” he said. “Some of them shared their stories about when they went to kill people.”

Just as moving and shocking was a visit to a church where Brown said hundreds of bodies were on display that had been somewhat preserved from the method in which they were originally buried.

“When I walked down in this crypt, over my head 12 feet were wooden coffins — floor to ceiling — with bones,” he said.

Despite the still chilling postgenocide environment, Brown did

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Brown and his tour group visiting a school in Rwanda.

have some lighthearted moments during his trip, especially during his visit to an area educational organization, MindLeaps. He said even though many Rwandan children live in completely different conditions than American children, there are still many similarities.

“Their kids are like our kids — same thoughts, same wants, same needs,” he said. “They’re very industrious. They didn’t have anything, but they made stuff.”

Brown said there were many mind-boggling realizations during his trip, including him bearing witness to victims and perpetrators of the genocide now working together.

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Even more thought-provoking was when Brown saw children playing near an area where people were buried during the genocide.

Brown is no stranger to travel.

He has made many trips overseas, especially for his studies of the Holocaust. One of the reasons he enjoys traveling is to learn history firsthand and share his experiences with his students at Oakman High.

“I want them to learn about other people. That’s one of the things that bothers me. Most kids in Walker County don’t get the opportunity to travel outside of where they live,” he said. “So they never get to meet other people and make connections

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with other people. They’re trapped in their own bubble.”

He’s hoping to travel back to Rwanda and take his wife and daughters along on the journey, and he says he would like to help teach Rwandan children.

“It’s expensive, but I want to do it. I want to figure out a way to go back and work with some of these people,” Brown said. “I’ve learned so much from the people there that I want to give back.”

He added, “You start meeting people, and everything starts transforming and changing. It was an interesting journey, and it was a very spiritual journey.” •

“It is hard to imagine that in such a beautiful place the world collapsed around itself.”

- Jeremy Brown Two boys in Rwanda reading the Bible in the Kinyarwanda language.

J

asper native Julianna Hallman says helping orphan children during her trips to Haiti has changed her life.

Since 2012, Hallman has gone on nearly 10 mission trips to Port-auPrince, Haiti, with Jasper-founded nonprofit Life is Hope, and her most recent trip over the summer was one of the most heartwarming yet, she said.

At first, however, she was firmly against traveling to the country.

Hallman’s older sister, Hilliary, initially traveled to Haiti during a mission trip with Jasper First United Methodist Church in June 2012.

Hilliary came back and encouraged her younger sister to go on the next

A guide in Akagera National Forest on safari, giving Brown a tour.

trip. Hallman insisted that Haiti was not where she was supposed to go.

Instead, Hallman’s father planned to go with Hilliary.

“My dad called me in November of 2012 and said, ‘I signed up to go to Haiti, and I don’t think that the Lord is calling me to go, but I have a feeling he is calling you,’” Hallman said.

Her father’s insistence paid off, and she decided to make the trip.

Little did she know, the journey would change the course of her life.

Prior to Life is Hope being established, Hallman’s initial mission trip was to simply help care for orphans in Haiti.

“I fell in love with the kids,” Hallman said tearfully. “There were

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around 100 kids to a three-bedroom house, and they were sleeping on piles of dirty clothes that had insects and rodents crawling through the piles. They were not eating, and they were drinking dirty water.”

She continued, “A lot of the kids were sick, many malnourished, and after seeing their conditions, I felt ignorant to the fact that I didn’t know things like this were happening in the world. After my first day in Haiti, I knew that trip wasn’t going to be my last.”

As fate would have it, when Hallman returned to Alabama and continued her studies at Samford University, she had the opportunity to study the Haitian Creole language.

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Hallman with a group of Haitian boys.

She also lived in Haiti the summer before her senior year at Samford.

Life is Hope was founded by Jasper residents Richard and Michele Lopez in 2013 and has transformed into an organization that helps operate three orphanages and two schools in the Port-au-Prince area. Life is Hope is in the process of raising funds to build and furnish classrooms for the largest school Life is Hope operates.

A number of churches sponsor Life is Hope, including Saragossa Nazarene, Jasper First United Methodist Church, Wade Baptist in south Alabama and Redwood Baptist

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in Slaughter, Louisiana. The nonprofit also has a few corporate sponsors in Jasper — Dabbs and Hyland Pediatrics, Quality Vinyl Inc. and Millwork Supply.

“It’s a beautiful thing to see the growth that has happened in Haiti and in the lives of our kids through Life is Hope,” Hallman said.

Her mission trip to Haiti in August was the first time she had been to Haiti in a few years, and she had the opportunity to see how some of the children had grown since her last visit.

“I call all the kids we sponsor ‘my kids’, but the first little boy who

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stole my heart is Rolando. When I first met him in 2012, he was tiny. I left in 2015 being able to pick him up and carry him,” Hallman said. “When I saw him in August, for the first time in three years (now 13 years old), he was almost as tall as me, and I definitely can’t pick him up now. His growth truly shows what food, care and lots of love can do for a child. Now he’s in an orphanage of eight, fully dependent on Life is Hope, and he’s being loved dearly every day.”

Hallman continued, “Every day since I stepped foot in the first orphanage I ever visited, I have prayed

“I felt ignorant to the fact that I didn’t know things like this were happening in the world.”

- Julianna Hallman

Hallman says goodbyes are always tough when her mission trips end in Haiti.

Jeremiah 29:11 over my kids. I can see those prayers being answered through many of my kids, but mainly Rolando.

He has hope and a future because Life is Hope is able to provide that for him.”

Hallman says the primary purpose of her mission trip in August was to assist as the children’s medical files were updated with their new height, weight and sizes for clothes and shoes.

She also played games with the children and worked with others on the mission trip to share Biblical lessons with the kids.

A large part of the Life is Hope mission is to provide education for

children at the orphanages. Hallman said the children there absolutely love going to school.

“Every time we would ride by the school, our kids would point and tell us to look at it, with smiles on their faces.

I look at kids in America — and I was one of them — how we hated to go to school,” she said. “For most of us, I feel like we look at school not being a fun thing to do. We take our education for granted. There are children across the world that don’t have that privilege, and children would do anything to be educated, but don’t have the funds to go to school.”

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She continued, “It puts a smile on my face to see our kids’ faces light up every time they get their school supplies and every time we ride by their favorite place to go, school.”

Hallman said it is her goal to travel back to Haiti and help continue the Life is Hope mission.

Hallman currently serves as the manager of local store marketing for Milo’s Hamburgers corporate office, headquartered in Homewood, where she represents the chain’s restaurants across the state of Alabama; however, she recently accepted a marketing job with Jack’s Family Restaurants. •

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A

JOYFUL NOISE

N

estled midway between the Dora and Sumiton city limits is a hidden treasure.

To find it one has to turn off Sellers Road into the drive of a quiet community and continue until the asphalt ends. With tires crunching on the gravel drive, you wind through a pasture with a small lake and on to the Gospel Barn. On the second Saturday night from January through October visitors can hear the rafters ring with free Southern Gospel music concerts.

James Parr, who was a successful Sumiton businessman and lover of Southern Gospel music, owned the property. He and his wife, Joyce, built the metal barn to store their farm equipment.

Back in 2004, Bob Uptain of Sumiton, who was promoting gospel music with his Local Gospel Singing Ministries, asked Parr about having a free gospel singing on the property. Parr liked the idea.

Parr and Uptain realized that there were people who love Southern Gospel singing that wouldn’t set foot in a church. The Gospel Barn was a perfect venue to reach those people. The idea became a reality later that year.

Mike Grissom, who is now co-manager of the Gospel Barn Quartet, described that first event. “There was no air conditioning, heating or restrooms in the building at that time,” Grissom said. Fourteen people

Text by RICK WATSON Photography by SCOTT ERIC DAY PHOTOGRAPHY

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Above: The Gospel Barn Quartet entertains fans at the Gospel Barn in Dora on the second Saturday in August. At left: The Unity Four of Mississippi share a lighthearted moment. Opposite page: Gospel Barn manager, Mike Grissom is standing by a picture of James and Joyce Parr who were instrumental in making the Gospel Barn a reality by providing the property for the venue.

showed up for that first singing. Since 2004, the crowd has steadily grown each month.

The Barn now has heating, air conditioning, restrooms and a concession area. “We have volunteers that show up on singing night to work in the cafeteria,” Grissom said.

On a typical Saturday night, the groups arrive and start setting up the equipment after 4 p.m. GBQ member Karen Andrews, along with her husband Don, their friend Mary Lois Capps and others, show up to help with concession going.

“They start making world-famous Barn Dogs,” Grissom said.

“We have some ladies that come and bring cakes for the concession stand too.” It’s not uncommon in the winter months to smell chili or vegetable soup in the crockpot, according to Grissom.

The proceeds from the concession-stand sales pay the power bill and keep all the equipment in working order.

The regulars will show up around 5 p.m. “It’s almost like church. They want to sit in their regular seats,” Grissom said.

“A lot of times, it’s the same people who come every

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month,” Capps said. “Some people can’t really afford to go out and have as much fun as they do at the Gospel Barn,” she said.

The Gospel Barn is a place where anyone can come and enjoy good gospel music, according to Capps.

“I’ve done everything from cleaning the barn, and cooking the hotdogs, to singing in the Gospel Barn Quartet,” said Andrews.

“Helen Clemmons sits in that green chair over there. One rainy Saturday, she and some of her friends wanted to come to the singing, but the moonroof on her car would not close,” Grissom said. “The ladies rode down here with an umbrella sticking out of their moonroof.” That’s true dedication, according to Grissom.

Each month the show begins with announcements just before 6 p.m., followed by a prayer. Then the GBQ takes the stage. They’ll sing for about 40 minutes and take a short intermission. They’ll take up a love offering, and this money pays the singing groups.

After intermission, the guest group takes the stage. They’ve

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Photo by Rick Watson

had guest groups from Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. This year they had a group from Georgia.

Keeping the property up is expensive. The power bill, keeping the road in good shape and keeping the building comfortable takes money.

The GB does not make a profit; it takes all the money they can generate from the sale of food and donations to keep the doors open.

The Gospel Barn seats about 250 people. Grissom wanted to buy church pews one time so they could seat more people, but Uptain wanted to stay away from that to keep the homey feel of the setting. From January to October, the Gospel Barn averages more than 160 guests at the singing, but there are nights when there is standing room only.

Several years ago, Parr learned he had cancer. There were six people who had helped make the Gospel Barn a reality.

Before he died, Parr had the six sign an agreement that they would continue the Gospel Barn tradition of free gospel singing on the second Saturday of each month. It was important to Parr

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to reach people through the Gospel Barn ministry.

Grissom and his team get the word out about the Gospel Barn through Yvonne Watts’ Old Time Gospel show on cable.

Mickey Bell advertises the barn on WXJC Gospel Caravan on 92.5. Ron Foster from WZZK 104.7 gives them a shout out each month as well.

“We have a bluegrass gospel night on the 4th Saturday night in June each year,” Grissom said. In 2019, the Gospel Barn will have a 5th Saturday night singing featuring Eagle’s Wings and another bluegrass gospel group.

Some groups come back time and again because the crowd loves them. The barn reaches out to two or three new groups every year to keep things fresh.

The bylaws of the barn do not allow solo or duet groups so they go with groups of three or more gospel artists.

Anyone who would like to follow updates from the Gospel Barn should join the Gospel Barn Quartet public group on Facebook. New visitors to the Gospel Barn should follow the signs on Sellers Road. •

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Legacies Under The

LIGHTS Each Friday night in the fall, high school football fans see the names engraved in iron stadium gates or painted on scoreboards, but they often don’t know the stories of the men themselves. Some made their mark in sports.

Others dedicated their lives to education.

All contributed something so valuable to the community in the era in which they lived that they were rewarded by having their local stadium named for them. The decision was surely meant to memorialize them so that future generations would never forget the sacrifices they made for school, team and community. Though a few are still here to tell their stories, most are not. To today’s students, some of them have been relegated to a name on a stadium. In the following pages, we seek to share a more complete portrait and preserve their legacies.

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Hudson-Kerby Stadium CORD OVA HIG H S CHOOL

Wilburn Hudson

In the history of Cordova High School, no principal was more beloved by more students than Wilburn Hudson.

The Farmstead native served as principal of CHS from 1950 to 1979.

Before accepting the position at Cordova, Hudson was principal at Owen School, Union Chapel School, Sumiton School and Brown School.

Following his death in April 1994, Hudson’s former students remembered him as a firm but fair educator.

“The school was a war zone when Mr. Hudson got there,” Buddy Thorne, who was on the football team when Hudson became principal in 1950, told the Daily Mountain Eagle in 1994. “The students were totally in control of the school. He wasn’t there a week before he made a difference. He wasn’t afraid to challenge the biggest football players, and when he took care of them, it wasn’t long before everyone else fell in line.”

Thorne added, “I don’t think anyone in Walker County has contributed to youth in this area more than Wilburn Hudson has.”

Maury Fowler, who was superintendent of the Walker County School System at the time of Hudson’s death, was a teacher under Hudson for five years. Fowler told the Eagle in 1994 that Hudson had been an inspiration.

“When I became principal, a lot of things Mr. Hudson did, Maury Fowler

did. He loved children, and he believed in people reaching their full capabilities,” Fowler said.

Marie Akins, a student at CHS in the 1950s, said Hudson was beloved for his compassion and understanding.

“I believe he wanted to help everybody. I never knew anybody to ever say a cross word about him during all my life. He was an outstanding man,” Akins told the Eagle in 1994.

After graduating from Walker County High School, Hudson earned degrees from Trevecca Nazarene University, Jacksonville State University, Auburn University and the University of Alabama.

During World War II, Hudson served in the U.S. Army in the Pacific Theatre. Two of his brothers also served, and all made it home safely.

His daughter, Janis Hudson, said her father was a supporter of Blue Devil athletics and attended all of the team’s games.

“At the Dora game, he would stand up and survey the crowd and say, ‘Well, we can run the program for another year,’” she said.

The home field of the Cordova Blue Devils was named in his honor in the mid-1970s shortly before his retirement.

Hudson-Kirby Field is also named for Theo Lynch Kerby, the first principal of Cordova High. (An incorrect spelling has long been used for the stadium.)

Kerby also served as principal of Bankhead High School, which had its largest and final graduating class in May 1940 with 55 members.

At the time, the team’s football team was known as the Bankhead Senators.

During the 1941 season, the team’s name was changed to the Blue Devils following the opening of a new Cordova High School. The Devils claimed the Walker County championship in that first season with wins over Walker, Dora, Parrish, Curry, West Jefferson and Berry.

Kerby died June 8, 1942, in

Cordova at the age of 40 while serving as principal of CHS. He had been teaching in Walker County for 15 years and had been at Cordova for five years.

Prior to his death, Kerby had been in a Birmingham hospital for two weeks. He was survived by a wife and four children.

The first CHS yearbook, published in 1943, was dedicated in memory of Kerby, “who gave unselfishly of himself for five years to the building of good character in the young people of our town. ... Mere words are weak devices for expressing our deep appreciation for Mr. Kerby’s unstinted application of his energy to his labor of love for us, but the seeds of his efforts have fallen upon the receptive minds, hearts and principles of us, his students; and we highly resolve that his work shall not have been in vain.”

The Cordova Blue Devils were the Class 3A state champions in 1995 and 2007.

Text by JENNIFER COHRON | Aerial Photograph by MALARIE BRAKEFIELD | Yearbook photographs (1977) submitted by CORDOVA HIGH SCHOOL

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Aerial of the Cordova High School campus, 1953

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Hudson-O’Rear Stadium C U R RY HIG H S CHOOL

1960

Travis Hudson Sr. never did anything half-heartedly.

While attending Curry High School, he was the quarterback for the football team, point guard for the basketball team and split time at shortstop and second base on the baseball team.

During World War II, he served in the European/Mideast Campaign from 1943 to 1946. Hudson spent 27 years in the military — five in the U.S. Army, three in the National Guard Reserves and 19 in the Army Reserves. He was involved in military intelligence dispatching and reached the rank of major before retiring.

For his service, he was awarded the Soldiers Medal, Purple Heart, Victory Medal, Bronze Star for Heroism and Korean War Service Medal.

From 1953 to 1964, Hudson coached basketball, football and baseball at his alma mater.

He coached the first undefeated team at Curry High School in 1964.

He also coached five teams that went

to the state basketball tournament.

In 1963, he was selected as coach for the 1963 North Alabama High School All-Star football game.

He served as the pro golf instructor at Musgrove Country Club from 1964 to 1991.

In 1999, the inaugural Travis Hudson Invitational Golf Tournament was held at Musgrove to benefit the American Heart Association. Hudson, who had received a heart transplant 10 years prior, played in the tournament with sons Tab, Steve and Philip.

Hudson played in the first two United States Senior Opens with a top 20 finish in the inaugural event.

He was also a 26-year member of the Dixie Section of the PGA, where he was honored once as Pro of the Year. He also won Dixie Section Sr. division numerous times.

Hudson dedicated much of his time and energy to helping local youth. He hosted an annual golf clinic at the Curry Driving Range for underprivileged children and assisted in providing from one to five scholarships for high school students to the University of Alabama or Auburn University for 27 years.

When questioned about what kind of advice he would give to young, inspiring golfers in 2002, Hudson said, “Just play to enjoy the

1987

game. No one has ever mastered the game before, not even Tiger Woods, so just play to enjoy it. You have to remember, though, that with God, nothing is impossible, without God, nothing is worthwhile.”

Upon his death in 2004 at age 80, the young men he had mentored were among the many who mourned.

“With Coach Hudson, it is hard to come up with anything to say that does not seem inadequate. He was so special to everyone he met, but especially the young men he took under his wing and taught the game of golf, as well as the game of life,” Jasper resident Todd Lee told the Daily Mountain Eagle. “He was a father figure to us always; a baby sitter at times; and when I grew up, he became a friend. I will always cherish that.”

In 2015, Hudson was among the inaugural class of inductees to the Walker County Hall of Fame.

Curry’s football stadium is named for Hudson and Dr. Delane O’Rear, a local physician who funded a new field house for the team in 1979.

1960

Text by JENNIFER COHRON | Aerial Photograph by MALARIE BRAKEFIELD | Yearbook photographs submitted by CURRY HIGH SCHOOL

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Delane O’Rear, 1977

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Hudson-O’Rear Stadium, 2018

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G.W. Keith Stadium CARBON HILL HIG H S CHOOL

G.W. Keith, 1984

When the Carbon Hill Bulldogs moved to a new stadium in 2006, G.W. Keith went with them.

The old stadium was named for Keith, a beloved local physician, shortly before his death in May 1984.

A new school and stadium were built after the town was dealt a double blow in 2002 — Carbon Hill High School burned in June and Carbon Hill Elementary and Junior High School was lost to a tornado in November.

In October 2004, Walker County Board of Education members approved a resolution maintaining the name of G.W. Keith Stadium. The resolution recognized the “numerous acts of kindness to the Carbon Hill schools and the positive influence Dr. Keith had on the kids of Carbon Hill.”

Dr. Gaines W. Keith was born in Knoxville, Tennessee.

He graduated from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville and University of Tennessee College of Medicine in Memphis.

Keith’s great-nephew, Billy Strickland, said Keith was a supporter of the Volunteers throughout his life and helped several students from Carbon Hill get scholarships to the university.

During World War II, Keith was stationed in the European Theater, where he served as a U.S. Army doctor.

He came to Carbon Hill in 1946 and practiced until he was hospitalized three

weeks before his death.

Like other rural doctors of his time, Keith often accepted payment in livestock when his patients could not afford to pay.

In addition to his medical practice, Keith served as chairman of the Carbon Hill Board of Education when the town had its own school system and also worked as the team doctor, providing free physical examinations for all athletes.

His wife, Ann, taught home economics at the high school for 32 years.

Keith was also on the board of trustees of Walker Regional Medical Center, served on the board of Carbon Hill United Methodist Church and was a director of Security Federal Savings and Loan Association.

Keith died in May 1984 at the age of 69.

“He had a rare muscular disorder.

Even though he was sick and could hardly walk, he still saw patients there in Carbon Hill up to the end,” Strickland said.

Above: Dr. Keith with wife, Ann, in the early 1970s

G.W. Keith Stadium (current location), 2018 Text by JENNIFER COHRON | Aerial Photograph by MALARIE BRAKEFIELD | Yearbook photographs submitted by DONNA BRAKEFIELD

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The original G.W. Keith Stadium, 2005 (Photo submitted by Richard Barnes)

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Horace Roberts Field D O R A HIG H S CHOOL

Dora High School’s first football team took the field in 1925. During the Great Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps went to work around Dora building bridges, libraries, schools and football fields.

Dora’s first football stadium was Watkins Field. The old stone entryway to the football field is still standing.

That field was named after Sam J. Watkins, who was the mayor during the early 1930s and helped raise money for the school.

As the population began to grow, the need for new schools became necessary. The Walker County Board of Education began work on a new facility near the 78 Highway. Crews completed construction in 1969. The seniors who started to the “new” high school graduated in May 1970.

The 1970 Dora High School yearbook had a message of thanks to those who helped make the new school a reality. One of the people that received a word of gratitude was Horace Roberts. He was a member of the Walker County School Board serving the Dora area and worked tirelessly to make the new school

Horace Roberts

become a reality.

The Dora Bulldog football stadium is named Horace Roberts Field.

Roberts was an icon in the Dora community. He owned a small store down below Dora. “If somebody was having a hard time and came in needing food, they left with food,” Gene Gravlee said. According to Gravlee, there was a forest fire that broke out below Dora, and several homes were threatened by the blaze. Roberts took his tractor and rode into the fire plowing firebreaks to save homes.

Roberts was also a baseball pitcher. Back in the 1950s, all the towns in the area had semiprofessional baseball teams. “People spent almost every Sunday afternoon at a baseball field watching these guys play,” Gravlee said.

Through the years, Roberts was also a supporter of Dora High School baseball and football teams.

No one remembers who made the decision to name the stadium Horace Roberts Field, but most agree that it was the right choice.

Dora has had two players that made it to the National Football League. David Campbell graduated from Dora in 1966 and went on to play at Auburn. He earned All-SEC, and All-American honors his last two years on the Plains. He went to the Miami Dolphins and later to the Saints but never got to play because of injuries.

Chavis Williams played both tight end and defensive end during his time playing for the Bulldogs. He earned a scholarship to The University of Alabama, where he played defensive end from 2007 to 2010. He later signed with the Baltimore Ravens.

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1979 1989

1989

1981 Marching Band Text by RICK WATSON | Aerial Photograph by JAKE AARON Yearbook photographs submitted by RICK WATSON and the WALKER AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

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The first Dora football team, 1925

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H.D. Collins Field OAKMAN HIG H S CHOOL

H.D. Collins, 1989

H.D. Collins Field at Oakman High School was named after one of the school’s most influential coaches, Hosea Dean Collins III, in early November 2007.

Collins was Oakman’s head football coach from 1962 to 1968 and from 1982 to 1989. One of his career highlights came in 1989 when Collins coached the Wildcats to their first undefeated regular season in 50 years.

The team was named Class A Area 11 champions.

Coach Collins was born in Fayette County on Nov. 4, 1933, and the Walker County Sports Hall of Fame records indicate he took his first coaching job in 1959 as assistant football coach and head B-Team basketball coach at Carbon Hill High School.

He never stayed in one coaching

position for too long, and he coached football during two separate periods at Oakman and Carbon Hill during his career. Collins was also a head football coach at Palmetto High School in Pickens County and later at Fayette County High School.

Collins had a 27-season coaching career at Oakman and, in the ‘80s, coached alongside one of his former players, Sammy McGee. In the Dec. 11, 1989, edition of the Daily Mountain Eagle, McGee said, “Coach Collins is the main reason I went into coaching. I left the head coaching job at Parrish and became an assistant at Oakman. I wouldn’t have left to go to a small school unless it was for Hosea.”

Former Oakman High Principal Randy Woods even played for the Oakman Wildcats under Collins.

“He gets a lot out of the kids that the other people can’t,” Woods told the Daily Mountain Eagle in 1989.

Collins led Oakman’s football team to their first year in the playoffs in 1984, where they made it to the state quarterfinals.

At the conclusion of the undefeated 1989 season, Collins decided to retire from coaching at Oakman with a 172-101-5 career record, according to the Dec. 11, 1989, edition of the Daily Mountain Eagle.

“I decided at the end of last season that this year would be my last,”

Collins said in the Eagle article. “You can only stay at a place so long before a change is due.”

His retirement didn’t last long, however, and he took a head coaching job in Georgia for a few years before eventually retiring.

Collins also coached basketball at Oakman and led the boy’s basketball team to win the Wal-Win Championship in 1962.

Outside of coaching, Collins once served as an adult education coordinator for Fayette, Lamar, Winston and Marion counties for three years.

On Nov. 16, 2007, Collins passed away in Nauvoo, just a few days after Oakman’s football field was dedicated in his name.

In his decades-long career, Collins was often named ‘coach of the year’ by the Daily Mountain Eagle. In 1969, he was chosen as the West Alabama Conference Coach of the Year and received the honor again in 1977 when he was head football coach at Fayette County High School. That same year, the Tuscaloosa News named him coach of the year.

Coach Collins’ legacy lives on with Oakman students and fans seeing his name on the scoreboard of each home football game.

Prior to being named H.D. Collins Field, Oakman High’s stadium was simply named Wildcat Field.

Text and Photography by NICOLE SMITH | Yearbook photographs (1970 –71, 1977, 1988 –90) submitted by OAKMAN HIGH SCHOOL | DME photos, 1989 edition

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Ki-Ro Gambrell Field J A S P ER HIG H S CHOOL

In the more than 90 years since the opening of Ki-Ro Field, there’s been countless numbers of football games and other activities held on the football field — home for many years to the Walker County High School Vikings, later simply Walker High School Vikings and now Jasper Vikings.

The field — named for both the Kiwanis Club and Rotary Club, hence Ki-Ro —opened in 1925 after being completed in late 1924.

The inaugural game at the field saw the Walker Vikings and head coach Harry Erwin play host to powerhouse Parrish — a game Walker won after holding the vaunted Parrish offense scoreless.

Prior to the opening of Ki-Ro Field, Walker played its games at Cranford Fairgrounds, which was used as the school’s football field during the early years of the school. The field was named in honor of Capt. Jack Cranford, a local businessman and former mayor of the city. In those first few years — and up until 1936 — all football games were played as day games because there were no lights available. The first night game was

D. Joe Gambrell, 1965

played in 1936 at Ki-Ro Field when Walker defeated Winfield 40-12 to christen the new electrically lighted field.

Leap forward many years — 64 to be exact — and the field’s name changed to Ki-Ro Gambrell Field, which paid homage to longtime head football coach D. Joe Gambrell.

Gambrell came to Walker in 1952 and stayed through the 1966 season.

Gambrell’s son, Danny, a current Jasper City Council member and former head football coach and principal at the school, said his dad came to Walker from Russellville and immediately fell in love with the school. He left after 14 years as head coach with a record of 83 wins, 51 losses and 11 ties. The school’s last football state championship came under Gambrell during the 1957 season.

In 1989 while Danny Gambrell was head coach, the decision was made — rightfully so — to rename the field in honor of one of the school’s most successful and beloved head coaches.

D. Joe Gambrell passed away that same year after battling cancer.

“It was such an honor to have the field renamed after my dad,” said Danny Gambrell, who also went on to become a beloved head coach, assistant principal and later principal at the school.

Others who have left their mark as head coaches at the school include Vic Karabasz, Larry Blakeney, David Campbell and Bubba Davis.

None left as lasting an impression, however, as D. Joe Gambrell.

1950

Text by RON HARRIS | Aerial Photograph by MALARIE BRAKEFIELD Other photographs submitted by the WALKER AREA COMMUNITY FOUNDATION and compiled from the WALKER HIGH SCHOOL YEARBOOKS (1965 and 1993)

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Aerial of Walker High School campus, 1972

Walker Co. Team, 1921

1970s North Alabama Champs, 1977

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Campbell Field

S UMITON CHRIS TIAN HIG H S CHOOL

David Campbell

Sumiton Christian School was dedicated in 1989 and began serving students from grades kindergarten to 12. Becky Potts was the first principal for Sumiton Christian.

As the school grew, it added sports.

At first, the SCS Eagles competed in the Alabama Independent School Association AISA, league which was for private schools. They weren’t very successful. In fact, their record was 1-49 until SCS principal Becky Potts convinced David Campbell to take over the coaching position.

Campbell, who happens to be Potts’ brother wasn’t keen on coaching at SCS. He’d just ended 13 years as head coach for Walker High School.

He thought he was through with public education. But Potts was persistent.

One afternoon while Campbell was driving through the area, he decided to stop by SCS for a tour. Potts was ecstatic. The SCC field house was under construction at the time. “As I was sitting on a stack of sheetrock in the unfinished field house I had a calling,” Campbell said. He told Potts that he would be their next head football coach and started to work the following Monday.

His first team consisted of 16 players. Everyone told Campbell that he’d need to recruit. “I told them I don’t recruit,” Campbell said. He

played with those 16 players.

“Those kids were scrappy, and they won nine games that first year.”

The football program at Sumiton Christian had won only one game in three years before Coach Campbell arrived in 1997.

Campbell convinced the principal, Becky Potts that the school needed to be playing in the public league.

It took two years, but they entered into Alabama High School Athletic Association in the fall of 2000.

Their first game was against Corner High School, which is another local team. Corner was favored to win the matchup, but the Eagles soared and won that first game 22-13.

The Eagles went on to finish with a 12 and 1 record the first year in the public school league. They earned a slot in the state playoffs, losing to Hazelwood, who went on to win the state championship that year. Coach Campbell was named the Daily Mountain Eagle Coach of the Year.

SCS went to the state playoffs every year that Campbell coached the Eagles. “Of all the years I was involved with football, those seven years I was at Sumiton Christian were the best,” Campbell said.

The school didn’t name the football field Campbell field until after Campbell retired. Bart Lockhart was the head coach at SCS when Campbell received that honor.

“Dave Campbell was the coach at Sumiton Christian when I played high school football at Cordova,” Lockhart said. Cordova beat SCS Lockhart’s junior year. “After the game as I was walking off the field I felt a hand grab my shoulder pad,” he remembered.

“When I turned around there was this six-foot-six giant of a man.” Campbell said, “Lockhart, if you were running for

Congress, I’d vote for you.” Campbell then turned to walk off the field. The statement dumbfounded Lockhart. “I managed to say thank you,” he said.

When Lockhart graduated from high school, he attended Delta State College in Mississippi. During his second year, he received a phone call from Campbell, who urged Lockhart to transfer to the University of West Alabama. “Bart Lockhart is one of the brightest young coaches I’ve ever known,” Campbell said.

Lockhart took Campbell’s advice.

He didn’t play much at West Alabama but the connections he made there helped set up his coaching network. In retrospect, Lockhart feels that without that call from Coach Campbell, he wouldn’t have the education he has today. “If Coach Campbell did all this for me and I didn’t even play for him, I can’t imagine all the ways he’s helped those who did play for him,” Lockhart said.

Campbell played football at Dora High School, graduating in 1966.

He earned a scholarship to Auburn University and lettered three years.

He earned All-SEC and All-American honors his junior year. He made some All-SEC and All-American teams his senior year, but injuries kept him out of some games his final year on the Plains.

He was a fourth-round draft pick of the Miami Dolphins but got cut before getting playing time. The following year he went to the Saints but never got to play on Sunday because of injuries.

“Coach Campbell was such an influence on all those who played for him through the years, it seemed fitting that we do something to honor him and the legacy he left behind,” Lockhart said.

Campbell is married to the former Glenda Burton of Jasper. They have one daughter, Amy Ruhland, son-in-law Shawn, and two grandchildren, Paige and Aiden.

Text by RICK WATSON | Photography submitted by SUMITON CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL

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Campbell Field, 2018 (photo by Rick Watson)

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Harland-Nelson Stadium PA R R I S H H IG H S CHOOL

Parrish High School was in need of a football field.

After a fire destroyed the old Parrish High School in the spring of 1979, a new school was built on Alabama Hwy. 269. All that was missing was an on-site stadium to host the Tornadoes.

That all changed in 1984 when the school christened Harland-Nelson Stadium, leaving behind the former field at the site of the old school.

The new stadium was named in honor of George Harland and Dugan Nelson.

It was five years in the making.

“We didn’t have a stadium. Everybody in the county had a nice stadium, but we built one better than anyone in Walker County,” said George Harland, who served as a football coach and later as a principal at Parrish

High School. “We named it in honor of Dugan Nelson and threw my name in there. The Nelsons have meant a lot to Parrish over the years.”

Dugan and Olen Nelson founded Nelson Brothers Inc. in Parrish in 1956. The company, which still has an office in Parrish, is a leading manufacturer and distributor of mining explosive products.

Harland said the school got minimal monetary help for the stadium, but the community came together to make the stadium a reality.

“We got $15,000 from the (Walker County) Board of Education to go toward the stadium. What we ended up getting was a lot of people volunteering to held build it. Everybody contributed in some way or another,” Harland said. “We have a granite monument and we listed anybody that donated to help building that field — no matter how much they

gave or how little. We made it work and we built it.”

Harland-Nelson Stadium held its first game on Sept. 13, 1984, against West Jefferson.

The game went into overtime in a scoreless tie. The Tornadoes made a field goal in the extra period for a 3-0 victory.

“That was a big night,” added Harland, who was the head coach at Parrish from 1968-74 and served as principal from 1975-2001.

The stadium hosted 22 playoff games in its 30 years — the school closed after the 2013 season. The Tornadoes amassed a 15-7 home record in the playoffs, winning two games en route to the 2003 state championship.

Though the school closed, the stadium is still used when football season comes around.

“I’m so proud that the town of Parrish uses it for toybowl and the semi-pro team (the Parrish Wreckas).

They always keep it up,” Harland said.

Text by JOHNATHAN BENTLEY | Aerial Photography by MALARIE BRAKEFIELD Other photos compiled from the OLD PARRISH FACEBOOK GROUP George Harland, 2005

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october – december 2018

To submit major community events for consideration in the next issue, please e-email walkermagazine@mountaineagle.com or call (205) 221-2840.

CommunityCalendar October 26 ANNUAL PTRC GOLF CLASSIC The 3rd Annual PTRC Golf Classic will be Friday, Oct. 26 at Musgrove Country Club. Check-in is at 8 a.m. and shotgun will start at 9 a.m.

Tournament proceeds benefit the Pregnancy Test & Resource Center, a local nonprofit that ministers to mothers and fathers who are facing an unplanned pregnancy. Cost to participate is $125 per person or $500 per team. Lunch will be provided.

October 27 PARTY IN PINK Party In Pink 2018 will be held Saturday, Oct. 27, from 10 a.m. until 12 noon on the Walker County Courthouse Square in Jasper. Party In Pink tees and tanks available for $20. All proceeds go to our 2018 Honoree. For more information, call Sharon Hogg at 205-275-3181.

October 27 5K BOO RUN/FUN WALK Curry Middle School will host a 5K Boo Run/Fun Walk on Saturday, Oct. 27 at 8 a.m. at the school.

Proceeds will benefit clubs’ Shadescrest spring project. Early registration deadline is Oct. 12.

Fee to enter by Oct. 12 is $25, which includes a T-shirt. Registration will begin at 7 a.m. the day of the event. Registration fee the day of will be $30. For more information, contact the school at 384-3441.

October 27 TRUNK OR TREAT Cordova Fire and Rescue will host a Trunk Or Treat in downtown Cordova on Saturday, Oct. 27 beginning at 5 p.m. The fire department will offer hot dogs, chips and a drink for a donation of any amount. In addition to trick-or-treating, there will be bouncy houses.

October 27 6TH ANNUAL PAULA WADE CHILI COOK-OFF The 6th Annual Paula Wade Chili Cook-Off will be held on Saturday, Oct. 27, from 2 to 4 p.m. at Restoration Hall in downtown Jasper. This yearly fundraiser benefits the Paula Wade Scholarship Fund and the many programs of the Kiwanis Club of Jasper.

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November 3 VETERANS DAY PARADE Marvin Lee Ferguson Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4850 and its Auxiliary will host the annual Veterans Day parade on Saturday, Nov. 3 in downtown Jasper. Activities begin at the courthouse square at 10:30 a.m. and the parade starts at 10:40 a.m. For more information or to register for entering into the parade, please call Janet Little at 205-275-6441.

November 3 CARBON HILL VETERANS BANNER CEREMONY A ceremony dedicating new veterans banners in the city of Carbon Hill will be held at noon at Carbon Hill City Hall, with other related activities continuing until 4 p.m. Veterans and their families are invited to come see the banners. The project was undertaken by the Carbon Hill Women’s Club, which is putting up 78 banners.

November 3 ELDRIDGE DAY/CAR SHOW The 36th Annual Eldridge Day/14th Annual Car Show will be Saturday, Nov. 3 beginning at 8 a.m. at Eldridge Town Hall. There will be arts, crafts, a country store and inflatables.

Barbecue and chicken plates will be served beginning at 11 a.m. Booths for rent $15 (no food/drink vendors please). All proceeds benefit Eldridge Volunteer Fire Department. For more information, call Eldridge Town Hall at 205-9244383.

November 6 ELECTION DAY Get out and vote on Nov. 6. Polls will be open around the county from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

November 10 PETS ON PARADE Pets on Parade, which benefits the spay and neuter program for the Walker County Humane Society, will be held Saturday, Nov. 10, from 10 a.m. until noon at Gamble Park. Entries can be made for $5 per category. Entry fees can be paid in advance or on the day of the event. For more information call the Chamber of Commerce of Walker County at 205-384-4571, email to linda@walkerchamber.us or come by the chamber office at the Jasper Civic Center.

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November 17 LIVE MUSIC Bankhead House and Heritage Center will have live music on Saturday, Nov. 17 as part of the current “Magic of Music” exhibit, which runs through Dec. 28. At 11 a.m., Jeff Parnell will perform. Christian Gann will perform at 12 p.m. and Evie Moore will follow at 1 p.m. The exhibit will be open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

November 22 TURKEY TROT 5K & FAMILY FUN RUN Walker County Coalition for the Homeless will host a Turkey Trot 5K and Family Fun Run on Nov. 22 from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Cost to participate in the 5K is $25 on EventBrite, $20 in-person early registration of $25 the day of the event. Cost to participate in the family fun run is $10 per individual or $30 per family.

November 29 PARRISH CHRISMAS PARADE The Town of Parrish Christmas Parade will be Nov. 29 at 6:30 p.m.

December 3 HANDEL’S MESSIAH PERFORMANCE The Walker County Christian Chorus will perform Handel’s Messiah on Monday, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m. in the sanctuary at Jasper’s First Baptist Church.

December 4 WALKER COUNTY CHRISTMAS PARADE The Chamber of Commerce of Walker County will hold its county-wide Christmas parade in Jasper on Tuesday, Dec. 4, at 6:30 p.m. Santa Claus will greet children, hand out candy canes and have his photo made with him for free, using parents’ cameras, at the Jasper Civic Center from 4-6 p.m. Anyone with any questions or wanting to enter the parade may call the chamber at 205-384-4571 or come by the chamber office at the Jasper Civic Center.

They may also email Linda Lewis at linda@ walkerchamber.us.

December 15 HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE The Bankhead House and Heritage Center’s Holiday Open House will be Saturday, Dec. 15 from 2 to 4 p.m. There will be caroling, holiday music and light refreshments.

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Snapshots CAPSTONE RURAL HEALTH’S BACK2SCHOOL SUPPLIES GIVEAWAY August 3, 2018 | Jasper Civic Center

Brooklyn German, Ryder German, Peyton Mitich, Michael Mitich and Chris Mitich

Ernesto and Stephanie Ramirez

Kaniya Hankins, Daeliv Williams, Zykerri Williams, Zyierre McKinney and Raheen Hankins Kinley Lamar, Stephanie Perry, Laila Lamar and Katy Lamar

Lauryn Finch and Damarion Cooper

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A PUBLICATION OF THE DAILY MOUNTAIN EAGLE

Krislynn, Anna and Stormy Miller

FALL 2018

WALKER CO. FIRST RESPONDERS BALL August 11, 2018 | Jasper Civic Center

Darryl and Terri Armstrong

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FALL 2018

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Snapshots HILLFEST

September 15, 2018 | Carbon Hill

Dillin Medley, Floyd Carter and Deanna Gilbert

Christopher and Bryan Smith

Linda Banks and Edith Nicewonger

Brenton Waugh, Blake Ingle, Cheryl Allison, Brady Ingle and Rick Allison

Shelia German, Morgan Nicole Edgil and Dixie Briedenstein

Tracey, MaryIvey and Brooks Darty

Dr. Jeremiah Alexander, DVM Dr. Mark Pelham, DVM 2500 Hwy. 195, Jasper, AL 35503

fvmcpets.com • 205-265-3200 48 / WALKER MAGAZINE

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• General Surgery • Weight Loss Program • Digital X-Ray • The Barking Zone • Dental Services Doggie Daycare

FALL 2018

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CORDOVA HIGH SCHOOL HOMECOMING September 21, 2018 | Cordova

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Riley Randall, Maddie Dutton and Roegan Logan

Nola Rose Carroll and Bradley Grace

Caleb Childers and Jennifer Reese

Eian Ezelle, Jace Logan and Jon Wasilew

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1804 Highway 78 W. Jasper, Alabama FALL 2018

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WeAreWalkerCounty with

Linda Smith

Linda Smith has driven a special needs bus for the Walker County School System for 41 years. A former passenger dubbed it “the cool bus,” and the name stuck. Smith currently has five passengers who live in the southern part of the county and attend school in Oakman. When Smith became a bus driver in 1977, she was assigned a bigger bus, which she disliked. Several months later, she accepted a route for special needs students.

“I wouldn’t take anything for them. We have fun on the bus. For Easter, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, all the holidays I buy them something. They give me hugs every day. I know there are people waiting in line for this bus. People keep asking me when I’m going to retire, and I say, ‘I’m not retiring.’ I’m not giving up my bus unless I have to. I love these kids better than anything. If somebody else gets it, they better be good to them or they’ll have to answer to me.”

50 / WALKER MAGAZINE

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FALL 2018

nelsonbryancross.com

Jasper, AL 205.387.7777

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No representation is made that the quality of the legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.