Over the Mountain Journal, January 15, 2015

Otmj Thursday, January 15, 2015

over the mountain journal ❖ otmj.com

Spanning the

Globe

International Families Make Homes in Over the Mountain Neighborhoods

D

iversity at the University of Alabama at Birmingham includes students from 110 countries and faculty from around the

world.

Many of those UAB families seek homes Over the Mountain, enriching their communities with new cultures and worldviews that cross oceans.

Beginning on page 14 read the stories of five such families, each transplanted from a distant reach of the globe — England, China, Russia and the south Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Journal photos by Lee Walls Jr.

inside

The 3,000-mile Journey Cathey Leach reached the summit of Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, after six months and three days of backpacking. health & Fitness Page 11

French Connection Kali Martin McNutt, who is from Vestavia Hills, and François Braine-Bonnaire, a native Parisian, married June 28 in the South of France.

Weddings special section page 24

Success Story Hoover resident’s book details her corporate climb. business page 32

2 • Thursday, January 15, 2015

Something to Roar About

Zoo Set to Break Attendance Record The Birmingham Zoo is projecting it will set a new record once final attendance numbers from 2014 have been calculated.

The zoo recently announced it had set new all-time attendance records for October and November and in midDecember was on pace to set an overall attendance record for the third year in a row.

In October, 66,449 people visited the zoo, a 2.6 percent increase over the previous record set in October 2010 when the zoo welcomed 64,753 visitors.

Zoo officials said a big draw in 2014 was the annual Wells Fargo Boo at the Zoo event, which this year featured the new Monster Slide ride. The zoo hosted 29,500 visitors – an 8.45 percent increase over the previous record set in October 2010 – during the 2014 Boo at the Zoo event.

“The annual Wells Fargo Boo at the Zoo exceeded our expectations,” said William R. Foster, the zoo’s president and chief executive officer. “We would not be able to have such successful events without the support of the community.”

In November, the zoo set a new attendance record of 26,739, a 19.4 percent increase over 2013, when 22,393 visitors came to the zoo during November.

In the final weeks of the year, zoo officials said they hoped 2014 would end with the zoo having 600,000 visitors.

Kudos to The Birmingham Zoo.

in this issue About Town 4 people 5 news 8 health & Fitness 12 life 14

social 18 weddings 24 schools 27 business 32 sports 36

On otmj.com

Opinion/Contents

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

murphy’s law

Put It on a Gift Certificate

B

Brilliant. ack when Vanna White As I weighed my many options, it didn’t have to be airoccurred to me that, properly applied, a brushed, “Wheel of Fortune” person could put together a life on gift contestants would spin the big cards alone. wheel, buy vowels, finally guess Sure, your wallet would be bulky, “Apple Brown Betty Boop” and but gift cards spend just like cash, and, then wait breathlessly while Pat as a bonus, they’re untraceable, so they Sajak showed them their prize would be perfect if you wanted to be options. incognito for a while. Not like you’d be Instead of being awarded straightlying low after a bank heist (although forward cash, contestants had to spend that would work, too), but maybe their winnings on items that appeared you’ve just been through some other on a great carousel of prizes. There stressful situation, like the holidays or were always a few big ticket items – being the mother-of-the-bride, and after sofas and dinette sets and stainless steel wrestling with caterers and videogracookware – but soon the choices dwinSue Murphy phers and the specified dietary needs of dled to things like faux fur leggings and 200 guests (12 vegan, 13 gluten-free, life-sized ceramic dogs.

Sure, your wallet 50 that don’t like capers) you’re Happy just to be there, however, to take a mental health break the contestants soldiered on, selectwould be bulky, but ready and spend a few days where nobody ing the least objectionable objects gift cards spend just knows your name. until their net winnings fell to a Think about it: Completely off prize-less amount. Then they’d say, like cash, and, as a the grid, you could rent a car, fill “Pat, put the rest on a gift certificate.” bonus, they’re untrace- it with gas, stay in a hotel, make calls, eat out, go to a movie.

I never understood why they able, so they would be phone You could buy groceries, order a didn’t just put the entire amount on a gift certificate to begin with, perfect if you wanted ham, ship in a box of gourmet pears your undisclosed location. (You but maybe that wasn’t an option. to be incognito for a tocould get your Fruit of the Month Maybe the ceramic dog people were Club transferred to your new digs, big sponsors. Still, I would have to while. but there’d be a record of that.) decline. I have no place to put such With the right gift cards, you a thing, and besides, a giant ceramic could book a massage, have your hair cut and colored, dog would clash with…well, everything. get your nails done. If you were there a little longer, you I like gift certificates, or as we call them now, gift could buy pots and pans and shoes and clothes and fashcards. They’re easy to buy, easy to ship, and they allow ion accessories. You could get new glasses and have your the recipient to pick out whatever they really want, even teeth whitened. If you had a Petco gift card, you could if it is a ceramic dog. even get a dog. A real one.

When I went to purchase a few gift cards over the Sooner or later, of course, the cards would run out but holidays, I was surprised to see how many types were maybe by then you’d be ready to be a little bit more… available. Not only that, but you didn’t have to travel cognito. Let’s hope so. And if not, if life got a little too… all over town collecting them from separate merchants. too, you could just tell everybody to put it on a gift cerThey were all there on a communal cardboard display, tificate. ❖ strategically placed next to the grocery store checkout.

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 Views OVER THE MOUNTAIN

JOU RNAL

What are you doing differently in 2015?

January 15, 2015

Publisher: Maury Wald Features Writer: Donna Cornelius Office Manager: Christy Wald Editorial Assistant: Stacie Galbraith Sports: Lee Davis Contributors: Susan Murphy, June Mathews, William C. Singleton III, Emil Wald, Marvin Gentry, Lee Walls Jr., Bryan Bunch Advertising Sales: Suzanne Wald, Julie Trammell Edwards, Tommy Wald Intern: Jacob Fuqua Vol. 25, No. 1

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 ads@otmj.com. Find us on the Web at otmj.com.

Copyright 2015 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.

“Making better choices and being more mindful and compassionate.”

“I’m having healthier relationships with the people I surround myself with.”

“I’m going to try to be more positive and optimistic this year.”

Diane Litsey Vestavia Hills

Rachel Waller Homewood

Lauren Simmons Mountain Brook

“I want to do more yoga this year.”

Katie Gardner Homewood

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

About Town

Thursday, January 15, 2015 • 3

4 • Thursday, January 15, 2015

About Town

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Jan. 15 - Jan. 29 Jan. 17 Homewood

Abraham-in-Motion Wright Fine Arts Center The Leslie S. Wright Fine Arts Center at Samford University and the Alabama Dance Council will present Abrahamin-Motion, a performance by Kyle Abraham, from 8-11 p.m. Abraham will present a new work based on the quest for civil rights. Tickets are $15-$25. For more information, call 726-2853.

Mountain Brook

June Mays Garden Lecture Emmet O’Neal Library Garden designer June Mays will present a lecture on historic gardens and landscapes in Europe and the United States from 10-11:30 a.m. The lecture is free. For more information, visit www.eolib.org or call 445-1118.

Jan. 17-18 Birmingham

BrickFair 2015 BJCC BrickFair 2015 brings together adult fans of LEGO to show off their projects.

The exhibit has more than 58,000 square feet of LEGO models, displays and trains plus vendors. Admission is $10. Children 3 and younger get in free.

Hours are 11 a.m.-4 p.m. both days. For

save the date Virginia Samford Theatre Virginia Samford Theatre will present “The Producers” Jan. 22-Feb. 8.

This is the first time the Tony-award winning Mel Brooks musical has been staged in Alabama. Tickets are $30$35 and can be purchased at www. virginiasamfordtheatre.org. For more information, call 251-1206.

more information, visit www.brickfair. com.

Birmingham

“Swan Lake” Alabama Theatre The State Ballet Theatre of Russia will present “Swan Lake” in four acts.

Show times are 7:30-9:30 p.m. Jan. 17 and 2-4 p.m. Jan. 18. Tickets are $35.25-$67.60. For more information or to buy tickets, visit alabamatheatre.com or call 800-745-3000.

Jan. 23 and 25 Homewood

Jan. 18 Birmingham

Alabama Dance Festival Showcase Dorothy Jemison Day Theater The 18th annual Alabama Dance Festival culminates with a showcase from 2:30-4:30 p.m. on the Alabama School of Fine Arts campus. The festival brings the world’s finest dancers to Alabama and showcases local dancers.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $8 for children. For more information, visit www.alabamadancecouncil.org or call 322-4444.

Birmingham

Choral Evensong Cathedral Church of the Advent The Cathedral Choir will sing the traditional Anglican service of Choral Evensong, a service of prayers, lessons and anthems, from 3-4 p.m. The event is free.

Call us for your next eye exam

“Red Lenin” will be one of the Andy Warhol pieces on exhibit at the Abroms-Engle Institute for the Visual Arts at UAB through Feb. 28.

Photo special to the Journal by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc.

Birmingham

Warhol Exhibit Abroms-Ingle Institute for the Visual Arts Works by the late Andy Warhol will be on display at the University of Alabama at Birmingham institute through Feb. 28. New York-based contemporary artist Charles Lutz also will display works from his “Denied Warhol Paintings and Sculpture” series. Admission is free. AEIVA is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and noon-6 p.m. Saturday. Call 9756436 or visit www.uab.edu/cas/aeiva.

Birmingham

Reflect and Rejoice: A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Alys Stephens Center The Alabama Symphony Orchestra will present this tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at 3 p.m. The Aeolians of Oakwood University will join the orchestra for the performance. Tickets are $33-$79 and can be purchased at www.alabamasymphony.org. For more information, call 975-2787.

Hoover

Historical Society Meeting Hoover Public Library Jim Baggett, an archivist at the Birmingham Public Library, will talk about Miss Fancy, the elephant that lived at the Avondale Zoo. The meeting is at 1:30 p.m.

Jan. 22 Homewood

Neuroscience Cafe: Schizophrenia Homewood Public Library The library will host Neuroscience Cafe at 6:30 p.m. in the large auditorium. A program on schizophrenia presented by Dr. Adrienne Lahti and Dr. Lynn Dobrunz will include information on the latest research and treatments. This is a free event. For more information, visit www.homewoodpubliclibrary.org or call 332-6600.

251.929.0015 205.703.8596 7 South Church Street, Suite D 2814 18th Street South Fairhope AL, 36532 Homewood, AL 35209 Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“Hamlet” by Opera Birmingham Wright Fine Arts Center Opera Birmingham will present “Hamlet” with soprano Leah Partridge and baritone Corey McKern. Show times are 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23 and 2:30 p.m.

Jan. 25. Tickets are $20-$90; student tickets are $12. For more information, visit www.operabirmingham.org or call 322-6727.

Jan. 22-Feb. 8 Birmingham

“The Producers”

Jan. 24 Homewood

Self-defense Class for Women Homewood Public Library Detective Juan Rodriguez, owner of Summit Training Academy, will teach special techniques for breaking an attacker’s grasp and other safety measures. Participation is free, but reservations are required. The class starts at 9:30 a.m. Contact Leslie West at lwest@bham.lib.al.us or 332-6620.

Jan. 25

Jan. 31-April 26 Birmingham

Small Treasures Exhibition Opening Birmingham Museum of Art The Birmingham Museum of Art will welcome the first exhibition to explore small-format, 17th-century paintings from the Dutch Golden Age with the “Small Treasures: Rembrandt, Vermeer, Hals and Their Contemporaries” exhibition. The exhibit is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and on Sundays from noon-5 p.m. For more information, visit www.artsbma.org or call 254-2565.

Feb. 7 Birmingham

Heart 2 HeART 2015 BridgeStreet Gallery and Loft aTeam Ministries will present its annual fundraising event from 6-9 p.m.

The Heart 2 HeART program supports children with pediatric cancer by pairing them with professional artists. For more information, visit www.ateamministries. org or call 865-809-5198.

Hoover

Riverchase Loves Artists Riverchase Country Club Local and regional artists will exhibit and sell their works in a variety of mediums. Admission is free. For more information, visit www. riverchaselovesartists or call the Riverchase Country Club at 988-4140.

Feb. 13

Birmingham

Service of Choral Evensong Independent Presbyterian Church The Independent Presbyterian Church Camerata, under the direction of Dr. Jeff McLelland, will perform music for the Service of Choral Evensong from 3-4:15 p.m. Following the service, Dan Lawhon of Baptist Church of the Covenant will present a 30-minute organ recital. The event is free. For more information, call 933-3700.

Hoover

Hoover

Hearts and Harmony Gala Hyatt Regency Birmingham-The Wynfrey Hotel The Hoover Service Club will present this third annual gala from 6:30-11:30 p.m. Tickets are $100. For sponsorship information, contact Elaine Thompson at lthom10136@bellsouth.net or 428-7404.

For ticket information or sales, call 9034987. ❖

Christophe Jackson Performance Hoover Public Library Versatile pianist Christophe Jackson will perform from 2:30-4:30 p.m.

Jackson has an extensive background in both jazz and classical music and has performed in the Birmingham metro area and in New Orleans for several years. The performance is free. For more information, call 444-7821.

Jan. 29 Hoover

Rosewood Performance Hoover Public Library Rosewood, an acoustic trio, will perform from 6:30-8:30 p.m. This is a free event. For more information, visit www.hooverlibrary.org or call 4447821. ❖

Send About Town events to: editorial@otmj.com

Kimberly McCain Ennis and Donna McCain O’Brien are ready for the fourth annual Greater Birmingham Humane Society’s Jazz Cat Ball Feb. 7 at Old Car Heaven.

Photo special to the Journal

Birmingham

GBHSA Jazz Cat Ball Old Car Heaven The Greater Birmingham Humane Society Auxiliary’s fourth annual Jazz Cat Ball will begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are $125. For more information, call 942-1211 or visit www.gbhs.org.

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

A Can-do Attitude

Thursday, January 15, 2015 • 5

people

Poynor Will Receive Mountain Brook Chamber Award

By Keysha Drexel Wilmer Poynor III collected a lot of wisdom and good advice during his more than half century in the insurance business.

But the 76-year-old Mountain Brook resident, who retired from New York Life Insurance Co., said the best advice he’s received and the best advice he can impart to a new generation of entrepreneurs and business people is pretty simple.

“Never give up,” Poynor wrote in an email to the Over the Mountain Journal last week.

Poynor, who is known for his philanthropic spirit and can-do attitude, will receive the Robert S. Jemison Visionary Award at the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce’s annual awards luncheon Jan. 15 at The Club in Homewood.

The Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce presents the Jemison Award each year to recognize those who have made significant contributions to the community.

Poynor, who in June 2009 suffered a stroke that left him unable to talk or use the right side of his body, is a Birmingham native. He started his career in the insurance business after earning a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the

University of Alabama in 1960.

He was named the Community Foundation Outstanding Professional Advisor in 2012 and is a past president of the Million Dollar Round Table.

Poynor is also a past president of the Birmingham Life Underwriting Association and Estate Planning Council of Birmingham and has led financial professionals in communitybased efforts to promote financial stability for all citizens.

While he was building a successful career, Poynor also worked to better his community.

Poynor and his wife of 56 years, Carol, have long been involved with Children’s Harbor and Camp Smilea-Mile. In 2012, Poynor was honored at the National Philanthropy Awards Day. Poynor is the founder of the “I Have a Dream” Foundation Fund, which provides college scholarships to deserving graduates of Birmingham City Schools.

He served as a key leader for United Way fundraising campaigns for several years and was treasurer of the Monday Morning Quarterback Club for more than 30 years.

Poynor is known for always remembering the birthdays of his clients -- and even the birthdays of

Wilmer Poynor III will be honored with the Robert S. Jemison Visionary Award at the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce annual awards luncheon Jan. 15 at The Club. He’s pictured here with Chamber officials and sponsors of the annual luncheon. From left: Ann Evans Nix, Heather Barton, Wilmer Poynor III, John McGill, Brian Massey, Suzan Doidge and Kaye Emack. Photos special to the Journal

their wives and children. Up until the stroke took away his ability to talk, Poynor would call those clients to wish them a happy birthday. “(I) always pay attention to the little details,” Poynor wrote in an email.

“It always gave me a way to stay in touch with clients, even (in) two or three generations.”

Poynor said his father, William S. Poynor Jr., who was a New York Life agent for 42 years, had the greatest impact on his professional life.

Poynor said he survived the ups and downs of the business world for 50 years by staying focused and not letting the “no’s” he heard along the way discourage him.

That philosophy served Poynor

well after he had a stroke.

He had to learn how to do everything with his left hand but said the most challenging part of his recovery has been dealing with the severe aphasia, or loss of ability to express speech.

“After making a living talking for 50 years, it has been a challenge,” he wrote.

But it is a challenge Poynor has faced with his characteristic strong work ethic and positive attitude. “(You) just keep on trying day after day and do not give up,” he wrote in an email.

Poynor said he is “very honored and excited” to receive the Jemison Award this week.

And he said he’s also excited about sharing the spotlight with his brother, Dr. John Poynor of E.N.T. Associates, who will receive the Emmet O’Neal Library’s Tynes Award at the Jan. 15 Chamber event.

The fifth annual Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce Awards Luncheon will be from 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom at The Club.

Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange with be the keynote speaker. Mike Royer will be the master of ceremonies.

For more information, call the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce office at 871-3779. ❖

Thanks to the following clients, who helped me finish in the top 1% of Birmingham Realtors in 2014. Kim and I so appreciate your trust and your continued prayers. All the best for a Joyful and Healthy 2015.

- James A. Harwell, U.S. Navy Veteran; President, Birmingham Board of Realtors

Shane and Meita Arnold Chris and Ashley Bahr Steve and Stacy Brooks Chuck and Angie Burgess David and Marilyn Burrier Bill and Denise Chamblee Casey and Lyric Crook Margaret Dwyer Howard and Jeannie Ennis

Rodney and Karen Gilbert Stuart and Mark Griffin Garland Harwell Mark Hearn Neola Helmbold Susie Helton Jerry and Amy Higginbotham Doug and Barbara Hill Michael Johnson

Fred and Denise Kelley George and Mary Ann Klersey Jeff LaMaster Don and Jenny Lutomski Priscilla Pitts Alex and Karyn McRee Lane Pickens Ed and Kaye Riddle

Hiram and Lene Rollo Jean Saylor Jim and Gail Scruggs Brent and Alecia Stephens Charles and Esther Stephens Bobbie Tohill Craig and Kristi Tolbert Gabe and Kim Watson

JamesHarwell.com RealtySouth, Over the Mountain Office • 1220 Alford Avenue • 205.281.4731

6 • Thursday, January 15, 2015

Pet Patrons Humane Society Auxiliary Salutes Supporters

The Greater Birmingham Humane Society Auxiliary recently recognized several people for their devotion to four-legged friends in the metro area.

The GBHSA held its annual awards luncheon Dec. 5 at The Club in Homewood.

The Olivia Bearden Award was presented to Gracie, a Hand in Paw therapy dog. Gracie was escorted

by Melannie Layne of Hand in Paw to accept her award from Sandra Thompson Gillis.

Presented by Lucy Thompson

people Marsh, the Marion Broadnax Award was given to Jay Reed.

Joey Kennedy was this year’s winner of the Abe Krawcheck Award, given for acts that demonstrate kindness to all living creatures. Donna O’Brien presented the award.

The John Herbert Phillips Award was presented to Sonya King and Two

by Two Rescue by Mary Ellen Capps.

Tricia Preston and Carol Coppock were this year’s winners of the Mayor George G. Siebels Award, which honors the outstanding service of a GBHSA member.

At the end of the awards presentation, David Young, the new GBHS board of directors president, announced that a new award had been created.

The Lucy Thompson Marsh Award will be added to the list of awards

presented each year at the GBHSA awards luncheon. â?–

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

from left: Jay Reed and Lucy Thompson Marsh, Sonya King, Joey Kennedy and Melannie Layne and Gracie the dog. Photos special to the Journal

Musical Gala: Schultz Will Headline Rhythm & Muse

The Birmingham Music Club will host its annual Rhythm & Muse Gala Jan. 31 at the Vestavia Country Club.

The gala will raise money for the music club’s prestigious Music Scholarship Program and will also help support the Music Club Concert Series.

The evening of cocktails, dining and dancing to the music of City Lights will also include a live auction featuring trip packages, local tours, sports packages, collectible wine and more.

A performance by the honoree of this year’s gala will be a highlight of the event.

Diane Boyd Schultz, a professor of flute at the School of Music at the University of Alabama, is the 2015 Music Guild honoree.

Shultz has established an international career as a flutist and piccoloist and has performed solo concerts

Diane Boyd Schultz will be honored at the Birmingham Music Guild’s annual Rhythm & Muse Gala Jan. 31 at Vestavia Country Club.

Photo special to the Journal

throughout the United States, Western Europe, Russia and Romania. She has won several national and international competitions and is frequently featured at international festivals. Shultz has also recorded music for television and theater. â?–

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Hats Off to Hunter: DAR Chapter Honors TV Host

The Birmingham Territory Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution honored Fox 6 News meteorologist Fred Hunter at its Dec. 9 luncheon-meeting at The Club in Homewood.

Chapter President Patrice Donnelly presented the DAR Historic Preservation Recognition Award to Hunter at the event.

The chapter recognized Hunter’s

Thursday, January 15, 2015 • 7

people Chapter President Patrice Donnelly presents the DAR Historic Preservation Recognition Award to Fred Hunter. Photo special to the Journal

“Absolutely Alabama” TV show for preserving the state’s history, heritage and culture.

Special guests at the December event were DAR state officers Connie Grund, state regent; Nancy Folk, state vice regent; and Janeal Shannon, state chaplain.

Other special guests included state chairmen Tad Douglas, Pam Spivey, Mary Lewey, Carolyn Drennen, Lucy Willis, Rita Reid and Judith Arthur.

Also attending the meeting to honor Hunter were regents Nancy White of the Cahaba Chapter and Anne Gibbons of the General Sumter Chapter. ❖

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Send People News to editorial@otmj.com

Botanical Gardens Hosts Luncheon for Volunteers

Birmingham Botanical Gardens recently recognized those who donate their time and talents to help The Gardens’ educational mission.

The annual Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon was held Dec. 5 to present awards to several volunteers.

The potluck luncheon was held in Strange Auditorium with music provided

by Sarah Green and Sam Gundersob.

Janice Williams was presented the Ida C. Burns Volunteer of the Year award for her continual service in many areas of the organization and her significant impact on The Gardens.

Cathy O’Sheal received the A. Brand Walton Jr. Unsung Hero of the Year award for her independent and behind-the-scenes contributions.

Fresh Air Family was recognized as the Birmingham Botanical Gardens Partner of the Year for helping The Gardens multiply its effort and achieve its mission. Verna Gates accepted the award on behalf of Fresh Air Family.

Martha Ellis was named the Birmingham Botanical Gardens Plantsperson of the Year for sharing her plant knowledge and skills with other volunteers.

Dr. Marilyn Niemann was awarded Educator of the Year for her educational efforts promoting public knowledge and appreciation of plants, gardens and the environment. ❖ Birmingham Botanical Gardens recently honored its Volunteers of the Year. From left: Martha Ellis, Janice Williams and Verna Gates.

Cathy O’Sheal and Marilyn Niemann are not pictured.

To: From: Date:

Ken Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 FAX: 205-824-1246 Jan. 2015

This is your AD PrOOF from the OvEr THE MOuNTAi Jan. 15, 2015 issue. Please fax approval or chan

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News

8 • Thursday, January 15, 2015

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Over the Mountain

Looking Forward In the cities of Homewood, Hoover, Mountain Brook and Vestavia Hills, 2015 will be a year in which many projects conceived over the past few years will either begin or reach their completion.

Many of those projects include major developments that will provide a boost to the local economy and recreational, health and infrastructure projects designed to enhance the quality of life of residents of those communities.

HOOVER

The city of Hoover expects to install special needs playground equipment by next month to enhance the Over the Mountain Miracle League Field at the Hoover East Sports Complex, said Mayor Gary Ivey.

The city in 2013 donated $330,000 toward the construction of the field, which is used by disabled children and adults. The Over the Mountain Miracle League raised about $70,000 toward operational costs and runs a baseball program for the fall and spring months.

“The kids will have something to do while they’re waiting to play,” Ivey said of the playground equipment.

“That’s a huge, huge deal.”

Hoover also expects the state’s first freestanding emergency facility to open in May. Medical West will run the $13.5 million emergency care center to be located at Interstate 459 and Alabama Highway 150, also called John Hawkins Parkway.

“The facility will dramatically cut our response time to get people to the hospital when they’re in need,” Ivey said.

Another freestanding emergency center is being built by Brookwood Medical Center at U.S. 280 and Alabama 119. That facility is expected to open in December, the mayor said.

The city also expects to begin resurfacing and repairing Hugh Daniel Drive in the spring. The project will cost about $1.3 million with Hoover paying 20 percent, or $260,000, and the state picking up the rest. The project will include resurfacing about three miles of road on Hugh Daniel Drive a little less than a mile from U.S. 280 to Shelby County 41.

“We’re real excited about all the promising things we’ve got going in 2015,” Ivey said. “We’ve had a successful 2014 and look forward to an even more successful 2015.”

HOMEWOOD

Homewood Mayor Scott McBrayer

Above: The 100-room Grand Bohemian Hotel, slated to open in Mountain Brook this summer, recently held a topping off ceremony. At the event, from left: Suzan Doidge, Mark Kessler, Terry Oden and Hannon Davidson.

Below: The state’s first freestanding emergency room is under construction at Interstate 459 and Alabama 150 in Hoover. The facility is expected to open in May.

Journal photo by William C. Singleton

By William C. Singleton

Photo special to the Journal

2015 Will Bring Lots of Activity for Over the Mountain Cities

said he expects 2015 to be a year of continued business development for his city, particularly at Brookwood Village.

Hickory Tavern, a Charlotte, N.C.based restaurant chain, has announced it will open a restaurant at the mall

between the Books-A-Million and the east parking deck. The restaurant will be Hickory Tavern’s first in Alabama.

Mattress Firm also announced its plans to open a store in 2015 between DSW Designer Shoe Warehouse and Target.

The city plans to remodel the Mazer property off Green Springs Highway for two new tenants. The mayor didn’t disclose the identity of those tenants, but the city has targeted the Green Springs Highway corridor for business development. The Mazer property includes a thrift store and a Pep Boys auto store.

The city also is working to develop the Old Mountain Brook Inn site into a complex with a 10-story office building, hotel and parking deck. The city council has set a public hearing on a rezoning request for Jan. 26 at 6 p.m. at the Homewood Municipal Complex.

McBrayer said although Homewood’s challenge is finding available space for business development, he’s encouraged that businesses still want to make his city a place to locate.

“My office is continually flooded with calls from business owners looking to locate or relocate into Homewood,” he said. “I think the word is out that Homewood is open for business and that we are centrally located within the Birmingham community, have a wonderful school system, continue to operate our city with surpluses each year, and have the best residents in the world who are supportive of our business community.”

MOUNTAIN BROOK

In Mountain Brook, the city expects the luxurious 100-room Grand Bohemian Hotel to open this summer, possibly in June or July.

The Grand Bohemian is a major development within the $140 million See looking forward, facing page

saturday January 31st from 9am - 2pm Cahaba Grand Conference Center

Save BiG WiTh aaa - Explore a world of travel adventures and savings at the AAA Alabama Travel Show. Representatives from cruise lines, tour companies, hotels, attractions, and tourist boards will be on hand to answer your questions. There will be travel seminars going all day to give you a chance to learn about 2015's top travel destinations and how you can save on your vacations.

“The purpose of this ordinance is to just give us the authority to address the issues if need be,” said Vestavia Hills Lt. Brian Gilham. “The objective is not to issue citations or to write a lot of tickets.”

A distracted driver includes any motorist whose attention is diverted by talking on a cell phone, texting, emailing or even eating.

The ordinance came about following discussions between city council members Steve Ammons and John Henley and school resource officers.

Ammons said SROs complained about motorists not paying attention as they transport their children to and from school.

“They’ve had everything from folks with dogs in their laps, reading, on their phones and all kinds of things in carpool lanes,” Ammons said. “We’re not talking about kids doing this. We’re talking about adults as well.”

Several resource officers have been brushed or bumped by vehicles while directing traffic at schools, Gilham added.

The city passed a law prohibiting texting while driving nearly five years ago. But that law doesn’t apply to school zones. Gilham said officers needed a law that specifically addresses driving in school zones.

The city has officers at each of the education system’s nine schools.

“We’re grateful that you’ve given us a foundation where an officer can address the worst of these issues when they’re occurring,” Gilham told the mayor and city council. “Thank you for giving us the tools we need to address this issue.” ❖

“We’re going to continue our efforts to keep that on schedule and make it our new home,” Downes said.

Coinciding with the building of the new city hall, the city is in the process of selling its old facility to Chick-fil-A. The sale is dependent upon rezoning the 1.3-acre property for commercial use.

A rezoning hearing is before the city’s Planning and Zoning Board this month. Downes said he expects the council to hear the issue at a meeting in late February or early March.

Site work on a senior-living facility and skilled nursing home at Patchwork Farms should begin early this year, Downes said. Construction on the two facilities will represent about $45 million in construction.

Other projects the city is looking forward to this year include: The demolition of the abandoned Ruby Tuesday and Pizza Hut buildings to pave the way for a Sprouts Farmers Market and a 34,000-square-foot retail development.

The demolition of the old city library to pave the way for a new America’s First Credit branch opening on the property along U.S. 31.

The completion of a landscaping

project at the intersection of U.S. 31 you learn new networking strategies, target your job search, get job and Interstate 65 to make the southleads, enroll in short-term training and find resources that can help you ern gateway into Vestavia Hills more stay strong while you are looking for your next job. attractive.

The completion of parking CALL TOLL FREE (855) 850–2525 to get a free job search guide and register for a local BACK TO WORK 50+ improvements at the Library in The Information Session.

Forest, which includes 40 additional parking spaces.

To learn more, visit: www.aarp.org/backtowork50plus Funded in part by Walmart Foundation.

The grand opening of a new trail system with bridge and park ameNext Information Session: January 22nd, 2015 nities at McCallum Park off Rocky Ridge Road and the construction of a neighborhood park in Cahaba Heights.

The city has acquired grant money to purchase and demolish four homes located in a flood plain area and convert the property into a neighborhood park. The total project costs about Over Mountain Journal_4.0625x6.25_JS.indd 1 12/30/14 $1.25 million. But it fits into the city’s Master Plan for the Cahaba Heights area, Downes said.

“Part of our 2008 (master) plan and part of our refreshed plan all point to the need for more green space, and this will help accomplish that,” he said.

Downes said all areas of the city should see improvements this year.

“The entirety of Vestavia Hills, whether you live in the far eastern or the far western or central portions, you’ll see activity in 2015 that will be very positive,” Downes said. ❖

vestavia Hills

Resource Officers Can Write Tickets in School Zones

By William C. Singleton III If you are talking on your cellphone or texting behind the wheel in a school zone in Vestavia Hills, a school resource officer can now give you a ticket.

The City Council last month passed an ordinance allowing school resource officers to issue tickets to distracted drivers in school zones.

A citation will carry a fine of up to $500 – the amount to be determined by the city judge. However, police and city officials say they’re more interested in warning motorists of possible driving distractions than writing tickets.

looking forward, From previous page

Lane Parke project, which will include about 166,000 square feet of retail space, about 30,000 square feet of office space and a 274-unit apartment complex.

“We’re hoping to hear an announcement soon about when the first phase of the commercial is going to start,” said Mountain Brook City Manager Sam Gaston.

The city of Mountain Brook also expects improvements to its infrastructure to start this year.

Gaston said the city will begin two sidewalk projects by next summer. The first project includes building sidewalks which will follow a path from Mountain Brook Presbyterian Church on Brookwood Road to Crosshill Road to Oakdale Road to Woodvale Road and then end near the city’s high school on Bethune Drive. The other project is smaller in scope but will extend sidewalks from Mountain Brook Parkway and Cahaba Road to the north of Lakeshore Drive near Colonial Brookwood Village.

The project is expected to cost about $1 million with Mountain Brook contributing $400,000 and the federal government picking up the remaining amount, Gaston said.

Mountain Brook city officials also anticipate finishing a new Cahaba River Park on the southeastern side of the city this year. The project is expected to cost about $450,000.

“We’re going to have a pavilion, an outdoor classroom and walking paths,” Gaston said. “We’re very excited about this project as it will enhance the quality of life for our citizens.”

VESTAVIA HILLS

The city of Vestavia Hills has several projects it expects to either begin or be completed this year.

Vestavia Hills city officials are building a new municipal complex behind the Vestavia Plaza Shopping Center on U.S. 31 to replace the current city hall, which no longer fits the city’s needs and is too costly to renovate. City Manager Jeff Downes said the new municipal center should be open in September.

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10 • Thursday, January 15, 2015

health & Fitness

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

From Doctor to Patient Lemak’s Battle with Cancer Gives Him New Perspective

By Keysha Drexel As a renowned sports and orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Larry Lemak said he knows the great medical care he received during his battle with cancer was crucial.

But the 71-year-old Mountain Brook resident and founder of Lemak Sports Medicine & Orthopedics said he credits his triumph over oral cancer to his faith, his family and his friends.

“There’s no doubt that I’ve received good medical care, but I think what was just as important as that was the support and prayers I received from my patients, from my friends and from my family,” he said.

“I think that when you have cancer, you can’t ignore the power of prayer and the power of faith.”

Lemak, who was diagnosed with oral cancer at the base of his tongue in October 2012, is helping raise money for cancer research through the Southeastern Cancer Foundation’s annual Regional Oncology Active Research, or ROAR gala. ROAR is the volunteer fundraising committee of the Southeast Cancer Foundation.

Lemak will be the honoree at the fourth annual ROAR James Bond Gala Jan. 31 at The Club in Homewood. The charity event aims to raise $1 million for cancer research.

Lemak, the first physician inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, found out he had cancer after a routine visit to his doctor.

“I had this persistent sore throat, so I went to a doctor that’s a friend of mine, and he decided to look down my throat with a video camera,” Lemak said. “I was sitting there watching the monitor when the camera picked up the image of the

lesion.”

Further testing revealed that the lesion was malignant and that Lemak had stage three oral cancer–the same disease his good friend and recently retired Samford University football coach, Pat Sullivan had battled.

“I was just stunned when I got the diagnosis, just stunned,” Lemak said.

After the initial shock wore off, Lemak said he began putting together a treatment plan with his oncologist, Dr. James A. Bonner.

Lemak underwent seven weeks

ROAR Gala

Jan. 31, 6 p.m.

The Club Dr. Larry Lemak, founder of Lemak Sports Medicine & Orthopedics, is the honoree of the fourth annual James Bond ROAR Gala, set for Jan. 31. The annual event benefits cancer research. Lemak was diagnosed with oral cancer in 2012.

The James Bond-themed event will feature martinis, food and fun photo opportunities. Tickets are $150.

Sponsor and corporate tables are available. For more information, email ROARthecure@gmail.com or call 492-0472.

of chemotherapy and radiation treatments at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

While Lemak said his medical training and years of experience as a physician helped him know what to expect during the treatment, he said his friends and other cancer patients gave him the most comfort.

“It was a pretty harsh treatment, and I was really helped more by my layman friends and others who had fought throat cancer,” he said. “They

really shepherded me through the process.”

Lemak said he had a rough time of it as he took the chemo and radiation treatments.

“I got very, very sick and did not feel well at all for a long, long time,” he said. “I’m roughly two years out of treatment and just now starting to feel like I have my energy back again.”

Lemak said as he battled cancer, he had to adjust to being on the other side of the stethoscope, so to speak.

“I learned a lot through the trials and tribulations of being the patient during this long-term, intense treatment,” he said. “I think it has taught me to be a better doctor.”

While he has always focused on building relationships with all of his patients, Lemak said his own experience as a patient showed him the importance of making sure the patients are always the top priority.

“I feel like my practice has always been patient-centric because I’ve always tried to treat my patients with care and respect,” he said. “But what I learned is that that kind of care can’t begin and end with the doctor. The entire medical staff has to make it a priority.”

Lemak said as a patient, he learned that what sick people want most is just for someone to be nice to them.

“When you’re sick and someone isn’t nice to you or they brush you off, it makes you feel even worse,” he said. “It’s the simple things – how a patient is treated before, during and after a visit – that make the biggest difference sometimes.”

Lemak said he also learned a lot about the gaps in prevention and treatment of oral cancers.

“I think there needs to be more awareness about these types of can-

Dr. Larry Lemak of Mountain Brook is the honoree at this year’s James Bond ROAR Gala, which will take place Jan. 31 at The Club in Homewood. Photo special to the Journal

cers, and we need a comprehensive screening system because early detection is the key,” he said.

According to the American Cancer Society, cancers of the tongue, tonsils, throat, gums or mouth are twice as common in men as in women. Oral cancers have been linked to tobacco and alcohol use and the human papilloma virus.

Lemak said those who have never puffed a cigarette or had a beer shouldn’t think they are immune to oral cancers.

“Those behaviors increase your chances, yes, but there are plenty of people like me who don’t smoke or drink and still get these type of cancers,” he said. “More research needs to be done, and we need to find a better way to diagnose oral cancers sooner.”

Lemak said perhaps the most difficult part about battling cancer was that it took him away from work.

“I knew I would probably miss working, but I had no idea how much,” Lemak said. “That was probably one of the most difficult things about the treatments -- aside from the physical symptoms. I like to practice my profession at a very high level,

Setting up for Success Photo special to the Journal by Catherine Pittman Smith

Doctor Says Realistic Goals Can Help with Healthy Resolutions

By Keysha Drexel

‘Optimized living can be achieved by all, no matter what age group you belong to.

If you’re motivated to make some changes in your lifestyle and have a system that supports you and helps you stay on track and addresses the underlying issues, you will be successful.’ Dr. Farah Sultan

As 2015 begins, gyms and yoga studios are filled with folks fueled by New Year’s resolutions to get fit and look better.

And by mid-February, the same people now clamoring to get in the next spin class are likely to be sacked out on the sofa with a bag of chips.

That’s because most people set themselves up for failure by setting unrealistic goals and not taking a holistic approach to their health, said Dr. Farah Sultan, the founder and medical director of Vitalogy Wellness Center in Homewood.

“The best way to stick to your New Year’s resolutions is to set realistic goals like exercising every single day–30 minutes for three days a week is sufficient,” Sultan, a Vestavia Hills resident, said. “Make it simple, get a mentor and educate yourself about exercising smarter, not harder.”

Sultan said Vitalogy Wellness Center is the place to get educated and find a mentor.

“At Vitalogy Wellness Center, we do take the holistic, well-rounded approach to helping you achieve your goals,” she said. “We focus on the root problem of your inability to lose weight and stubborn weight gain rather than just treating the ‘symptom’ of excess weight with a fad diet or pill or short-term program.”

Instead, Sultan recommends an in-depth look at possible underlying

and not being able to do that was tough.”

In addition to his busy practice, which he founded in 2007 with his son, Dr. David Lemak, Lemak serves on the medical advisory boards of Pop Warner Football, USA Football and the Alabama High School Athletic Association.

Lemak was instrumental in bringing Olympic soccer to Birmingham in 1996 and is the medical director of Major League Soccer.

In 2001, he founded the Alabama Sports Foundation and the National Center for Sports Safety, which works toward preventing injuries in young athletes.

Additionally, he and his son, David, are the team physicians for 18 high schools, Samford University, Miles College, Alabama State University and the University of South Florida.

“I’m 71 now and most people my age are figuring out how not to work anymore, but I have no desire to retire,” he said. “I have a nice job where I get to do some really good things and help some really good people.”

Lemak’s drive to do good things to help people doesn’t stop once he leaves his office.

“When Dr. Bonner called and asked me to be the ROAR gala honoree this year, it was a call I couldn’t refuse,” he said. “He’s done so much for me and so much for so many others that I was honored to be asked to be a part of it.”

In 2012, the gala raised $500,000, which was matched dollar-for-dollar by oncology physicians at UAB and parlayed into a $17 million federal research grant.

Tickets to this year’s “Diamonds Are Forever” ROAR James Bond gala are $150. Sponsor and corporate tables are available.

For more information, email ROARthecure@gmail.com or call 492-0472. ❖

hormonal imbalances, gut issues, food sensitivities and lifestyle factors.

“This (includes) fitness and (finding) the right foods that go with your genes to determine the true causes and then help you address each one of them using a natural approach,” Sultan said.

That natural approach is all about making proactive, preventive choices rather than dealing with health crises, she said.

“It lasts a lifetime when you build healthy habits that become a part of your repertoire, and when you start enjoying something and feeling and looking good, you are much more likely to stick with it,” Sultan said.

At Vitalogy Wellness Center, Sultan said, she offers patients a blueprint of practices that cover five essential keys to resolving the underlying stressors that lead to the breakdown of health.

The health and wellness program created by Sultan combines Western medicine with the Eastern medical philosophy the board-certified physician grew up with in India. She incorporates elements of Ayurvedic, herbal and alternative medicine into her programs at Vitalogy.

“Often in my medical practice, I was not able to find the right answers to help my patients with certain chronic problems and illnesses, but with this approach, I know I can help people change their lives, and that is most rewarding to me as a physician,” the 43-year-old mother of three said.

With support and guidance, Sultan said, anyone of any age can reclaim health and vitality.

“Optimized living can be achieved by all, no matter what age group you belong to,” she said. “If you’re motivated to make some changes in your lifestyle and have a system that supports you and helps you stay on track and addresses the underlying issues, you will be successful.”

For more information on Vitalogy Wellness Center, visit www.vitalogywellness.com or call 413-8599. ❖

Thursday, January 15, 2015 • 11

Health & Fitness

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

The 3,000-mile

Journey Former Homewood Resident Spends Six Months Backpacking

By Keysha Drexel She raised two children, retired after a successful career as a kindergarten teacher and had thousands of miles of backpacking with her friends under her belt, but 61-year-old Cathey Leach still felt she had something to prove.

So in April of last year, the former Homewood resident who now lives in Columbiana laced up her favorite hiking boots and set out to backpack the

‘Just because I’m a woman and just because I’m a quiet person, people want to put me in a box. I was ready to break out of that box.’ Cathey Leach entire Appalachian Trail to make the point that she – and other women just like her – can reach any summit they aim for in life.

“I was tired of being thought of as invisible or incapable,” Leach said.

“Just because I’m a woman and just because I’m a quiet person, people want to put me in a box. I was ready to break out of that box.”

Leach said she has always enjoyed being outdoors and being active but got serious about hiking and backpacking only after she and three friends from Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church decided to take a trip to the Grand Canyon.

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12 • Thursday, January 15, 2015

Health & Fitness

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Journey, From page 11

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Leach and her friends -- Peggy Honeycutt, Ty Howell and Cynthia McGough, all of Vestavia Hills – decided a few years ago that they wanted to organize trips like a men’s group at the church did.

“My husband and some of the guys at church were always going on these great trips, so we decided to have our own big adventure,” Honeycutt said.

The women dubbed themselves the Trail Mixers and set about planning their first backpacking and hiking excursion.

While Honeycutt, Leach and Howell had backpacked and hiked before, the foursome’s inaugural trip to the Grand Canyon was a first for McGough.

“I had never backpacked until we went to the Grand Canyon for the first time back in 2006,” McGough said.

“My very first night in a tent was on that trip.”

Howell said despite careful planning and research, the women were a bit apprehensive as they started their backpacking trip at the Grand Canyon.

“We read a lot and talked to other women who had done it, but I remem-

Leach first laced up her hiking boots to take a trip with three friends she met at Vestavia Hills United Methodist Church. The foursome are pictured here at Glacier Park, Montana. From left: Cathey Leach, Ty Howell, Cynthia McGough and Peggy Honeycutt. Photo special to the Journal

ber that when we got out there and were ready to start, we all wondered aloud if we could do it,” Howell said.

“But we said that we’ll just start, we’ll just try and see what happens.

Four days later when we came out of the other side of the canyon, it was just amazing to think of what we had accomplished.”

On the first night of their trip, the women had just set up camp and were settled in their tents when it started raining.

“I didn’t know how I would handle it, but that gentle rain started falling and I was in my tent and so tired -- but in a good way -- from hiking all day, and I just loved it,” McGough said.

In fact, McGough said, that trip with friends to the Grand Canyon was a major milestone for her.

“What we did changed my life,” she said. “It was very empowering because most women have never been in a situation where their safety and wellbeing completely depended on other women, and we put ourselves in that situation and not only did we survive, we thrived.”

The hike around the rim of the

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Grand Canyon also helped McGough face her fear of heights, which she sees as a metaphor for facing any kind of obstacle life has in store.

“You face your fears -- whether it’s heights or being out in the wilderness with the bears -- and then when you get back to your everyday life, you think about challenges in a different way,” she said. “My philosophy is, if I can sleep with bears, I can do this.”

Honeycutt, too, said the inaugural Trail Mixers trip to the Grand Canyon was an empowering experience.

“Most of us have relied on our husbands to make us feel safe, and I was a little nervous at first without my husband,” Honeycutt said. “But when we finished that first rim trip, it made me realize that I can do anything if I put my heart and mind into it.”

Since that trip to the Grand Canyon, the foursome has backpacked together through the Grand Tetons and Cascade Mountains and around Crater Lake in Oregon and Glacier Park in Alaska.

“My friendship with these women has made my life better, and the adventures we’ve had together have made me a better person,” McGough said. “I think we all feel this way about the challenges we faced and overcame together.”

Those challenges haven’t all been related to mountain summits.

Honeycutt said her friendship with Leach, Howell and McGough and the lessons she learned on their backpacking adventures helped her cope when she was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago.

“What I learned on our trips was that sometimes, you just have to focus on putting one foot in front of another,” she said. “I thought a lot about that when I had breast cancer, and it helped me get through it. And that’s exactly what Cathey has proven by completing the Appalachian Trail -- you just have to keep going.”

Cathey Leach

Leach said the lessons she learned through her friendship and trips with Honeycutt, Howell and McGough served her well as she made the nearly 3,000-mile trek from Georgia to Maine.

“I thought about all we had accomplished together, and I felt like they were with me through the whole thing,” she said.

Not only were her friends with her in spirit during her journey across the Appalachian Trail, but they also managed to join her for a few days of hiking along the way.

“I joined her for several days in Virginia and hiked with her, and then later, I hiked across part of New York with her,” McGough said. “I was honored to be a part of her effort.”

Leach’s son, Cully, also joined her during the last leg of her trek across the Appalachian Trail.

“That’s what I asked for for Christmas,” Leach said. “Both my son and my daughter are big hikers.”

Honeycutt fell and broke her wrist on the way to meet Leach in New

Thursday, January 15, 2015 • 13

Health & Fitness

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Hampshire but said she had every confidence her friend would complete the journey successfully.

“What she’s accomplished is so amazing,” Honeycutt said. “Only a handful of people complete this each year, and she’s 61 years old and only weighs about 90 pounds -- and she did it in six months and three days.”

In those six months and three days, Leach said she pushed her 90-pound body to its limit.

“The most challenging part was paring down my equipment and trying to keep my pack light,” she said.

“I didn’t even carry a stove because I didn’t want that extra weight. That meant I didn’t have hot food at all. I lost 33 pounds during the trip.”

But while she was physically lighter when she made the summit

of Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine and the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, on Oct. 13, Leach said she felt she had learned some very heavy lessons.

“I did a lot of soul-searching, and it was a very spiritual journey in a lot of ways,” she said. “What I learned is that I will never let the fear of failure hold me back from anything.”

Leach said she also learned that with the support of family and friends, no goal is out of reach -- no matter what preconceived notion some people might have about the capabilities of a small woman.

“Making it to that summit made me feel big because a lot of people probably thought I would never make it,” she said. “But I did make it, and other women can, too.” ❖

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14 • Thursday, January 15, 2015

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Spanning the Globe

International Families Make Homes in Over the Mountain Neighborhoods

By Shannon Thomason

Journal photo by Lee Walls Jr.

No one was more surprised than Yakov Kasman when he realized Alabama had become home.

Originally from Orel, a city near Moscow, Russia, the professor of piano and artist-in-residence at the University of Alabama at Birmingham came to the state by way of Huntsville. He and his wife, Tatiana, and their then-3-year-old daughter, Aleksandra, thought the city would be their first stop, and then they would make their way somewhere else.

“But we happened to get our roots in Alabama, and our second child was born in Huntsville,” Yakov said.

“When the position was opened here at UAB, I applied for it and was hired, and this is my 13th year.”

The family lives in Vestavia Hills.

Yakov Kasman

Residence: Vestavia Hills Occupation: UAB Department of Music, professor of piano and artist-in-residence Education: Doctorate in musical arts, Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatory Hometown: Moscow, Russia

Tatiana Kasman has been teaching in the UAB Department of Music as an adjunct instructor for more than 12 years. Aleksandra, known to friends and family as Sasha, is a sophomore in the Honors Program at UAB. Younger daughter Dina is a freshman at Vestavia High School. Both daughters are also burgeoning pianists.

After living in Russia and France and traveling the world extensively as a 1997 Van Cliburn Silver Medalwinning pianist,Yakov said that although he still loves Russia and visits with his family at least twice a year, living here in the Over the Mountain area is better than anywhere else he has lived.

“Honestly, my favorite part is it is unpretentious, it is sincere, it

is in my opinion extremely wellorganized, it is kind, it is polite,” he said. “Unfortunately, many of these qualities are terribly missed in many other places where I have been or used to live, so I really appreciate this Southern hospitality that I hope I am now a part of. I am trying to be like the people around me, in a good way.

“I have visited so many places, really a lot of places, so this modest but real quality of life and people around here is something that became very dear to me.”

Kasman was honored with the UAB Ireland Prize for Scholarly Distinction in 2012. He has been invited to perform at some of the most important venues in the world and has won prizes in piano competitions from Tel Aviv to Rome and St. Petersburg to London. His students are winners of regional, national and international competitions.

Kasman also coordinates the UAB Piano Series and said artists “are always pleasantly surprised” when they visit UAB. “They are pleasantly surprised when they come to this studio and see these two gorgeous instruments here,” he said, gesturing to the two Steinway pianos in his office in UAB’s Hulsey Center for the Arts. UAB is the first all-Steinway piano school in Alabama. “They are always pleasantly surprised when they see how our concert series are organized, our concert hall, and how our music critic treats them.”

The family can sometimes be spotted at favorite restaurants in town, including Sol Azteca in Vestavia Hills and Ginza on U.S. 280. The family has a passion for Korean food, as Kasman has traveled to Korea many times and some of his best students have been Korean, he said.

There aren’t any Russian restaurants in Birmingham, but the Kasmans can buy Russian ingredients in food markets around town. Plus, since they visit Russia often, they can satisfy their gastronomical needs there and “eat like Americans” when they are in Birmingham.

The only challenge Kasman said he can think of is Alabama’s oftenoppressive heat and humidity in See kasman, page 17

International Family Feels at Home in Homewood

By Jeff Hansen Jie “Sophie” Zhang and her husband, Shia Kent, moved to Homewood’s Mayfair neighborhood one year ago, when they finally left what they call “the UAB bubble.”

They had entered the bubble as graduate students at the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2005.

Like many of their classmates, they lived in the Southside neighborhood, just a short walk from their classes at the Ryals School for Public Health.

After dating and marriage, they bought a home on 14th Street South near Dreamland Bar-B-Que. However, the arc of their lives was destined to head Over the Mountain, for the usual reason — a new baby.

When daughter Inara Kent was born, Sophie and Shia started to look at the suburbs.

“We wanted some diversity, and we liked the walkability of Homewood,” Shia said. “But our main thing was to move for the schools.”

Journal photo by Lee Walls Jr.

Russian Native Puts Down Roots in Vestavia Hills

Jie “Sophie” Zhang and Shia Kent

Jie “Sophie” Zhang

Residence: Homewood Occupation: Assistant professor, UAB School of Public Health Education: Bachelor’s degree, Sichuan University; master’s degree, University of Kentucky; doctorate, UAB Hometown: Kunming, China

Homewood gets something in return. When international UAB families like Sophie and Shia settle Over the Mountain, they bring a diversity of culture, language, customs and experiences that adds spice to life in the suburbs.

One obvious difference is unusual names, such as Jie Zhang. Jie means

Shia Kent

Occupation: Post-doctoral trainee, UAB School of Public Health, Education: Bachelor’s degree, University of California, Santa Cruz; master’s and doctorate degrees, UAB School of Public Health Hometown: San Jose, Calif.

“pure,” and while that name may sound exotic to American ears, it’s “super common in China,” Shia said.

“Jie Zhang in China is like John Smith in America.”

With such a commonplace Chinese See Zhang Kent, page 17 Palaniappan and Solachi Sethu

Mountain Brook Family Keeps Connection to India Journal photo by Lee Walls Jr.

Yakov Kasman

By Katherine Shonesy

Solachi “Solai” Sethu Current occupation: Stayat-home mom Education: Bachelor’s degree in commerce, Stella Maris College, Chennai, India; Master’s degree in business, Miami University, Ohio.

Hometown: Chennai, India.

Palaniappan Sethu

Residence: Mountain Brook Occupation: Associate professor, UAB Medicine and Biomedical Engineering Education: Bachelor’s degree, mechanical engineering, PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore, India; master’s degree, industrial engineering, and master’s degree and doctorate, biomedical engineering, University of Michigan Hometown: Salem, India.

Mountain Brook resident Palaniappan Sethu originally came to the U.S. from India to further his education.

But Palaniappan, an associate professor of medicine and biomedical engineering at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, said he has found much more than that.

More than a decade after coming to the U.S., Palaniappan said he has come to know the Over the Mountain community of Mountain Brook as a place where his family can grow and thrive.

His family includes his wife, Solachi, who goes by Solai, and their two sons, Karna, age 7, and Aarya, age 4. Karna is a first-grader at Cherokee Bend See sethu, page 17

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

life

Thursday, January 15, 2015 • 15

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life

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Carmel McNicholas-Bevensee

by Jeff (Bonzo)

Her Science Lessons Have an English Accent

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Carmel McNicholas-Bevensee grew up in Manchester, England, the world’s first industrial city. Her dad was a carpenter and joiner from Ballyglass in County Mayo, Ireland, and her mum grew up in nearby Greyfield.

Both of her parents were upbeat people, and that family attitude kept 19-year-old Carmel going when her dad died of a heart attack at age 53.

“You have to deal with the problems in life,” said Carmel, an assistant professor in Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “You either roll with it, or you crumble.”

Carmel speaks with an accent that mixes her Irish roots and English upbringing, somewhat like Julie Walters, the English actress with a County Mayo mother. Walters played Molly Weasley, matriarch of the Weasley clan, in the Harry Potter movies. It’s an accent that fascinates children when Carmel does outreach in Hoover elementary schools to give children a hands-on experience in science.

“They say, ‘You sound like Harry Potter,’ and they all think you know the queen,” Carmel said.

“Oh, yes,” she quipped in an aside, “I go out to tea with her once a week.”

After coming to UAB in 2000, Carmel found a home in the Russet Woods neighborhood of Hoover.

“We heard the Hoover schools were good,” she said Her children are now in those schools, 12-year-old Clare at Bumpus Middle School and 10-year-old Sean at Brock’s Gap Intermediate School.

“We’ve been really happy with the school system,” Carmel said. “And I’ve really enjoyed Russet Woods. It’s just a friendly neighborhood — when I walk my dog, Ella, I always chat with someone.”

Carmel did her undergraduate degree and doctorate work at the University of Manchester so she could stay nearby and help her mother. The offer of a postdoctoral position at Yale University lured her to the U.S., followed by a job running a cardiovascular drug discovery lab at Bristol-Myers Squibb in Princeton, N.J. At Yale, she worked on ion channels — the tiny molecular gates that let ions flow into or out of a cell

Journal photo by Lee Walls Jr.

By Jeff Hansen

Carmel McNicholas-Bevensee

Residence: Hoover Occupation: Assistant professor, UAB Department of Cell, Developmental and Integrative Biology Education: Bachelor’s degree and doctorate, University of Manchester Hometown: Manchester, England

— and their relationship to kidney disease. Now she focuses on ion channels related to heart and lung disease, including cystic fibrosis.

But Carmel also makes time for science outreach at area elementary schools using a program adapted from the American Physiological Society. In the past three years, she and her colleagues have worked with more than 4,000 children.

“We try to put that seed in their heads, that science can be interesting,” she said.

The children measure their own

lung volumes and listen to the beating of their hearts and breathing of their lungs, or the noises their stomachs make as they drink a glass of water.

Carmel also brings pig lungs and hearts for hands-on experiments.

“When we inflate the lung with a bicycle pump, they think that’s the coolest thing ever,” Carmel said.

The children work with an anatomy model to see how the inside of the body fits together, and they get to cut open a heart to see the chambers and major vessels.

Four years ago, when Carmel inherited a farm in Ireland from her uncle, she took her children on a trip to England, where her mother still lives, and to Kiltimagh, Ireland, where her grandparents lived.

“Our family (her mother’s Lavin line and her father’s McNicholas line) goes back generations in Ireland,” she said. “It seems every other tombstone in the Kiltimagh cemetery is either Lavin or McNicholas. When you walk down the street, there’s the McNicholas travel agents, the McNicholas butcher. That’s why I took the kids there — they can see some real roots.”

Last year Carmel sold the County Mayo home that had been built by her grandfather. The property was overgrown and too far away to keep up.

“It was sad. Some of the furniture had been built by my grandfather — we had to throw it out,” she said.

But like her parents, Carmel has grown new roots in a different country.

When Clare and Sean were still preschoolers, Carmel took yet one more step into her adopted home. She raised her right hand at a naturalization ceremony and recited the Oath of Allegiance to become a U.S. citizen. ❖

Beena and Victor Thannickal

Indian Couple Likes Brook Highlands’ Neighborliness

By Jeff Hansen Beena Thannickal came to the U.S. from the state of Kerala, India, at age 5.

Her father was studying engineering in Hartford, Conn., and the rest of the family was finally able to join him.

She had no American clothes until the Central Baptist Church and her school collected donations. She knew no Beena Thannickal English, only her native Malayalam language.

Residence: North Shelby In the kindergarten class, when a boy County kept pinching her, “I didn’t know how to Occupation: Media relations tell the teacher he was pinching me,” Beena specialist, UAB Comprehensive said. “So I went up to the teacher, pinched Cancer Center her and pointed to him.”

Education: Bachelor’s After her father was hired by Northeast degree, University of Utilities, Beena grew up in Middletown, Connecticut Conn.

Adopted hometown: She learned English with the help of an Middletown, Conn.

English-as-a-second-language teacher and by imitating the actors on “Hogan’s Heroes,” Victor Thannickal “The Brady Bunch” and “Gilligan’s Island.”

Occupation: Director, Every night, she and her family gathered to Division of Pulmonary, Allergy watch Walter Cronkite on the “CBS Evening and Critical Care, UAB School News.” of Medicine Beena worked in New York City Education: Bachelor’s after graduating from the University of degree, Southern California Connecticut, where she also took time to College; medical degree, Oral become a U.S. citizen. One day, she got a Roberts University phone call from her father.

See thannickal, page 17

Hometown: Bangalore, India.

Journal photo by Lee Walls Jr.

Rehab Reality

sethu

From page 14

Elementary School, and Aarya is in preschool at Early Arts Center in Homewood.

Mountain Brook and UAB are worlds apart from the Sethus’ original homes, they said. Both Palaniappan and Solai are from the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Palaniappan is from the city of Salem, and Solai is from Chennai, formerly known as Madras.

Palaniappan grew up in India, where he completed his undergraduate education. He came to the U.S. in 1998 for graduate biomedical engineering studies at the University of Michigan, followed by postdoctoral training at Harvard University.

Similarly, Solai was born in India and lived there while completing her undergraduate degree. Solai came to Miami University in Ohio to obtain a master’s degree in business administration.

She returned to India for a short time after earning her master’s degree in business but came back to the U.S. after meeting and marrying Palaniappan. After the boys were born, Solai decided to be a stay-athome mom until both boys are in school full time.

Palaniappan was recruited to Birmingham from the University of Louisville, following the path of his Louisville colleague Sumanth Prabhu,

zhang kent, From page 14

name, Sophie sought an uncommon name for their daughter. The couple picked Inara from a musician’s name on Pandora Internet Radio.

The Chinese often adopt Western nicknames as they interact with English-speaking, non-Chinese people. Sophie’s father, for example, is Tingpu “Tim” Zhang. When she was a student at Sichuan University in Chengdu, China, she adopted the nickname “Sophie.” She chose it, she said, because Sophism is the art of argument.

Inara, like many other babies and toddlers, also got a nickname — though hers is Chinese. She’s known as Doudou (pronounced “dough dough”), which means “Little Bean.”

After Doudou was born, both of Sophie’s parents came for long visits to help with childcare. Sophie’s mother, Jiyu Wu, came for eight months right after the birth, and she visited another six months when Sophie, Shia and Doudou moved to Homewood.

Though grandmother Wu spoke no English, she could walk to the nearby Piggly Wiggly or CVS Pharmacy on U.S. 31 to do her shopping.

Grandmother Wu would also take Doudou to Overton Park on Mayfair Drive, which residents call the “hidden park.” A copse of trees gives cool shade in the heat of summer, making it an ideal place for toddlers to play.

When Doudou, now a 3-year-old, inquisitive girl with brown bangs, is ready for school, she will use the

Thursday, January 15, 2015 • 17

life

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

who is now director of the Division of Cardiovascular Disease at UAB. Palaniappan’s research focuses on cardiovascular disease, especially systems that can mimic cardiac and vascular tissue to learn how disease occurs and how to regenerate injured tissue as well as aiding the search for new drugs to treat heart and blood vessel disease.

As a family, Palaniappan and Solachi appreciated that metropolitan Birmingham is much like Louisville — a smaller city with short commute times and a great place to bring up young kids, with the chance for both parents to be a strong part of their children’s lives. The one drawback compared with Ann Arbor and Boston, and to a certain extent Louisville, is Birmingham’s more limited options for ethnic food, Palaniappan said.

“So to satisfy our cravings, we often drive to Atlanta,” he said.

After the Sethus homed in on Mountain Brook as the school district that best met their education goals for their children, the couple found a home in the Cherokee Bend neighborhood and put down roots.

“The whole community has helped us feel welcome here since the day we moved in,” Palaniappan said. “We are grateful that our neighborhood has allowed us to meet so many wonderful people and to build lasting friendships. It’s a big part of what makes Birmingham a great place to live for us.”

With a demanding career, Palaniappan said he values that his position allows him quality time to spend with each of his children, whether it’s coaching Karna’s firstgrade basketball team, playing soccer with Aarya or just enjoying the outdoors as a family.

With most of their family members back in India, they have many visitors during the year. Solai and the two boys travel to India for the summer break, with Palaniappan joining them for the end of their vacation.

The couple said their travels to India during the summer give the children exposure to both cultures and ensure they are comfortable in both countries. The Sethus said they want to impart the rich tradition of India to help the family stay in touch with their Indian heritage.

Palaniappan and Solai are fluent in English and in Tamil, their native language. Karna is now fluent in Tamil, and Aarya is working with his parents to become fluent as well. Being bilingual is essential, Palaniappan said, for the children to appreciate their Indian roots while living and receiving education in the U.S. While at home in the Over the Mountain area, the family said they emphasize maintaining a strong connection to India.

“It’s important to us as parents that we establish a balance between our children’s lives in the U.S. and their heritage in India,” Palaniappan said. ❖

pedestrian tunnel that runs underneath U.S. 31 to walk to Shades Cahaba Elementary school without crossing a single street.

One Homewood highlight for Doudou is the two girls next door.

“We have great neighbors,” Sophie said. “They have 9- and 11-year-old daughters. Doudou loves the girls, and they love her.”

Sophie, now an assistant professor of public health at UAB, grew up in Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan Province. Kunming, with about 3.6 million urban residents, is deep in southwestern China where the tropics begin, yet the climate is mild because the city sits 6,200 feet above sea level. Sophie’s native language is Mandarin, and she began learning English in junior high school.

One of Sophie’s grandmothers belonged to the Bai ethnic group, one of China’s 56 different ethnic groups.

Family lore tells how a Catholic priest helped the grandmother escape an arranged marriage in Dali and flee 170 miles to Kunming, where she was educated to be a nurse for a Catholic school.

“She always had a Bible,” said Sophie, who was still in elementary school when her Bai grandmother died. “But I don’t really know the nature of my grandmother’s religion.

I don’t know how much the religion meant to her.”

Having parents who live in a different country can mean hard holiday travel. Sophie and Doudou just returned from a four-week visit with Sophie’s parents in Kunming. When the original flight to China was canceled, they flew from Atlanta through

Los Angeles with an overnight layover and then to Beijing. It took 36 hours, and their luggage took another two days to arrive.

While in China, Sophie used her computer to continue her research in pharmicoepidemiology. She uses large databases to probe how frequently certain drugs are prescribed among a large population of patients and what effects those drugs have on human health.

Shia, now a postdoctoral fellow, is also an epidemiologist — which in simple terms means he studies disease distributions in human population. His focus is on hypertension and blood pressure treatment.

Shia grew up in San Jose, Calif., and spent 18 months in manufacturing quality control for a biotechnology company after college. After some travel in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos and a temporary biotechnology job back in the Bay Area, he spent a year teaching English in a rural western district of Hunan Province, China.

Because of his link to northern California, Shia and Sophie held their wedding in the Santa Cruz Mountains just southwest of Silicon Valley with a reception in the historic Scopazzi’s Restaurant.

But the pull of science is always close at hand for academic researchers.

The next day, the newlyweds went to San Francisco so Sophie could attend the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology. ❖

“Hey,” he said. “There’s this guy and his name is Victor, and he lives in From page 16 Oklahoma, and he’s studying medicine.”

“Hector?” Beena asked.

“He’s going to be in New York to visit his father, and I’d like you to go meet him,” her father said.

Beena’s first reaction was “no way, Jose” because of her new-found Americanized thoughts about love and marriage, but eventually this quasiarranged marriage worked — they met in April, were engaged in May and married in August 1990.

Victor Thannickal’s father is a missionary in Bangalore, India, where he runs New Life College, which trains pastors, evangelists and teachers. Like Beena, Victor’s family has roots in Kerala and speaks Malayalam. Victor grew up in Kerala and Bangalore, and he began learning English in the second grade.

Victor got a yen to study in the U.S. at age 13 after spending a year in Pasadena, Calif., where his father trained at the Fuller Theological Seminary.

Those connections led Victor to Southern California College — a private Christian school that is now Vanguard University in Costa Mesa, Calif. — and acceptance to Oral Roberts University for his medical training.

His choice of medical schools was limited because he had only a student visa. The student visa also blocked him from getting educational loans, so Victor worked his way through medical school and also got support from family and friends.

Victor and Beena began married life in Tulsa, where Victor was chief resident at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine. They then spent 10 years in Boston, where their three children were born, and eight years in Ann Arbor, Mich.

In 2009, UAB recruited Victor, a pulmonary and critical care medicine specialist and an expert in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, to come to Birmingham.

Once again, the family had to pick a new place to live.

“We didn’t know the neighborhoods at all,” Beena said. “But I went online — I wanted good public schools, I wanted diversity.”

She picked Brook Highlands in North Shelby County.

“I didn’t want to be in a neighborhood where I just wave to the neighbors from afar. We live in a cul-de-sac, we know everyone on the street, and we interact with them,” Beena said.

The children started classes at Oak Mountain Intermediate School, and the Thannickal family joined Shades Mountain Independent Church. Beena took a year off work to help her children adjust to their new community and school.

Hana is now 19, in her sophomore year at Auburn University. Halle, 16, and Luke, 15, are a junior and sophomore at Oak Mountain High School.

At UAB, Victor heads the division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, where he recently was awarded a $9.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to identify and test potential treatments for pulmonary fibrosis. Beena is a media relations specialist at UAB’s Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Beena said she has seen an increase in diversity since coming to Alabama.

“There are three Indian grocery stores, and I have four or five Indian restaurants to pick from, one (Silver Coin Indian Grill in Hoover) specifically with south Indian food,” she said.

Connecticut, however, is still dear to her heart.

“Middletown, Conn., is where my father is buried,” she said. “And Middletown is where I will be buried, because that’s my hometown.” ❖

thannickal,

kasman, From page 14

the summer. The family travels to Moscow for about two-thirds of the summer, which sometimes offers relief, but the weather there is not always cool.

They also go during winter break.

“We don’t miss a chance to celebrate the New Year’s holiday in Moscow,” Kasman said.

One special dish he looks forward to, which is served in Russia for New Year’s, is Olivier salad. A traditional salad dish in Russian cuisine, it’s a type of potato salad with peas, diced vegetables, a mayonnaise dressing and bologna sausage.

Moscow’s weather is “perfect” for the holiday celebration, “in the 20s and 30s with a little snow,” he said.

Because of their trips, Aleksandra and Dina speak both English and Russian fluently.

“We are proud that they are truly fluent, in speaking and writing. When they are in Russia, no one would ever guess that they did not grow up there, and here no one has any questions about an accent, unlike their parents,” he said with a smile.

And although UAB offers Kasman the chance to meet and work with people from all over the world, he finds he favors the folks who hail from Alabama.

“Here I am enjoying being with the people from here,” he said. ❖

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social

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Christmas Celebration

T

Redstone Ball Draws More than 800

he Redstone Club’s 107th annual Christmas Ball was held Dec. 20 at the Country Club of Birmingham.

More than 800 members of the Redstone Club and their guests attended the group’s annual Christmas celebration.

President of this year’s ball was William E. Matthews V, who attended with his wife, Lizy. Ball chairman was Gregory S. Curran, who attended with his wife, Emily.

The floor committee chairman was J. Murphy McMillan, III, who was at the ball with his wife, Beth.

The East Room of the Country Club was decorated by Sybil Brooke Sylvester of Wildflower Designs. Christmas trees were adorned with lights and “snow clouds” of white flowers. Garlands were draped throughout the room. Under a ceiling of lights resembling stars, a full moon shone bearing the Redstone Club official emblem.

This year’s presentation class included 17 young women, all college seniors from schools around the South, East Coast and Northeast. The presentees wore traditional long white dresses and gloves, a complement to their escorts in black tuxedo tails.

Overseeing the class were Ladies Committee members Mrs. William B. Walheim Jr. (Cary), Henry Claiborne Crommelin (Jane Houston) and Mrs. John Parker

Redstone Club Christmas Ball Chairman Gregory S. Curran and his wife, Emily, with Redstone Club President William E. Matthews V and his wife, Lizy.

Photos special to the Journal by Dee Moore

Evans II (Jennifer).

Those presented at the 2014 ball were: Elizabeth Douglass Corey, daughter of the late Mr. David Douglas Corey and Mrs. David Douglass Corey; Caroline Addison Drew, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Livingston Drew; Elizabeth Lyons Durkee, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Rucker Agee Durkee; Caroline Carter Given, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Perry Given Jr.; Margaret Ruffner White Page, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Gene Ruffner Page; Elizabeth Fields Perry, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edmund Payne Perry; Ann Popwell Anthony, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Brantley Anthony, sponsored by James Ernest Grisham III; Margaret Elizabeth Caffey, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Kip Reed Caffey, sponsored by Stephen Wright Still; Caroline Carney Donald, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Marion Donald III, sponsored by William David Sellers Crommelin; Dorothy Jane Estes, daughter of Mr. Claude H. Estes IV and Ms. Jane C. Dunlap, sponsored

by Mark Legrand Myatt; Catherine Bower Winifred Hughes, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Joseph George Hughes, sponsored by James Somerville McLester French; Virginia Addison Sewell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Hill Sewell, sponsored by Leighton Calhoun Parnell III; Elizabeth Sellers Shook, daughter of the late Mr. Henry Lindstrum Shook and Mrs. Kathryn Donald Shook, sponsored by Henry Claiborne Crommelin; Patricia Lawrence Stutts, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Gillis Stutts, sponsored by Ehney

Addison Camp III; Katherine Shields Tynes, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ingram Dickinson Tynes, sponsored by Dr. Bayard Shields Tynes; Lillie Belle Wentz Cannon Viebranz, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Curtis Gray Viebranz, sponsored by Thomas William Christian; and Eugenia Maddox Watkins, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Warner Sutphen Watkins III, sponsored by Henry Sharpe Lynn Jr. At the ball luncheon, held at the Mountain Brook Club Dec. 19, the presentees were introduced to the club membership and received some historical background on the event and the club.

One of the highlights of the luncheon was the reintroduction of the presentee class from 1964, of which 21 of 45 women were in attendance to celebrate their 50th anniversary.

The returning “golden girls” regaled the group with recollections of their own big night five decades ago.

Mrs. Frederick Renneker III (Mimi), a member of that class, was the 1964 presentee chairman.

The presentees of 1964 were Jill Marie Abbott; Ann Tarver Abernethy (Mrs. Freddie H. Stephens); Laura Anne Benedict (Mrs. Frank C. Jones); Martha Edith Binzel (Mrs. Leland C. Keller); Frances Carolyn Blackwell (Mrs. Frances B. Robinson); Suzanne Hardy Brownell (Mrs. Morris C. Phillips Jr.); Serena Fitz Randolph Casey (Mrs. William O. Vann); Ann Falls Currie (Mrs. Norman Blaylock); Anne Tyson Dahlene (Mrs. Thomas G. Lamkin); Helen West Davis (Mrs. Edward M. Hatch); Eleanor Jon Dewey; Patricia Eileen Donald; Marguerite Trent Douglas (Mrs. Charles Caddis); Aleta McDonald Dumas (Mrs. Robert Schanbacher); Lulie Radcliff Edmonson (Mrs. Lynwood Mallard); Ann Elizabeth Evins (Mrs. Donelson R. Adams); Hansell Shook Gaines (Mrs. Hansell G. Burke); Ann Galbraith; Jean Ireland Hall (Mrs. James F. Sulzby III); Jane Hodges (Mrs. Jane H. Johnson); Susan Kinne Holcomb (Mrs. William P. Acker); Mary Cobb Hulse (Mrs. Chris Krebs); Alice Ford Jones (Mrs. Hardie H. Meade); Lynn Nahra Joseph; Carol Leigh Kessler (Mrs. Carol K. Hallett); Augusta Howze Marshall (Mrs. Scott Andrews); Elizabeth Shafer McCauley (Mrs. Frederick Renneker III); Louise Elizabeth McSpadden (Mrs. Walter H. Bennett); Mary Fontaine Montgomery (Mrs. Michel Marcoux); Elizabeth Shortridge Moody; Tracy Murrill Morris (Mrs. Trilton B. Rasco); Melinda Law Musgrove (Mrs. Melinda M. Chapman); Martha Faust Nabers; Margaret Bailey Park (Mrs. Robert Carroll); Rosalie Elizabeth Parler (Mrs. Elizabeth P. Roberts); Julene Reese (Mrs. Julene R. Roberts); Lois Greene Seals (Mrs. T. Howard Jones); Suzanne O’Lillian Sterne (Mrs. Michael Sheier); Elizabeth Allison Steward (Mrs. William H. Ausmus); Mary Munger Tate; Barrie Gowen Thurlow (Mrs. Robert T. Carlson); Nancy Foree Williams (Mrs. Alan J. Zakon); Dorothy Claire Williamson (Mrs. John H. Martin); Katherine Beverly Wilson; and Margaret Valentine Smith (Mrs. Valentine S. Yarbrough).

The ball followed a members-only cocktail party and dinner in Birmingham Country Club’s East Room and dining rooms.

Music chairman John R. Simpson arranged the evening’s accompaniment. For the cocktail party and the presentation, the Sonny Harris Trio Band set the musical atmosphere. Following the presentation, Groovetown entertained the crowd and attracted more than just the debutantes and their young contemporaries to the dance floor.

The 2014 Redstone Club officers and board of governors members are William E. Matthews V (wife, Lizy), president; James Henry Emack Jr. (wife, Kay), vice-president; Charles William Jones (wife, Walker), secretary-treasurer; Evans Johnson Dunn (wife, Katie), traditions chairman; Frances Minors S. Ager (wife, Amy); Robert Holman Head (wife, Margaret); Richard Murray IV (wife, Norita); William Spencer Smith (wife, Cari); George Clinton Thompson (wife, Nancy); George F. Wheelock III (wife, Frances); J. Reese Murray III (wife Marilyn); finance chairman; and James Malloy Dixon (wife, Marilyn), camp chairman. ❖

From left: Elizabeth Douglas Corey, Patricia Lawrence Stutts, Caroline Addison Drew and Eugenia Maddox Watkins.

Caroline Carter Given, Caroline Carney Donald, Elizabeth Fields Perry and Elizabeth Sellers Shook.

Margaret Ruffner White Page, Caroline Bowen Winifred Hughes, Margaret Elizabeth Caffey, Katherine Shields Tynes and Ann Popwell Anthony.

Virginia Addison Sewell, Elizabeth Lyons Durkee, Dorothy Jane Estes and Lillie Belle Wentz Cannon Viebranz.

Chi Omega Christmas Party

From left: Holly Sproull, Sally Harris, Caroline Harris, Hallie West, Jordan Culton and Mary Jane Young.

Photo special to the Journal

Sorority Alums Host Mother-Daughter Tea The home of Katherine Gorham was the setting for the annual Chi Omega Mother-Daughter Christmas Tea Dec. 14.

This year’s festive event offered alumnae a chance to visit and let current members catch up with Chi Omega friends from different universities.

Those attending the tea included the hostesses and her two daughters, Mary Katherine and Frannie Gorham, along with Kay and Hallie West and Amy and Maggie Beans.

Others enjoying the holiday fete included Ann-Murray and Mary Lant Cotten, Jennifer and Lindsey McMahon, Charlotte and Jordan Culton, Mary and Demi Leara, Kim and Kate Hall, Mary Beth and Allie Cannon, Amy and Mary Jane Young, Mary and Demi Leara, Melinda and McKenzie Lawry, Kathy and Katherine Tracy, Gail and Abby Osborne, Gia and MejraShea Merritt, and Sandy, Sellers and Ellie Mulvaney.

Also spotted at the annual event were Elizabeth and Cailyn Levant, Amy and Sally Moore, Leah, Eliza, Adeline and Ellie Rice, Lindy and Megan Walker, Kim and Carlisle

Thursday, January 15, 2015 • 19

social

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Barranco, Amy and Anna Ridgeway, Russell and Yates Bannon, Carol and Mary Cate Saville, Susan and Sarah Hayden Logan, Ashley and Elizabeth Peters, Christine McJunkin, Courtney Saad, Hayden Hamrick, Elizabeth and Kay Arnold, Helen Pittman, Haden Holmes-Brown, Cindy Cade, Connie Livingston and Cheryl Landreth.

Others attending the party were Elena, Ann Elise and Claire Leonard, Ashley and Cece Ferguson, Leigh and Grace Belcher, Danna Homan, Diane and Claudia Nickolson, Keely and Laura McGee, Kelley Evers, Ashley Prewitt, Julie Patton, Terri Baxter, Sandy Mackinaw, Terri, Maddie and Gracie Yates, Cheryl and Caroline Harris, Shannon and Cate Marek, Carla Gilroy, Merryl and Emily Cooper, Leigh Ann and Mary Katherine Smyth, Kristen and Samantha Meadows, Amy and Mandy Kelley, Haley and Burke Smith, Sally and Mary Claire von Eschenbach, Lani Eatman, Suzanne Schoel, Julie and Emme Wade,

Catherine and Jackie Venable, Mary and Demi Leara, Joy and Holly Sproull, Anna Laws, and Martha, Brownlee and Julia Smith.

Enjoying the opportunity to catch up with other Chi Omega members were Susan and Sally Harris, Melinda and Amelia Shallcross, Virginia and Annie Sheffield, Wendy and Leila Glenn Sanders, Glenda McPherson, Lucy Neal, Stephanie and Sarah Michael Whisenhunt, Casey Bemis, Sara Frese, Virginia Fleming, Palmer Miller, Kathryn Dickinson, Hannah Kendrick, Courtney Bishop, Lily Bowron, Lauren Collins, Palmer Ogilvie, Julia Simmons, Alexandra Andrews, Sara Mizerany and Louise Kidd.

The Chi Omegas of Countrywood held a Christmas party recently at the home of Nu Beta Leigh Belcher. This was the 10th year for the fun event, which included a Dirty Santa gift exchange.

For more information about the Chi Omega Alumnae Chapter, email Leah Rice at leahrice@charter.net. ❖

Betsy Prince is pleased to welcome Chuck Robertson Many of you know him from his years of experience in women’s and men’s tailoring. He will now be available Monday through Friday from 10am to 5pm for all of your alteration needs. Please feel free to stop in or call for an appointment.

33

20 • Thursday, January 15, 2015

social

Lake Martin Lake House FSBO $649,000 Same owner for 30 years.

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

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Post-concert Party

Symphony Volunteer Council Holds Reception

The Symphony Volunteer Council recently gave music lovers a chance to meet a guest conductor and members of the Alabama Symphony It’s Hanna Antique Mall’s biggest sale Orchestra.

Under the leadership of Jonnie of the year.

To: Babara Venglik and Phyllis Davis, vice presiFrom: Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 dents of hospitality, the Symphony FAX: 205-824-1246 Volunteer Council hosted a reception Date: June 2014 following the Alabama Symphony Orchestra’s Donor Appreciation on our huge selection of This is your AD PrOOF from the OvEr THE MOuNTAiN JOurNAl for the Concert in December.

The concert featured guest conductor Carlos Izcaray.

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Later that week, the group celebrated Christmas with a holiday party at the home of Jonnie and Rich Venglik which featured Martha Black’s traditional eggnog and a variety of sweet treats, including Linda James’ sugar cookies, made from a fourth-generation family recipe.

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Guests gathered around the piano to listen to Mimi Jackson’s renditions of favorite carols.

Spotted in the group of guests singing carols were Tonie and Gene Bone, Tallulah Hargrove, Shirley and Bob Brown, Martha Noble, Jane Pounds, Jody Weston and Lynne and Michael Meeks.

Every room in the Vengliks’ home was beautifully decorated for the season with heirlooms from the Venglik family. Admiring the Vengliks’ tree were Roberta and Jim Atkinson, Diane and Herb Rossmeisl, Liz and Tom Warren, Skip and Bob Wadhams, Diane Ray, Dave and Beverly Lisenby, Susan Putnam and Janet Lauer.

Zane Rhodes and Robert Raiford greeted new members Thomas and Mary Beth Walker and Merrily and Ray Newton.

Spotted in the breakfast room chatting with Tom Davis and Rich Venglik were Jane Paris and Chandler Smith, Debbie Reid, Virginia and Boyce Guthre, Kathie and Pringle Ramsey, Linda and Mike Griggs, Kathryn DeCola and Marie Krchak and Char and Rick Bonsack.

Decorators’ ShowHouse chairmen Cheree Carlton and Charlotte Clarkson, accompanied by their husbands, Eric Carlton and Steve Clarkson, gave an update on the search for a ShowHouse to partygoers Mary Wimberly, Dorlene Gray, Faye Fulmer, Shirley Evans, Pam Ausley, Nan and Phil Teninbaum, Olivia and Gene Weingarten, Emily Omura, Connie Bishop, Roma Bounds, Nancy Van Wanderham and Anne and Wayne Bagwell. ❖

Photo special to the Journal

323-6014 Over The Mountain Journal, PHONE: 205-823-9646 FAX: 205-824-1246 January 2011 This is your AD PROOF from the OVER THE MOUNTAIN JOURNAL for the January 13, 2011 issue. Please fax approval or changes to 824-1246.

Please make sure all information is correct, including address and phone number!

Please initial and fax back within 24 hours.

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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Festive Affair

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dinner-dance.

The gala was held Dec. 9 at Vestavia Country Club, which featured several beautifully-decorated Christmas trees.

The festive theme continued with dining tables centered with red poinsettias on mirrored mats.

Club President Olivia Weingarten and her husband, Gene, welcomed guests as they arrived at the party along with Dance Chairman Beverly Jackson and her husband, George.

Club members and their guests kicked up their heels on the dance floor to music performed by the Classics.

Cocktails and dinner followed.

Those spotted in the crowd included Connie Bishop and Charlie Bearden, Martha and Bob Black, Del Bradford, Bonnie and Anthony Ciccio, Peggy and Ralph Coleman, Gerry Dunham and Walt Stone, Sally and Jeff Fried, Virginia and John Golightly, Anne and Fletcher Harvey, Margaret and William Howell, Barbara and Bobby Jones, Elizabeth Judd, Rusty and Don Kirkpatrick, Nell Larson and Russell Kilgore, Joanne and Art McConnell, Betsy McGrath, Anne Martin and Jim Hawk, Kathy and Ted Miller, Anne Nelson, Evelyn and Bill Ringler, Donna and Tom Talbot, Phyllis and Roye Tinsley, Sue and Preston Trammel and Janis Zeanah. ❖

social

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Holiday Soiree

Brookdale Place Residents Gather for Party The sounds of laughter and Christmas carols resonated from the Grand Gazebo Reception Room at Homewood’s Brookdale Place Garden Homes’ Christmas party.

A record 47 guests dined among red, gold and white cyclamen flowers at the fifth annual Christmas soiree hosted by Mary Louise Hodges.

Hodges announced that this would be her last year to host the holiday fete. This year, she was assisted by Eleanor Womack and Pat Carder, who will host the party this Christmas.

Dick Womack, the Garden Homes’ chairman, welcomed everyone to the festivities. The blessing was given by Dr. Ed Hurley, pastor of South Highland Presbyterian Church.

Music was provided by Trudi May on the piano; her daughter, Darien Roche, on the flute; Hodges

From left: Pat Carder, Mary Louise Hodges, Dick Womack and Eleanor Womack. Journal photo by Maury Wald

on piano; and Walt Stone.

Those attending the party included Carolyn Bragg, Harry Brock, Jane Brock, Joanne Blyde, Dave Carder, Patty and Flip Phillips, Gerry Dunham, Aaron Hillhouse, Doug Armstrong, Una Armstrong, Sewall Manley, Ann and Dave Lancaster, Rashael Hubbard, J.B. Davis, Hilary Cabaniss,

Bob Pickett, John Bromberg, Amy Hughes, Martha Hastings, Gayle Lantz, Judy Pittman, Tom Pittman, Virginia Booker, Will Booker, Kathy Segrest, Jere Segrest, Virginia Stewart, Annie Cole, Col. Jim Johnson, Fran Johnson, Gray Richardson, Betty Glassock, Mary Nell Glassock and Sara Clark. ❖

Thursday, January 15, 2015 • 21

22 • Thursday, January 15, 2015

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Presentation of Princesses Annual Krewe Ball Is Set for Feb. 13

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Princesses of the 48th Beaux Arts Krewe Ball will be presented Feb. 13.

The annual event, which features a traditional Mardi Gras theme, will be held at Boutwell Auditorium in Birmingham.

One of the young women will be revealed as the Queen at the Ball, while four others will be presented as the Queen’s Ladies-in-Waiting.

The 29 presentees for this year’s event are Anne Fairly Alison, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Fairly Alison III; Ann Floyd Stevens Ashton, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Jackson Ashton; Helen Cumbee Corey, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Allen Rushton Corey; Victoria Jane Crenshaw, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. James Hill Crenshaw; Sarah Elizabeth Dodson, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Cecil Calvert Dodson III; Virginia Hagood Drennen, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Richard Hagood Drennen; Virginia Lockett Farlow, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Sam Nance Farlow; Emily Irene Gardner, daughter of the Rev. and Mrs. H. Huey Gardner; Eulalie Crommelin Draper Given, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Robert Sommerville Wilkerson Given; Caroline Nabers Gray, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Samuel Eugene Gray; Mary Virginia Grisham, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Ernest Grisham III; Grace Evelyn Hawkins, daughter of Ms. Katherine Bentley Hawkins and Mr. William Dale Hawkins III; Mary Elizabeth Hobbs, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Whitehead Hobbs; Adelaide Harling King, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Steven King; Katie Lane Wynne Kirkland, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Peter Burnham Kirkland; Mary Aileen Mackin, daughter of Brian Williams Mackin and Mr. and Mrs. William Arthur Bridell; Hallie Preuit Mauldin; daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Macke Buchanan Mauldin; Elizabeth Lee Miller, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Mark Lyle Miller; Anna Anglin Patterson, daughter of Mrs. Ellen Tate Patterson and Mr. Burton Roe Patterson; Anderson McGuire Pearce, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas McCallum Pearce Jr.; Anne Sloan Pell, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Byron Pell Jr.; Addison McKay Pollard, daughter of Dr. Andrew Emil Pollard and Cameron Gaede; Sadler Ross Sanders, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Rutledge Sanders Jr.; Virginia Gilder Smith, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Michael Smith; Sarah Grace Sparks, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. David Michel Davis and Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Davidson Sparks; Katherine Shield Tynes, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ingram Dickinson Tynes; Mary Harmon Bryant Tyson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marc Bryant Tyson; Lela Ellen Welden, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Bowen Welden; and Emily Fallon Wilson, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Alexander Symington Wilson Jr. ❖

From left: Virginia Drennen, Fallon Wilson, Lelie Given, Sarah Grace Sparks, Sarah Dodson and Libby Hobbs. Photos special to the Journal by Hank Spencer

Addison Pollard, Elizabeth Miller, Katie Tynes, Virginia Farlow, Anne Pell and Anne Fairly Alison.

Katie Lane Kirkland, Anna Patterson, Emily Gardner, Virginia Grisham, Gracie Hawkins and Caroline Gray.

Lela Welden, Adelaide King, Anderson Pearce and Virginia Smith. Not pictured: Ann Ashton, Helen Cumbee Corey, Victoria Crenshaw, Mary Aileen Mackin, Hallie Mauldin, Sadler Sanders and Mary Harmon Tyson.

Thursday, January 15, 2015 • 23

social

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Given, mother Roxanne and sister Mallie; Carla Gonzalez; Mary Dean Hudgins Gray and granddaughter Celie Harris; Ashelie White Halla and Clayton Ann; Shauna Broom Hard and Millie; Lily Hardwick and mother Rhonda; Pam Seamon Harris; Beth McCown Haughery; Meg McLain Hightower and Maggie; and Dru Coleman Johnson from Florence.

Others present were Robin Brotherton Kidd and Kaylor; Jane Kendall King; Marianne Joiner Ledbetter, Elizabeth and Emma; Susan and Sara Hayden Logan; ABOVE: From left: Clayton Ann and Ashelie White Halla, Katherine and Laura Edge Morrison, and Caroline Beauchaine. BELOW: Mary Harmon Tyson, Catherine Autry and Carla Gonzalez. Photos special to the Journal

Karen DeVenney McCollum, Karly and Kelly; Catherine Milling and mother Kim; Jerry Williams Mills; DeDe McDanal Moore and Anne Neal; Kelly Kolen Morris; Laura Edge Morrison and Katherine; Callie Stone Nash and Ann Harper; Sara Young Newdome, Lynley and Carith; Dana Anders Norton; Amy Jackson Nunneley and Ella; Sarah Outlaw; Mary Ponder Wilson Porter and Mary Harbin; Misty Brewer Powell and Alice; Sally Ryan Reiser and Sarah Katherine; Jan Roberts and Julia Leonard;

Michelle Brabston Rose and Mary Jane; Angela Huffman Scott; Tracy Bresler Stephens and Margaret James; Kendall Lee Stephenson, Leah, Sarah and Abigail; Caroline Stewart, Julie Vascocu Stewart, Georgia, Emmaline and Mary Colin; Linda Johnson Stone; Mary Harmon Tyson; Jeanne Rogers Wamack; Jan Langston Ware and Anne Adams; Gail Smith Westhoven, Brooke and Diane; Kim Speir Williamson and Anna Caroline; and Hayley Hammock Young and Lillie. ❖

“We got exactly the house we wanted”

Alpha Gam Gathering

Sorority Alums Host Annual Rosebud Tea The historic Sterling Road home of LaBella Stewart Alvis was the setting for the Alpha Gamma Delta Rosebud Tea in December.

For the annual event, trees were displayed in every room as sorority alumnae, their legacy daughters, collegiate members and their mothers gathered to celebrate the fraternal sisterhood during the Christmas season.

Collegiate members who attended the festive event came from the University of Alabama, Auburn University, the University of Montevallo, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the University of Missouri.

Alumnae President Elizabeth Estess Wilson and daughter Mallie greeted guests. Vice President Emily Putnam Fulton and daughters Ella Clae and Millie arranged the refreshment tables.

Secretary Betsy Weese Hoffman, Treasurer Amy Nichols McCain and Permanent Secretary Judith Hayes Hand were in charge of registration, nametags and photographs.

In attendance were Katherine McDavid Allen, daughter Anna Brooks and niece Maddie McDavid;

Lane Allen, mother Traci and sister Mary Lee; Grace Alvis; Catherine Autry; Rachael Broom Barnhart and Eva; Laura Gray Barron and Madeline; Nancy Rosser Beasley; Caroline Beauchaine and mother SuAnne; Jenna McCammon Bedsole and Helen; Sloane Bell; Kristin Bessette and mother Jamie; Cheryl Wynn Brakefield and Mary Claire;

Mac, Champ, Lynlee, Adele and Alan Palmer on the front porch of their new Mountain Brook home

Holland Brown and mother Paula; Patricia Mills Burris, Andrea and Manon; Caroline Collier and mother Jean Anne; Jennifer Huddleston Cotney and Jordan; Kristi Huff Crossland and Isabel; Jenny Bresler Evans, Lucy and Rebecca; Jennifer Johnson Fruin and Catherine; Asha Timmons Gardner and Marley; Nancy Runyan Gaston and Alison; Rosemary Buntin Gillespy, Anna Catherine and Elizabeth; Caroline

When Lynlee and Alan Palmer decided to sell their home and buy more space for son Mac, daughter Adele, and the family’s black lab Champ, they looked to long-time friend and experienced Realtor Kim Maddox with ARC Realty for guidance. “We had some challenges selling our home, but Kim worked through the obstacles,” says Alan. “Our search for a new home started right here,” says Lynlee, referring to the location of their new home in Mountain Brook. “We looked at other houses, but we got exactly the location we wanted. I’d be happy to live here forever.”

Helping clients (who typically become friends) is what Kim loves about being a Realtor.

“It’s rewarding to help a family find a home they love.” Kim made a move last year, too, to ARC Realty. “This is an exciting time to be a Realtor, and the ARC team makes it fun. ARC believes in training and customer service, which translates to happy customers!”

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

Joseph Braswell

As a life-long Over-the-Mountain resident and a third generation working at Guin, I feel great pride and responsibility in carrying on the legacy of honesty and hard work that my grandfather began over 55 years ago. Family is very important to us, and we treat our customers with the same care and respect as members of our own family. It would be a privilege to serve you.

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24 • Thursday, January 15, 2015

weddings

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Far left: Kali Martin McNutt and François Braine-Bonnaire gave their post-wedding festivities a New Orleans-style flavor with a jazz band and “second line” procession.” Above: With the bride and groom, center, are, from left: family members Clay Morrison, Pam McNutt, Don McNutt and Molly Morrison. Left: Kate Martin of Vestavia Hills takes a break from her duties as flower girl.

Photos special to the Journal

French Connection Kali Martin McNutt and François Braine-Bonnaire Story by Donna Cornelius

F

riends of Kali Martin McNutt and François BraineBonnaire could have been traveling to Louisiana last summer to the couple’s wedding.

Instead, some 60 American family members and friends ended up adding a few extra miles to their journeys.

Kali, who is from Vestavia Hills, and François, a native Parisian, married June 28 in the South of France.

“We both love New Orleans and thought about getting married there,” Kali said. “But the only venue in New Orleans that we would have wanted is the Marigny Opera House, and it only does celebrity weddings now.”

During a family trip to Orange Beach, Kali’s mother, Pam McNutt, helped the couple reach a decision.

“Mom asked, ‘What do you really want to do?’ and I told her I really wanted to get married in France,” Kali said.

The Birmingham Zoo

The Birmingham Zoo has six event facilities that can accommodate 10 to 1,000 guests for bridal teas, luncheons, rehearsal dinners, wedding ceremonies and receptions.

“With accommodations ranging from the Zoo Lodge, a rustic stone house nestled in the woods to our Trails of Africa Safari Peak which over-

Kali and François met in 2008, when Kali, then a recent University of Alabama graduate, was an intern at a small public relations firm in France.

“I was living in Chantilly, and I’d go to Paris on the weekends,” she said. “We met at a bar that’s not there anymore.”

In October 2010, François moved to Washington, D.C., where Kali was director of External Affairs at the Foreign Policy Initiative, a D.C.-based think tank. François is an entrepreneur working in advertising and real estate investment.

They got engaged in Paris in August 2011 in the Place Vendome at a restaurant which, appropriately enough, incorporated houndstooth into its décor.

The bride, groom and guests admire the lighted macaron tower at Kali McNutt and François Braine-Bonnaire’s wedding reception.

looks our exhibit of African bull elephants, the Birmingham Zoo offers a truly unique experience for your guests,” say Lindsey Coley, special events coordinator, and Courtney Sanak, special events manager, from left.

“The zoo also offers extra events including animal demonstrations, greetings and walkabouts that will leave your guests talking about your wedding for months.” Sanak said. “With catering options ranging from African safari to formal elegance, we can help make your event a success.”

The Birmingham Zoo is Alabama’s must-see attraction. About 950 animals of 230 species call the 122-acre zoo home.

“By choosing the Birmingham Zoo as your venue, you help spread the zoo’s mission of inspiring passion for the natural world,” Sanak said.

For details, visit www.birminghamzoo.com.

The Birmingham Zoo is located at 2630 Cahaba Road, Birmingham, 397-3859.

See french connection, page 28

Looking for a truly unique space for your next event?

The Birmingham Zoo is your perfect venue. With catering options ranging from African safari to formal elegance, we can help make your event a success. The Zoo also offers event extras including animal demonstrations, non-profit discounts, audio/visual equipment and much more.

Call 205-397-3859 or send an email to specialevents@birminghamzoo.com for more information and to book your event today!

Hurry, venues are booking fast!

Weddings & Receptions Showers & Teas Rehearsal Dinners Engagement Parties Bridesmaid Luncheons

Banquets Award Ceremonies Corporate Meetings & Functions Company Retreats & Picnics

Retirement & Birthday Parties Bar Mitzvahs & Bat Mitzvahs Family Reunions Graduation Parties And much more

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Thursday, January 15, 2015 • 25

Weddings & Engagements

Bromberg’s For high quality and luxury jewelry, Birmingham residents can come to Bromberg’s, one of America’s oldest family owned businesses for fine jewelry, watches, custom jewelry design, premier bridal registry and giftware.

“We are Alabama’s oldest business,” says Ricky Bromberg. “We have been retailers since 1836.

One could say we have more experience in the wedding registry business than anyone else around today.

“We offer the largest and finest selection of china, crystal and silver in the Southeast, and so much more! We also offer brides many incentives such as our gift card system and completion program, discounts on wedding bands and attendants’ gifts and a free gift when you register. And that’s not all--when a bride receives or purchases seven place settings they get the eighth one free!”

Bromberg’s is located at 2800 Cahaba Road in Mountain Brook, 871-3276, and 131 Summit Blvd. at The Summit, 969-1776.

“We have been retailers since 1836. One could say we have more experience in the wedding registry business than anyone else around today.” ricky bromberg, Bromberg’s

Park Crest Park Crest is a full service event facility located in Hoover. It is owned and operated by Gary and Kelli Beard. The property currently consists of two facilities. The first being and indoor venue, called Park Crest Place. The second is an outdoor venue, Park Crest Gardens.

The gardens feature a breath-taking view of Shades Mountain, beautiful landscaping, and a large pavilion. However, the venue will be adding a brand new facility in the mix soon.

“Next door to the gardens our oldest son, Chase, has designed and is currently building the newest facility,” says Kelli. “It will be called the Carriage House and will be opening its doors by the summer of 2015. The Carriage House will be unlike any other event facility in the area.

It is designed to look like an extravagant farmhouse on the exterior but will combine rustic and modern detail on the interior. There will be two levels that will make up the 20,000 square foot facility. The downstairs will look like an upscale

warehouse with the perfect mix of new and old school design. It will consist of pendant lighting, brick walls, exposed ceilings, and an antique car collection. Upstairs will resemble a massive farmhouse with 36 foot ceilings and will make for a gorgeous indoor ceremony location. It also will include reclaimed wood ceilings, large crystal chandeliers, and tons of open space.

“Park Crest offers three different venues, which can accommodate almost any event or group. Park Crest Place is perfect for groups that want a laid back, intimate setting. The Gardens are perfect for wedding ceremonies, outdoor events, and any size group. Also, it’s hard to find a view like that anywhere. The Carriage House will have architectural features unlike any other facility in Birmingham. It will be perfect for small or large groups (900+), wedding ceremonies and receptions, corporate events, and private parties. The Carriage House will have flexibility to hold almost any type of event and will be first class all of the way.”

Park Crest Event Facility, 2030 Little Valley Road, Hoover, 822-7275.

Weddings • Rehearsal Dinners Corporate & Special Events

2030 Little Valley Road Hoover, Alabama 35216 info@parkcrestevents.com 205.822.PARK

26 • Thursday, January 15, 2015

Levy’s Fine Jewelry “Levy’s Fine Jewelry is the largest estate and antique jewelry dealer in the Southeast. We specialize in estate, antique and modern jewelry,” said Jared Nadler, above left, with his mother Rhoda Link and cousin Todd Denaburg, members of the family that has owned the business since 1922.

“Our bridal selection is extensive. We have rings dating back to the Victorian era. The older rings are so beautifully made with such intricate detailing done by hand. Made with filigree detailing or engraving, each is a one-of-a-kind piece.

The rings from the Art Deco era are edgy and bold, have sharp lines and use different color combinations such as onyx, sapphire or emerald.

We also have gorgeous estate wedding bands with beautiful engraving. Some of these still have wedding dates or names of the couple engraved on the inside, which makes them so special. With these pieces you get to imagine what the women who had them before were like and make up your own story,” Nadler said.

Weddings & Engagements

“We also have a large modern bridal area.

There are so many different styles such as classic Tiffany settings, halo settings, vintage reproductions and many others. We have rings set with a diamond already or you can choose from one of the many semi mountings that allows you to choose the size diamond you want for the center.

If we don’t have exactly what you are looking for or you would like to alter one of the designs you have seen, one of our four award- winning jewelers can help you design whatever may be the perfect ring for you. We guarantee that you will leave feeling ecstatic in your choice and that once you propose, she will be the envy of all her friends,” Denaburg said.

“Our motto has always been ‘It’s Like Having a Relative in the Jewelry Business’ and the reason is, because we like to think all of our customers are an extension of our family. Our trained GIA staff works to give you the information you need to find what works best for her lifestyle and your wallet.”

Levy’s Fine Jewelry is located at 2116 Second Ave N., Birmingham, 251-3381.

For over 90 years, Levy’s has been Birmingham's Specialist in Antique and Estate Jewelry as well as Fine Diamonds, Art and Antiques.

2116 2nd Avenue North • (205) 251-3381

www.levysfinejewelry.com

The White Room The White Room redefines the couture bridal boutique experience.

“Our passion is to make the day you choose your wedding gown as memorable as the day you wear it,” say Carolyn and Cathy Kelley, co-owners. “At The White Room, our goal is to help you feel celebrated and understood.

“Our boutique hours are always by appointment, so that we may provide each bride with an intimate personalized experience in a quaint, yet luxurious setting. We are open Tuesday– Saturday from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m.

Platinum appointments may be booked for after hours, Sundays and Mondays, while our boutique is otherwise closed, for a nominal $250.00 charge. Champagne and sweets will be served.”

When you become a White Room bride, you are welcomed with genuine attention and the dedication that you deserve. From exclu-

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

sive designer events to in-house alterations by Carolyn, a couture seamstress, The White Room is dedicated to bringing you a level of service, attention to detail and an atmosphere of distinction you’re not likely to find elsewhere.

The White Room offers many exclusive designers not carried anywhere else in the state.

They have hand-picked a collection of timeless and elegant gowns from the best couture houses in the industry. At The White Room, they offer a high-end shopping experience. Their couture bridal gown prices begin at $2,000. To schedule an appointment to view their collection and to become a White Room Bride, please call 205970-6767.

Carolyn and Cathy Kelley are a dynamic mother and daughter team in the bridal industry.

Both ladies share a deep passion for their roles in helping brides find THE DRESS! The White Room Bridal Salon is located at 2415 Canterbury Road, Mountain Brook, 9706767.

Kennamer-Hostetter

Mr. and Mrs. Jacob S. Kennamer Jr. of Vestavia Hills announce the engagement of their daughter, Aubri Allison Kennamer, to Christopher Allen Hostetter, son of Ms. Karin Hostetter and stepson of the late Mr. Grady Clay, both of Denver.

The bride-elect is the granddaughter of Mrs. Patricia Pennington Myers of Vestavia Hills and the late

Principi-O’Toole

Mr. and Mrs. Vincent Joseph Principi of Vestavia Hills announce the engagement of their daughter, Andrea Michele (Mimi) Principi, to Daniel Patrick O’Toole, son of the late Mr. Kenneth Thomas O’Toole and Mrs. Kenneth Thomas O’Toole of Quincy, Mass.

The bride-elect is the granddaughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Principi and the late Mr. and

Thursday, January 15, 2015 • 27

Weddings & Engagements

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Mr. Wiley Andrew Myers of New Orleans and the late Mr. Jacob Sidney Kennamer and the late Mrs. Frances Filmer Kennamer, both of Mountain Brook.

Miss Kennamer is a 2009 graduate of Vestavia Hills High School and a 2012 magna cum laude graduate of William Woods University, where she received a bachelor’s degree in equine science. She is employed in Louisville, Ky., by Excel Equine as an equine sales specialist.

The prospective groom is the grandson of Ms. Shirley Haflich and the late Mr. Gene Haflich, both of Indianapolis.

Mr. Hostetter is a 2004 graduate of Cherry Creek High School in Denver and a 2008 graduate of William Woods University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in equine science and was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He is employed in Louisville by Ashlyn Farms as the head horse trainer.

The wedding will be May 16 on Ashlyn Farm in Simpsonville, Ky. Mrs. Wallace Charles Reed, all of Memphis, Tenn.

Miss Principi is a 2003 graduate of Vestavia Hills High School and a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Alabama, where she received a bachelor’s degree in fashion merchandising and was a member of Chi Omega sorority and Alpha Lambda Delta honor society. She was named to Who’s Who Among American Colleges and Universities and was on the President’s List.

Miss Principi is employed by the Swarovski Group in Boston.

The prospective groom is the grandson of the late Mr. and Mrs. William Joseph O’Toole of South Boston and the late Mr. and Mrs. Peter Joseph Moakley of Dorchester, Mass.

Mr. O’Toole is a 2000 graduate of North Quincy High School in Quincy and a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Amherst with a bachelor’s degree in communications. He is employed by Oracle in Boston.

The wedding will be May 23 on Martha’s Vineyard.

Recently engaged, married or celebrating an anniversary?

Mrs. James Royal Harrelson of Union City, Tenn. He is the grandson of Mrs. Royal C. Harrelson and the late Mr. Harrelson and the late Mr. and Mrs. William H. McDaniel, all of Oneonta.

Escorted by her father, the bride wore a strapless fit and flared gown

by New York designer Jim Hjelm.

Ivory, re-embroidered French Alencon lace over taupe lining created the bodice. Tiers of oyster colored netting began at fingertip-length and cascaded over the skirt, which swept to a chapel-length train. Tiny crystals and beadwork framed each layer of the ruffled netting. Completing her ensemble was an ivory veil of illusion which had been worn by her mother.

The veil was edged with motifs of ivory French Alencon lace which had been hand-beaded with pearls. She carried a bouquet of peonies, roses, and ranunculus tied with a monogrammed handkerchief from her late grandfather.

The bride was attended by her cousin, Claire Chapman Swedenburg, of Tallahassee, Fla., as matron of honor. Bridesmaids were Kelli O’Brien Weinacker and Brittany Tucker Bethea, both of Birmingham; Rebecca Faulkner Hill of Columbus, Miss.; Camilla Ann Thompson of Montgomery; Amy Harris Whit and Amory Elaine Scott of Atlanta; Anna

Michelle McBee of New York City; Katie Watson Anderson of Boston; and Rebecca Bennett Harrelson, sister-in-law of the groom, of The Woodlands, Texas.

James Royal Harrelson was his son’s best man. Groomsmen were Matthew Glenn Harrelson of The Woodlands; James Franklin Anthony II, Mark Kimble Brown, Samuel Walter Wilcox, Michael Brandon Smith, Brock Dean and Jordan Winston Busby of Birmingham; Ross Myracle Clark of Troy, Tenn.; and Blake Barton Turnham of Auburn.

Ushers were groomsmen and Wes Simpson and Dalton Simpson of Vestavia Hills.

Flower girls were Mallory Faith and Emma Grace Weinacker of Vestavia Hills.

Program and guest book attendants were Whitney Wingo Brown, Casey Busby, Nicole Monete’ Knighton and Jessica Adrianne Egan.

Lay reading was provided by Mr. and Mrs. Tyler McGill and McCauley Bennett.

Music was directed by Rick Barnes of Covenant Presbyterian Church and provided by Barry Norris, organist, and Ferrell Marsh, soloist.

After a honeymoon to St. Lucia, the couple live in Homewood.

Nicole Lawyer and Drew Lowry were married Dec. 27 at Bluff Park United Methodist Church. Pastor Greg Newton officiated the ceremony. A reception followed at The Club.

The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Don Lawyer of Vestavia

Hills. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Kris Lowry of Vestavia Hills.

Given in marriage by her father, the bride wore an ivory custom made gown by Augusta Jones. The dress was created with Jessie/Anita lace combined with the “Nicola” style bodice. The bride chose an Augusta Jones beaded belt with organza backing to complete the gown. She wore a Toni Federici “Chic” style veil.

The bride was attended by her sister, Haley Lawyer of Auburn, as maid of honor and Nancy Jane Lee of Atlanta as matron of honor. Bridesmaids were Allison Lawyer, sister-in-law of the bride, and Elizabeth Glisson, both of Birmingham; Brooke Lowry, sisterin-law of the groom, of Los Angeles; Sara Lynn Lowry, sister-in-law of the groom, of Auburn; Tori Hunsucker of Boston; Katie Wagner of Nashville, Tenn.; Elle Snyder of Atlanta; and Macy Miller of St. Louis.

Flower girls were Bailey Lawyer and Natalie Lawyer, nieces of the bride, and Olivia Pierce and Layla Lawyer, cousins of the bride, all of Birmingham.

Kris Lowry, father of the groom, and Wade Lowry, brother of the groom, both of Birmingham, were best men. Groomsmen were Michael Lawyer and David Lawyer, brothers of the bride, and Barrett Paulk, Kevin Zhang and David Harris of Birmingham; Allen Bobango of Auburn; Britton Schlotz of Anchorage, Alaska; Miles Adams of New York City; Terry Bryan of Sierra Vista, Ariz.; and Anthony Jordan Wright of Atlanta. Jack Wamble, cousin of the groom, of Nashville was the ring bearer.

Program attendants were Hayden Hartsell, Merritt Hartsell and Maddie Hartsell, cousins of the bride.

After a honeymoon trip to Costa Rica, the couple live in Auburn.

Williamson-Metrock

Laura Katherine Williamson and Evan Thompson Metrock were married Sept. 13 at The Carl House in Auburn, Ga. The Rev. Michael McCord officiated the ceremony.

The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Marty Williamson of Suwanee, Ga. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jim Metrock of Vestavia Hills.

Given in marriage by her parents, the bride wore a gold ivory gown of taffeta and lace.

She was attended by her sister, Jessica Williamson, as maid of honor and Debbie Williamson, her sister-inlaw, as matron of honor. Bridesmaids were Lori Metrock, sister-in-law of the groom, and Christi Clark, Alice

Hales, Stephanie Pieper and Amanda Simpson. Anna Kate Williamson, niece of the bride, was the flower girl.

Bradley Metrock, brother of the groom, was the best man.

Groomsmen were Brian Williamson, brother of the bride, and Matthew Chapman, Steve Kamb, Nikhil Perumbeti, Paul Stone and Matthew Woods. Junior groomsmen included Drew Williamson, nephew of the bride, and Hampton Cureton, cousin of the bride. Mason Metrock, nephew of the groom, was the ring bearer.

After a honeymoon trip to Riviera Maya, Mexico, the couple live in Atlanta.

Anthony-Harrelson

Grace Louise Anthony and Keith Wallace Harrelson were married Nov. 22 at the First Baptist Church of Birmingham. The Rev. Scott Bowen of Signal Mountain Presbyterian Church officiated the ceremony. A reception followed in the Grand Ballroom of The Club in Birmingham.

The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Alan Lee Anthony of Vestavia Hills. She is the granddaughter of Mrs. James Franklin Anthony and the late Mr. Anthony of Trussville and Mr. and Mrs. Winston Eugene Chapman Sr. of Center Point.

The groom is the son of Mr. and

Lawyer-Lowry

Let us help spread the word of your good news!

Send your announcement to editorial@otmj.com or visit www.otmj.com for forms and info.

28 • Thursday, January 15, 2015

Weddings & Engagements

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

french connection, From page 24

The couple now lives in Tampa, Fla., but likely will move to Birmingham soon, Kali said.

Kali and François considered getting married in Bordeaux, the home of François’ late mother. They ended up choosing the sunnier and more convenient Côte d’Azur.

“It was close enough to Nice to make traveling easier,” Kali said.

Another key decision was hiring wedding planner Kerry Bracken of Lavender and Rose Weddings in Cannes, France.

“She caters to Anglos getting married in the South of France,” Kali said. “She got married there and lives there now. It was essential to have a native English speaker on the ground.”

French weddings typically aren’t as well-organized or elaborate as most American weddings, Kali said.

Bracken found a Catholic church that would allow Protestant ceremonies, almost unheard of in France.

The church, L’Eglise St. Blaise in Valbonne, was founded in 1199, predating the village by 320 years.

Bracken also found a bilingual British minister to officiate at the ceremony.

The couple had to put a lot of trust in their planner since, as Kali said, it would have been impossible to pop over for a food tasting or to listen to musicians. But back home in the United States, Kali and her mother were busy with other wedding elements.

“Finding her wedding dress was

A Silver Sixpence for the Bride’s Shoe charlottewoodson.com mountain brook village

Above: Kali McNutt with her matrons of honor, bridesmaids and flower girl. right: Kali Martin McNutt and François Braine-Bonnaire married June 28 in the South of France. Photos special to the Journal

the first thing Kali did,” Pam said.

Before having a venue or a wedding date, Kali chose Monique Lhuillier’s “Candice” dress at Carine’s Bridal Atelier in Washington, D.C., and Manolo Blahnik flats.

François wore a morning suit.

“At first I thought I’d let the bridesmaids choose what they wanted to wear,” Kali said. “But then I got in bride-mode and ended up picking out some dresses at Bella Bridesmaid in Homewood to give them examples of the mix-and-match feel I wanted.

All but one of the bridesmaids chose Amsale dresses in different fabrics, colors and cuts.”

Kali and her mother sent pictures of the Valbonne church to Birmingham artist Bob Moody, a good friend of Kali’s late grandfather, Billy Martin. Moody is well known for his two books featuring watercolors of English and Alabama churches.

“He did a painting of the church which we used on the wedding invitations, programs and the coasters we gave to guests,” Pam said. “He gave the painting to Kali and François as a gift.”

Calligrapher Katie Decker Hyatt of Atlanta-based Signora e Mare created the formal hand-deckled invitations, the menus and the wedding crest.

The crest incorporated an elephant

as a nod to Kali’s UA allegiance, a frog as a playful symbol of François’s French heritage, lavender to represent the South of France, and cotton for Alabama.

Since many of the bride’s guests would be traveling long distances, Kali and her mom wanted to make them feel welcome. Bags in guests’ rooms held a jar of olive tapenade, antique French postcards, a bottle of rosé, Ladurée marshmallows, and canelés, the rum and vanilla cakes that are the traditional sweet of Bordeaux.

The couple also created an extensive website with plenty of information about travel, hotels, restaurants and points of interest.

“Americans care if guests have fun and feel comfortable,” Kali said. “The French don’t so much.”

On the night before the wedding, Kali’s grandmother, Mary Ann Martin of Birmingham, hosted a glamorous party at Juan-les-Pins near Cannes.

Guests dressed in white and gathered on the seaside for a soiree blanche – an all-white party.

For the Friday night event, Kali wore an outfit from Laney’s Place in Homewood with Prada shoes.

At the wedding ceremony, Kali’s father, Don McNutt, escorted her down the aisle. Her matrons of honor were her sister, Molly Morrison of Birmingham, and her cousin, Lindsey Vansant of Hoover.

Other attendants were Elizabeth Bowie and Margaret Ann Head, Kali’s roommates from UA; childhood friends Leslie Brogan and Rachel Wells Brooks of Birmingham; college friend Allison Burg Scully from Mountain Brook; and Alicia Catherine, a post-college friend.

Among François’s attendants were his nephew, Raphaël BraineBonnaire, and his soon-to-be brother-in-law, Clay Morrison of

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Kate Martin, daughter of Kali’s cousin, Hunter Martin, and his wife, Kelly, of Vestavia was the flower girl. The bell ringers included Daniel Vansant, son of matron of honor Lindsey Vansant and her husband, Aaron.

Readings and music for the ceremony mixed formality and fun. The prelude included Edith Piaf’s “La Vie en rose” and the Rolling Stones’ “She’s a Rainbow.” The bride entered to Pachelbel’s traditional “Canon in D,” while the groom, groomsmen and minister came in to “A Whiter Shade of Pale” by Procol Harum.

One reading was 1 Corinthians 13, while another came from the movie “When Harry Met Sally.”

The couple remembered François’ late mother and father with flowers Kali Martin McNutt and François Braine-Bonnaire aren’t the only couple with Over the Mountain connections who chose to get married abroad last June. In our next issue, read about Mountain Brook native Jackson Jones’ wedding to Katarina Motuzova in Bratislava, Slovakia.

at the places where they would have been seated in the church.

After the ceremony, wedding party members and guests were given handkerchiefs for a New Orleans-style celebration, complete with a jazz band.

“I always wanted to have a second line at my wedding,” Kali said.

Second line is a tradition in New Orleans brass band parades. The “main line” or “first line” is the parade’s main section, while those who follow the band with handkerchiefs or umbrellas are the “second line.”

Buses took guests to the McNutts’ home away from home, the Bastide St. Mathieu, an 18th century manor house and private villa in Grasse.

Poolside hors d’oeuvres and drinks

were followed by an elegant dinner at candlelit tables filled with peonies.

“Each table at the dinner was named for a place we had traveled or lived,” Kali said.

In addition to the American visitors, about 60 French guests attended.

François has three older brothers, all of whom live in Paris. Guests also came from Mexico, Argentina, Australia and Germany.

The dinner menu included caramelized onion tart with red mullet, pistachio and marjoram oil, and dandelion leaves with balsamic dressing and herb-crusted rack of lamb, potatoes with truffle oil, layered Provençal vegetables, garlic confit and thyme jus.

After that came baguettes and époisses, which Kali and François called the “stinkiest and tastiest French cheese,” plus a dessert buffet and macaron tower.

“We had an absinthe bar because we were drinking absinthe the night we met,” Kali said.

A cocktail bar featured French 75 cocktails made from gin, champagne, lemon juice and sugar. Jager shots were reminders of party times at the University of Alabama, Kali said – as was the playing of “Sweet Home Alabama,” punctuated with plenty of hearty “Roll Tide Rolls” from the Bama fans who attended..

“That was per my mom’s request,” Kali said.

On Sunday, guests returned to the Bastide St. Mathieu for a Bloody Mary bar, burgers served from a French food truck and bluegrass music.

After the wedding weekend, many family members and guests traveled to Spain, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland and England.

The newlyweds and Kali’s family visited Normandy, which was a birthday wish of Kali’s dad.

“I guess you’d say we had a ‘family-moon,’” Kali said. ❖

Thursday, January 15, 2015 • 29

Schools

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Helping Feed the Need

Spring Valley Fundraiser Benefits School – and Others, Too

By Keysha Drexel

S

pring Valley School students, teachers, parents and volunteers recently worked together on a project that was not only a fundraiser for the school but also a way to give back to the community – and the world.

All 60 students at the coeducational school near Crestline that serves students with learning disabilities like dyslexia and attention deficit disorder participated in the Feed the Need ministry project in December, raising more than $119,000 for the school and sending 10,000 meals to hungry children.

“So far, Spring Valley School has set the record for Feed the Need events in Alabama,” said Don Carmichael, founder of the Birmingham-based Feed the Need project and chief executive officer of Champion Events.

“The school only has 60 students, but this is the most money I’ve seen raised by a school of this size in 25 years of doing this.”

Students received pledges from their family and friends in exchange for their participation in packing, sealing and shipping the meals. The students worked in shifts for about four hours to accomplish their goal.

About 1,500 meals were given to Birmingham metro food banks, and the other meals were shipped to help feed orphans in Haiti. The meals included vacuum-sealed rice and dehydrated vegetables, along with vitamins.

“We looked at this as an opportunity to not only support the school we love but to also teach our kids the importance of service to others,” said Laura Fiveash, the event coordinator.

“You can talk about these things with children all you want, but the best way for them to learn some things is by doing.”

The hands-on lesson seems to have made an impression on the students who donned hairnets and Feed the Need T-shirts to package the meals.

“There are a lot of people out there who need help,” seventh-grader Ben Atkinson said. “This made me thankful that I get to go home and eat good food every night.”

Karen Kisor, the school’s executive director, said proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to enhance the curriculum and purchase teacher supplies.

“We’ve had so much support from the community,” she said. “We’re just really happy about this opportunity.”

Carmichael said the Feed the Need program is also designed to show schools that there’s a better way to raise money than selling candy.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with those kind of fundraisers,” he said. “But with this, we’re promoting fundraisers that also provide a way to give back to the community.”

In the spirit of giving, Spring Valley School parent Donna Triantos told the students and teachers that she would kiss a pig if the fundraising goal was met.

During a break from the packing, Carmichael led a reluctant pig out to meet Triantos, who applied a fresh coat of lipstick to make good on her puckering promise.

“I can’t believe I said I would do this,” Triantos said. “But I will do anything to help the school I love.”

After a quick peck from Triantos, the shy pig

Spring Valley School students, teachers and parents gather with Don Carmichael, Feed the Need founder, during the event, which also featured a parent volunteer kissing a live pig.

was left with a lipstick mark behind his ear.

Before they completed packing the meals, the students, teachers, parents and community volunteers gathered for a group photo with the pig and Carmichael.

“This is going to be a fundraiser that we all remember for a very long time,” Triantos said. ❖

Left: Spring Valley School students worked together to pack 10,000 meals that will be sent to local food banks and also to children in need in Haiti. From left: Ella Corn, Trey Hilliard and Jaren Van Winkle. right: As part of the fundraising event, Spring Valley School parent Donna Triantos said she would kiss a pig.

Journal photos by Keysha Drexel

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schools

Vestavia Hills Rotary Club Honors Teachers

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

“The goal is to make students lifelong donors and is a great opportunity for students to learn their blood type and get their donor cards,” said Jason Zajac, the Health Science Academy director.

Fundraiser Will Benefit Homewood Student

The Rotary Club of Vestavia Hills recently presented Vestavia Hills City Schools teachers with Teachers of the Year awards. From left: Scott Selman, Judy Wade, Susan McCarthy, Jennifer Brown, Alicia Johnson, Sharon Moon, Nancy Littleton, Kelly Bagby, Stratton Brock and Greg Jeane. Photo special to the Journal by Joe Perez

The Rotary Club of Vestavia Hills recently honored several teachers for their dedication to the advancement of quality of education for every child in the city.

The club presented its 2014 Teacher of the Year Awards at its Dec. 14 meeting at the Vestavia Hills Board of Education building on Montgomery Highway.

Each honoree received a cash award and a framed certificate of appreciation at the ceremony.

The elementary school teachers named the Rotary Club of Vestavia Hills Teachers of the Year for 2014 were Judy Wade, a third-grade teacher at Vestavia Hills Elementary East; Nancy Littleton, a first-grade teacher at Vestavia Hills Elementary West; Sharon Moon, a second-grade teacher at Vestavia Hills Elementary Cahaba Heights; Susan McCarthy, a fourth and fifth-grade

Mountain Brook Plans K5 Enrollment Events Mountain Brook Schools will kick off kindergarten enrollment for the next school year later this month.

Residents with children who will be 5

reading specialist at Vestavia Hills Elementary Central; and Kelly Bagby, a kindergarten and fifth-grade special education teacher at Vestavia Hills Elementary Liberty Park.

Those honored from the city’s middle schools were Alicia Johnson, a seventh-grade science teacher at Liberty Park Middle, and Stratton Brock, a seventhgrade gifted education teacher at Pizitz Middle.

Jennifer Brown, a ninth and 10th-grade science teacher, was the Rotary Club of Vestavia Hills’ 2014 Teacher of the Year from Vestavia Hills High School.

Scott Selman, Rotary Club of Vestavia Hills president, and Greg Jeane, the club’s Rotary International Foundation chairman, presented the annual awards to the teachers honored for the 2014-2015 school year. ❖

years old on or before Sept. 1 can start the kindergarten registration process on Jan. 26.

Parents can create an account for their children at the school system’s website, www.mtnbrook.k12.al.us, starting Jan. 26.

Next, each elementary school will host on-site registration events. Parents should bring original copies of their children’s birth certificates or other proof of age, Social Security cards and blue immunization forms. To have a Social Security number assigned, call 8778304.

Mountain Brook Elementary, 3020 Cambridge Road, will have its onsite registration Feb. 4. Brookwood Forest Elementary at 3701 South Brookwood Road will hold its onsite registration Feb. 11. Cherokee Bend Elementary’s onsite registration will take place Feb. 18. Cherokee Bend is at 4400 Fair Oaks Dr. Crestline Elementary at 3785 West Jackson Blvd. will hold its onsite registration Feb. 5.

All onsite registration events will run from 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

For more information, call the elementary schools or the Mountain Brook Schools board office at 871-4608.

Spain Park Lends a Hand to Red Cross Blood Drive Students at Spain Park High School in Hoover recently rolled up their sleeves for a good cause.

On Nov. 19, students donated blood during the biannual Red Cross Spain Park Blood Drive, sponsored by the school’s Health Science Academy. The Health Science Academy preps students for careers in the medical field.

This is the fifth blood drive sponsored by the Spain Park High School Health Science Academy, with events held each fall and spring at the school. Each blood drive at Spain Park High has resulted in about 130 pints of donated blood.

The Health Science Academy students helped out during the blood drive by passing out food and water to donors, helping donors check in and complete paperwork, and assisting Red Cross employees.

A fundraiser on Jan. 22 at Good People Brewing Co. in Birmingham will benefit a Homewood Middle School student.

The event, Moussa Palooza, seeks to raise money for the medical expenses of 12-year-old Moussa Diallo, Moussa Diallo a sixth-grader.

Diallo, a native of Mali in West Africa, was adopted in 2013 by retired Air Force Reserve Officer Neal Schier of Homewood. Diallo has vision problems and a condition that makes it difficult for him to use his hands and limbs and to talk and eat.

The fundraising event will feature food from Little Donkey, music by JD and the Man, a silent auction and Good People Brewing Co. beer.

Tickets are $35. To buy tickets or make donations, visit www. goodpeoplebrewing.com and click on the Events tab.

For more information, email kerrimalone@live.com.

in the patriotic program, and several videos were shown highlighting the 50-year history of the school.

After the program, the special guests visited the classrooms, where they found notes and projects the students had prepared for the occasion.

“What a blessing to be a part of such a great ministry for the Kingdom,” BCS Elementary Early Childhood Principal Liz Whatley said.

Luke Evins attended the Veterans Day program at Crestline Elementary School in Mountain Brook with his grandsons, Laurence, Weston and Luke Barringer. Photo special to the Journal

Crestline Salutes Veterans

Fifth-grader Lola Casey shows off schoolwork to Jo Anne Young, her grandmother and Briarwood art teacher, during the school’s Grandparent’s Day event.

Photo special to the Journal

Briarwood Celebrates Grandparents, Veterans Briarwood Christian Elementary School hosted a special program in November to honor and recognize veterans and grandparents.

More than 3,000 visitors came to the school for the event.

The day began with more than 400 grandparents attending a breakfast in their honor.

Breakfast was followed by a patriotic program presented in the sanctuary which featured the fifth and sixth-grade choirs singing an armed forces medley and the sixth-grade band performing the national anthem.

The school’s kindergarten and second-grade students also participated

Students at Crestline Elementary School in Mountain Brook recently took time to honor those who have served the country in the military.

Fifth-grade students performed a musical tribute to the men and women in uniform at the school’s annual Veterans Day program last month.

Students were encouraged to invite special veterans in their lives to attend the program.

This year, more than 80 U.S. military veterans were honored guests at the Crestline Elementary event, school officials said.

Sorority Salutes Mitchell A Spain Park High School senior was recently honored by a national organization.

Preston Levert Mitchell was named 2014 Mr. Genteel Beaux: Young Man of Distinction by the Alpha Pi Chi National Sorority.

He was awarded a scholarship and an original drawing of Preston Mitchell Martin Luther King Jr. in the 33rd annual program.

He is the son of Lee and Monica Yates Mitchell of Hoover.

Indian Springs Senior Gets Perfect ACT Scores

A senior at Indian Springs School has earned a perfect score on the ACT college entrance exam.

Tristan Trechsel was one of less than 0.08 percent of the 1.8 million high school seniors who took the standardized test nationally to score a perfect 36, according to information provided by ACT, Inc. The ACT includes tests in English, math, reading and science as a way to measure what students have learned in high school.

Trechsel earned his perfect score on the Oct. 25 test, his first time to take the ACT. He said he didn’t use practice exams or guides to prepare

Thursday, January 15, 2015 • 31

schools

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Dr. Frank Trechsel, Hayden Trechsel, but instead believes that staying Mary Trechsel Smyer, Julia Trechsel relaxed during the test helped him do Davis and Lake Trechsel. his best.

A singer/songwriter and mem“I’ve never had any kind of test ber of the Indian Springs anxiety, so before the test I School Choir, he plans to remember looking up at the study physics in college painted ceiling tiles in my and is currently applying to test room, feeling nostalgic schools across the country. about freshman English,” “Earning a perfect Trechsel said. score on this nationwide A stop at Starbucks on test is no easy feat,” ISS the way to the test might Director Gareth Vaughan not have hurt, either, he said. “We are extremely said. proud of Tristan and this “I got up early enough exciting accomplishment to get a double shot and Tristan Trechsel and believe that it speaks a breakfast sandwich,” volumes about his aptitude, Trechsel said. talent and work ethic. It also repreTrechsel, who is also a 2015 National Merit Semifinalist and an AP sents well our students’ commitment to excellence in the classroom and Scholar with Distinction, comes from a long line of ISS graduates, including beyond.” ❖

Phi Kappa Phi Initiates OTM Residents

Several Over the Mountain residents were recently initiated into the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

The students were welcomed into Phi Kappa Phi at Mississippi State University and the University of South Alabama.

Those initiated included Mississippi State students Jason Hauser, Katherine Baldwin and Audrey Sanderson, all of Birmingham, and Sloane Blair of

Vestavia Hills.

University of South Alabama students inducted into Phi Kappa Phi were Anna Meisler of Birmingham, Ghanem Sabeeh of Vestavia Hills, and Jennifer Compton and Natalie Sartain, both of Hoover.

These residents are among approximately 32,000 students, faculty, professional staff and alumni initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation and requires nomination and approval by a chapter.

Only the top 10 percent of seniors and 7.5 percent of juniors are eligible for membership. ❖

OMMS Students Win Culinary Awards Students at Oak Mountain Middle School were recently recognized for their culinary skills.

The school recently had 18 students enter the Family, Community and Career Leaders of America FCCLA cook-off held in the on-campus classroom kitchens.

Under the supervision of the club’s sponsor, Melinda Gargiulo, OMMS

teachers served as taste-test judges.

Winners were named in three different categories.

In the dairy category, Olivia Russo won for her caramel swirl cheesecake.

Hannah Carnaggio’s baked chicken zucchini enchiladas won the poultry division. In the beef category, a cheesy ground beef casserole by Amanda Crew took top honors.

The winning students competed at a countywide culinary contest at the University of Montevallo in November.

ready for college, prepared for the world.

Crossroads Students Serve Community During Holidays Crossroads School students served their community during the holidays, preparing care packages for soldiers, helping out local shelters and making Christmas ornaments to showcase the cultural diversity of Hoover City Schools.

The entire outreach, “Peace on Earth,” involved students from the school’s Second Chance and New Beginnings programs.

Principal Anna Whitney said watching the students learn the power of giving helped bolster the culture and climate of the school.

“Every year is incredible,” Whitney said. “Just when I think the students can’t outshine the prior year, they

do. To me they are magical days. To be able to observe students collectively put their heart and soul into helping others is a gift in itself.”

Students gathered materials and used the lunchroom as an assembly line for care packages. The packages were shipped to local soldiers serving in Afghanistan.

Students also made and delivered thank-you bags to Hoover’s first responders and to maintenance/operations workers for Hoover City Schools.

The Central Office Christmas tree was completely conceptualized and assembled by Crossroads students, who designed ornaments representing the 53 different languages spoken throughout Hoover City Schools. ❖

Cherokee Bend Students Help Fight Hunger Students at Cherokee Bend Elementary School recently did their part to help end hunger.

The students collected more than 475 pounds of nonperishable food items to donate to the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, which partners with more than 225 other nonprofit agencies in the Birmingham metro area.

Libba Vaughan, the food drive chairman, challenged the students to fill barrels in their classrooms with food donations to help those in need.

Students at Cherokee Bend Elementary School in Mountain Brook hosted a food drive for the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama. From left: Wallace Vaughan, Mary Jackson Darnall, Tripp Robinson, Mary Florence Lacy, Rushton-Grace Robinson and Drew Bodnar. Photo special ot the Journal

Author Visits Vestavia Elementary East

Students at an elementary school in Vestavia Hills recently had a chance to meet one of their favorite authors.

Eric Litwin, the New York Times bestselling author of the “Pete the Vestavia Hills Elementary East student Thomas Gibbes, left, talks with author Eric Litwin. Photo special ot the Journal

Cat: I Love My White Shoes” series, visited Vestavia Hills Elementary East to share his stories and talk about his upcoming books.

Litwin, who is also the co-founder of the Learning Groove, played guitar and got the VHEE students involved as he performed excerpts from his book. Litwin also talked to the students about his new musical series, “The Nuts,” and introduced them to some of his new characters. ❖

Indian Springs School Grades 8-12 • Open House Jan. 23 • ExperienceSprings.org

32 • Thursday, January 15, 2015

By Keysha Drexel Chelsea Berler didn’t earn a fancy degree from the “right” college or use Mommy and Daddy’s connections to land a job at a Fortune 500 company to launch her entrepreneurial dreams.

Instead, the Hoover woman took a different path to becoming the founder and chief executive officer of her own company and a recentlypublished author.

Berler’s writing debut, “The Curious One from Food Stamps to CEO: One Woman’s Journey through Struggle, Tragedy, Success & Love,” tells the story of how she overcame her childhood of poverty and heartache to become the person who doles out business advice to readers around the world on Forbes.com and Huffington Post.

“It’s all about not letting your past define your future and how every challenge can be an opportunity to be stronger,” she said.

Berler said she got her first lessons in how to be strong growing up in the tiny town of Scranton, N.D. “I think about 300 people total lived there,” she said. “Although I had a lot of friends, I never felt like I fit in there. Everyone knows everyone else and everything that’s going on with every family in town. It can be kind of suffocating.”

Berler’s father was an alcoholic, and her parents split up when she was just 6 years old.

When she was 11, Berler’s father died from complications caused by his alcoholism.

“It was a struggle for my mother to be a single parent,” she said. “We relied on food stamps, and when I was old enough, I went to work to help out as much as I could.”

By the time she graduated from high school, Berler had lost two of her brothers in two separate car accidents.

But Berler said she just kept her nose to the grindstone and worked at several different places before landing a well-paying job with benefits with a large company in South Dakota.

“That was pretty much my coping mechanism for any sort of problem that might come up in my life,” she wrote in her book. “I worked my way through it. It gave me something positive to do that distracted me from whatever was making me feel crappy at the time.”

Berler worked her way up the corporate ladder in marketing and sales and by the time she was 27 had made her first half million dollars.

“I felt like I had something to prove, and I really wanted to make my mark,” she said. “I just kept my head down and kept working and

business

Business briefs

Success Story

Chamber Has New Director

Hoover Resident’s Book Details Her Corporate Climb

Chelsea Berler of Hoover is the author of “The Curious One from Food Stamps to CEO: One Woman’s Journey through Struggle, Tragedy, Success & Love.” She also is founder and chief executive officer of the Solamar Agency. Photo special to the Journal

trying to please everyone around me.”

That relentless pace took its toll on Berler’s private life. She was married and divorced twice by the time she was 24.

Berler also became disenchanted with her corporate job in South Dakota.

“I felt like a tool, like I was making this company a ton of money but there was no respect there because I was just this young girl who didn’t have the right background or graduate from college,” she said. “There weren’t many women in leadership roles at the company, and I realized that although I was making a great paycheck, I wasn’t fulfilled.”

Berler started doing marketing jobs on the side and pretty soon was ready to quit her corporate job and become her own boss.

Berler said she her “aha!” moment came while she was attending a trade show for her corporate job in San Diego and having a miserable time of it.

“The company had put me up at the Hotel Solamar, this very expensive hotel,” she said.

“I had never experienced that level of luxury before, and just being in that beautiful room got me to thinking about what I wanted out of life.”

Berler said she spent the entire evening writing out a detailed business plan for her own venture, the Solamar Agency.

New Year’s A Great Time to Get Fiscally Fit While the beginning of a new year is often a time when people focus on resolutions to be more physically fit, Chelsea Berler said she thinks January is also the perfect time for business owners to make sure they are fiscally fit.

“While you’re thinking about improving personal well-being, the new year is also a terrific time to make a business resolution to build a short- and long-term strategy for growth,” Berler wrote in her recent blog post “Six Tips to Grow Your Business in the New Year.”

Berler said it’s important for business owners to step back from the “constant frenzy” of running their businesses and do some planning about how to build and grow.

Berler offers these suggestions: 1. Put an end to excuses. “Excuses will hold you back.”

2. Go outside your comfort zone. “Getting a little uncomfortable can be just what it takes to innovate and expand.”

3. Think big and bold. “Don’t settle when it comes to what you hope your business will become.”

4. Become a business thought leader. “Commit to producing and sharing content that makes people think.”

5. Look for potential, not flaws. “Whatever you do this week and beyond to reflect on 2014 and plan for 2015, embrace the failures and hurdles.”

For more business tips from Berler, read her blog at mostlychelsea.com. –Keysha Drexel

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

“I ordered room service – which I had never done before in my life because most of my hotel experiences up until that point were at the Super 8 – and I looked around and I told myself I was going to work even harder so I could come back to the Hotel Solamar someday as the CEO of my own company,” she said.

The Solamar Agency started out in Berler’s living room in North Dakota in 2006 but soon she -- and her fledging company -- relocated to Destin, Fla. That’s where she met Birmingham resident Mark Berler.

“He owned a beach house in Destin, and we met one day when we were both at the same place getting lunch,” she said.

The couple moved into a house near Spain Park High School about five years ago that they share with two dogs, Stella and Dakota, which they adopted from the Greater Birmingham Humane Society three years ago.

Berler said she never thought about writing a book -- much less a memoir -- until someone she trusted suggested she might help others by telling her story.

“My mentor knows a lot about my life story, and she told me that I needed to write a book about it, and at first, I balked. I told her I didn’t think anyone would be interested in reading that,” she said. “But then she asked me what if I could just help one person make it through their struggles if I shared my story. I realized then that I had to write the book.”

Berler said writing the book, which took about six months, was the most therapeutic thing she’s ever done.

“You’re not only writing about your past, you’re really reliving it and on many levels processing everything that happened to you,” she said. “You look at some things differently as an adult.”

Berler said she hopes her book will inspire others to work through their own struggles and to meet any adversities with the knowledge that they can turn them into their greatest successes.

“I want people to realize they have the power to change the direction of their lives,” she said. “You can work with a purpose and make a real impact on the world, not just for yourself but for the greater good.”

Berler’s book is available online through Amazon. For more information, visit thecuriousbook.com and mostlychelsea.com. ❖

The Homewood Chamber of Commerce has a new executive director.

Homewood resident Meredith Drennen replaces Tricia Ford, who retired at the end of the year.

Drennen comes to the Homewood Chamber from the Birmingham Business Alliance, where she was the director of operations and was responsible for managing the organization’s board of directors and executive committee, as well as the organization’s strategic plan.

Prior to that position, she was manager of regional development at the BBA. She worked as a liaison to a variety of community activities and implemented the BBA’s strategic plan in infrastructure, public safety, environment and cultural amenities.

“As a Homewood resident, I am eager to assist the local business community in reaching their goals, both individually and as a chamber,” Drennen said. “Homewood is a great place to live, and I look forward to contributing to its continued excellence.”

Drennen has also served as the manager of events and workforce initiatives manager at the BBA and its predecessor organization, the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Homewood Chamber President Trey Schaefer said Drennen has all of the qualifications the chamber was looking for and more.

RealtySouth Leadership Changes For RealtySouth, the new year is already turning out to be one of big changes.

HomeServices of America, a Berkshire Hathaway affiliate, announced last week that Richard Grimes has assumed the role of chief executive officer for RealtySouth, one of the state’s largest real estate companies.

Ty Dodge, former president and CEO of RealtySouth, has been named chairman emeritus of the company.

Jim Dye was promoted to senior vice president and general sales manager.

Grimes began his real estate career as a Realtor in 1992 and Richard Grimes in 1998 joined First Real Estate as executive vice president and co-owner.

In 2002, when First Real Estate merged with RealtySouth, Grimes led the new home sales division as regional vice president, directing land development Jim Dye projects and builder relationship programs.

In 2009, Grimes was named senior vice president of RealtySouth.

Dodge began his real estate career in 1978 as a sales associate and over the next 20 years held multiple executive leadership positions with Ty Dodge Johnson-Rast & Hays Co., Inc. He joined RealtySouth in 1998 and has been president and CEO since 2008.

Dodge is widely recognized for his community involvement and leadership and is active in the real estate industry on both the state and national levels.

See Realtysouth, next page

Thursday, January 15, 2015 • 33

business

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Financial Planning

Harwell Will Lead Realtors’ Association James Harwell was recently named the 2015 president of the Birmingham Association of Realtors.

Harwell, a U.S. Navy veteran who has worked as a realtor for 17 years, was installed as the organization’s new president Dec. 4.

Harwell holds the Certified Residential Specialist, Accredited Buyer Representative and Graduate Realtor Institute professional designations and is also a member of the Birmingham Association’s Residential Club of Excellence.

He is a sales associate with the RealtySouth Over the Mountain office at the Alford Avenue location.

In 2011, he was honored as the Birmingham Association’s Residential Sales Associate of the Year.

Passing the gavel to Harwell was Chip Watts, the association’s president in 2014.

realtysouth, From previous page

In 1971, he retired from the U.S. Army as a captain. He served in Vietnam, where he received three Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart and a Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross.

“Ty and I have worked together for many years, and I have learned a tremendous amount from him,” Grimes said. “He has built a team of immensely talented agents, sales managers and employees. I look forward to leading RealtySouth to its next stage of growth

Rebalance or Redesign? When Your Portfolio Needs An Overhaul SometimeS a portfolio, no matter how cleverly deSigned

From left: Secretary Gusty Gulas, President-elect Dot Mash, President James Harwell, Vice President Faith Harper and Treasurer Kim Mangham-Barelare.

Immediate Past President Chip Watts is not pictured. Photo special to the Journal “James brings industry experience and personal integrity to the job that will be critical to continuing the innovation and forward progress of our association,” Watts said.

Other officers installed at the Dec. 4 meeting were President-elect Dot Mash, Vice President Faith Harper, Treasurer Kim Mangham-Barelare, Secretary Gusty Gulas and Immediate Past

President Chip Watts.

Serving as Birmingham Association of Realtors directors in 2015 are Tony Birk, Tim Blair, Bo Draughon, Luciana Guin, Janet Hamm, Juhmad Hollis, Senia Johnson, Anita Latham, Bonnie Levenson, David Lucas, Millie Osborn, Chuck Robertson, Amy Green Santagata and Chris Wood. ❖

and performance, supported by Jim and our exceptional management team.”

With more than 35 years of experience in real estate brokerage sales and as senior vice president of RealtySouth since 1998, Dye has been involved in nearly every aspect of real estate.

As vice president and general sales manager, Dye has responsibility for the overall growth and profitability of the brokerage division of the business and will provide guidance and direction to the company’s 16 sales offices and nearly 760 Realtors.

Dodge said he was “proud of

everyone at RealtySouth and what we have achieved.”

“With Richard and Jim at the helm, I’m confident that RealtySouth will continue to grow and prosper, serving consumers, our associates and staff better than ever before,” Dodge said.

“Their experience and vision ensure a very bright future for the company.”

RealtySouth has real estate offices throughout the Over the Mountain and Birmingham metro area and in Huntsville, Orange Beach, Tuscaloosa and Auburn. In 2013, the company handled nearly 7,300 transactions and nearly $1.7 billion in sales volume. ❖

when it was new, simply fails to meet expectations. The markets and sectors may have changed substantially, or perhaps an investor's goals have shifted.

No matter the cause, such a portfolio is ripe for redesign. That's a bit more drastic than merely rebalancing, which, essentially, means restoring your original asset allocation among investment categories.

Redesigning, on the other hand, means taking your existing portfolio apart and reconstructing it. In view of how the market and the world have changed, some portfolios may need redesigning rather than merely rebalancing.

When you look at your portfolio, consider how it got to where it is.

It's common enough for portfolios to gather dust for years, so yours may not have changed substantially in a very long time - it may date from a time when your television needed tubes and your car phone weighed as much as a brick.

It never pays to be too quick to redesign, however. Give the idea some thought and you may resolve that only a partial redesign is needed to add to or replace old investment categories with up-to-date choices that better suit today's market and your current needs.

If you would like more information, or to discuss your particular portfolio needs, please give me a call at 874-4336.

Raymond James & Associates Craig O. Vinson, Jr.

Financial Advisor, Investments craig.vinson@raymondjames.com

205.874.4336

www.raymondjames.com/craigvinson

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34 • Thursday, January 15, 2015

sports

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Jaguar Run

Despite Loss, Spain Park off to Fast Start

By Lee Davis

Mountain Brook’s Will Hartley and Spain Park’s AJ Smiley battle for the ball in the Spartans’ 66-44 win last week.

Journal photos by Marvin Gentry

First Round Knockout Mountain Brook Rolls over Wiley-less Jaguars

By Lee Davis The intense atmosphere at Mountain Brook’s basketball arena Friday night had the feel of a heavyweight championship bout in the heydays of Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

There was ample reason for the excitement. Two-time defending boys’ state champion Mountain Brook – ranked second in the most recent Class 7A poll -- was hosting fourth-ranked Spain Park in the two teams’ first meeting of the season. Adding additional spice to the contest is the fact both schools are members of Class 7A’s Area 6.

And while the Jaguars were playing without star sophomore forward Austin Wiley, the Spartans offered a strong signal that winning a third consecutive crown is well within their grasp.

As Wiley – who averages nearly 20 points a game -- was sidelined due to illness, Mountain Brook rolled to an easy 64-44 victory. The Spartans sprinted to a 20-10 first quarter lead and were never seriously challenged. By halftime, the lead had expanded to an insurmountable 36-19 advantage.

“With Wiley out, it helped us to make shots around the basket,” said Mountain Brook coach Bucky McMillan.

“We made adjustments in our game plan to be a little more aggressive and attack the cup.”

Jack Kline fueled the Spartans’ takeoff from the opening minute. In the first quarter, Kline scored six points, had three rebounds, blocked a shot and dished out an assist. He ended the night with 18 points and seven rebounds.

“We try to wear teams down and get easy baskets,” Kline said. “We’re built on running and playing with a lot of intensity.”

Terrell Guy scored 15 points for the winning cause.

Wiley’s absence put much of Spain Park’s scoring burden on the shoulders of sophomore guard Jamal Johnson, who averages 18 points per game. Mountain Brook’s pressing defense swarmed over Johnson, rendering him ineffective until the outcome had been decided. He finished the game with 12 points and five rebounds.

A.J. Smiley added 12 points for the Jaguars.

Spain Park coach Neal Barker said Mountain Brook’s quick start put his team in a difficult spot.

“When you get down early, it’s hard to come back on the road, especially when you’re facing a team as good as Mountain Brook and are missing one of your key players,”

Jack Kline, right, fueled the Spartans’ takeoff from the opening minute. In the first quarter, Kline scored six points, had three rebounds, blocked a shot and dished out an assist.

Barker said. “We might have been a little nervous at the beginning.”

The win pushed Mountain Brook’s record to 17-4. Spain Park fell to 17-4.

Despite the Spartans’ lopsided victory, the game ended with a to-be-continued sense in the air. The two teams will battle again at Spain Park Jan. 20, and Wiley is likely to be healthy by that time. It’s also possible that the pair could square off in the finals of the Area 6 tournament – and even beyond.

So just like Ali and Frazier so many years ago, the Mountain Brook-Spain Park rivalry could get better with age.

On the surface, the Spain Park boys’ basketball team seems to have all the ingredients required for a big year: two legitimate superstars, an unselfish group of senior role players and a veteran coaching staff.

But as any fan knows, sometimes the basketball can take strange bounces.

“We have the potential to go all the way,” said Jaguar coach Neal Barker.

“We’ve got good size and good talent.

But there are always the variables.

A team can always have a bad night, or the other team just has a hot night shooting. And of course, you can always have injuries. But if everything breaks right, we’ve got a chance.”

So far this season, almost everything has broken right for the Jaguars.

Two big reasons for Spain Park’s success are a pair of high-scoring sophomores, center Austin Wiley and guard Jamal Johnson.

Wiley, a 6-8 giant, averages almost 20 points a game along with 13 rebounds and four blocked shots.

Johnson, a 6-4 backcourt standout, averages nearly 18 points per contest and four assists and two steals. He also shoots a sizzling 44 percent from the three-point arc. Johnson transferred from Sparkman High School in north Alabama.

Both have strong basketball bloodlines. Both of Wiley’s parents played basketball at Auburn University, and his mother, Vickie Orr, led the Lady Tigers to two NCAA tournaments.

Johnson’s father, Buck, was an AllSEC performer at the University of Alabama in the 1980s. The elder Johnson is the athletic director for the Birmingham City Schools system.

As great as Wiley and Johnson are, Barker points out that Spain Park is far from a two-man show.

“Austin and Jamal are obviously a huge part of what we do, but nobody

Austin Wiley is averaging almost 20 points a game along with 13 rebounds and four blocked shots for the Jaguars.

Journal photo by Marvin Gentry

can win with just two players,” he said. “We also have a great group of seniors who work hard and give us great team chemistry.”

The Jaguars’ best defender may be guard Malik Blanchard, who averages 10 points and grabs five rebounds.

A.J. Smiley averages six points a game. Other key contributors include Garrett McGuffie, Owen Carr and Noah Pitts.

Spain Park entered the new year as a virtual scoring machine, averaging a stratospheric 75 points a game while yielding less than 60.

“We don’t play the kind of pressing defense the whole game that will yield a lot of steals,” Barker said.

“But we don’t expect our opponents to get many second shots at the basket either.”

Perhaps the Jaguars’ most impressive effort game was in the Wellstar Lake City Classic in Acworth, Ga., late in 2014. Spain Park dominated an entire bracket in the 16-team field, routing Pope of Marietta 71-51 in the championship final.

Wiley scored 18 points and pulled down 20 rebounds, and Johnson tossed in 21 points and seven rebounds and dished out six assists.

Blanchard also contributed 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Wiley and Johnson both earned Most Valuable Player honors in the tournament.

Spain Park doesn’t draw an easy ticket in area play. The Jags are a member of Class 7A’s Area 6, which includes Hewitt-Trussville, Vestavia Hills and Mountain Brook. Spain Park opened area play with an 81-58 rout of the Huskies Jan. 6.

With Wiley and Johnson being so young, the future looks bright – and the present does, too. If Spain Park can avoid injuries and the ball bounces its way, the Jaguars could be spending late February playing for a big blue trophy.

Spartan Standout Named Gatorade Alabama Volleyball Player of the Year

Sara Carr is the first Gatorade Alabama Volleyball Player of the Year to be chosen from Mountain Brook High School. Carr, above, reacts to a big play during the school’s Class 7A state tournament victory over Hoover.

Journal photo by Marvin Gentry

all-otm team, From page 36

of Hoover, Justice Hammond and Blake Snow of Oak Mountain, Austin Chandler and Ben Cage of Vestavia Hills, and John Yarbrough of Homewood.

The wide receiver corps includes Alex Elam of Hoover, Drew Odum of Mountain Brook and Lawton Dorough of Homewood.

Hunter Schmith of Hoover is the team’s placekicker.

The 2014 All-Over the Mountain defensive unit has strength and depth at all positions. Manning the defensive line are Christian Bell and Jaysen Cook-Calhoun of

basketball, From page 36

majority of high school basketball coaches were also assistant football coaches and perhaps even worked with other sports as well. Berry’s legendary Bob Finley coached the Buccaneers’ girls’ teams for years while also serving as head coach of the football team.

Many of these multisport coaches were outstanding in all the sports they taught but couldn’t possibly have as much time and resources to devote as a coach who worked with only one sport. Now, there are more coaches devoted strictly to coaching basket-

Thursday, January 15, 2015 • 35

sports

OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

In its 30th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, recently announced Sara Carr of Mountain Brook High School as its 2014-15 Gatorade Alabama Volleyball Player of the Year. Carr is the first Gatorade Alabama Volleyball Player of the Year to be chosen from Mountain Brook High School.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Carr as Alabama’s best high school volleyball player. Carr joins an elite alumni association of past state award-winners in 12 sports, including USA Volleyball players Kim Glass (2001-02, Horseshoe HS, Penn.), Kim Willoughby (199899, 1999-00, Assumption HS, La.) and Ogonna Nnamani (1999-00, University HS, Ill).

The 5-foot-11 junior outside hitter led the Spartans to a 49-10 record and the Class 7A state championship this past season. Carr slammed 648 kills while recording a .441 kill percentage and .340 hitting percentage. A returning First Team All-State selection as named by the Alabama Volleyball Coaches Association, she also amassed 513 digs, 81 service aces and 48 blocks this past fall.

In the 3-1, title-clinching victory against Hoover, Carr collected match highs of 16 kills, 14 digs and three

Hoover, Daniel McCool of Mountain Brook, Alex Robin of Vestavia Hills, Carter Bankston of Briarwood, and Griffin Gentry of Homewood.

As usual, there are plenty of standouts at the linebacker spots. Earning places on this year’s team are Christon Taylor and Riley Fowler of Oak Mountain, Darrell Williams and R.J. Arnold of Hoover, Perry Young of Spain Park, and Billy Parker of Shades Mountain Christian.

The defensive backs are Payton Youngblood of Oak Mountain, A.J. Smiley of Spain Park, Griffin Rivers and Maurice Mayo of Homewood, and Matt Byers of John Carroll Catholic.

Jody Purnell of John Carroll is the punter.

ball.

Of course, the bottom line for all of this is the athletes themselves. And while a fair number of football players still cross over to basketball, far more basketball players participate in only one varsity sport today than even a decade ago.

The growth of basketball camps, traveling teams and AAU competition has given athletes opportunities to face quality competition year round.

Forty years ago, a basketball player’s best opportunity to hone his or her skills in the off-season came from playing in church leagues or informal pickup games in the school gym or even the family carport.

Over the Mountain basketball is

bigger and better than ever. And if it ever took a backseat to football, it certainly doesn’t in 2015.

White Chosen Preseason All-American

Former Spain Park star Mikey White, now a junior shortstop at the University of Alabama, has been chosen as a preseason third team AllAmerican by Perfect Game USA. Last season, White batted .300 for the Crimson Tide with seven home runs and 33 RBIs. He has started in 124 games in two seasons for Alabama.

White has a career fielding percentage of .963.

blocks, capturing Class 7A state tournament Most Valuable Player honors.

Also a basketball standout, Carr has maintained a 4.21 weighted GPA in the classroom and serves as junior class secretary. A member of the Spanish Honor Society and Future Business Leaders of America as well as her school’s Spanish, Outreach and National Beta clubs, she has donated her time as a youth volleyball instructor. Carr has also volunteered locally on behalf of her JoyLeague58 ad square_Layout 1 9/10/14 9:00 AM Page 1

church, a youth literacy-outreach program, a food pantry ministry and the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life.

“She’s just a solid all-around player, but the No. 1 thing that stands out about her is that she’s a natural leader,” said Birmingham Volleyball Club director Tien Le, for whom Carr plays in the summer. “She’s one of those players who you love watching play—the way she plays, the way she celebrates, the way she interacts with her team.”

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OVER THE MOUNTAIN Journal

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Sports

First Round Knockout: Mountain Brook Rolls over Wiley-less Jaguars P. 34 Lee Davis

Basketball Diaries: Rankings Show Area Is More than a Football Haven

Members of the 2014 All Over The Mountain Defensive football team include first row, from left: Jody Purnell, John Carroll Catholic; Maurice Mayo III, Homewood; Matthew Byers, John Carroll Catholic; R.J. Arnold, Hoover; Tyler Sumpter, Spain Park. Second row, from left: Carter Bankston, Briarwood; Riley Fowler, Oak Mountain; Griffin Gentry, Homewood; Daniel McCool, Mountain Brook; Perry Young, Spain Park; Billy Parker, Shades Mountain Christian; A.J. Smiley, Spain Park. Third row: Payton Youngblood, Oak Mountain; Griffin Rivers, Homewood; Christon Taylor, Oak Mountain; Christian Bell, Hoover; Jaysen Cook-Calhoun, Hoover; Darrell Williams, Hoover and Alex Robin, Vestavia Hills. Journal photos by Marvin Gentry

Bucs and Eagles Lead 2014 All-OTM Football Team

By Lee Davis The 2014 high school football season was filled with highlights, but no two teams may have made bigger splashes than the Hoover Bucs and the Oak Mountain Eagles.

Hoover overcame two early losses to out-of-state powers to win its third consecutive state championship and the first-ever title in the newly-created Class 7A and continued a long winning streak against in-state competition.

Oak Mountain surprised almost everyone except itself by posting an impressive 10-2 record that included a solid post-season run.

The Bucs’ and Eagles’ strong seasons are apparent in the composition of the 2014 All-Over the Mountain team, which was selected by an exclusive poll of the area head coaches.

Hoover placed 10 players on the team, while Oak Mountain followed with seven.

Additionally, Oak Mountain quarterback Warren Shader and Hoover running back Bradrick Shaw shared

Members of the 2014 All-Over The Mountain Offensive football team include first row, from left: Drew Odum, Mountain Brook; Derrick Underwood, Homewood; Wade Streeter, Spain Park; Marcus Webb, Hoover. Second row, from left; Harold Shader, Oak Mountain; Austin Chandler, Vestavia Hills; Lawton Dorough, Homewood; Warren Shader, Oak Mountain; Alex Elam, Hoover. Third row from left: John Yarbrough, Homewood; Justice Hammond, Oak Mountain; Walker Lott, Briarwood; Hunter Schmith, Hoover and Blake Snow, Oak Mountain. Not pictured: Zyggy Arledge, Hoover; Bradrick Shaw, Hoover and Ben Cage, Vestavia Hills.

2014 Over the Mountain Player of the Year honors.

Eagle coach Cris Bell, who brought the Oak Mountain program into elite status in only his third year

at the helm, was named 2014 Coach of the Year.

“It’s a great honor to be named Coach of the Year by my peers in the profession,” Bell said. “But it’s really

‘It’s a great honor to be named Coach of the Year by my peers in the profession. But it’s really reflective of what our players and coaches accomplished this season. They are the ones who truly deserve the credit.’

Cris Bell, Oak Mountain head coach

reflective of what our players and coaches accomplished this season.

They are the ones who truly deserve the credit.”

Shader, a junior, was a classic double threat at signal-caller for Oak Mountain, both rushing and passing for more than 1,000 yards. Shaw was a bruising force in the Bucs’ powerful offense.

Briarwood quarterback Walker Lott was also chosen for the team.

The running backs included Harold Shader of Oak Mountain, Marcus Webb of Hoover, Derrick Underwood of Homewood and Wade Streeter of Spain Park.

As always, the All-Over the Mountain offensive line is big, agile and talented. This season’s selections are Zyggy Arledge and Nick Eldridge See all-otm team, page 35

Since at least the 1970s, the Over the Mountain area has had a reputation for consistently producing the state’s finest high school football programs.

That reputation is still very much intact, but boys’ basketball has clearly gained equal footing in recent years.

Mountain Brook is the defending two-time state champ and is currently ranked second in the most recent Class 7A poll. Spain Park is close behind in fourth place, and Hoover is close to breaking into the Top 10.

In Class 6A, Homewood is ranked 10th and seems to be getting better every week.

And the last few years have been no lucky streak. In addition to Mountain Brook and its championships, John Carroll Catholic, Homewood, Hoover and Spain Park have all made Final Four appearances in either Class 6A or 5A since 2000. The Rebels and Cavaliers have claimed state titles during that period.

Clearly that isn’t the record of schools that see basketball as a way for their football players to stay in shape in the off-season.

And I haven’t even referenced girls’ basketball, which has seen Over the Mountain schools reign as powers for years. Hoover has been a perennial Final Four team. A former Lady Buc, Sidney Spencer, played for five years in the WNBA. Homewood’s girls are presently ranked No. 1 in Class 6A. Perhaps you need to be a 50-something who grew up in this area to fully appreciate how basketball has evolved and grown in importance over the decades as reflected through facilities, coaching and, most important, talent.

The common denominator, as is the case with so much in modern high school athletics, is specialization.

For example, in the 1970s basketball games were played in the school gymnasium. School dances, assemblies and physical education classes were held there, too. Rickety bleachers were pulled out for the games.

By contrast, most area schools today play in palatial “competition gyms” that are exclusively for athletic contests. Important games are played in front of full houses. Last week’s Mountain Brook-Spain Park contest had the excitement of a high-profile heavyweight championship fight.

Coaching has gone in the same direction. Forty years ago, the vast See basketball, page 35