1.25.18

OTMJ OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL u OTMJ.COM

SOCIAL

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018

SPORTS

THE ROYAL TREATMENT The Beaux Arts Krewe and Its King Support the Birmingham Museum of Art

By Donna Cornelius THE BEAUX ARTS KREWE WILL GIVE its 51st ball a global flavor with a Chinese theme,

which coincidentally is an appropriate choice for this year’s king, Harold Goings.

Goings and his wife, Jane Goings, love to travel. Among the places they’ve visited is China.

The ball, set for Feb. 9 at Birmingham’s Boutwell Auditorium, always is one of the most

See, Harold Goings, page 12 INSIDE

LICENSE TO CURE AND CARE Jefferson County Commission President to Be Honored at This Year’s Roar Gala PAGE 4

PULLING IT ALL TOGETHER Homewood Chamber Adopts Four-Prong Strategic Plan PAGE 10

Photo courtesy Birmingham Museum of Art

Journal photo by Jordan Wald

According to Dr. Graham Boettcher, the Birmingham Museum of Art’s R. Hugh Daniel director, right, with Harold and Jane Goings, the Beaux Arts Krewe has provided funds for several museum purchases, including, Claude Vignon’s “Adoration of the Magi,” (pictured) and “Four Evangelists,” terracotta sculptural models by Italian artist Giuseppe Bernardi, also called Torretto, (inset).

GET SMART Kitchen Tech Pulls People Back to the Heart of Their Homes PAGE 20

2 • Thursday, January 25, 2018

Popular Place

Vulcan Park Takes Spot on 10Best List

Photo by M. Lewis Kennedy

Vulcan Park and Museum was named one of the top 10 tourism attractions in Alabama after a recent USA Today and 10Best Readers’ online poll.

“Vulcan Park and Museum has been the iconic symbol of Birmingham, Alabama, since 1904. When people think of Birmingham, they immediately identify with Vulcan majestically sitting on top of Red Mountain looking over the city,” said Darlene Negrotto, president and CEO of Vulcan Park and Museum.

Vulcan came in 10th on the list. No 1 on the list was another area attraction, Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum.

For the 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, a panel of local experts and editors with the site choose 20 nominees for each category, and people vote online for their favorites. The results are then promoted across USA Today-related sites.

You can find information about the attractions and other things to do in Birmingham and elsewhere on 10Best.com which is a standalone travel site. ❖

IN THIS ISSUE ABOUT TOWN 4 PEOPLE 8 NEWS 10 LIFE 12 SOCIAL 14

HOME 20 BUSINESS 22 SCHOOLS 24 SPORTS 28

ON OTMJ.COM

There’s so much happening in the Over the Mountain area, we can’t fit it all in the paper! Visit www.otmj.com for more stories and photos.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN

J O U R N A L January 25, 2018 Publisher & Editor: Maury Wald Copy Editor: Virginia Martin Features Writer: Donna Cornelius Staff Writers: Sarah Kuper, Emily Williams Editorial Assistant: Stacie Galbraith Sports: Blake Ells, Rubin E. Grant Contributors: Susan Murphy, Jordan Wald, June Mathews, William C. Singleton III, Emil Wald, Marvin Gentry, Lee Walls Jr., Bryan Bunch, Sam Prickett Advertising Sales: Suzanne Wald, Julie Trammell Edwards, Tommy Wald Vol. 28 No. 12

Over The Mountain Journal is a suburban bi-weekly newspaper delivered to Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Hoover and North Shelby County areas. Subscriptions for The Journal are available for $24 yearly. Mail to: Over the Mountain Journal, P.O. Box 660502, Vestavia Hills, AL 35216. Phone: (205) 823-9646. E-mail the editorial department at editorial@otmj.com. E-mail our advertising department at mwald@otmj.com. Find us on the Web at otmj.com.

Copyright 2017 Over The Mountain Journal, Inc. All rights reserved.

The Journal is not responsible for return of photos, copy and other unsolicited materials submitted. To have materials returned, please specify when submitting and provide a stamped, self-addressed envelope. All materials submitted are subject to editorial review and may be edited or declined without notification.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

OPINION/CONTENTS

MURPHY’S LAW

Y

Watts Going On?

(#KarmaCorrector) remember that our new home is fabulous – light bulbs have a life expectancy. It good neighborhood, good schools, good mortgage interest says so right on the box. They were rate. You painstakingly calculated your installed at around the same time, and APR and BTU’s and insured your now their time is collectively up and it home for fire and flood and asteroids feel like a mega-watt apocalypse.

Think about how many lights there are falling from the sky. in your house – overhead lamps, I’m not trying to rain on your new under-counter lamps, lamps on the home parade (although that would be nightstand in your bedroom. There’s a covered, too), but I’m going to make a light bulb in the oven, one in the teeny tiny suggestion here: Don’t stop throwing your pocket change into that refrigerator. Two garage door openers? little jar on your dresser. You’re going Two garage door opener light bulbs. to need it.

And that dining room chandelier bulb It won’t happen right away, but a you changed earlier? There are a dozen year from now, maybe two, you can more.

Sue Murphy use those funds to keep your world Unlike Christmas tree lights, the from being plunged into darkness … bulbs don’t do you the favor of Unlike Christmas tree dying all at once. No, they pop or at least your entryway, because the light bulb in the front porch pop (pause), pop like eleclights, the bulbs don’t do (pause), sconce will go out. Not the bulbs in trical water torture, but only after you the favor of dying you’ve already taken the ladder both sconces, mind you. Just one. to the garage.

A week later, the bulb over your all at once. No, they pop backAredown workbench will expire. Not a probthese bulbs all the same? Of lem. You were meaning to replace it (pause), pop (pause), course not. There are giant rounded with a more-efficient LED number, bulbs in the recessed lights and anyway. Saturday evening, you’ll be pop like electrical water teeny tiny ones in the track lighting using that clap-on-clap-off gizmo torture, but only after that sticks out over the family poryou got for Christmas and the bulb in the living room. There are you’ve already taken the trait in the end table lamp will say “No 100 watts and 40 watts, soft light mas.” During Sunday supper, one of ladder back down to the and warm glow. There are incandesthe bulbs in the dining room chancent bulbs and fluorescent bulbs, garage. delier will pop, one of those cute dimmable and high lumen, ones that flame-shaped numbers you don’t save energy and ones that are have on hand, so you’ll make a trip to the hardware reportedly smart. Some of them are inexpensive but store and when you return home, (Not before you leave. others are not. Either way, changing all these light Of course not.) you’ll notice that the floodlight over the bulbs, especially all at once, will run you some serious driveway is out. change.

Next, it will be a bulb in the kitchen light fixture To get ahead of the game, you might start picking and another over the mirror in the guest bath. Pretty up replacement bulbs as soon as you sign your closing soon, every time you flip a switch something will pop, papers, a couple at a time, until you have your whole and you’ll secretly start wondering if your house has house covered, but I’ll guarantee you, the first bulb to become possessed. go will be the one you don’t have. That’s when you’ll Before you start researching ghostbuster groups or be glad you threw those quarters in the change jar. I’m gurus to come smudge the bad juju out telling you. It’s a bright idea. ❖

OVER THE MOUNTAIN VIEWS

January 28th is Fun at Work Day ... What makes your job fun?

“I love books and talking about them.”

Kathleen Wylie Bookseller Little Professor “I enjoy getting to know our customers. We offer a more personal shopping experience than the big stores.”

Julie Marix Manager and Buyer Homewood Toy & Hobby “Getting to see co-workers who I’ve known for years and hearing about what’s going on in their lives.”

Kristen Warren Adult Services Librarian Assistant Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest “Teaching and getting to watch my students grow.”

Staley McIlwain Teacher Green Valley Elementary

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

NEW 700-ACRE PLAN f

ABOUT TOWN

Thursday, January 25, 2018 • 3

WE’RE TAKING HAPPY NEW YEAR

TOWN VILLAGE

Live, Work,

Play

NEW f

LAKE NEIGHBORHOOD

THE OVERLOOK

NEW f

HOMETOWN HOMEBUILDER

TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL f

SAVE $3,500 IN CLOSING COSTS

when you buy a new home by January 31st.

At Liberty Park, your gorgeous new home not only comes complete with the newest styles and features, it’s set in a master-planned community with a wealth of recreational amenities, lakes stocked for fishing, acres of woodlands and two adjacent sports complexes.

But that’s not enough. Liberty Park begins 2018 with a bang. A new 700-acre live, work, and play Town Village, a new elegant intimate lakefront neighborhood, and a new hometown builder with over 80 years of experience. Come see why 1,400 families call Liberty Park home. And start your year by saving $3,500.

But please hurry. These beautiful new homes are selling fast.

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(205) 945-6401 | libertypark.com

N E W H O M E S • H I G H LY R AT E D V E S TA V I A H I L L S S C H O O L S • S W I M C E N T E R • T E N N I S C E N T E R • P A R K S • P L AY G R O U N D S • W A L K I N G T R A I L S Offer available on select Liberty Park new construction homes with contracts closed by January 31, 2018. Contract must close for offer to apply. Offer cannot be combined with any other incentives or offers. One promotional offer per contract. Offer will be disclosed in the sales contract and the applicable Closing Disclosure and other settlement documents, as necessary. Offers, plans, prices, availability and terms of offer are subject to change without notice. The images, depictions and information contained herein should be deemed accurate but not warranted. Liberty Park Joint Venture, LLP, Liberty Park Properties, Lifescape Builders, LLC, Drummond Built Homes, LLC and their respective builders, officers, employees and agents are not responsible for errors or omissions. Offer ends January 31, 2018. All rights reserved. Buyer’s offer is $3,500 applied towards closing costs.

664-740_JanuaryPromo_OTMJ.indd 1

1/10/18 9:38 AM

4 • Thursday, January 25, 2018

Jefferson County Commission President to Be Honored at This Year’s Roar Gala

By Sarah Kuper

Birmingham Business Alliance board and the Rotary Club of Birmingham.

Stephens said he encourages anyone passionate about the “license to cure” initiative of the Roar gala to apply many of the same principles of county government to the fight against cancer’s devastating effects.

BIRMINGHAM

Chicago Virginia Samford Theatre Mainstage This production of the longestrunning American musical in Broadway history will star Birmingham Theatre favorites Jan D. Hunter, Kristi Tingle Higginbotham and Kyle Holman in the lead roles with direction by Jack Mann and choreography by Carl Dean. For more information, visit virginiasamfordtheatre.org.

HOOVER

Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens.

“Your Jefferson County Commission utilizes the ‘C’ attitudes for success,” he said, “We communicate, cooperate and coordinate to ensure achievement. Roar depends on an equally important set of ‘C’ attitudes for its success. We must cancel cancer with coordinated contributions.”

Roar’s approach to fighting cancer is unique in that proceeds of donations are matched dollar for dollar by physicians at the UAB Department of Radiation Oncology.

All the money goes toward local efforts and building world-class physician collaborations in Birmingham.

Run by volunteers, Roar members stay in close contact with physicians to keep apprised of successes and needs.

Since 2009, Roar contributors have raised well over $1 million dollars, and that’s before the money was matched by UAB physicians.

Organizers hope one-in-a-lifetime auction items such as a romantic evening with Bruno Mars in Las Vegas and trips to Tuscany or Africa or a golf trip to Ireland will garner excitement and donations.

The James Bond, “Dr. Cure,” gala is Jan. 27 at The Club.

To learn more about Roar, visit roarthecure.org. ❖

Corde e Vini (Strings and Wines) St. Peter the Apostle Catholic Church A night of art and entertainment is set for 6:30-8:30 p.m. Doors open at 6 p.m. The evening includes a harp concert featuring Rev. Thomas Kelly F.T.C.L., a silent auction and Italian hors d’oeuvres and wines to follow. Tickets are $40, VIP $75. Proceeds benefit the Life Teen Pilgrimage to Italy. For more information, visit cordeevini.com.

VESTAVIA HILLS

Family Bingo Night Chick-fil-A, Montgomery Highway A fun-filled night of food, games and prizes will be from 4:30-5:30 p.m. For more information, visit vestaviahills.org.

Jan. 26-27 BIRMINGHAM

Carlos Conducts Ravel’s Bolero Alys Stephens Center Experience treasures of French music as Carlos Izcaray and the ASO perform two of Ravel’s most loved pieces. Ravel himself described “Bolero” as his only true masterpiece, while

MOUNTAIN BROOK

New Work New Artists, Thurs., Jan. 25 Grand Bohemian Gallery The gallery will host a wine and cheese reception from 5-7 p.m. featuring new work by local artists Karen Libecap and Roger Meadows (artwork above). For more information, visit “Grand Bohemian Gallery Mountain Brook” Facebook page, or call 203-4714. ❖ “Daphnis et Chloe” features a truly brilliant finale. For more information, visit alabamasymphony.org.

Jan. 27-28 IRONDALE

CFA Cat Show Zamora Temple The Birmingham Feline Fanciers will present the Cat Fanciers Association Cat Show on Sat., from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sun., from 9 a.m.-4p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults, $6 for seniors and $5 for children. For more information, visit birminghamfelinefanciers.com.

Sat., Jan. 27 HOMEWOOD

Red Shoe Run Rosewood Hall The annual run in SoHo Square will include one-mile, 5k and 10 mile options. Guests are invited to lace up or slip on their red shoes to support Ronald McDonald House Charities of Alabama. For more information, visit rsr18.everydayhero.do.

BIRMINGHAM

Shen Yun BJCC Concert Hall Be transported to another world and witness ancient legends come to life with classical Chinese dance, brilliant costumes, breathtaking backdrops and orchestral sound. Showtimes are 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Jan. 27 and 1 p.m. Jan. 28. Children under four not admitted. For more information, visit shenyunperformingarts.org.

HOOVER

Frostbite 5k and Fun Run Veteran’s Park The 5th annual 5k and one-mile fun run presented by Young Life Birmingham South will begin at 7:45 with onsite registration, a 9 a.m. 5k start and a 9:45 fun run. The event will feature t-shirts, drinks snacks and swag bags for every runner. For more information, visit birminghamsouth. younglife.org.

Fri., Feb. 2 HOMEWOOD

Journal file photo by Jordan Wald

Organizers hope onein-a-lifetime auction items such as a romantic evening with Bruno Mars in Las Vegas and trips to Tuscany or Africa or a golf trip to Ireland will garner excitement and donations.

Jan. 25-28, Feb. 1-4 and Feb. 8-11

Fri., Jan. 26

Photo special to the Journal

The 7th annual James Bondthemed gala benefitting Radiation Oncology Accelerated Research is known for swanky styles, one-of-akind auction items and, of course, raising money and awareness for local cancer research.

Every year, the gala honors someone in the community who has contributed to the cause and to the community.

Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens is the 2018 honoree. At the Jan. 27 event, Stephens will be celebrated for his work in public service and for striving to improve quality of life for those who are battling cancer.

As a lifelong Bessemer resident, Stephens represents District 3 and has served in other leadership positions in the community. His roles have included chairman of the Bessemer Airport Authority and chairman of the Bessemer commercial development authority.

In addition to his duties as commission president, Stephens serves on the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center Authority board of directors, the Department of Health board, the

JAN 25 - FEB 8

Courtesy Grand Bohemain Gallery

License to Cure And Care

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

ABOUT TOWN

Fireballs the modern alternative

BIRMINGHAM

Beaker Bash: The Great Outdoors, Sat., Feb. 3 McWane Science Center The center will host it’s annual fundraiser from 5-8 p.m.

Event activities will encourage families to search the grass and the soil to explore animal and insect habitats, make s’mores under the stars, and plant their own garden.

Tickets are $50 for adults and $30 for guest under 21. For more information, visit mcwane.org. ❖

Having fun at last year’s Beaker Bash were, from left, Tyler Novak, Mary Screws and Carolyn and Kate Thagard.

Book Signing and Meet and Greet Trinity United Methodist Church Large Sanctuary New York Times best-selling author, motivational speaker and blogger, Rachel Macy Stafford, will share her message of overcoming distraction and perfection to embrace a more purposeful life. Doors open at 6 p.m. Proceeds benefit The Bell Center, Overflow Foundation, Firehouse Shelter, Community Furniture Bank, United Methodist Children’s Home and Family Promise. For more information, visit trinitybirmingham.com.

Sat., Feb. 3 BIRMINGHAM

Birmingham Winter Beer Fest BJCC East Exhibit Hall Birmingham Winter Beer Fest presents a sampling of over 150 worldclass beers, educational sessions, a corn hole tournament, silent disco, cooking with beer demos, karaoke,

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Thursday, January 25, 2018 • 5

ABOUT TOWN

31st Annual Magic City Heart Ball

EPICUREAN HEARTS HONORING

Mr. and Mrs. Raymond & Kathryn Harbert HOSTED BY THE HEART GUILD OF BIRMINGHAM LE GACY SPONSOR

SIG NA T U R E S P O N S O R

D IAM OND SPONSORS

Reserve your seat today at: BirminghamHeartBall.heart.org

6 • Thursday, January 25, 2018 cash” to use at the tables. For more information, visit allacesforja.com.

BIRMINGHAM

MOUNTAIN BROOK

BIRMINGHAM

“Sing to Freedom: Music and Stories of the Underground Railroad” Alys Stephens Center’s Reynolds-Kirschbaum Hall In honor of Black History Month, the Center presents Reggie Harris, internationally known singer, songwriter and teaching artist at 2 p.m. Along with his wife, Kim, they have developed a multimedia exploration of slavery and the quest for freedom, presented in story, song and narratives. For more information, visit alysstephens.org.

SAVE THE DATE Fri., Feb. 9 BIRMINGHAM

All Aces Casino Night Cahaba Brewing Company The Junior Board of Junior Achievement of Alabama, an organization that offers student programs to foster work-readiness, financial literacy and more, will host a casino tournament from 7-11 p.m.

Tickets are $30 and include $500 “play

Feb. 9-10 Sweet Repeats Mountain Brook Community Church The Church will host its annual consignment sale, featuring children and teens clothing, sports equipment toys and more. Shopping hours are Feb. 9 from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. (no strollers allowed from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.) and Feb. 10 from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Proceeds benefit the church’s short-term mission projects. For more information, visit mbccsweetrepeats.blogspot.com.

HOOVER

Giggles & Grace Asbury United Methodist Church The church will host its consignment sale featuring children’s clothing, toys, books, shoes etc... Fri., from 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sat., from 8 a.m.noon. For more information, visit asburygigglesandgrace.com.

HOMEWOOD

Valentines Dinner Theatre Homewood Library South City Theatre presents “Romantic Comedy” by Bernard Slade.

The play brings a simple charm to the stage, with an uplifting message and laughs at every turn. There will be a buffet dinner starting at 6:30 p.m. with the show to follow at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $35. For more information, visit homewoodpubliclibrary.tix.com.

Feb. 9-11 BIRMINGHAM

Mercedes-Benz Marathon Weekend Linn Park The annual marathon, half marathon and marathon relay will begin in front of Boutwell Auditorium by Linn Park at 7:03 a.m. All marathon events

taking place on Feb. 11 will benefit The Bell Center for Early Intervention Programs. For more information, visit mercedesmarathon.com.

Sat., Feb. 10 BIRMINGHAM

Heart2HeART Bridgestreet Gallery & Loft aTeam Ministries will host its annual fundraiser supporting children with pediatric cancer. Patients will be paired up with local artists and will create pieces. The works of art will be auctioned off along with various vacation packages and items. The event begins at 6 p.m. For more information, visit “2018 Heart2HeART Event” Facebook page.

BIRMINGHAM

Wild About Chocolate The Harbert Center The 14th annual Valentine gala will be held from 7-10 p.m. and benefit the Alabama Wildlife Center. The event will feature appetizers, chocolate desserts, silent and live auctions, live music and complimentary wine and beer provided by many of Birmingham’s finest restaurants, bakeries, caterers and beverage distributors. For more information, visit wildlife@awrc.org.

Sun., Feb.11 HOOVER

Choral Concert Riverchase United Methodist Church The tenth annual Over the Mountain Festival of Sacred Music Chorus and Chamber Orchestra directed by Dr. Andrew Minear, Director of Choral Activities at the University of Alabama and accompanied by Diane Norton organist begins with a pre-concert lecture by Dr. Milburn Price, former Dean of the Samford University School of the Arts, at 3:15 p.m. For more information, visit otmfestivals.org/nextfestival/.

Wed., Feb. 14 BIRMINGHAM

Casablanca Alabama Theatre There will be a sing-along with the Mighty Wurlitzer at 7 p.m., with the feature immediately following. A specialty cocktail just for Valentine’s Day will be available along with the usual selection of wine, beer, cocktails and Coca-Cola products. Tickets are $8. For more information, visit alabamatheatre.com.

Thurs., Feb. 15 VESTAVIA HILLS

Scholarship Luncheon A Private Club in Vestavia Samford Legacy League host its annual winter luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Open to the public, the event features Angie Smith, Christian speaker and best-selling author of “Seamless” and other books, Tickets are $50. Proceeds provide scholarships for deserving students.

For more information, visit samford.edu/ legacyleague/.

Joan Curtis

Art to Make You Blink

Gala Set to Raise Funds for UAB’s Cancer Center Birmingham local artists will create works of art during UAB’s ArtBlink Gala and auction them off to raise funds for the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The 33rd annual ArtBlink Gala 2018 will take place at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 10 in The Kirklin Clinic of UAB Hospital, 2000 Sixth Ave. South.

Funds raised will go toward the Cancer Center’s Fund for Excellence, which supports high-priority research for specific projects, including the Deep South Network initiative, which works to eliminate cancer health disparities through prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

The Cancer Center is a national leader in research and treatment. Its “comprehensive” designation, awarded by the National Cancer Institute, is held by only 49 institutions in the country. UAB’s cancer program was one of the first eight comprehensive cancer centers in the United States and has held this designation continuously for the past 45 years.

‘We are perhaps one of “One of our objectives is to facilithe few cancer centers tate breakthrough discoveries through drug development. We want to bring in the nation that therapies faster, and in the safest way engage underserved possible, to our patients,” said new Cancer Center Director Michael Birrer, populations effectively.

M.D., Ph.D. “We not only want to To implement the expand our clinical trial enterprise, but also increase participation, especially vision of the UAB from diverse populations.”

Comprehensive Cancer Birrer, who came to UAB from Massachusetts General Hospital, would Center, we simply also like to continue the Cancer Center’s couldn’t do it without work in cancer health disparities.

“We are perhaps one of the few can- community support.’ cer centers in the nation that engage underserved populations effectively,” he CANCER CENTER DIRECTOR said. “To implement the vision of the MICHAEL BIRRER, M.D., PH.D. UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, we simply couldn’t do it without community support.”

Returning local artists, who will work with a variety of media to create masterpieces in 90 minutes, include Ahmad Austin, Sally Waldrup Boyd, Carol Carmichael, Gary Chapman, Amy Collins, Joan Curtis, Barbara Davis, Carol Misner, Linda Ellen Price, Michael Swann, Paul Ware, Robine Wright and Natalie Russo Zoghby.

The theme for this year’s gala is English Garden. It includes a cocktail dinner provided by IZ Catering and a silent auction with participating artists. The gala will include an Artists Gallery, where guests can view and purchase additional artwork created by the ArtBlink artists to support the Cancer Center.

Admission is $150 per person. For more information, visit artblink.org. You can buy tickets by clicking the ArtBlink tab or calling 934-1603. Dress is blacktie-optional. Valet service and deck parking are available for guests.

Presenting partners include AutoTec and Regions Financial Corp. ❖

Photo courtesy UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center

photo booth, cask garden, music, vendors and more from 3-7 p.m.. For more information, visit bhambeerfest. com.

Jazz Cat Ball Sheraton, Downtown Birmingham The Greater Birmingham Humane Society will host its seventh annual Mardi Gras-themed gala beginning at 6 p.m. The evening will feature casino games, a seated dinner, live and silent auctions and dancing. Black tie optional. For more information, visit gbhs.org.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

ABOUT TOWN

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

ABOUT TOWN are $80, $150 per couple. For more information, visit glenwood.org.

Sat., Feb. 17 BIRMINGHAM

Chinese New Year Festival Boutwell Municipal Auditorium The Chinese Festival Association will celebrate Lunar Chinese New Year from 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. with food, stage shows and culture booths. For more information, visit bhmchinesefestival. org.

Journal file photo

HOMEWOOD

MOUNTAIN BROOK

Emmet O’Neal Library Book Sale, Feb. 22-25 Emmet O’Neal Library The Friends of the Emmet O’Neal Library book sale will kick off with a preview party Thurs. from 6-8 p.m. with a minimum donation of $25. The book sale will be Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. For more information, visit eolib.org. ❖ BIRMINGHAM

Whiskeys of the World Birmingham Botanical Gardens Plant Adventures Program Specialist Brooke McMinn and whiskey enthusiast Nathan McMinn will present a program from 6-8 p.m. The program will include tastings of various whiskeys from each style discussed. Tickets are $30 for members and $35 for nonmembers.

Must be 21+. For more information, visit bbgardens.org.

Fri., Feb. 16 BIRMINGHAM

A Night Under the Big Top The Club The Junior Board of Glenwood will host it’s annual fundraiser benefitting children with autism from 8 p.m.midnight. The event will feature food and drink, casino fun, silent and live auctions, live music by The Divines and silent disco with DJ Mark AD. Tickets

Birmingham Does Broadway C Samford University Wright Center M Birmingham’s best and brightest Y will join the ASO at 8 p.m. for a variety of Broadway hits, from CM Rodgers & Hammerstein to Stephen MY Sondheim to Andrew Lloyd Webber, and a special 100th Birthday SaluteCY to Leonard Bernstein. For more CMY information, visit alabamasymphony.

K org.

Sun., Feb. 18 BIRMINGHAM

The Engaged Collective Haven Engaged Wedding Library is hosting a wedding planning soiree from 1-4 p.m. featuring mimosas, cake tastings, swag bags, wedding vendors, a silent auction benefiting Engaged’s bridal ministry and a fashion show finale. For more information, visit engagedbirmingham.com. ❖

BeakerBash_OTMJ.pdf

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1/11/18

3:13 PM Thursday,

January 25, 2018 • 7

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

PEOPLE

Photo courtesy Allison Stewart

8 • Thursday, January 25, 2018

Vestavia’s Premiere Green Home Community Viridian offers all the charm of a vintage neighborhood with the latest energy-efficient green homebuilding technologies. These authentic, one-of-a-kind homes are tucked in the woods in a unique gated community off Tyler Road, with prices starting in the $600s. Two lush parks and an abundance of green space provide privacy and a sense of history for this significant property.

www.wedgworth.net (205) 365-4344

Trenton Stewart’s talents have moved from assembling packaged Lego sets to using scrap bricks for whatever he wants to create. He’s become particularly adept at building guns that shoot Nerf bullets or Lego pieces. Trenton, above right, demonstrates one of his creations at last year’s BrickFair Lego Expo at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. He will be participating again at this year’s event, Feb. 3-4.

Brick by Brick

A Passion for Lego Keeps This Creative Teen Building

By June Mathews When Trenton Stewart was 5 years old, his older brother, Parker, received a Lego Star Wars V-Wing Starfighter set for his birthday. After a couple of failed attempts to assemble it, Parker lost interest. But Trenton took the set and built it.

Thus began the youngster’s fascination with all things Lego.

“I soon realized I was able to build whatever I imagined,” said the now 15-year-old Mountain Brook High School student, “and I started building everything.”

As he’s gotten older, Trenton’s efforts have moved from assembling packaged Lego sets to using scrap bricks for whatever he wants to create. He’s become particularly adept at building guns that shoot Nerf bullets or Lego pieces.

“It’s not the fact that they’re guns but the fact he has figured out how to make them work with pretty much just rubber bands,” said his mom, Allison. “These guns have functioning magazines, and it’s seriously the most unreal thing. It’s all out of Lego, and he figured it out himself.”

But, says Trenton, his favorite Lego piece is likely a replication of the legendary sword of Artorias from the Dark Souls game, a project for which he had to order the pieces. He was 11 years old at the time.

“It looks simple and basic, but it took several attempts to get it right,” he said. “It actually taught me a different way of thinking when comes to building.”

As Trenton’s passion for building grew, so did the number of Lego bricks in the Stewart household, and his mother began finding them everywhere – in the refrigerator, in the washing machine, in pockets, and one time even in her salad.

“At one point they were so scat-

tered, I put down a six-foot piece of blue painter’s tape to mark a boundary. A Lego brick couldn’t cross the piece of tape,” she said. “My lecture on this lasted about eight minutes, and the boundary lasted about six. I waved the white flag after that.”

As Trenton’s passion for building grew, so did the number of Lego bricks in the Stewart household, and his mother began finding them everywhere – in the refrigerator, in the washing machine, in pockets, and one time even in her salad.

Fortunately for Trenton, though, his mother saw beyond the disarray to her son’s remarkable skills and realized what an exhibitor table at Birmingham’s BrickFair event could mean for him. So, two years ago, that’s what he got for Christmas.

BrickFair, according to organizer Todd Webb, is a Lego fan show built by fans for fans.

“For our exhibitors, we have tons of models to share and show off, games to play together, and admiring, learning from and inspiring each other,” he said. “For our public visitors, we have all the Lego creations to share, as well as meeting and talking with many of the creators and other entertainment as well.”

The first BrickFair took place in 2008 in a 10,000-square-foot hotel ballroom in Tysons Corner, Virginia.

BrickFair events now require expo halls ranging from 70,000 to 130,000 square feet and take place a few times a year in different places around the

Eastern United States. BrickFair first came to Birmingham in 2012.

This year’s local event will be at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, Feb.3-4. It’s Trenton’s third time to participate.

DEMONSTRATING AT BRICKFAIR

“We love BrickFair,” said Stewart.

“The crowd is great, and they’re always so enthusiastic to see what Trenton is doing, and they fully appreciate what he’s done.

“The biggest difference between him and other exhibitors is that the things he builds actually function, so he stands there for eight hours and demonstrates what his guns do.”

As for Trenton, he enjoys meeting the other builders and interacting with the people who stop by his table.

“I look forward to seeing kids’ faces light up or the adults who are shocked when a Lego gun can actually shoot,” he said. “For me, BrickFair is all about the people who come to see me and tell me about the things they’re doing as well. There are so many great people there.”

When not building with Legos, Trenton’s interests include spending time with friends, volunteering at the Birmingham Zoo and playing video games, “because I’m a teenager,” he explains.

Not surprisingly, given the skills he’s honed with Lego, Trenton aspires to one day be either an engineer or a film director. Lego, he said, will always at least be a hobby, but he’s not ruling out something more.

“If a career in Legos began to happen, I would not complain at all,” he said.

Tickets for Birmingham’s upcoming BrickFair are available in advance or at the door for $14 per person, per day. Ages 3 and younger are admitted for free. For more information, visit brickfair.com. ❖

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

PEOPLE

Thursday, January 25, 2018 • 9

Boy Scout Builds Outdoor Classroom at POP

Prince of Peace Catholic Church parishioner and school graduate Jeff Murai, currently a senior at Hoover High School, recently built an outdoor classroom on the school campus as his Eagle Scout service project.

“I just wanted to give back to the school and to Miss Connie (Angstadt, the school’s principal),” he said.

The multipurpose wood benches and table can be used for instruction, to Jeff Murai celebrate Mass

and as outdoor seating for sports spectators.

Murai raised the money to buy the wood and building supplies through GoFundMe, a social fundraising platform. He also received financial support from the Prince of Peace Knights of Columbus.

The outdoor classroom took Jeff three days to construct with the help of his Boy Scout Troop #23 members, family and friends.

In his scouting career, Murai has earned 34 merit badges. He also has been consistently active in many church, school and community groups, currently serving as an altar server and a member of the high school youth group at Prince of Peace Catholic Church as well as a leader at diocesan “Cross Retreats.”

At Hoover High, he is a “Teens Need Teens” mentor and plays rec basketball and, in his free time, he volunteers at the Birmingham Zoo and for Habitat for Humanity.

Murai will be attending Jefferson State Community College in the fall to pursue a career in the medical or legal

benefiting Children’s of Alabama Miss Friendliest City Collins McMurray, left, with Misty Morgan.

fields.

He is the son of Esther and George Murai, and he has one brother, Bradley.

Mountain Brook’s Conner Hudson Earns Eagle Award With Project at United Ability

with seats built for our staff and clients to use for an outdoor classroom, break area, and a place to eat outside when the weather’s pretty, and to stain existing planters to match.”

That was it, Hudson then set out to make this dream a reality.

Hudson and 12 Boy Scout friends and family members supplied 131 hours of work to build, transport and stain the picnic tables, benches and planters.

United Ability along with Hunter’s family, including his uncle, United Ability staff and LINCPoint participants recently gathered to dedicate Hudson’s project in a special ceremony.

“United Ability greatly appreciated Conner’s dedication and efforts and they will forever remember him for his generous expression of love for his uncle and his gift to United Ability and the LINCPoint Adult Day Program,” the statement read. ❖

Conner Hudson, a sophomore at Mountain Brook High School and a member of Boy Scout Troop 63 at Canterbury Methodist Church, recently earned his Eagle Scout award.

For his Eagle Project, Hudson planned, raised the funds and built four picnic tables for the United Ability’s LINCPoint Adult Day Program and stained planters to match. The project provides an outdoor classroom and break area for staff and clients of the program.

Hudson had met all the requirements to become an Eagle Scout except for completing his Eagle Scout project.

Hudson wanted his project to be useful for the community and meaningful to his family, according to a statement issued

by United Ability. He chose this project because his uncle, Hunter Phillips, attends the LINCPoint Adult Day program.

Hudson met with Janis Braue, the director of United Ability’s LINCPoint Adult Day Program, to learn what need LINCPoint may have Conner Hudson wanted his project to be useful for the and develop a service community and meaningful to his family, according project to meet it. to a statement issued by United Ability. He chose this Braue said, “We project because his uncle, Hunter Phillips, attends the need four picnic tables LINCPoint Adult Day program.

Photo courtesy United Ability

Collins McMurray of Vestavia Hills High School kicked off her winter break with a crowning, earning the title of Miss Friendliest City’s Outstanding Teen.

The pageant, held in Luverne on Dec. 10, is a preliminary competition for the Miss Alabama pageant and the Miss Alabama Outstanding Teen pageant.

In the teen division, contestants provide a platform issue and talent.

McMurray chose Importance of arts in education as her platform, complementing her vocal performance of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in the talent portion of the evening.

McMurray is the daughter of Dan and Melissa McMurray of Vestavia Hills.

She is a junior at Vestavia Hills High School, where she is a member of the German National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta, the Rockette Dance Line, FCA, Just Singin’ Acapella group, honor choir and youth leadership.

In addition to her school activities, McMurray is a Vestavia Belle.

McMurray will now advance to the statewide pageant, to be held in Sylacauga on March 3 and 4.

Photo special to the Journal

Vestavia Hills’ McMurray Named Miss Friendliest City

Featuring Partner Chefs: Chris Hastings • Fuller Goldsmith Bill Briand • Elizabeth Heiskell Rob McDaniel • James Boyce Ben Vaughn • Mauricio Papapietro Abhi • Leonardo Maurelli III

March 3, 2018

7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Time Inc. Food Studios 4100 Old Montgomery Hwy Birmingham, AL 35209 Join us as editors from Food & Wine, Cooking Light, Southern Living, Time Inc. Books and Coastal Living team up with favorite chefs from around the Southeast to raise funds and awareness for the nutritional needs of patients at Children’s of Alabama.

Tickets available for purchase online at thechildrenstable.org/tickets.

Presenting Sponsor: Alabama Power Company Kitchen Sponsors: Shipt Regions Financial Corporation Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Brasfield & Gorrie

NEWS

10 • Thursday, January 25, 2018

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Pulling It All Together Homewood Chamber Adopts Four-Prong Strategic Plan

Homewood’s Chamber of Commerce has a new year’s resolution. It wants to help build a stronger community through its new four-part strategic plan Homewood Forward.

“Since the recession, Homewood is in a really great place now,” said Meredith Drennen, executive director of the chamber. “There is so much going on with Homewood, making it a strong place for starting new businesses.

“Our goal is in taking that a step forward. We want a plan that celebrates what the city has to offer. Homewood has so many great amenities.

Some of them have been hard fought for and some have fallen into our laps, but they all deserve to be celebrated.”

If the city of Homewood were a Venn diagram with three circles representing the business community, the school community and the city government, Drennen notes that the heart of Homewood Forward puts the chamber at work wherever those circles are touching while strengthening its own membership community.

“We want to make sure that they are all supporting each other,” she said.

That planning process has been the most important step toward better serving the community, according to Drennen.

“In the past, we’ve had strategy sessions with board members and people who are involved in the chamber community. The issue with that scenario is that you get pigeon-holed into thinking about things the way they have always been done,” she said. “It was very important for us to start with a clean slate.”

To gain a fresh perspective, a consultant from Copeland Strategies Group was hired to collect and assess more than 40 interviews from community members.

Through the anonymity of the third-party interviewer, Drennen said, the information garnered from the community was invaluable and led to one of the hallmarks of the strategic plan – hiring a consultant to help recruit new business.

A process that began in April, the chamber’s strategic plan was completed in November.

Journal photo by Jordan Wald

By Emily Williams

Meredith Drennen, left, executive director of the Homewood Chamber of Commerce and Sarah Anne Elliott, Community Relations and Marketing Director are excited about implementing the chamber’s new Homewood Forward plan.

The four-part plan includes advances in supporting economic development, marketing the Homewood community, acting as liaison between businesses and the city and better connecting members through networking and events.

“It was important to do things differently,” Drennen said. “Not only by hiring the strategic consultant but by going outside of our staff, the board and even outside of our membership to find out what the business community really needs. It’s something that is pretty progressive when it comes to a smaller chamber, but it was important for us to do things right and we haven’t cut any corners.”

Through interviews for the plan, Drennen’s eyes were opened to the fact that the city of Homewood had started a process to hire a consultant firm that would help recruit new business.

“We aren’t responsible for going out and recruiting businesses, but through this process, we knew that we needed a champion for economic development,” Drennen said. “So, we wanted to get involved and help with any of the issues

that may have come from the city hiring a consultant.”

To help ease the burden on the city as they worked towards hiring the consultant, Drennen and the chamber board allocated $70,000 to accompany the $75,000 the city had already set aside to hire two consultants with Daniel Corporations.

According to Drennen, the decision to provide monetary support to the city was an easy one.

“In my 10 years of working with chambers of commerce, I have never seen a board work so quickly on an issue,” she said.

CELEBRATING THE SCHOOLS

Another hallmark of the plan is the chamber’s desire to better market what Drennen considers the city’s greatest amenity – the school system.

“We have always had a great relationship with the school system. There has been at least one person from the school system represented on our board for the last eight years,” she said.

With the partnership already in place, she

noted that it was high time to turn it into a program that added value to both parties.

“We want to market Homewood as a community where people want to live, want to work and want to shop. So how do we take that great amenity and market it appropriately?” Drennen said.

The plan anticipates highlighting the accomplishments of the schools so they may be used as a recruitment tool to draw in new businesses and residents.

“We want to show others what an amazing school system we have and what it means to our community,” Drennen said.

Not only will the plan benefit the business environment, any business successes put money back into the city and, in turn, the school system.

“Every time people shop in Homewood, we’re putting it back into the quality of life,” Drennen said. “Not only do schools benefit from the taxes from our local businesses, but the city also puts an extra charge on top of property taxes that solely benefits the school system.”

One of the ways that the chamber plans to better market the city and schools is through more events, namely networking events.

Drennen noted that, in the past, most of the chamber events have been luncheons, and she thinks it’s time to add in events with broader appeal, such as after-hours events and seminars.

There also are plans to better highlight the chamber’s ambassador committee, which advocates for the chamber in ways the two-person staff cannot.

The hope is that all the moving parts of the plan help create a more tight-knit community, where information about the city and community members’ successes can be easily accessed and celebrated.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve opened up a local magazine and have seen an article that highlights our city leaders, our biz leaders, our residents. Most of the time it’s about some great work going on in our community that I didn’t even know about,” she said. “Our goal is to take those successes and showcase them, saying ‘This is what our community is about.’” ❖

Journal photos by Jordan Wald

Vulcan Park Partners with Birmingham History Center

From left: Garland Smith, Co-president, Birmingham History Center, Secretary of the board of Vulcan Park and Museum Fox De Funiak, III, Co-president, Birmingham History Center; and Brian Giattina, Vice Chair, Vulcan Park and Museum.

The Vulcan Park and Museum and Birmingham History Center are partnering to tell a more complete story about the region’s history.

Collections for the history center will be displayed in the museum, which Vulcan representatives said would enhance the educational experience for visitors.

“We are excited by the opportunities to collect items that tell stories of our predecessors,” said Brian Giatinna, vice chair of the museum. “In time, we will embark on a master plan to determine how to maximize the resource value of artifacts in sharing our unique stories.”

Vulcan’s new director of museum programs, Jennifer Watts, will coordinate the displays and work to incorporate the Birmingham History Center collections into educational programs at Vulcan. Representatives also expect to

have more displays or pop-up museums from the history center worked into other venues around the city, and Vulcan staff will begin digitizing the center’s collection to create an online resource.

“This partnership will aid us in bringing history to life by offering the visitor an experience with a piece of the past instead of a second-hand explanation,” Giatinna said. “It’s the difference between reading someone’s diary and reading about someone’s diary in a textbook or article. To see or interact with objects from the past allows a visitor the chance to imagine a first-hand experience of life from that time period.”

Garland Smith, co-president of the history center and secretary of the board at Vulcan Park, said there are many lessons to be learned from

Birmingham’s history. Some of those are simple, such as how to prevent a cholera epidemic or how geology can dictate the industry of a city, she said.

Some are harder, such as showing how racial discrimination took hold in the area and affected its development.

“Both show us a better path going forward based on a clear understanding of the decisions that were made and their outcomes,” Smith said.

“Objects and primary source images and documents help us tell these stories to our visitors in an immersive and memorable way. We now have over 13,000 items in the collection,” Smith said.

“The result of all of this will be that more people than ever before will have more information about Birmingham’s history on a local as well as national level,” Smith said. ❖

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Thursday, January 25, 2018 • 11

NEWS

Event Plus Mayoral Proclamations Bring Awareness to Human Trafficking Crisis and intake facilities.

Through the Ed Smart event and the mayoral proclamations, Meyers hopes people’s eyes will be opened to this tragic issue that affects even the smallest populations.

“My brother was a public defender in a small town in Tennessee and he defended a lot of prostitutes. Many of the women prostitutes themselves had been sexually abused as a child and

even prostituted by their parents for drug money,” she said. “They were denied education and have no skills.

They don’t even have family to turn to.”

For more information on the Rescue Innocence Project, visit rescueinnocence.org.

To learn more or purchase tickets, search for the Rescue Innocence Project Gala on Facebook. ❖

Photos special to the Journal

cialized to their needs,” Meyers said.

Now, minors either go back to the life they had before, or they are turned over to DHR. Advocates say victims desperately need to be cared for by specialized staff who know how to navigate recovery from the trauma of sexual exploitation.

That’s why organizations such as the National Center on Sexual Exploitation are raising money for training programs

Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry with anti-human trafficking advocate Julia Meyers after proclaiming January as Human Trafficking Awareness month.

By Sarah Kuper No one likes to think something as tragic and ugly as human trafficking could happen in an Over the Mountain community.

But Julia Meyers, Junior League chairwoman of the anti-human trafficking committee, said the problem is more prevalent than many would like to think.

“These people truly are victims.

They don’t have opportunities. Most of these people would leave but they have nowhere else to go,” she said, “It is a very, very real thing.”

That’s why she is highlighting an event bringing Ed Smart to speak at The Club on Feb. 2.

At the Rescue Innocence Project Gala, Smart, father of kidnapping and sexual abuse victim Elizabeth Smart, will speak about the trafficking crisis and what others can do to fight it.

The February event isn’t the only way Meyers hopes to build awareness.

While researching the many Birmingham-area nonprofits helping victims of human trafficking, Meyers has also been working with the state legislative taskforce to get local government officials to declare January as human trafficking awareness month.

So far, Homewood, Mountain Brook, Vestavia Hills, Birmingham and Hoover mayors have all signed proclamations, with more mayors around the area joining in.

“I reached out to 18 mayors in Jefferson County and immediately Over the Mountain mayors responded,” she said, “That, for me, was very exciting. In the areas where we think this problem isn’t going on, they are actually taking action. Vestavia actually has a unit specifically for fighting human trafficking.”

Money raised at the Ed Smart fundraiser will go toward funding the National Center on Sexual Exploitation and providing local solutions in the fight against human trafficking.

SAFE HARBOR

In 2016, Alabama passed a “Safe Harbor” law, under which a minor caught prostituting herself will not be arrested. Meyers said that, while the law protects minors who may be being forced into prostitution by pimps or even parents, it creates problematic circumstances.

“Back then, they would take minors to juvenile detention. But now they aren’t under arrest so there is nowhere for them to go that is spe-

“Jermaine Spann was there for me every step of the way.”

When Viyesha Williams listed her home for sale with Jermaine Spann of ARC Realty, she knew he was trustworthy and dependable. “I just didn’t realize how quickly he would sell my home,” Viyesha says. The right buyer visited Jermaine’s first open house. “For my new home, Jermaine guided me to a great neighborhood where I was able to build a home to meet my needs. From our first meetings with the building team to my final walk-through, Jermaine was there for me, paying attention to every detail and always a calm presence.

That’s important because building a home can be an emotional experience.”

Jermaine says helping customers like Viyesha is a privilege. “I have the support of my entire ARC Realty family to make the process easy for my clients.”

For more information on working with Jermaine and to see all of ARC Realty’s listings, visit www.arcrealtyco.com.

A Relationship Company Mountain Brook Mayor Stewart Welch III and Junior League member Emily Feinstein pose with the Human Trafficking Awareness Month proclamation.

4274 Cahaba Heights Court, Suite 200 Birmingham, AL 35243 • 205.969.8910 www.arcrealtyco.com Jermaine Spann • (205) 243-0754 jspann@arcrealtyco.com

LIFE

12 • Thursday, January 25, 2018

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Harold Goings Looks Forward to His Role as This Year’s Krewe King

THE COURT

Harold, an attorney, recently retired from Birmingham’s Spain & Gillon law firm. He and Jane, married for 45 years, have two children. Their son, Harold Henderson Goings Jr. and his wife, Molly, are the parents of Isabella Jane Goings, age 9, and Harold Henderson Goings III, who’s 7. Bella and Harper, as their grandchildren are known, will be pages for their grandfather this year.

Also serving as pages are the children of Harold and Jane’s daughter, Elizabeth Goings Harrell. She and her husband, Chip, are the parents of 7-year-old Charles Miner Harrell III, known as Miner, and 5-year-old Jane Briggs Harrell. Both families live in Atlanta.

“Both of our children were pages when they were about 7 or 8 years old,” Harold said.

The king’s pages in addition to his grandchildren are Sheard Lovelace Faust, Grace McCray Faust, Lee

On a recent visit to the Birmingham Museum of Art with museum director Dr. Graham Boettcher, left, Harold and Jane Goings admire Claude-Joseph Vernet’s “The Cascade at Tivoli,” (in the background) purchased with funds raised at the Beaux Arts Krewe Ball. “The Arab Lamenting the Death of His Steed” by JeanBaptiste Mauzaisse, below, was also purchased with funds provided by the Krewe.

Summers Faust, Elizabeth Gray Schoenvogel, Robert Clement Schoenvogel and Stewart Campbell Clay Jr. Dukes are William Keay Allen, Hubert Wesley Goings Jr., John William Kidd, Thomas Melvin McCulley,

The couple’s support of the museum gives them yet another connection to the ball’s Chinese theme.

Jane was chairman of the museum’s annual ball in 1996, the year the museum hosted “The First Emperor,” an exhibit of life-sized terra cotta soldiers and horses from ancient China.

Robert Exum Minor, Thomas Atkinson Roberts, William Lee Thuston and Meade Whitaker. Box guards are Arthur Phillip Cook, James Ross Forman and Erskine Ramsay.

During Harold’s more than 35 years as a Krewe member, he’s been the costume chairman and started the members’ winter luncheon in 2001. He said several former Krewe kings have been helpful in preparing him for his role – as has his wife.

“The king’s consort does a lot,” Jane said with a smile.

Harold and Jane both said they’re grateful for the help and support of Elon Allen, the Krewe’s corresponding secretary. Allen took over the role in 2016 after Winston Carl, who had held the volunteer position since 1984, retired.

“Elon always has a smile and is never in a bad mood,” Harold said.

A LIFE TOGETHER

Harold is a Birmingham native. He and Jane grew up on the same Mountain Brook street where they now live, in the house that belonged to Jane’s parents. Both attended Shades Valley High School before heading to college – Harold to the University of Alabama and Jane to Randolph-Macon College in Virginia.

At UA, Harold majored in history and minored in journalism.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I graduated,” he said. “I was very close to my granddaddy, Harold Henderson, and asked him for advice.

He said, ‘It doesn’t make any difference what you’re going to do – get a law degree.’ So I went to Cumberland School of Law.” Harold said he enjoys reading and gardening in addition to traveling. He and Jane have been to Europe and most recently to South Africa, where they visited Cape Town and Kruger National Park, one of Africa’s largest game preserves.

“You fall in love with the animals

you see,” Jane said. “We’d ride around in a Jeep. We searched for a leopard and finally spotted one.”

She said elephants are harder to see than you’d expect and that nyala, spiral-horned antelopes, are “just exquisite.”

Harold is active in his community.

He’s been on the advisory board of the Downtown YMCA and on the board of the Birmingham Historical Society. He also is a member of the Downtown Rotary Club.

The couple are members of Cathedral Church of the Advent, where Harold has served on the vestry and

helps with the sound system at worship services.

Thanks to one of his friends, Harold has a fun reminder of his responsibilities as Krewe king. A decorative crown given to him by Carolyn Ray sits on a table in the den of his house.

Also in the room is a needlepoint pillow bearing an endearing face.

Harold embroidered the pillow after the couple’s beloved dog, a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Logan, passed away.

“That’s what I’m going to do after the ball – get another dog,” Harold said. ❖

Photo courtesy Birmingham Museum of Art

anticipated social events of the year.

Thirty-five young women will be presented at the event, which includes plenty of colorful pageantry. But the ball also has a charitable purpose, raising money for the Birmingham Museum of Art. “We love the museum,” Harold said.

The couple’s support of the museum gives them yet another connection to the ball’s Chinese theme. Jane was chairman of the museum’s annual ball in 1996, the year the museum hosted “The First Emperor,” an exhibit of lifesized terra cotta soldiers and horses from ancient China.

According to Dr. Graham Boettcher, the BMA’s R. Hugh Daniel director, the Beaux Arts Krewe has provided funds for several museum purchases. These include three oil paintings by French artists: “The Arab Lamenting the Death of His Steed” by Jean-Baptiste Mauzaisse, Claude Vignon’s “Adoration of the Magi,” and Claude-Joseph Vernet’s “The Cascade at Tivoli.”

Krewe contributions also were used to purchase “Four Evangelists,” terracotta sculptural models by Italian artist Giuseppe Bernardi, also called Torretto.

As is traditional, a queen will be chosen from among the young women being presented. While the queen’s identity is kept secret before it’s announced at the ball, the king learns ahead of time that he’ll be reigning over the festivities. But, again according to custom, there’s an element of surprise involved.

“I was called to a meeting at the Birmingham Country Club,” Harold said. “Jack Martin asked me to come over to the club to discuss using PayPal to pay for the members’ winter luncheon, which will be held Jan. 22.”

That’s when Goings learned his fellow Krewe members had another job in mind for him: He’d been chosen Krewe king.

Journal photo by Jordan Wald

From page 1

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Photo courtesy the Dewees

“Pathways of the Very Young Autistic Mind” is available on Amazon, barnesandnoble.com and booksamillion.com for $11.

While the Deweeses are pleased to be able to sell the book to the public, Patrick said they initially began the project to share their experiences with friends and family.

Now, the two are hopeful their work will have an impact on the autism community, even if it is just to bring encouragement to one family. ❖

Both Patrick and Meredith Dewees live with different forms of autism. Patrick is diagnosed as having Asperger syndrome and Meredith has another type of high-functioning autism.

Living with Autism Vestavia Hills Couple Writes About Growing up With Autism

By Sarah Kuper Autism spectrum disorder has attracted a lot of interest in recent years as diagnoses rise, but little is known about what it feels like to live with autism.

Vestavia Hills couple Patrick and Meredith Dewees are hoping to change that. The Cahaba Heights couple recently published the book “Pathways of the Very Young Autistic Mind,” which describes their experiences growing up with autism.

Both Patrick and Meredith live with different forms of autism.

Patrick is diagnosed as having Asperger syndrome and Meredith has another type of high-functioning autism.

Patrick works as an account services associate at a software company and Meredith works at a thrift store in Inverness called Vapor, which uses some of its proceeds for mission work in other countries.

JLB Academic Scholarships Available for Local Women

The Junior League of Birmingham is accepting applications for several educational grants to local female applicants, including one-year college and graduate school scholarships.

The academic scholarship program was established in the 1950s as a way to assist teachers of speech and language development, in conjunction with the Junior League School of Speech Correction. It has since expanded to offer scholarships to women in all areas of study, both in undergraduate and graduate programs.

“For 96 years, the Junior League of Birmingham’s mission has included developing the potential of women.

Throughout its long history, the League has consistently been committed to improving the lives of women in our

Thursday, January 25, 2018 • 13

LIFE

In writing “Pathways of the Very Young Autistic Mind,” the Deweeses wanted to record their personal memories as well as bring hope to parents and families.

In the book, Patrick said he writes about the ways he remembers things from his childhood and how his way of remembering is different.

“I can remember unimportant things from long ago with great detail,” he said, “I’m able to remember the things I would think about because I have Asperger. I study things with an intense interest and I was born with an intense curiosity about the world around me.”

Patrick said the book he wrote with his wife is different from a lot of books on autism.

“It isn’t a ‘how-to’ book like a lot of autism books,” Patrick said, “We mention people in history like Isaac Newton and Einstein who are said to have autism. We hope it encourages parents about a child’s potential.” community, particularly in the areas of education and financial stability,” said Katy Eldridge, Junior League of Birmingham president. “Assisting women in Birmingham to attain higher education fits squarely within the League’s mission, and seeing those women achieve and succeed in our community long term is truly rewarding.”

Scholarships will be announced at the Junior League of Birmingham’s Community Circle breakfast April 4 and will be awarded to qualified women who live in either Jefferson or Shelby counties.

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must be enrolled for the 2018-19 year as either full or part-time students of an accredited two or fouryear college or a vocational-technical school.

Applications must be submitted by March 1 and are available at jlbonline. com. ❖

‘It isn’t a ‘how-to’ book like a lot of autism books. We mention people in history like Isaac Newton and Einstein who are said to have autism. We hope it encourages parents about a child’s potential.’

PATRICK DEWEES

14 • Thursday, January 25, 2018

SOCIAL

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

50 YEARS OF DEBS

Ballet Women’s Club and Poinsettia Men’s Club Celebrate 50th Poinsettia Ball

Journal photos by Jordan Wald

T

From left, Cammie Green, Kate Speyer, Ashleigh Pugh, Morgan Stockard and Elizabeth Summers.

hirty debutantes were presented during the Ballet Women’s Committee and Poinsettia Men’s Club during the 50th annual Poinsettia Debutante Ball.

The young women were dressed in white gowns and carried bouquets of red poinsettias for the presentation, held Dec. 28 at Vestavia Country Club. The debutantes were college juniors, and 19 junior debutantes, high school seniors, wore red gowns and carried bouquets of white poinsettias.

Guests entered the ballroom filled with Christmas greenery, sparkling gold ribbons and white lights, designed by Carole Sullivan of Lagniappe Designs. The evening began with a private presentation of the debutantes at the Benefactors’ Dinner, sponsored by the Poinsettia Men’s Club. The dinner was coordinated by Sue Ellen Summers and Jan Roberts.

Debutantes were then presented to their friends and relatives. Don Mosley of Sounds of Birmingham was master of ceremonies and Judith Hicks played the harp during the waltz. Az Izz provided the later musical entertainment.

Poinsettia Ball board President Liz Phillips-Guest coordinated the evening with support from Sharon Maddox, debutante ball chairman and Kelley Brown, debutante social chairman.

Other members helping with the event were Erin Burton, Cathy Donze, Cara Haston, Lianne Hand, Melissa McMurray, Carla Nesbitt, Suzanne Richardson, Ashley Stockard, Tammy Towns, Kelly Troiano and Stephanie Whisenhunt.

Aiding in the festivities was Jayna Southerland, president of the Ballet Women’s Committee. Clint Beasley was the representative from the Poinsettia Men’s Club at the Benefactors’ Dinner.

The annual event benefits the Alabama Ballet. ❖

Ellen Berryhill, Katelyn Wright, Abby Donze, Caroline Adams and Bonnie DeCarlo.

Amelia Haston, Ann Thomas, Haley Dellaccio and Brooke Westhoven.

Olivia Hall, Kate Bryan, Rachel Brooks, Lauren Thackerson and Chase Burton.

Claire Hand, Jordan Moore, Bennett Searcy, Morgan Brown and Madison Brown.

Thursday, January 25, 2018 • 15

SOCIAL

Journal photos by Jordan Wald

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

From left, Wynne Pietrantoni, Emma Wiley, Hannah Yarmowich, and Anna Lea Strickland.

Poinsettia Debs not pictured: Bailey Hymer and Lowrey Patterson.

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Members of the 2017 Ballet Women’s Committee Poinsettia Debutante Ball Board include, front, from left: Stephanie Whisenhunt, Kelly Troiano, Jayna Southerland, Liz Phillips-Guest, Tammy Towns, Kelley Brown, Suzanne Richardson and Lianne Hand. Middle: Sharon Maddox and Melissa McMurray. Back: Erin Burton and Carla Nesbitt.

Not pictured: Sherry Bohorfoush, Cathy Donze, Cara Haston, Ashley Stockard and Sue Ellen Summers.

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Jean Over The Mountain Journal, phone 205-823-9646, fax 205-82 Jan.

This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN Jan. 25, 2018 issue. Please fax approval or changes

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Journal photos by Jordan Wald

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Mark and Casey Cole.

Allison Guyton and Kaitlyn Stephenson.

David Lecompte and Stephanie Gillespie.

A Drink for a Cause

MS Society Raises Money With Bourbon-Tasting The Haven was transformed Jan. 21 into a tasting room for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society Alabama-Mississippi Chapter’s annual Bourbonham event.

Money raised through the annual event support the organization’s mission to fund research and care for patients who suffer from multiple sclerosis.

During the event, guests could taste more than 50 bourbons and whiskeys along with sample award-winning barbecue, partake in a silent auction and listen to blues by the band LiveWire.

For folks who didn’t want to miss the big football games, the AFC and NFC playoffs were televised at the event.

Throughout the evening, guests had the opportunity to put their names in a drawing to win a bottle of 25-year-old Old Rip Van Winkle bourbon, the oldest bourbon offered by the distillery.

Helping organize the event were Jennifer Ely, Laura Pemberton, Brian Guilbeau, Scott Thorne and Pat Smith. ❖

Brian and Stephen Hart Hoffman and Brooke Bell.

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From left, Anne Bethea, Martha Haley, Laura Susan Roberts, Melissa Seton and Lane DeWine.

Once a KD …

Mountain Brook Kappa Delta Alums Make Christmas Luncheon a Family Affair On Dec. 15, the Mountain Brook Kappa Delta Alumnae Association gathered at the home of Laura Dee Wood for its annual Christmas luncheon.

Alumnae, students, daughters and granddaughters joined in the festivities, and enjoyed lunch prepared by Melissa Seton, Lori Barber and Katie Patrick.

Those attending the luncheon included: Libby O’Donnell, Melissa Kenan, Marlea Foster, Diana Walker, Laura Rue, Ann Neighbors, Jane and Lindsey Brakefield, Rebecca Davis, Margaret Angelillo, Everette Dawkins, Katherine Morris Miree, Mary Anna Malone, Libby House, Caroline Pope, Julia Pope, Liz and Caroline Briggs, Kathy O’Rear, Leigh Bromberg, Betsy and Ellis Henley, Anne Bethea, Alice Womack, June Eagan, Walton and Maggie Cobb, Melinda, Elly and Cami Curtis, Amy Hudson, Barbara Lummis, Elizabeth Crommelin, Isabelle Lawson and Lane DeWine.

Also in attendance were Patti Smith, Betsy and Eliza Harmon, Amy and Louise Knight, Harriet Westbrook, Jennifer Kline, Kaci Chesebro, Suzanne Hughes, Laura Susan Roberts, Melissa Roden, Jennifer and Amelia Debruge, Lisa, Caldwell and Mary Tynes Flake, Leigh Anne Haas, Robin Reed, Martha Haley, Michelle Rosemore, Susanne McMillan, Luci McMillan and Kathleen Patrick. ❖

Thursday, January 25, 2018 • 17

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Pride and responsibility drive us to be the best in everything we do.

As a life-long Over-the-Mountain resident and a third generation working at Guin, I feel great pride and To: Margaret Ann responsibility in carrying on the From: Over The Mountain Journal, phone 205-823-9646, fax 205-824-1246 Date: Jan. legacy of honesty and hard work that my grandfather began This is your AD PROOF from the 60 OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for the From left: Jane Brakefield, Alice Womack, Lindsey Brakefield, Louise Knight Jan. 25, 2018 issue.

Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246. and Amy Knight. years ago.

Family is very important toPlease us, and we treat our customers make sure all information is correct, with the same care and respect including address and phone number! as members of our own family. It Please initial and fax back within 24 hours.

Joseph Braswell If webe have not heard from by 5you. pm of the Friday before the press date, would a privilege toyou serve your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.

Thank you for your prompt attention.

Serving Birmingham since 1958

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

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FOR THE KIDS

Children’s of Alabama Celebrates Patients at Annual Ball

Photos special to the Journal

More than 800 guests arrived at The Club on Nov. 10 for the annual Children’s Ball, Children’s of Alabama’s largest fundraising event of the year.

Attendees were treated to a cocktail hour with a silent auction before taking to tables for a seated dinner.

Tables were decorated in green cloth and each centerpiece boasted greenery and white florals. They were flanked by display cards that told the story of a Children’s patient.

A live auction offered up a fourcourse feast for 12 by The Fish Market’s Chef George Sarris, roundtrip Southwest Airline tickets to anywhere in the domestic United States, a private quail hunting experience, a Costa Rican vacation, artwork, jewelry and more.

Contributions and fundraising events help Children’s maintain quality healthcare for the region’s most ill and critically injured children as well as supporting pediatric research and education. ❖

From left, Alice Blake, Carmen Bishop, Emily Hornack and Emily Schaefer.

Brenda Benavidez with Bob and Tracie Harrison.

Amy and Lester Gable with Anne and Mike Warren.

Lori Moler and Ted Burns.

Megan Bogass and Kelly Baker.

Rachel and Darby Bryant.

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Thursday, January 25, 2018 • 19

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From left, Luke Rasnick, Miranda Coley Taylor, Santa, Ashtyne Cole Traylor and Jordan Michael Thompson.

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Holiday cheer was spread at the Harbert Plaza’s City Club Birmingham on Dec. 1 during the Young Professionals of Birmingham Holiday Cocktail.

The festivities were coordinated

by YPBirmingham board members, including Ryan Matthew Smith, president; Miranda Taylor, secretary; Jason Elrod, treasurer; Ryan D’Alessio, past president; Kevin Hicks, ambassador chair; Richard Danner, events chair; Leslie Allen, membership chair; Lorenzo Johnson, outreach chair; Kendall Carbonie, rules chair; Brailyn Hardy, public relations chair; Charlie Santiago, setups chair; George Constantine, sponsorship chair; and board members Emily Bentley, Bo Draughon, Randall Porter, Kathryn Romanchuck, Megan Rykaczewski and Meaghan Thomas.

The annual event provided music

by DJ Mark AD, as well as softer tunes from jazz group Ves Marable as guests danced and enjoyed heavy hors d’oeuvres offered up by the venue.

The club’s Element Room displayed a sumptuous dessert-tasting for guests with a sweet tooth, and Santa was on hand to hear Christmas wishes.

While celebrating the season, the

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event also included informative tables offering the opportunity for young professionals to network and get involved in organizations and institutions throughout the city. Funds raised through the event benefit the organization’s efforts to continue to provide young professionals with more opportunities to get involved in bettering the community. ❖

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Journal photo by Emily Williams

20 • Thursday, January 25, 2018

Mindy Stokes is a salesperson for AllSouth Appliance in Homewood. Before her 10-year tenure in appliance sales, she worked in the industry in roles including instructor at The Viking Cooking School in Franklin, Tennessee, and a demo representative for the German appliance company Miele.

GET SMART

By Emily Williams For some, the kitchen is the most important room in the house. Other people don’t care as much. But it cannot be denied that the kitchen is at the heart of technological advances being made in homebuilding today.

If technology is supposed to make our lives easier, what could be better than coming home to a fully cooked meal, prepared by the simple touch of a few buttons on your cell phone?

We aren’t quite there yet but, according to appliance expert Mindy Stokes, we are well on our way.

Stokes is a salesperson for AllSouth Appliance in Homewood. Before her 10-year tenure in appliance sales, she worked in the industry in roles including instructor at The Viking Cooking School in Franklin, Tennessee, and a demo representative for the German appliance company Miele.

“In my 25-year career, I’ve really gotten to know the ins and outs of the industry,” she said.

“Whenever a company comes out with a new product, the first thing I say is, ‘Prove it to me.’

If they can’t back up what they are selling, then I can’t tell someone to invest thousands of dollars on that product.”

Equipped with a discerning eye, Stokes has found many products that live up to their promises and offer smart technology features to ease the lives of homeowners.

The trend is moving toward making cooking as hands-free as possible, most notably through the growing number of Wi-Fi connectable appliances that can be managed from a smartphone.

Smart Fridge

“With your oven, you can preheat it from your phone while you’re out and there are fridges with cameras that you can access from your phone to see what you need while you are out shopping.

There is virtually no planning on your part. You don’t need to think before you do anything,” Stokes said.

Not only are Wi-Fi-adaptable ovens on the market, but Stokes sees potential in a new product offered by a few vendors – an oven that promises to be two-in-one.

With a divider in the middle that presses against the oven door when closed, the top portion can be set to one temperature and the bottom portion to another. Stokes sees it as a great spacesaver for homeowners who don’t have room for two full-size ovens.

“Refrigerators are also getting more versatile as far as cooling,” she said.

Much like the dual oven, Samsung has a fridge on the market that houses two separate freezer compartments that can be set to different temperatures. The appliance has a larger Frenchdoor refrigerator above and then a set of French doors below for the dual freezers.

“We’re also starting to see different colors for the interior,” she said. “KitchenAid has a platinum interiors and it just makes your food pop.”

For refrigerators, it doesn’t stop there. Smart technology abounds with a Samsung model that comes equipped with a screen on the door and cameras inside.

If you don’t feel like trekking to the grocery store for a few ingredients you need for a specific

recipe, your fridge can generate a list of recipes you can make with what you have.

Not only that, it has a calendar feature that remembers your schedule and a weather update, and some even connect to your cable so you can watch TV. In addition, Stokes noted that many manufacturers are using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity to pair with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant devices. When at home, you can tell your assistant device to change the oven temperature, and the assistant will tell the oven.

The New Standard

With booming technological advances, Stokes notes that many newer features have become standard.

“Quiet dishwashers,” Stokes said. “They’re all quiet now, and they had to be because they are all competing with each other. Back when Bosch came out with the quiet dishwasher, they were the only one; but now it’s just standard.”

Another industry standard for energy efficiency has been around a little while longer than many may think.

“The funny thing about energy efficiency, though, is that appliances had to have an energy star rating way before the ‘green’ trend started getting involved,” she said. “That’s what the yellow tags were for, they were all government-rated.”

According to Stokes, politics is present even in the world of appliances, especially regarding the environment.

“When everyone started marketing more ener-

Photo special to the Journal

Kitchen Tech Pulls People Back to the Heart of Their Homes

Connecting your ovens to your phone and connecting your refrigerator to your phone are two of the latest trends. With your oven, you can preheat it from your phone while you’re out and there are fridges with cameras that you can access from your phone to see what you need while you are out shopping.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Photo special to the Journal

Wolf has a steam oven and you just put a probe in the meat you want to cook, you tell it what temperature you want it and then tell it that you want it at 6:30 p.m. gy efficiency, it was around the time that front-loading washers were becoming popular,” Stokes said.

“Front loading washers don’t use as much water as top loading and that changed the standards that the government placed on energy efficient washing machines.”

Top loading washers were forced to use less water and remove their agitators, which resulted in white streaks on the clothing at the end of a cycle.

To combat this, many top loading washers have settings compliant with EPA standards and “deep wash” settings to combat streaking.

Today’s laundry market finds a variety of top and front-loading washers, and some that have both.

Samsung is at the forefront of technology with its new FlexWash and FlexDry appliances, she said. Both can be connected to your phone, on which you can schedule and monitor cycles and receive an alert when a cycle is complete.

The washer has a front-loading

Thursday, January 25, 2018 • 21

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higher-capacity washer, a top-loading section for small loads, and a steam setting that promises to remove stains without needing to pretreat the fabric.

The dryer incorporates a large capacity front load tumble dryer with steam technology and a top-loading delicate dryer for a faster alternative to rack drying.

“Samsung has all of the ideas and the technological advantage. They are definitely the ones with the new and innovative ideas,” Stokes said. “I still need them to prove it to me, though. I think what we’ll see are more of the industry standard brands perfecting these ideas.”

The Future of the Home

With all of this new tech taking the weight of many everyday chores off of the homeowner, what will the future look like in the kitchen?

According to Stokes, it will be nothing short of what was depicted decades ago on The Jetsons.

“Things will cook themselves –

and, virtually, you have that now,” she said. “Wolf has a steam oven and you just put a probe in the meat you want to cook, you tell it what temperature you want it and then tell it that you want it at 6:30 p.m. So, the machine does everything for you.”

Instead of simply managing your appliances from your phone, Stokes expects to see more appliances that think for their owners, and she’s seen that in her own steam oven at home.

“For Christmas, I cooked a beef tenderloin, which is a pretty expensive cut of beef; and I told it what temperature I wanted and tried to punch in 2:30 and it told me that it wouldn’t be done until 2:38. It knows how long it takes to get to that temperature and can override you,” she said.

Though GE is introducing an oven that cooks quickly with halogen, Stokes prefers to put her seal of approval on steam-cooking technology. With her background as a cooking instructor, she noted that she has never seen a more perfect bake on a cheesecake or tasted a better piece of left-

over pizza than from the steam oven.

“This is really a great industry to be in and there is so much out there and it’s almost as if money is no object,” she said. “Luckily, people can pick and choose what is most important to them, whether that is a refrigerator or their oven.”

Though there is a trend away from

cooking, Stokes said the kitchen still is the room in the home where she sees customers spend most of their budget.

“The kitchen is the most important room in the home,” she said.

“You start your day in the kitchen and you end your day in the kitchen.

Life happens in the kitchen.” ❖

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January 14, 2016 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.Thank you for your prompt attention.

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if we have not heard from you by 5 pm of the Friday before the press date, your ad will run as is. We print the paper Monday.

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BUSINESS

22 • Thursday, January 25, 2018

CustomerFocused Service

Cheryle Caplinger Named Symphony Executive Director

The Alabama Symphony Orchestra has named Cheryle Caplinger as its executive director.

Caplinger, who had been interim executive director, joined the group in 2016 as vice president of marketing and communications and took on the interim duties for the 2017-2018 season.

Previously, she was the director of marketing and communications at Cheryle Caplinger Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of Engineering. She has worked in artistic management, communications, public relations and marketing.

Dixon Brooke, chairman of the Alabama Symphonic Association, said the appointment “is in recognition of the fine job Cheryle has done leading the organization … . She has assembled an excellent team and leads with a strong sense of commitment.”

It’s No Accident the Word ‘Service’ Comes Right After ‘Guin’ in Company Name

CUSTOMERS AS FAMILY

It comes down to treating customers like family, he said, and taking extra effort to fight against the stigma of the plumbing and air conditioning businesses “trying to take advantage of

Journal photo by Maury Wald

By Sam Prickett

Joseph Braswell, above, now runs Guin Service, the Birmingham-based company - specializing in plumbing, heating and air conditioning - founded by Braswell’s grandfather, W.C. “Bill” Guin, in 1958, seen below, in the early ‘70s. Over the last 60 years Guin has been involved in several high-profile jobs including the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, bottom.

you.”

“That stigma’s there, so we work twice as hard to eliminate it,” Braswell said. “I’ve been in other meetings at other (similar) businesses, and they sit there and say, ‘Alright, how can we make money today? Which ones of these customers that we’re going to today can we convert into a big job?’ And that’s just the exact opposite of what we say in our meetings. In our meetings, we talk about the week before and the mistakes we made and how we cannot repeat them. I can’t remember the last time we talked about money in one of our meetings. It’s just not what motivates us.”

That commitment has remained steadfast even amid a changing industry, which has evolved as technology has grown more and more complex.

“When they started doing air conditioning and heating back in the ‘50s and ‘60s, they would essentially build the equipment,” Braswell said. “They would go buy the components, go to the (work site) and put it together to make the system work. Now, you can go to a supply house and buy an air conditioner and (install it) in a day. Those air conditioners are so advanced, there are so many computer systems and everything like that.

Since I’ve worked (at Guin), the technology has changed (to) Wi-Fi thermostats and air conditioners that can tell you whether they’re broken or not. …. It’s just happened really quickly.”

Guin’s business model has changed over the years as well. Under W.C. Guin, the company focused mostly on construction work, with the service side of the business a much smaller, complementary part of the company. But when Guin “semi-retired” in 1990, the construction side was drastically scaled back, Braswell said.

“So now what we’re running is just the service part. We’ll do little construction jobs here or there, but it’s mainly just service. If somePhotos courtesy Guin Co.

On a recent, cold January night, Joseph Braswell woke up to a ringing phone. Even though it was the middle of the night, he answered it.

The person on the other end — a customer of Guin Service, Braswell’s family business — was having a particularly bad night. The freezing weather had caused their pipes to rupture.

“So I woke up and found somebody to go out there and fix the problem in the middle of the night,” Braswell said. It wasn’t long before the phone rang again — another customer, another burst pipe.

“From time to time, that gets frustrating for employees, as I’m sure you can imagine,” Braswell said. “But in a company meeting not that long ago, I pulled everybody together and said, ‘I know it’s not fun, but if you can sleep tonight knowing that one of our customers is sleeping without heat or has water pouring down their ceiling, and you don’t feel any emotion over that, then you’re working at the wrong company.’”

That approach has paid off for Guin Service, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.

The Birmingham-based company, which specializes in plumbing, heating, and air conditioning, was founded by Braswell’s grandfather, W.C. “Bill” Guin, in 1958. Guin was in his mid20s then. By the time he retired, handing the business off to Braswell just a few years ago, he was in his early 80s.

“I think it was a big deal to him to not necessarily keep it in the family, but keep it with somebody that he knew would carry on the legacy and would do it honestly,” Braswell said.

“That always meant more to him than making the money. … If all he cared about was the money, he would have sold it years ago, you know?”

The Guin legacy, he said, is to value customer service over profits, “no matter what.”

Sometimes that means answering service calls in the middle of the night; sometimes it simply means agreeing with a customer, even when they’re wrong.

“It’s not that rare for me to give someone their money back when we did absolutely nothing wrong,” Braswell said. “To be able to call one of your employees and say, ‘I know you did a good job today with Mrs. So-and-so, but I’m going to give her her money back for the sake of customer service,’ … I learned early on that’s just the better approach than calling the customer, arguing and telling them why you did something. It makes the employees’ lives easier, it makes the customers’ lives easier, it makes my life easier.”

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

New Officers Elected for Birmingham Bar Association

The Birmingham Bar Association elected officers during its December meeting, tapping Alan T. Rogers as president for 2018.

Rogers is a partner and the former managing partner of Balch & Bingham LLP. He has been active with the bar association and numerous other community organizations.

T. Charles Fry, general counsel of the University of Alabama Health Services Foundation, was elected president-elect of the bar association, which has about 4,000 members. He will assume the office of president in January 2019.

Gregory S. Ritchey, of the Law Offices of Ritchey & Ritchey, was elected secretary-treasurer.

Leila H. Watson, a co-founder and principal of Cory Watson Attorneys, will serve as immediate past president this year.

At-large members of the bar association’s executive committee elected last month were Conrad Anderson, Rodney Barganier, Pat Clotfelter, Cedrick Coleman, Robin Mark, Andrew Nix, Ashley Peinhardt, Kimberly Perkins, Katie Powell, Brandon Prince and Houston Smith.

New section representatives elected included John Hall, James Bailey, Russell Cunningham, David Luker, Alicia Haynes, Jennifer Griffin, Stevan Goozee, Kimberly Geisler, Charley Drummond and Rebecca Beers.

Deborah Walker will serve as the Magic City Bar representative and Erik Heninger will serve as the Alabama State Bar Commission representative.

Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens Names 2018 Officers

thing breaks in your home or business, we come out and fix it or replace it.” That side of the business has doubled in size over the past decade.

But at the end of the day, Braswell said, “not a lot has changed for the way people want to be treated … . Show up on time, quote a price, honor the price, if something messes up, go back and make it right. I’m not sure that much has changed in 60 years. Maybe we send textmessage reminders and automatic email thankyous instead of handwritten notes. We collect upon completion with a credit-card swiper instead of writing up an invoice and putting it in the mail, but it’s just the same kind of principles.” ❖

Friends of Birmingham Botanical Gardens has selected Beverley French Hoyt to serve a second year as chair of the group’s board of directors.

Brian Barr will serve as past-chair for 2018, and John Smith T will serve as chair-elect. Wally Evans will serve a third term as treasurer, the groups announced in a press release.

Serving first terms on the executive committee are: Bill Ireland as chair of governance, Peyton King as chair of development, Lee McLemore as chair of operations, Chris Boles as chair of education and Cathy Adams as chair of government relations. Natalie Kelly changes roles, moving from chair of government relations to secretary.

There are six new members for 2018: Uday R.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Stuart Griffin Hired to Lead YMCA of Greater Birmingham

PRCA Birmingham Chapter Announces New Officers

The Birmingham chapter of the Public Relations Council of Alabama recently announced its 2018 board of directors, with Crystal Sorrelle of American Cast Iron Pipe Company serving as president.

PRCA is the largest and longestoperating group of public relations practitioners in the state and helps professionals network.

Sorrelle’s fellow officers on the board will include Beth McKern of Spire, past president; Dr. Jacquelyn Shaia of UAB, treasurer; Beverly Williams of American Cast Iron Pipe Company, vice president of programs-facilities; Mary Sood of Mom ‘n’ I Publishing, vice president of programs-speakers; Josh Till of the American Heart Association, vice president of accreditation and professional development; Lauren Cooper of Birmingham Business Alliance, vice president of membership; Elizabeth Shelton of PharmaPoint, vice president of student affairs; Heather Jeffcoat of Burton Advertising, vice president of communications; Chris Vessell of LightPath Marketing, vice president of projects: Adam Kelley of Children’s of Alabama, member-atlarge; and Myra Hunter of American Cast Iron Pipe Company, member-atlarge.

participate in the November program.

Participants had to have completed the Delta Regional Authority’s yearlong Executive Academy, the Delta Leadership Chad Nichols Institute.

The program, Leadership for the 21st Century: Delta Leadership Institute, focused on cultivating “authentic leadership” to move Delta communities forward, according to a press release from Sight Savers. It was led by Dana Born, retired Air Force brigadier general who is co-director of the Center for Public Leadership at the Kennedy school.

“This program went beyond cuttingedge leadership principals to help us become more self-aware and to discover our purpose in order to be an authentic leader,” Nichols said in the release.

Red Mountain Grace Names Wilkerson New Director

The Red Mountain Grace board of directors has announced that it has named Lizzi Wilkerson as its executive director.

Assuming her new role in September, Wilkerson oversees the organization’s mission to provide housing for outof-town patients and caregivers who

are seeking treatment at Birmingham hospitals.

“My heart and passion is to help those who find themselves in difficult circumstances and to make a positive difference in the lives of others,” Wilkerson said.

Wilkerson has spent the past 10 years working in development and management with nonprofits in Alabama, California, Florida and North Carolina. She has worked with national nonprofits such as the March of Dimes, where she was a community director in two states, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, where she held positions such as senior campaign director and campaign manager across multiple cities, including Birmingham.

In these roles, she managed budgets in excess of $2 million and played a crucial role in helping the organizations exceed annual revenue and recruitment goals.

“After an extensive interview process that involved a number of highly qualified candidates, the board unanimously selected Lizzi to help move this organization forward. Her experience, knowledge and vision for the future made her the ideal choice to take Red Mountain Grace to the next level. After much prayer and discussion, we feel that we have made a wise decision by hiring Lizzi for this important ministry leadership position,” said Jason Carroll, founder of Red Mountain Grace. ❖

SEND BUSINESS NEWS TO: EDITORIAL@OTMJ.COM

Sight Savers’ Officer Completes Second Delta Leadership Program

Chad Nichols, chief development officer of Sight Savers America, has completed a four-day executive education and leadership development program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.

Nichols, of Hoover, was one of 41 leaders from the eight states in the Mississippi Delta region chosen to

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The YMCA of Greater Birmingham has named Stuart Griffin to be the new executive vice president and chief operating officer over its 11 branches, Camp Cosby and Hargis Retreat.

Griffin has been chief operating officer at Wellspring Living Inc. in Atlanta, which works for Stuart Griffin women and children who are victims and at risk of exploitation. In that post, he was responsible for operations and services for 10 locations and more than 100 employees.

In a press release, Dan Pile, president and CEO of the YMCA of Greater Birmingham, said “Stuart is uniquely qualified to lead our operations and create clear pathways to a successful implementation of our strategic plan as well as helping with our efforts to move to a new phase of planning for the next five years.”

Before joining Wellspring, Griffin worked in government relations and spent a decade representing large healthcare providers on state and federal levels, according to the press release. He then went to Ernst & Young, where he worked with Fortune 100 and public-sector government health payers. He is a champion of Lean Six Sigma and Balanced Scorecard methods. He has spent the past 4½ years leading nonprofits working in the field of child welfare.

Griffin served on the board of his

local YMCA for three years, during which he led the annual campaign and membership committees and represented his local branch at the North American YMCA Development Organization.

“My career goal has always been to play an integral role in building healthy communities,” Griffin said in the release.

“I believe any organization begins and ends with its people, and I understand the power of building a great team.”

MARCH 10

Bhate, Sharon Brown, Helen Harmon, Caroline T. Little., Blevins Naff and Tiffany Osborne. Completing their service are Elizabeth Jernigan, Carl Jones and newly elected Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin.

The at-large members of the board of directors are Craig Beatty, Emily Bowron, Stephanie Cooper, Kate Cotton, Norm Davis, Bob de Buys, Houston Gillespy, Charles Goodrich, Chris Hastings, Fred Hawkins, J. Turner Inscoe, Paul Jones and John Miller. Ian Dexter is junior board chair.

Thursday, January 25, 2018 • 23

BUSINESS

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The greatest game you can win is won within...

Everyone will remember this National Championship game.

From the pre-game tailgating, the tickets that no one could afford, the first quarter jitters to to the last winning plays, many will find the expense worthy of the “Trophy.”

But as this record-breaking and high intensity football season comes to an end, the coaches, players, and fans from any team need to remember that the greatest game you can win is won from within.

For anyone battling addiction, the fourth quarter “victory” is about getting through the game.

It takes many sacs, interceptions, and fumbles to find the “End Zone.”

It also takes a team effort for any player to get a touchdown or close to the End Zone. There are no quarterbacks that can win a game without a receiver capable of receiving and catching the ball. There are no defenfensive backs, cornerbacks, or safeties capable of defending without the support of their teammates.

There are no kickers on a team capable of making that winning kick without great coaching and support of every teammate.

Without a team, a player is playing against him or herself.

Bayshore Retreat will equip the individual the ability to focus on the ball of sobriety with the help of the team. Bayshore Retreat is a team effort providing each player the ability and tools carry, catch and block a ball for ultimate victory. That team might just equate to family and/or any anyone supporting the player.

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24 • Thursday, January 25, 2018

SCHOOLS

Jamie Stephenson, theater teacher at Vestavia Hills High School, recently was named Alabama’s Theater Teacher of the Year.

Hoover Announces 2017-18 Teachers of the Year

Greystone Elementary School second-grade teacher Carol McLaughlin and Berry Middle School science teacher Lincoln Clark have been named district Teachers of the Year for 201718, Hoover City Schools recently announced.

Clark has been teaching at Berry for 18 of his 23-year teaching career.

In addition, he has served as head coach of the girls golf team, earning the title of coach of the year in 2010 and 2013-2016.

Before joining Hoover schools, he taught at Meadowbrook Middle School and Orlando’s Walker Middle School.

Outside of teaching, Carol McLaughlin he is a mentor in the UABTeach program and assists Hoover’s Engaged Learning Initiative.

McLaughlin has been a member of the Greystone staff since 2005 and has been teaching for a total of 26 years. Hailing from a family of educators, both of her parents, one of her grandmothers, three aunts and one uncle were teachers before she took on the role.

Simmons’ Morgan Nominated for JSU Teacher Hall of Fame

Simmons Middle School band director Valerie Morgan recently was nominated to the Jacksonville State University Teacher Hall of

Hoover schools Superintendent Dr. Kathy Murphy, left with Valerie Morgan.

McLaughlin has won numerous awards, including PBS Digital Innovator in 2016, Air Force Association Chapter 100 Teacher of the Year in 2016 and Greystone PTA Teacher of the Year in 2015.

A national board-certified teacher, she received a bachelor’s in early childhood education and one in elementary education, along with a master’s in elementary education from the University of Alabama.

Teachers recognized as teachers of the year for their respective schools were Julie Erwin, Bluff Park Lincoln Clark Elementary; Shaelyn Dotson von Schweinitz, Deer Valley Elementary; Lynn Giles, Green Valley Elementary; Sara Jane Campbell, Gwin Elementary; Raegan Carlisle, Riverchase Elementary; Mary Kate Waters, Rocky Ridge Elementary; Lauri Harvey, Shades Mountain Elementary; Peggy Eason, South Shades Crest Elementary; Lisa Latham, Trace Crossings Elementary; Melissa Leahey, Brock’s Gap Intermediate; Lauren Truelove, Bumpus Middle; Katie Rowland, Simmons Middle; Chad Cooley, Hoover High; and Marnie Utz, Spain Park High.

Fame.

Before working in the Hoover schools, Morgan taught in urban, suburban, rural and private systems. Despite the diversity of school systems, Morgan said she has found many commonalities among all her students and structured her lessons to include those.

According to a release, her bands have been invited to perform at some of the world’s most renowned music venues, including New York City’s Carnegie Hall.

Morgan has been awarded the National Band Association’s Citation of Excellence three times.

She was a presenter at the Mid-West Band and Orchestra Clinic in 2014 and has been a conductor at numerous local state, and regional district honor bands and clinics. Her bands have earned superior ratings in all evaluated festival events in which they have participated since 1993.

Morgan holds a bachelor’s degree in music education from Troy University and a master’s degree in music education from VanderCook College of Music.

Journal file photo by Jordan Wald

Jamie Stephenson, theater teacher at Vestavia Hills High School, recently was named Alabama’s Theater Teacher of the Year, receiving the award in December at the Walter J. Trumbauer Drama Festival in Florence.

She earned the award after being nominated and chosen by her fellow theater faculty from around the state, according to a release.

“It was so nice to be recognized by my peers, but our kids deserve the recognition much more than I do,” Stephenson said in a statement.

VHHS students won Best in Show at the annual competition for their one-act performance of “Almost, Maine.”

Of the 21 awards earned by VHHS students, Gracie Phillips, Dina Kasman and Maya Barefield were named to the festival’s All-Star Cast, and student Ryan Boles was named Best Actor.

Before joining VHHS, Stephenson taught for 17 years at schools in Pelham and in Charlotte, North Carolina. She holds a bachelor’s degree in theater education from East Carolina University and a master’s in directing from the Chicago Conservatory of Performing Arts.

Dr. Ty Arendall currently serves as principal of Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park.

VHCS Names Arendall Principal of New District School

Dr. Ty Arendall will take on the role of principal of Vestavia Hills’ new elementary school, set to open in the fall of 2019 in what is currently Gresham Elementary School.

The Vestavia Hills Board of Education named him to the position in a meeting Jan. 16.

“This appointment is being made now in order for me to be involved from the beginning in the planning for the new school,” Arendall said in a press release. “That planning role will be in addition to my duties as the principal here at VHELP (Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park), where my first priority will continue to be leading this school alongside the incredible staff that we have assembled.”

Interim Superintendent Charles Mason said, “Leading the creation of a new school will be a challenging task, and the board and I and are delighted that Dr. Arendall has agreed to take on that role.”

Arendall has worked in Vestavia Hills since 2009, first as an assistant principal at Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights before becoming the school’s principal in 2010. Arendall has accumulated 20 years of teaching and administrative experience in the Vestavia Hills, Shelby County and Homewood school systems. He earned a doctorate of education in 2017 from Samford University.

Vestavia Hills Board Focuses on Two Candidates for Superintendent

The Vestavia Hills Board of Education has narrowed its search for a new superintendent to two candidates.

In a special called meeting Jan. 16, the board selected Gardendale City Schools Superintendent Patrick Martin and Sylacauga City Schools Superintendent Todd Freeman for further consideration, following interviews with both candidates earlier this

month.

The board’s next step will include site visits to Martin’s and Freeman’s current and former school communities, reference checks and further interviews, Board of Education President Nancy Corona said in a statement.

When the board is ready to name its next superintendent, it will do so in an open meeting, Corona said.

Photo special to the Journal

VHHS’ Stephenson Named State Theater Teacher of the Year

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

HELPING OTHERS DURING THE HOLIDAYS The sixth-grade and seventh-grade students at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School helped Toys for Tots as a part of a special Christmas service project. This was only one of the many service projects the school participated in during the holiday season.

From left, seventh-graders Colin Robinette, Catherine Agena, Natalie Harris and Hannah O’Laire.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

Thursday, January 25, 2018 • 25

SCHOOLS

Journal photo by Jordan Wald

Mountain Brook High School Launches Experiential Entrepreneurship Program

The current playground space was created by adding pieces over time as they were needed and where space could be found, resulting in an inefficient use of space. In addition, the existing play area does not suit the needs of the entire student body, specifically students with disabilities.

A PLACE TO PLAY

Brookwood Forest Plans to Start Park Renovation This Summer

By Emily Williams

When the 2017-18 school year kicked off, Brookwood Forest Elementary in Mountain Brook celebrated the start of a $350,000 capital campaign for a much-needed project: Ranger Park.

Fundraising for the project has been headed up by the school’s PTO, led by President Darcie Plowden and

According to Craig, the design was created by speaking to the students. Members of the administration ate lunch with fifth- and sixthgraders to ask about the park and kindergarteners were asked to write letters voicing their ideas for the space.

Vice President of Sponsorship Amber Craig. The initiative is well on its way toward its goal, raking in more than $270,000 through in-kind donations and a brick campaign, which includes $100,000 provided by the PTO’s strategic planning budget.

Members of the PTO said the project benefits more than one group, the school and the nearby residents who use the space for recreation. Dubbed a park rather than a playground, the idea is to make the space more comprehensive – a place to go for more

than just recess.

“Rather than confine play to a piece of equipment, this is an area that promotes a variety of different types of play for a variety of different personalities across a variety of ages.

We want spaces to swing, climb and slide. But we also want spaces to play sports, games and simply relax in a place that is authentic to our school,” Plowden and Craig said.

The current playground space was created by adding pieces over time as they were needed and where space could be found, resulting in an inefficient use of space. In addition, the existing play area does not suit the needs of the entire student body, specifically students with disabilities.

Plowden and Craig noted that, “the timeline for completing spaces in the school coincided with the suggested renewal dates for a majority of the equipment as well as a longer-term solution for surfacing.”

The installation of Ranger Park is planned for this summer. It will feature new play structures, climbing equipment, fall-safe surfacing, four square and basketball courts, and more benches, landscaping and handicapped-accessible paths.

According to Craig, the design was created by speaking to the students. Members of the administration ate lunch with fifth- and sixth-graders to ask about the park and kindergarteners were asked to write letters voicing their ideas for the space.

The designer met with focus groups of parents and teachers and gathered suggestions on initial designs.

Though the impact of the park on

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On Jan. 19, Mountain Brook High School announced it will launch a new entrepreneurship program, INCubatoredu, geared toward providing students with an authentic business learning experience.

The program will incorporate topics including conceiving, developing and launching a startup business and will be hosted in collaboration with Uncharted Learning, a non-profit that develops K-12 business and entrepreneurship education programs.

“We are very excited to partner with INCubatoredu and business professionals in the Mountain Brook community to provide this startup experience for our students,” MBHS Principal Amanda Hood said in a statement. “We have bright, engaging students, who are constantly problem solving, and we have no doubt that they will be able to translate those skills to a successful business model.

One of the great strengths of our high school is the support of our community, and we are thrilled to be able to partner with local business professionals to bring their experience to our students and into our classrooms.”

Through INCubatoredu, student teams will create new products and services and compete to take business ideas from concept to funding. The incubator environment is designed to replicate real entrepreneurial challenges through collaboration, adaptability, critical thinking, creativity and problem solving.

“We are excited to have Mountain Brook High School as part of the INCubatoredu community, and we look forward to delivering an excellent experience for students,” Margarita Geleske, co-executive director of Uncharted Learning, said in a statement. “Our programs are taught by a team of teachers, real-business mentors and outside coaches drawn from local communities who help students learn the ins/outs of launching and managing a start-up business.”

INCubatoredu@MBHS will launch this fall, and students will be able to apply for the program during the course selection process in January. The INCubator will be housed in the high school’s business department and will be taught by Lori Beasley, Amber Benson, Brooke Hawkins and Jill C. McGee. ❖

the school community is the first priority, Plowden and Craig agreed that they hope the new space benefits the surrounding community.

Because play space is adjacent to community soccer fields, the PTO noted that they are hoping to see support from the Mountain Brook comHomewood’s Unique Consignment Shop munity and beyond.

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26 • Thursday, January 25, 2018

SPORTS

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

2017 Metro South Football Players of the Year

Members of the Metro South eighth grade team from the Over-theMountain area are:

Photos special to the Journal

BERRY: De Davis, Bennett Meredith, Braxton Sumpter and Jack Baylor.

BUMPUS: Andrew Batson, Conner Prothro, Josh Carter and Jabari Gaines.

HOMEWOOD: Ahmari Burrell, David Moultry, Hansin Dalton and Elias Trejo.

LIBERTY PARK: Michael Belcher, Fort Edmonds, Garrett Lawley and Blake Jeffers.

MOUNTAIN BROOK: Sims Brown, John McMillan, Mac McCowan and Gray Doster.

OAK MOUNTAIN: Evan Smith, Corbitt Grundhoefer, Cam Atkinson and Nic Rigdon.

PIZITZ: Pierce Hanna, Jack Dawsey, Clayton Marek and Jay Faulkner.

SIMMONS: Rashad Magby, Corey Warren, Jack Campbell and Houston Vessey.

Members of the Metro South seventh grade team from the Over-theMountain area are: BERRY: Evan Smallwood, Caldwell Bussey, Zamir Farris and Landon Tabor.

BUMPUS: RJ Hamilton, Nemo Anderson, Jay Avery and Keith Christein.

HOMEWOOD: Sam Carr, Charlie Reeves, Woods Ray and Jack Glenn.

LIBERTY PARK: Aiden Black, Tucker Smitha, Jack Lamey and Gabe Adams.

MOUNTAIN BROOK: Jackson Beatty, Trent Wright, Billy Radney and Benjamin Parrott.

OAK MOUNTAIN: Zack Hauck, Jacob Helgason, Mark Johnson and Davion Foster.

PIZITZ: Win Miller, Houston Owen, Jack Lockhart and Mac Smith.

SIMMONS: Malachi Threatt, Keonte Sanders, Ahamari Williams and Alex Burch.

From page 28

wanted to impress upon her underclassmen was passion. Gann is the Over the Mountain Journal’s 2017 Volleyball Player of the Year, and she wanted her teammates to enjoy the sport as much as she did in her junior season.

She never wanted any of her teammates to feel a sport was a chore or an obligation.

“I loved going to practice,” said Gann. “I loved seeing all of my friends. I wanted to leave them to have fun and enjoy it, because some people play sports because they’re made to, not because they enjoy it. I’ve been playing volleyball since I was 11 or 12, so I just wanted to help each of them enjoy each of the years they have to come.”

Gann feels confident about the squad that she’ll leave behind.

“They haven’t even reached their full potential yet,” she said. “I don’t think they realize how good that they’re actually going to be. Even during the season, I thought, ‘Holy cow. Y’all are going to be amazing next year.’ Each of them is well-rounded, and each of them can play any position. They’re going to be extraordinary next year.”

Next year, Gann will be playing for the University of Alabama in Huntsville Chargers, where she has been committed since before the season began. She hopes to study nursing or biology. ❖

2017 ALL-OVER THE MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL TEAM OUTSIDE HITTER Grace Carr, Mountain Brook Torie Denkers, Oak Mountain Marlee Johnson, Spain Park Paige Shaw, Hoover Marinna Dorolek, Altamont Claire Lynton, Altamont

MIDDLE BLOCKER Ellie Dayhuff, Mountain Brook Kaitlyn Lund, Oak Mountain Rya Mckinnon, Hoover Kendall Scharbert, Oak Mountain SETTERS Libby Grace Gann, Mountain Brook Jamie Gregg, Hoover Kaley Bruce, Briarwood Ainsley Schultz, Vestavia LIBEROS Savannah Gibbs, Hoover Cameron Rueschenberg, Oak Mountain Keller Lovvorn, Oak Mountain Anna Donohue, Briarwood COACH OF THE YEAR Tien Le, Oak Mountain

LE,

From page 28

Journal photo by Marvin Gentry

GANN,

PLAYER OF THE YEAR Libby Grace Gann, Mountain Brook

how to deal with pressure situations and learn to be unselfish and learn how to put the team first.”

That, he says, is something he learned from his parents growing up in Vietnam during war. He recalls difficult living conditions as a child, times when his parents would go to bed without dinner because they had sacrificed it for their children.

“They’re going to be mothers,” Le said of the young women on his squad. “And, I’m sorry, but if you’re going to be a good mother, you’ve got to be unselfish,” he said. “You’re going to have to know that your children are more important than you.”

His former players still keep in touch. They visit, they call, they text.

“There’s nothing that makes me feel better than former players thanking me, saying, ‘I remember at practice, you were trying to teach us this, and now that I’m in college, I can see what you were trying to prepare us for,” Le said. “To me, that’s what’s wonderful about coaching.” ❖

SPORTS

SCORING MACHINE

Wannemuehler Etches Name in John Carroll’s Girls Basketball Record Book

By Rubin E. Grant

LEADING AND LEARNING

Wannemuehler embraces her role as team leader, especially taking the nine freshmen under her wing.

“When I look at them, I remember

Joy League Baseball Begins Registration Feb. 3

Joy League Baseball in Homewood will begin registering boys and girls for baseball teams starting Feb. 3.

Registration will continue each Saturday in February, from 9 a.m. until noon, at Edgewood Elementary School.

Boys and girls ages 4 to 12 are eligible to play. The cost is $30 per player, and

Journal photos by Jordan Wald

The John Carroll Catholic girls head basketball coach position has resembled a revolving door the past four seasons.

Since Bryan Burgess completed a five-year run at the helm from 2009 to 2014, the Cavaliers have started each succeeding season with a new head coach.

Throughout the coaching carousel, the Cavaliers have had one constant on the court: guard Josie Wannemuehler. She has not let the coaching turnovers keep her from doing what she does best: putting the ball in the basket.

Earlier this month, Wannemuehler became John Carroll’s girls basketball all-time leading scorer. The 5-foot-8inch senior entered this week with 1,210 career points, eclipsing the previous school record of 1,149 points set by Roni Richardson. Richardson graduated in 2016 and now is a sophomore guard for Shorter University in Rome, Georgia.

Wannemuehler is almost in disbelief that she is the new record holder.

“Ever since I’ve been playing I never thought of that being one of my goals,” Wannemuehler said. “I just tried to go out and play the best I could. I’m blessed to have the record.”

Wannemuehler has been on the varsity since she was a freshman.

First-year John Carroll coach Destiny Frazier was familiar with Wannemuehler’s game before she arrived this season.

Frazier was an assistant coach at Spain Park when the Cavaliers played in the Jaguars’ tournament last season.

“We scouted the team and we knew she was the best player on the team,” Frazier said.

Coaching Wannemuehler has given Frazier even more appreciation for her talent. Wannemuehler is averaging 17 points this season while playing for a youthful squad that has stumbled to a 6-10 record.

“I’m impressed with how well she handles pressure,” Frazier said. “We have a very young team with only two seniors, two sophomores and nine freshmen. Josie does well running the team and providing leadership.”

Earlier this month, Josie Wannemuehler became John Carroll’s girls basketball all-time leading scorer. The 5-foot-8-inch senior entered this week with 1,210 career points.

the role models I had growing up,” she said. “I want to be just like that for them and hear them say, ‘Josie did this, or Josie did that.’ I want to challenge them to work hard because I’ve always prided myself on being an extremely hard worker.”

The hard work is continuing under Frazier, who is trying to expand Wannemuehler’s ability as a scorer.

“She’s primarily an outside shooter and when someone comes on a close out, she can take the ball to the basket,” Frazier said. “I’m working on her mid-range game, so instead of taking the ball all the way to the basket, I want her to pull up and take a jumper.”

Of course, adjusting to a new coach’s style is nothing new for Wannemuehler. She affably handles the changes and goes about the business of adapting her skills.

“I have had a new coach every year since I was in the seventh grade,” Wannemuehler said. “They have all come in with a different attitude about what they wanted me do and that’s helped my game. I used to be a one-dimensional player, but now I am more well-rounded.

“If they wanted me to be a passer, I’d do that,” she said. “If they wanted me to focus on defense, I’d do that. If they wanted me be a ball handler, I’d do that. If they wanted me to be a shooter, I’d do that.”

Wannemuehler credits her dad, Brian, for helping her approach the

game with such a positive outlook.

Brian Wannemuehler is the golf pro at Hoover Country Club.

“My dad played high school basketball in Evansville, Indiana,” Wannemuehler said. “He would always come outside and play with me. And he didn’t take it easy on me.

I definitely learned how to be aggressive from him and he always told me to let my game speak for me and not my mouth, and to have a good attitude on the court.”

Frazier likes the way Wannemuehler carries herself on the court.

“She has the best personality, especially for a basketball player,” Frazier said. “She’s always having fun and laughing. She’s definitely unique.”

Wannemuehler mentioned the uniqueness comes from her quirky laugh that sometimes gets on Frazier’s nerves, but she quickly added, “I like playing for her. She’s a great coach and you can see how much she loves the game.”

Wannemuehler plans to play college basketball. She is leaning toward Birmingham-Southern, but she also is considering Jacksonville State, which just happens to be where Frazier played.

“I haven’t fully committed yet, but I think I’m going to BirminghamSouthern,” Wannemuehler said. ❖

each team practices one hour a week.

This is Joy League’s 61st consecutive season of daytime baseball in Homewood. League games are played on Saturday mornings, March 31 to June 30, followed by a family watermelon picnic.

The league began after a son of Joy League founder John J. Smith Sr. and some of his friends tried out for baseball teams, but many of them did not make

the cut.

“Mr. Smith said many times that there are no bench warmers in the Joy League. That’s still true today,” Perry Akins, a league commissioner said in a release. “From the beginning, Joy League assured, and still assures, that every player plays in every game, and there are no tryouts.”

Last year there were 18 teams in Joy League, and nearly 200 youth played.

Thursday, January 25, 2018 • 27

Spread the Wealth

Vestavia Team Shares the Ball and the Points

By Blake Ells As the Vestavia Hills basketball team works toward its championship goals, it spreads the ball around.

The Rebels average just less than 60 points a game, but no player averages double figures. Rian Shields is the leading scorer at 9.7 points per game, while Luke Champion is adding 9.3 points per game, Luke Couch is adding 8.7 points per game, and Paul Michael Hargrove is averaging 8.3 points per game.

“We’ve got a bunch of guys all right there together in the 7, 8, 9 point range and on any given night, one of those guys may go get 17 or 18,” said coach Patrick Davis. “So we don’t rely on one guy. We do it by committee. In a lot of ways, it makes it good because we’re not heavily dependent on just one guy. I would think that makes it a little tough to prepare for because you can’t just say, ‘Well, we’ve got to go stop these two guys.’”

That ball distribution, Davis said, is the nature of his team.

“We share it really well and we try to get shots from different places,” he said. “We’ve got a really unselfish group. They don’t care who scores; they just want to win. And they’ll do whatever it takes to be good.”

Ranked eighth in the state, Vestavia Hills moved to 18-6 after an area loss to Hoover on Jan. 16 and an area win over Tuscaloosa County on Jan. 19.

The team is preparing for two final area games this week, which will determine seeding for the area tournament: Thompson on Jan. 23 and a rematch with the Bucs on Jan. 26. Once seeding is determined, Vestavia Hills, Thompson, Tuscaloosa County and Hoover will compete to send two teams to the regional tournament.

Davis said the players are eager to meet Hoover again.

“We felt like we turned the ball over in some spots and gave them some easy buckets that, if we eliminate, it kind of narrows that gap a little bit,” Davis said. “Taking away some of those easy (points) is important.”

Just three other teams from Alabama have topped the Rebels this season: Helena in an early season contest, Parker and second-ranked Mountain Brook in a 46-42 game.

“We felt like we defended well, but we didn’t execute well enough offensively to win the (Mountain Brook) game,” Davis said.

Area tournament play begins Feb. 8. Between regular season area play and the area tournament, the Rebels will host Spain Park and travel to ClayChalkville. ❖

Rian Shields is the leading scorer for Vestavia at 9.7 points per game.

Journal photos by Mark Almond

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL

THURSDAY, JANUARY 25, 2018

SPORTS

Vestavia Basketball Spreads the Wealth PAGE 27 Wannemuehler Etches Name in John Carroll’s Girls Basketball Record Book PAGE 27

2017 ALL-OVER THE MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL TEAM

Spartans Gann Leads All-OTM Volleyball Team

Le Earns Coach Of the Year Honors

By Blake Ells

When the volleyball season began, Libby Grace Gann was tasked with a tall order. She was the only senior on a team with a new coach and just one junior to complement her experience.

Former coach Haven O’Quinn left Mountain Brook High for Birmingham-Southern College after leading the squad to three straight state championships. Just before the season started, Vickie Nichols took over as coach, with all odds stacked against her success.

With the help of Gann’s senior leadership, Nichols and the Spartans finished their season in the state semifinals.

“I started on the varsity team as a freshman,” said Gann. “I’ve been playing with so many older people; I’ve always been the youngest. Before (O’Quinn) left, I already knew that I was going to have to take on a leadership role, so I was prepared for it. Not many people have an opportunity to be the only senior on a team. A lot of people might see that challenge as a negative, but we never did.”

Instead, the Spartans saw youth as an opportunity. Gann knew that the younger players on her team had not yet reached their full potential and that she could watch them mature throughout her senior season. And while she remains extremely close to O’Quinn, she knew that their relationship as player and coach would eventually come to an end.

“I just looked at it as a new challenge,” said Gann. “I wasn’t the youngest, and having an opportunity to be the leader was a great experience for me to have going into college. I feel like I’m better prepared.”

The most important thing Gann

Coach Tien Le made the difficult decision to leave Briarwood Christian School for Oak Mountain five years ago because he wanted to return to a public school – and he missed the state’s best competition.

“I missed 7A volleyball,” said Le. “Before Briarwood, I was at Pelham High School, first as an assistant, then as head coach.”

This season, Le took the Eagles to the state semi-finals, their best finish since he arrived. Region foe Mountain Brook also made the semi-finals and Spain Park had a fantastic season. It’s that level of competition that Le sought, and it’s that level of competition that prepared the squad for a semi-final run.

“For your team to be better and be prepared, you want to be in a strong area,” Le said. “If you’re just in an area where you kill everybody, that doesn’t prepare you as well. Spain Park beat us in the regular season, but, thankfully, we turned the table and beat them in the area tournament when it really counted.”

This was Le’s 32nd year coaching young women. Le said he endured the experience of coaching the daughter of a former player while in his first season at Briarwood, so crossing into his third decade on the court didn’t faze him.

See GANN, page 26

Journal photos by Marvin Gentry

By Blake Ells

Celebrate life's special occassions.

MEMBERS OF THE 2017 ALLOVER THE MOUNTAIN HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL TEAM ARE, above, front row, from left: Marinna Dorolek, Altamont; Kaley Bruce, Briarwood; and Anna Donohue, Briarwood.

Back: Claire Lynton, Altamont; Ellie Dayhuff, Mountain Brook; Grace Carr, Mountain Brook; and Libby Grace Gann, Mountain Brook. Left, front row, from left: Cameron Rueschenberg, Oak Mountain; Keller Lovvorn, Oak Mountain; Marlee Johnson, Spain Park.

Back; OTM coach of the year, Tien Le, Oak Mountain; Kendall Scharbert, Oak Mountain; and Torie Denkers. Not pictured: Paige Shaw, Jamie Gregg, and Savannah Gibbs, Rya McKinnon, Hoover; and Ainsley Schultz, Vestavia.

LIFE LESSONS

“Competing is great, but what I hope I’ve done at the end of the year is have an influence on those kids as people,” he said. “I want to give them life lessons – tools – and you get to do that with volleyball. You get to do that with any sport, really. The kids have to learn how to work hard, how to set goals, how to face adversity,

See LE, page 26

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