Cullman Good Life Magazine - Summer 18

CULLMAN COUNTY

Peggy Smith discusses a career focused on making Cullman grow 412 Public House restaurant opens with dazzling dishes and drinks Fred Osborne’s collection of neat stuff is, well, amazing

SUMMER 2018 COMPLIMENTARY

LOOKING

FORWARD TO LESS WAIT TIME AND MORE FREE TIME

New urgent care and diagnostic imaging center. Opening Spring 2018.

In Cullman, we’re growing by leaps and bounds. That’s why we’re adding new facilities to provide fast access to care — giving you the treatment you need to keep the spring in your step.

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Our new Marine Center will be located at 19220 U.S. Highway 431

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We are happy to announce that we’re your new boat dealership!

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Free pickup and delivery for service and sales for Cullman customers! ● We’ve been the #1 Phoenix dealership in the nation for five straight years ● One of the largest Power Pole dealers in the nation Psalms 112 ● Mercury customer satisfaction award for four straight years ● Best prices anywhere on Mercury outboards!

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Welcome

New B-17 connection lands in a small world

I

t was a “small world” encounter – times two. I’ll start with the less extraordinary encounter.

“I am one of the other David Moores in Cullman Co.,” read the opening of an email I got in February, just after the spring issue of Good Life came out. But the reason David emailed me stemmed from an even less likely small-world encounter.

“A Ms. Sandra Caudle called me, thinking I was you,” David wrote. “She wanted to talk to you about the article on the Memphis Belle. Her father painted the artwork on the plane. She didn’t have a computer, so I volunteered to try to notify you.”

I was floored. What are the odds that Linda Morgan, sixth wife of the late Bob Morgan – the pilot of one of World War II’s most famous airplanes – and the daughter of the man who painted the iconic pin-up girl on the nose of the Memphis Belle, both live in Cullman County?

I confess to becoming engrossed in my research for the story on the famous B-17 in our spring issue. I even read Bob’s memoir, and I plan to attend the roll out of the Memphis Belle in May after its 13-year restoration at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.

So naturally I called Sandra, who lives in West Point. Turns out her dad, Anthony “Tony” Hebert, was a civilian worker in the paint shop at Dow Air Force Base in Bangor, Maine, in 1942. That’s when and where Bob Morgan and his crew were assigned B-17 number 124485. Sandra was 2 at the time.

“He always told me he painted that picture on the Memphis Belle,” she said of her dad. “It would come up on occasions, and he’d tell his kids and grandkids about it.”

Besides paint work on the base, she said that Tony, who died in 1982, did a lot of art around town. But he never mentioned painting artwork on any plane but the Belle.

Thrilled to learn of the new Cullman connection, I reread the part of Bob’s book about the pin-up painting. As I re-read, I got un-thrilled. Bob wrote that he got permission from the original artist, George Petty, to copy his work on the Belle. Bob claimed it was done by an artist in his squadron, Cpl. Tony Starcer.

I googled and found that Starcer painted more artwork on WWII planes than any other artist. The Belle is listed as one of his works.

The exciting new story exploded like a Nazi fighter blown out of the sky by a gunner on the Belle. I called Sandra back. She took the news in stride. But, she noted, she’d never known her father to lie while wondering about a man married six times.

Unable to let go of the matter, the next day I found myself doing further research online. Eventually, I followed a link to a web page titled “What’s in a name?” It’s on the Memphis Belle Memorial Association website. Hmmm ... The article noted that Bob told several conflicting stories of how the Petty Girl ended up on the Belle.

This paragraph, written some years ago, felt like a parachute opening overhead: Unfortunately no one remembers when and who originally painted [the Petty Girl] onto the aircraft, but a consensus of opinion among the other crew members seems to suggest that it was originally painted on to the aircraft by a civilian worker at Dow Field before they left the USA. It was some time after they arrived in England that Corporal Anthony “Tony” Starcer of the 441st Sub Depot and [the base’s] resident nose-art specialist touched up and eventually repainted it, and it is this design that is on the aircraft today.

I called Sandra, thrilled to tell her the apparent confirmation about her dad.

“I have never known him to tell a lie,” she said.

And so it is in the realm of small-world coincidences that Cullman County can now apparently claim not one, but two connections to one of WWII’s most fabled aircraft.

David Moore, Publisher/editor 6

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Contributors Steve Maze does double-duty in this issue. He had turned in a story on former MBL pitcher Jim Atkins of Cullman when the bad March storm blew up (or over, as the case might be) a second piece he just had to write ...

When the flu and crud bugs invaded this spring, it was like a trade day for infection at Tim Crow’s house.

He thought about opening a clinic, but he really likes his regular job as Regional Extension Agent.

Deb Laslie of Deb’s Bookstore is not the kind of “bookie” who takes bets, but she does have a tip: “Never bet on anything that eats, sleeps and can wake up in a bad mood. Books are always a sure bet.”

GLM’s art/ad director Sheila McAnear is a “Jackie” of all trades.

She helped rebuild her mom’s privacy fence after it fell victim to March’s storms.

But she has her limits.

While flooring her attic, she ran into so much wiring she had to call it quits.

As a UA psych major, David Moore heard the joke: Why did the masochist hang out with the sadist?

Beats me. He recalls that sometimes as the deadline-squeezed editor of GLM, it’s worth it all to see an issue like this come together.

New York strips and grilled shrimp ... famously delicious.

Buffalo chicken sliders are on the already famous new menu.

“Bless you!” famous Mawmaw says after a kiss from grandson Josh, one of two sons working with Deb Veres, right, at Augusta’s.

Fame, great food ... and Dot Fame is being discussed at Augusta’s Sports Grill, famous for its always great, fresh food. A writer tells Dot Christiansen she’ll be famous, too, for being in this magazine.

“Don’t make it too famous,” laughs Dot, mother of Augusta’s owner Deb Veres.

Dot says she and Kathy Dillehay are plenty “famous” from their recent recognition for their years of service at Christ Lutheran.

“I’m also famous for winning senior center spelling bees,” adds Dot, who’s represented Cullman County Commission on Aging at the National Senior Spelling Bees in Wyoming and, this year, Nashville. “Not to brag, but I have seven or eight trophies.”

Wife of Al Christiansen, Doris Juanita Grubbs grew up at Johnson Crossroads.

“Her middle name is Juanita, too,” Dot says of Deb, who laughs and tries to hush her. “That’s a pretty name,” Dot insists.

Deb’s sons Jason and Josh work with her at Augusta’s. Josh emerges from the kitchen to update Deb on repairs from hail

Augusta’s deviled eggs are simply “yummified.”

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damage the night before. He claims fame as Mawmaw’s favorite grandson.

“Now I can’t say that!” retorts Dot, known as “Mawmaw” to four grandkids and eight greats. Josh kisses her anyway. OK, she concedes, he’s her favorite cook ... after Deb. “Remember that time I was making a cake and had a broken arm and slung batter all over the kitchen?” Deb recalls of yore.

“I remember the time you fell off the chair making jelly and broke your collarbone!” Dot laughs.

Now, she notes proudly, Augusta’s and its good food have made Deb famous.

“She is recognized in the public for it,” Mawmaw says. “I love her loaded fries.

They are delicious. You can get them with or without the chili. But my real favorite is the potato soup. It’s the old-timey kind.

“And there is nothing ‘big’ about Deb but her big heart,” the famous Mawmaw beams.

“Ahhhh ...” Deb smiles. “ Thanks, Mom.” |

256-775-9445

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Inside 10 Good Fun

Strawberry Festival, Rock the South, Second Fridays ... and homemade ice cream

16 Good People

Peggy Smith is the face of Cullman growth

22 Good Reads

A mix of lady spies and a kid’s crocodile

25 Good Cooking

Be patient with David Nelson’s Three Paws rub, but you go ahead and use his recipes

34 Good Eats

The newly opened 412 Public House is a delicious convergence of “six degrees”

36 Good ’n’ Green

Herbs: attractive looks plus good to eat

38 Pitcher Jim Atkins

In his day he played with some of the greats

40 To the lake, drawn

For Jon and Bonnie Paulin, home truly is where their heart – and the water – is

51 Fred Osborne

Many know him from the Lions Club and Mary Carter, but how about his getaway?

58 Randy Powe

He’s been through tons of phases in his life (but Jill is a major exception to the trend)

66 It’s not the farewells On the cover: Alex Graydon takes to the air on his charging wakeboard at Smith Lake. Photo

by Patrick Oden.

This page: Britteny Heron, manager at Smith Lake Park, provided this photo to remind folks what the Fourth of July looks like there.

Before students move on, Dr. Lance Boyd does all he can to “add” to their success

74 An ‘heirloom’ topples

There was some storm clean-up involved ...

77 Out ’n’ About

David F. Moore Publisher/editor 256-293-0888 david.goodlifemagazine@gmail.com

Vol. 5 No. 3 Copyright 2018 Published quarterly

Sheila T. McAnear Advertising/art director 256-640-3973 sheila.goodlifemagazine@gmail.com

MoMc Publishing LLC P.O. Box 28, Arab, Al 35016 www.good-life-magazine.net

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Join WaLLi

No reason for kids 50 and older to get bored

emember when the kids used to get bored over the summer? It can happen to older parents, too. But no one should be bored, and here’s a cure: Wallace State Lifelong Learning Institute Known as WaLLi, the college’s program is open to area residents 50 and older.

Among the classes scheduled for this summer alone are aerobics, self-defense, ballroom dancing, herbal first aid, estate planning and art. Ask about senior scholarships and take a credit course. Attend the book club, summer movies, parties.

Day trips include a Baron baseball game in Birmingham, the Rattlesnake Saloon and Ivy Garden in Tuscumbia and fun field trips around Cullman County. WaLLi members also get discounts on big trips (see page 15 for an example).

For cool fun, enter the homemade ice cream contest (see story below) or just stop by Wallace State to try some. Before ice cream – or maybe afterward – work out at the WSCC wellness center.

All of that is only the tip of the summer iceberg.

And WaLLi membership gets you in most anytime during the week. Ditto for the college library.

Cost for the summer semester, mid-May through August, is $30. Cost for spring or fall semesters is $40 per person. Or sign up for a year of learning and fun (August through July) for only $99.

Membership covers all but special events and trips. For schedules, monthly calendars, registration and travel forms: visit the WaLLi website: www.wallacestate.edu/WaLLi. Email: walli@ wallacestate.edu; or phone: 256-352-7818, 256-3527826 or 256-352-7842.

Ice cream: WaLLi winners share homemade recipes W

blend until smooth. In aLLi members the mixer bowl (no need will hold their second to wash), beat cream homemade ice cream cheese until smooth. contest in June.

Add condensed milk; But you don’t have to be beat until smooth. Fold a WaLLi member or wait whipped cream into until then for homemade cream cheese mixture ice cream. Freeze a batch taking care not to deflate yourself with the recipes the cream. that won top honors last Pour half of cream year. mixture into a 9x5” loaf Bobbie Bradford came pan. Drizzle with cherry in first with her Easy No pie filling and graham Churn Cherry Cheesecake. cracker crumbs and swirl.

She found her recipe on Pour remaining cream Pinterest. mixture on top. Drizzle John Thomas took with cherry pie filling and second place with his graham cracker crumbs Cinnamon Black Walnut and swirl again. ice cream. He joked that it Freeze until desired Freeze your own this summer. You don’t even need a churn wasn’t fair because Bobbie firmness -- about 4-8 didn’t have to churn hers. hours.

Both won gift certificates from Dairy Queen. Here are their recipes …

CINNAMON BLACK WALNUT 4 cups whipping cream EASY NO CHURN 4 cups half-and-half CHERRY CHEESECAKE 2 cups sugar 1½ cups whipping cream 2½ cups chopped black walnuts ¾ cup cherry pie filling 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract 1 8 oz. package light (or regular) cream cheese 1 tsp. cinnamon 1 can sweetened condensed milk ½ tsp. salt ½ cup crushed graham crackers Combine ingredients. Cover and refrigerate 30 Using an electric or stand mixer, whip cream until stiff minutes. Freeze as directed for ice cream freezer. peaks form. Scrape into another bowl and set aside. While NOTE: Recipe makes 4 quarts. Cut in half for 2-quart cream is whipping, place cherry pie filling in a blender; freezer.

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Inside

Summertime here means Rock the South, lake fun, Second Fridays and more • May 4-5 – Strawberry Festival With a throng of thousands expected for this big traditional festival, you should probably come early if you want to score strawberries. But there will still be thousands of gallons of them at the Festhalle Farmer’s Market – plus strawberry ice cream, strawberry short cake, strawberry lemonade and strawberry daiquiris.

During the 7 a.m.-10 p.m. span Saturday, you’ll find a slate of live music, some 100 arts and crafts vendors, kid’s activities and rides, and a vintage car show. Fresh strawberries will be sold at our Farmer’s Market at the event, as well as strawberry ice cream, strawberry short cake, strawberry lemonade, strawberry daiquiris and more.

If you’re of a certain age, you’ll find food, fun and entertainment at the Strawberry Festival Senior Day 10 a.m.2 p.m. Friday at the Festhalle.

For more info contact: Cullman Park and Rec, 256734-9157; or info@cullmanrecreation.org. Or follow cullmanstrawberryfest on Facebook.

• May 12 – Dodge City Days Formerly held in June, the event moves to a cooler spot on the calendar this year.

Dodge City Mayor Tawana Canada expects several thousands of people to come through town on Ala. 69 where merchants will be holding fun events and great deals, and craft vendors will be set up. Inflatables will be set up for the kids in front of city hall, and the Cullman County Sheriffs Office will have displays there.

Thousands of people are expected this Saturday at Dodge City as vendors line Ala. 69, and stores should be hopping with fun events and great deals. For instance, Heritage Pharmacy will have a dunking booth and face painting. Details were not available before press deadline.

For more info, call city hall: 256-287-0364.

Entertainment will be provided in front of the senior center 10 a.m.-noon by the southern bluegrass group Behind the Times, followed at 12:30-2 p.m. by the gospel quartet Three in One. Starting at noon at the center will be a free BBQ or hot dog plate for seniors. Plates will be available to others for $2 each, for as long as the food lasts.

For more info, call city hall: 256-287-0364.

• May 12 – Stony Lonesome Mud Run This event is rain or shine – since you’ll be in the mud anyway, rain can only help. Hundreds of crazies brave the mud course and its obstacles for the fourth annual 5K or

• Today ... or tomorrow – Hit the trail at Duck River Nearly 20 miles of the mountain biking and hiking trail around the natural beauty of Duck River Reservoir are complete and awaiting your exploration. The last three miles or so needed to complete the long loop – a section near the dam –should be finished later this year.

But there is plenty to see now. There is no charge to use the trail, which has a number of access points. It is not open to motorized vehicles or horses. The Duck River Recreation Center and reservoir are located just off U.S. 278 about seven miles east of downtown Cullman.

one-mile walk/run at Stony Lonesome OHV Park on Ala. 69 in Bremen.

The 5Kstarts at 8 a.m. You might want to go ahead and register.

Fees to participate are $30 for the 5K (for those 13 and older) and $15 for the fun mile run/walk (all ages). Group MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

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rates are available. It’s free to come out and watch the mud fly.

The course involves a variety of fun and muddy obstacles. And if it rains, well, it really won’t matter. For more info and to register online: http://www.cullmancountyparks. com; or call: 256-287-1133.

• May 26 – Smith Lake Memorial Day Usher in the summer at Cullman County’s Smith Lake Park with its annual music festival 8 a.m.–5 p.m.

Saturday. Bands had not been finalized at press time in April, but you can check the Smith Lake Park Facebook page for updates.

As always, there will be lots of craft and food vendors on hand, along with fun contests, bounce houses and such for the kids. Plus, the pool opens and – of course – there’s the lake.

Admission to the park is free. For more info, call the park: 256-739-2916.

• June & July – Archery Camp Kids 9-15 can set their target on archery lessons. Cullman Park and Recreation is offering three sessions of

archery camp June 4–8, June 25–29 and July 30–Aug. 3 Camp is 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily and $100 per session. It’s held at the Archery Park next to the driving range at Cross Creek Golf Course.

Register now at the civic center. For more info, call CPR: 256-734-9157.

• June 1-2 – Rock the South Cullman’s Heritage Park will be the target destination for tens of thousands of fans across the region to see Eric Church, Thomas Rhett, Hank Williams Jr., Brett Young, Lauren Alaina, Riley Green, The Marshall Tucker Band, Dylan Schneider and Upchurch at Rock The South.

This stage will be even larger, and there will be huge LED walls on either side to enhance your experience.

You can’t bring in food or drinks, but more than 25 vendors will be selling barbecue, hamburgers, Greek food, Pepsi drinks and alcoholic beverages.

Two-day general admission passes to the biggest party in the South are $99. All premium packages are sold out, if that tells you anything, but packages of spiffy glamping bed

tents and VIP passes were available as of this writing. You can buy a general admission pass at the gate … if they’re not gone. For more info and tickets, visit: rockthesouth.com.

• June 8-Sept. 14 – Second Fridays at Festhalle The fun is on 5-10 p.m. the second Friday of the month in the Warehouse District, Festhalle Marketplatz and Depot Park. Expect a crowd. Each month, you can enjoy a diverse range of activities, starting with discounts and specials at area boutiques and restaurants. To that, add live entertainment on three stages starting between 5 and 6 p.m.

Artist Alley, located between Clark Street and 1st Street NE will be full of life with Kids Zone, music and the work of local artists. The Antique and Classic Car Cruise-In will be back for another great year, and the Farm Y’all Program will have the farmer’s market open. And each month will feature a different activity, starting in June with a cornhole tossin’ tournament.

Second Fridays is co-sponsored

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Second Fridays draw fun crowds to the Warehouse/Festhalle area throughout the summer. Embrace the fun. Paint the town red ... well, at least let your kids dabble in some painting. Photos provided by Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce.

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by the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce and CPR. For more info, call the chamber: 256-734-0454, or CPR: 256-734-9157.

• June 11-15 – Summer Outdoor Adventure Camp This fun camp at Hurricane Creek Park is for ages 7-14. Daily sessions 8 a.m.-5 p.m. include hiking, rock climbing, rappelling, wilderness survival skills, nature scavenger hunts, campfires and more. Registration is open at the Cullman Civic Center and at: www.cullmanrecreation.org. For more info, call CPR: 256-734-9157.

• June 14 – 2018 Tourism Awards The Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center’s 2018 Tourism Awards are at 8 a.m. at Stone Bridge Farms. In conjunction with the celebration of the Alabama Bicentennial, this year’s theme is “Cullman People,” highlighting those who have helped make Cullman County a great tourism destination.

The program will include breakfast and the announcement of this year’s winners. For info or reservations, call the chamber: 256-734-0454.

• June 18-22 – Summer Art Camp Daily activities 8 a.m.-5 p.m. feature craft projects, drawing and painting at the Cullman Civic Center and naturethemed crafts at Art Park, located at the corner of Main Avenue SW and 2nd Street SW. Cost is $100. Registration is open at the Cullman Civic Center or online at: www.cullmanrecreation.org.

For more info call CPR: 256-734-9157.

• June 23-24 – Ocoee rafting This white water rafting trip promises outdoor adventure on the Ocoee River for those 16 and older.

Times and cost were undetermined in late April, but the trip will include transportation, an overnight campground stay and a splashing trip down the river. For more info, call Cullman Park and Rec: 256-734-9157 • June 30 – Hanceville Antique Tractor and Engine Show The 20th annual event moved back a few weeks this year so as not 14

MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

to conflict with a huge tractor show in Montgomery. But the Hanceville Show must go on, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. this Saturday on the campus of Wallace State Community College. Charles Allen, one of the organizers, says they’re hoping to bring back 60-70 tractors as well as a Snead man’s traveling grist mill, a knife sharpener and a knife maker.

There will be a tractor parade, tentatively about noon, tractor races, a skillet-throwing contest, food and homemade ice cream.

There is no registration fee, and admission is free. Bring a lawn chair for the races. For more info, call: Charles, 205-616-4173; Bonnie Hamrick Brannan, 256-590-2478; or Hanceville City Clerk Tania Wilco, 256-352-9830 • July date TBA – Nantahala kayaking Talk about fun. Kayak the Nantahala River in North Carolina. The $50 trip includes an overnight campground stay and a guided tour of the famous river by Cullman Parks & Recreation, & Sports Tourism instructors.

Rent or borrow a kayak from CPR or BYOK. Boat and gear transportation provided, but you are responsible for your own travel arrangements or carpooling.

The date should be set by early May and registration is open at the Cullman Civic Center or online. For more info call: Cullman Wellness and Aquatic Center, 256-775-7946.

• July 4 – Smith Lake fireworks Celebrate Independence Day with this traditional ka-boom at Cullman County’s Smith Lake Park, and you won’t be alone. “We probably have over 5,000 people, easily,” says park manager Brittney Heron.

Plans were not finalized by press time, but entertainment, games, fun, food and arts and crafts vendors are expected at the park during the day.

At 8 p.m. staff and volunteers will start directing traffic coming in for the fireworks, which start at 9 p.m. The explosive show lasts about 30 minutes.

Admission to park for the show is $5 per person. For more info call: 256-7392916.

• JULY 6-8 – WSCC Patriotic Concert You get three chances to see the

Wallace State Music Department’s Patriotic Concert. Or you can see it three times. Performed by the choral and band, the concert starts at 7 p.m.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday in the Betty Leeth Haynes Theatre at the Student Center.

• July 8 – 6th Annual Dirt Therapy Day There’s always action at Stony Lonesome OHV Park on Ala. 69 in Bremen, but from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. this particular Saturday, the action promises to get downright dirty. To participate, all you need is an old pair of pants – and a top for females – and you are welcome to all the mind, nerve and emotional therapy that running, sliding, rolling and splashing in tons of mud have to offer.

It’s cheap therapy at the regular admission fee of $10 for the day. For more info, call the park: 256-287-1133.

• July 23-27 – Summer Theater Camp Led by Cullman High School Theater and Fine Arts Department staff and members, camp is 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Activities include instruction in acting, dancing and singing. Camp culminates with a performance at CHS on July 28; Show admission is $5.

Camp cost is $100; registration is open at the Cullman Civic Center or online at: www.cullmanrecreation.org.

For more info call CPR: 256-734-9157.

• July 21 – Barbie Jeep Races and “24-Hour” Night Ride Stony Lonesome’s previous Extreme Barbie Jeep races have drawn 70-80 participants and 1,500 spectators who get to see grown-ups (“Hey, y’all, watch this!”) rumble and tumble down steep four-wheeler trails on non-motorized Barbie Jeeps. Google it to get an idea of the insanity level involved.

Usually in the summer the park is open for trail riding 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m.

But this Saturday and Sunday, for the regular admission price, you can ride until your arms and legs drop off, your wheels drop off, or midnight rolls around. Call the park for more info: 256-287-1133.

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• Sept. 13-16 – Ark Encounter, Creation Museum Aug. 1 is the deadline to register for this four-day and three-night Biblically-themed trip to see the life-size reproduction of Noah’s great boat at Ark Encounter and immerse yourself in the early chapters of Genesis at the Creation Museum.

Accommodations are in Cincinnati and other attractions to this German influenced city include dinner and entertainment at Hofbrauhaus, visits to Newport Levee and Findlay Market, a riverboat dinner cruise on the Ohio and a stop at G.A. Schimpff’s Confectionery, one of oldest, continuously operated family candy makers in America.

Cost (including coach, room, five meals and fees) starts at $939 for double occupancy; Wallace State Alumni and WaLLi members receive a $100 discount on any of three packages.

Registration: www.wsccalumni.org/ark18; more info: LaDonna Allen 256-352-8071; or ladonna.allen@wallacestate.edu.

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Good People

5questions Story and photo

by David Moore

P

eggy Smith is the face of economic development in Cullman. For more than 30 years she and the Cullman Economic Development Agency created an era of industrial and retail growth for the city that garnered national attention.

CEDA’s first and only director, Peggy retired in 2017 and took on the role of strategic coordinator for the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce’s $1.75 million, five-year plan, Converging for Success.

Leah Bolin, chamber president, knew what she was getting in Peggy.

“Her community service and successful projects speak for themselves,” Leah says.

“Asking her for a resume is like asking Cher to audition for American Idol.”

During her career, Peggy had a number of job opportunities, but she stayed in Cullman for the same reasons she took her new position.

“I have never looked back and thought I made the wrong decision by not leaving for a larger community or private enterprise,” she says. “I have been blessed to be a part of this place we call home and grateful that the city allowed me to be a part of this exceptional community and its partners.”

While still in college she started working with the city, a situation that later became a career.

Those early days she took notes at zoning and planning board meetings.

Later, Peggy worked with the planning commission, board of zoning adjustments and industrial board, learning from “the best leaders in Cullman.” She was director of community development when she pushed for the creation of CEDA and took its reins.

“I was fortunate enough to get involved and have people who believed in me,” she says.

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Peggy Smith Cullman created the economic keys, and she and CEDA opened the doors Jobs, Peggy recognized, jobs were the way to a better life for the entire Cullman community. That had been proven in the late 1940s by the inspired and successful volunteer efforts of The Flying 50. As head of CEDA, Peggy set out help create the next wave of growth.

C

ullman already had a comprehensive plan in the works when CEDA was formed.

“That 20-year plan served as a much needed guide and helped us to secure many federal and state funds because few small towns actually had a plan,” Peggy says.

That plan and those grants led to the growth of industrial parks and other developments. In early 2000, another plan was adopted, this one for the city and county. And most of those major projects have been developed.

“I’ve spent my entire professional life working in government, working in this community, seeing the opportunities that occurred and being part of the growth,” Peggy says. “It has been an awesome journey for anyone, but especially for a female in a male-dominated world of economic development.

Peggy takes little claim for Cullman success. Instead, she credits the partnership between elected officials and their leadership, the business community, industrial boards, Wallace State Community College, the chamber of commerce and others. She also credits her core staff at CEDA. That includes Dale Greer, her replacement at the helm, Susan Eller, Jamie Troutman and Brenda Horn.

With a string of national honors earned over the years, CEDA is one of the top development agencies among small U.S. cities. Correspondingly, Cullman is one of the top five Alabama cities in jobs and investments.

“With the majority of those coming

from our existing industries,” Peggy notes. “I think those companies are the most important asset we have.”

O

f more than 530 micropolitan statistical areas in the country, Cullman is consistently in the top 10 in economic development categories.

“There is no way that I could have succeeded without Dale in a lead role,” Peggy says. “Sometimes it seemed as if we were more like a family at CEDA than an agency, but it worked and we accomplished many positive things over the years as a team.

“They are continuing that success mode for the future in all areas of economic development.”

That, she adds, will contribute to the “good life” in Cullman for years to come.

1.

There have to be keys to Cullman’s success in economic development. What are they?

For starts: location, location, location.

But location alone will not bring projects unless you have other key elements in place.

Workforce is quickly outpacing all the other factors that site selection firms seek in today’s market. We must have an abundant, quality workforce in order to remain on the list.

Retaining the workers that we have who are driving out daily and recruiting more workers into Cullman is something that needs the focus of all partners.

Without labor we can’t move ahead.

Another key to economic success is progressive local government. We need continued reinvestment by government in local infrastructure. Telecommunication is a top requirement if you are going to grow today. Industrial sites and available buildings are key.

Industry and retailers seek progressive

Snapshot: Peggy Smith

EARLY LIFE: Daughter of Gladys and Millard Sticher, she was raised in several communities around the county where her father owned general stores.

FAMILY: Married 49 years to Jimmy Smith. Son Brad and his wife Cheryl have two sons, Sticher and Lane.

CAREER: She started working for the city of Cullman during college. Among other positions she was director of Community Development.

Pushed for formation of the Cullman Economic Development Agency and served more than 30 years as director. Since 2017 has served as strategic coordinator for the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce’s five-year plan Converging for Success.

OTHER: Served in 1985 as the first female president of the Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce. She was president of the Economic Development Association of Alabama and the first female chair of its legislative affairs committee, a position she held for some years.

and stable growth. Justly, I think, we, as citizens want that, too. If people long for growth or improvement, they look for progressive leaders to be in lockstep with them.

Other key factors for growth are quality housing at all levels, good medical facilities and professional support facilities and a variety of recreation facilities and tourism – of which Cullman outpaces most small towns in Alabama. We also need a diversified industrial base, a plan for continued recruitment and, especially, retention of local industry.

A modern and expanding local airport owned jointly by the city and county is a real asset when marketing Cullman. We’re known for having quality education and facilities for K-12, and we have the best community college in Alabama at Wallace State – and a wonderful partner in Dr. Vicki Karolewics and her team.

We have a strong retail base grounded in local businesses and expanding to include new retail trends and needs. We have a viable downtown with a longterm strategy for growth. One thing we have that many communities do not is an abundant water supply for growing industries and supporting our agriculture community. Water has become the new gold.

Over the years many communities from across the Southeast have asked us about our success in economic development. “How did you do this?”

“Tell us the secret.”

There is no secret. Look at the keys to success. If several are missing, then it’s hard to be an outstanding community. We have had great leaders, with great vision.

2.

Among the keys and tools, does one stand out to you? Does Cullman perhaps have a secret weapon?

Secret weapon, hidden incentive, intangible … You can call it anything you like but, not everyone has a downtown like Cullman.

True, our downtown has seen a transformation. Part of that’s due to the tornadoes of 2011. Yet rebuilding was because of great leadership, strong desire by the people to see that happen, and support from our local businesses that 18

MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

were anxious to rebuild in the downtown they loved.

We knew, and continue to know, that downtown is the heart of our city. Our founder developed Cullman around the railroad. It has a deep history with all the attributes that you think of for a town … the courthouse, businesses, wide streets, and people lived downtown. And we still have those things.

Along with tornado transformation, codes and ordinances were modified that increased the desirability to build downtown. A local grant program was started to assist in the rebuilding of businesses downtown. We now have loft apartments, new office buildings, local restaurants and great park areas.

The city has additional green space planned that will enhance downtown and make it even more desirable as a place to shop, live, walk, bike, spend time outdoors and enjoy the wonderful events that occur downtown.

Now we have an additional presence downtown that will create a new vibe, take us in a new direction. Tech Village Cullman is a technology-based incubator or idea center for entrepreneurs of all ages. This project is another partnership with city, the chamber, Wallace State and, this time, The University of Alabama.

Anytime you have a strong downtown, it’s automatically an asset that attracts not only residents but visitors. They enjoy the local shops, the choice of foods, participating in fun activities and interacting with others in a safe environment.

A strong vibrant downtown is such an incentive for the recruitment of people and business. I love downtown!

3.

“Once upon a time …” Can you tell us an economic development success story?

There are many, but a milestone to me was the partnership that developed when we began the speculative building program.

This came about in the late 1980s when we virtually had no industrial buildings for rent or sale. We were losing projects that would only consider an existing building.

What we had were “leftover” buildings, unsuitable for current industry

needs. Industrial prospects wanted taller ceilings with land to expand. They wanted the bones of the building to allow for adapting.

We looked around the state to find other areas with a speculative – or spec - building program we could emulate for our needs, but few communities had invested in them. It was an expensive venture and required, again, partners to make it work.

So CEDA formed a partnership with the city, the county, both industrial boards and all of our local banks. We asked the banks to jointly finance a building that, once sold, would allow us repay the loan.

The city allowed us to use the land in the industrial park as a site for the building.

Everyone was onboard. We got it built.

It took a few years, but we sold it to Pressac, Inc. of the United Kingdom. It was our first international company, and it built circuit boards for the automotive industry.

We took the proceeds from the sale and immediately began a second spec building of 50,000 square feet. In a joint partnership with the chamber we pooled our funds for advertising in trade magazines, which generated a call to Dale and me from REHAU, Inc. That came shortly after Mercedes announced it would locate a plant in Alabama.

REHAU visited and said the building was too large. But we showcased the community and spent months recruiting and negotiating for Cullman to be the location.

After their German owners visited Cullman, they didn’t buy the building but instead purchased a 70-acre tract and built their own building.

Today REHAU has more than 500,000 square feet under roof, more than 150 acres of land and employs about 1,000 as a tier one supplier to Mercedes and others.

We went on to build a total of five speculative buildings using local contractors and local banks, reinvesting each time in the next project. We became know as the “Spec Building Capital of Alabama.” Georgia Tech wrote a report on our program. Other cities visited to see the buildings and discuss how we had accomplished what no other small town had achieved.

That, to me, is a success story. It all

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Success breeds success – right?

4.

You were barely retired from CEDA when you agreed to be the coordinator of the Converging for Success plan. Is it safe to say that you must believe in the chamber of commerce’s five-year plan?

I have since learned that many chambers are undertaking similar type plans for their communities.

When I read the final draft of the plan for Cullman and its objectives, I saw things about Cullman that we needed to address; things I had already been thinking about.

So it made sense that we conceived another strategic plan as we had in the past for the community.

Converging for Success will actually address many areas affecting our community by focusing on four distinct areas: • Community development • Existing business growth and professional business sector recruitment • Education and entrepreneurship • Business and community advocacy Housing is an area that needs attention.

The chamber’s housing taskforce is hard at work to attain an assessment of what type of housing is actually needed to support current and future needs. This study should be completed by this fall.

We are losing valuable local talent to other areas. When our students graduate from college, many do not return, or they do so only later as they start their families.

We need them to think of Cullman initially, not later. Our local businesses need labor, and we need a recruiting plan to get people here.

5.

You have a staunch tendency to avoid the public spotlight, so there’s bound to be something people don’t know about Peggy Smith. Given that, can you please share something about yourself?

In the past, I spent most of my free time golfing, every spare moment that I could find. I really love the game, but I also had my worst accident on a golf course, getting some teeth knocked out by

a golf ball hit – coincidentally, I’m sure –

by Jimmy, my husband.

My time on the golf course changed after our son, Brad was born. We took in more lake activities, especially boating and cabins on Smith Lake.

We still like boating today. It’s something we can do with our family, and friends, and the grandchildren enjoy it, too. There is nothing more peaceful that a slow ride in the late afternoon on Smith Lake in a boat filled with people you love.

I spend a lot of time reading, especially at night before going to bed – mostly bestselling novels. I have always loved reading, and I credit my mother for instilling that desire. She encouraged it, plus I spent my childhood in a general store where the newspaper was read and discussed at great length by regulars who came in to talk politics and the weather.

Many of those regular customers read Golden Books to me at the store. And it was there that I got my basic knowledge of politics. I learned quickly who was governor, who was president and how each customer felt about world affairs.

A real education can be learned from growing up in a general store in the county. And my political education continued all through my career.

Also, for many years I chaired the legislative affairs committee for the Economic Development Association of Alabama. I was the first female to serve in that position. I really learned a lot about what it took to actually get a bill passed in the legislature. It was truly an educational experience.

Today, Jimmy and I love to travel when circumstances allow. And we are especially glad when those trips include Brad, Cheryl and our two grandsons.

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20

Our talent taskforce will use a survey to obtain much needed data that can help us understand what we need to keep Cullman first, such as a good marketing approach to encourage people to live here, especially those driving in daily to work here but returning to another city to live.

A program has been developed for our students to start now learning about their opportunities here and how to take an idea and develop it into a real business.

EPIC is another part of Converging for Success. Emerging Professionals Impacting Cullman encourages professionals under 40 to come together to exchange ideas to enhance professional development and ideas.

As we’ve learned in the past, the key to any successful plan is having strong interested partners who care deeply about the community. Directors have been hired to carry out the missions as outlined, working with the taskforces and the partners.

Converging for Success allows us to do what we have done previously – meet the challenges faced by any successful community. We will meet the changing times and Cullman will continue to grow and prosper. As we’ve learned in the past, having partners in progress is what it takes to succeed.

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Good Reads

WW I lady-spies not enough?

This fine novel has much more

Child’s book by medalists has it all ... plus a crocodile

ne of the many advantages of associating with readers of books is that I get recommendations for books I’ve yet to read. “The Alice Network” by Kate Quinn is one such book. And now I can recommend this marvelously well-written historical fiction of British lady“I want to prove myself spies in World War I. capable, to everyone For some readers, that’s probably all I need who ever thought me say; others might need simpleminded or weak more coaxing to open this because I cannot speak book. Allow me to coax. straight. I want to f-fHow does one go about recruiting then f—I want to f-f-f-f--. I training a female spy to want to fight.” infiltrate a small town “If I were a man you’d be and report intelligence calling me patriotic for gathered through a network of other female wishing to continue in my spies? duty to my country. …

Then the story fastA woman wants the same forwards past WWI thing and she’s suicidal.” to a naive American seeking to discover what happened to her sister during World War II. How the lives of Eve and Charlie intersect will fill in that gap in your historical knowledge of the era as well as keep you riveted. This is truly one the best books I’ve read in months. I know you’ll enjoy “The Alice Network.”

– Deb Laslie

rincess Cora and the Crocodile,” by Newbery Medalist Laura Amy Schlitz (author of “Bearskinner” and “Good Masters, Sweet Ladies,” among others) and lavishly illustrated by Caldecott Medalist Brian Flocka, is the charming story of the over-scheduled and bored Dear Godmother, Nobody young Princess Cora and listens to me. My mother her deliciously naughty (fairy-godmotherand father won’t let me have provided) crocodile. a pet and Nanny says I How might a crocodile don’t even want one. But I save the day in this do. And I’m sick and tired of tale? “I know what!” exclaimed the crocodile. everything. Please help me.

“I’ll take your place! I’ll Love, Princess Cora. wear your clothes and take your baths and learn your lessons and jump over your rope. Then you can run away and have fun.”

Princess Cora is delighted, after all … what could possibly go wrong? As Princess Cora enjoys her day off, the crocodile merrily upsets the rigid routine of the castle, leaping happily into the bathtub, balancing the inkwell on his nose (surprisingly, this does not turn out well) and racing the King ‘round and ‘round the gym.

As with all truly wonderful fables, everyone learns a lesson. All little girls, princess or not, need time to climb trees, pick strawberries, wade barefoot in creeks, wander through fields and other grand adventures … and crocodiles are not good at skipping rope.

– Deb Laslie

O

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Good Cooking Maybe one day you can rub on Three Paws; for now, use these recipes ...

For cookouts this summer And remember, the ultimate compliment is when you have no leftovers Story and photos

by David Moore

I

t’s a fact. Rare are those who can duplicate David Nelson’s barbeque.

That’s because very few cooks have access to Three Paws Seasoning – at least for now. That’s the dry rub David hopes to one day mass-produce and market.

Meanwhile, he sells it at BBQ contests. Those who learn about it are eager to buy it, especially when they see his chicken wings – grilled with Three Paws – fly away with top honors.

“He takes bottles of it to competitions,” says his wife, Stefani.

“Every time people ask if he has some for sale.”

Not keen on sauces in general, especially vinegar-based, David experimented with various dry rubs and invented his own in 2008. It’s simple and mild.

“To me, it enhances the flavor of the meat without covering up the meat,” he says. “I tried to keep it simple like my cooking. I use apple chips for smoke.

Apple juice diluted with water is my moisture.”

David has experimented with making jalapeño and chili seasonings but so far hasn’t found one that measures up to even one Paw, much

Son Joey Shadowens, a fifth grader at Sacred Heart School, chows down on some of David’s Three Paws Wings. “You’ve done well,” Joey says, adding through a mouth of chicken, “Do I have any of this on my face?” “It’s not good if it’s not on your face,” David says. “I didn’t think it would be good on a banana, but I tried it,” Stefani confides. “It’s really good.” less three. Stefani loves it mild.

“I was a diehard,” she says. “I was raised to think Dreamland was the only ribs you ate. Then he started cooking with no sauce, just his rub. It’s so consistent you can put it on anything.”

Son, Joey Shadowens, 11, takes “anything” to heart. Or stomach, you might say.

“I put it on bananas,” Joey says, not strictly for laughs, but laughs are OK. “And grapes and pickles …”

David shrugs. “Maybe pickles will take off.”

T

he Nelsons – along with extended family – live on 100 acres north of Hanceville, where Aunt Betty David Nelson named his seasoning for, not surprisingly, three of the family dogs: Maac and Peetey, mixed rat terrier brothers, and Bailey, a Chihuahuaboxer mix. For more info: 3pawsseasoning@gmail.com.

MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

25

SMOKED TENDERLOIN Apply 3 Paws seasoning and let sit overnight.

Put on smoker for 3 to 4 hours at 225° until internal temperature is 165.

Dover and late Uncle Olen moved in the 1970s.

Daughter of Ed and Grace Potter, Stefani grew up in Hoover, graduated from Vestavia High in 1995 and moved to the family property in 2000.

It’s unclear which came first in her family: love of food or the restaurant business. Either way, for more than 30 years Uncle Don Bryant and the family owned Bryant’s Seafood and Bryant’s Seafood World in a chain of locations from Hueytown to Hayden.

“I started washing dishes and ringing up people when I was eight,” Stefani says.

Now she works in Cullman at Shirley Quattlebaum State Farm Insurance.

David graduated from Athens High in 1986. He’s worked 22 years for UPS, now driving an 18-wheeler on the daily Decatur-Nashville-Montgomery route.

26

MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

Fittingly, perhaps, David and Stefani met a few years ago at the Cluck-N-Brew competition in Cullman. She was there with Shirley’s grilling team; he was there with his team, but he didn’t win. Perhaps Stefani distracted him?

“That’s possible,” he says.

A

s a kid, David remembers his late father, Dennie, grilling burgers.

(His mom, Mary, lives in Decatur with her husband Ronnie.) But that was not his incentive to learn to cook.

“I got divorced and had to learn,” he laughs.

On Saturday nights he’d have his buddies over to his house in Hartselle.

They’d watch sports on TV and devour David’s smoked chicken quarters. Rave reviews on his chicken led him to start barbecuing at tailgate parties, then horse shows and finally competitions.

The first one he entered – the Hazel Green Wingfest – his Three Paws wings won first place. It was a yummy start. David later won People’s Choice there and, likewise, at Nashville’s Music City Hot Wing Festival. The 240 pounds of wings he grilled that weekend remain his record.

For holidays, David often smokes chicken, ribs and pork loins for 60 or more family members at Aunt Betty’s.

For Joey’s birthday party, he grilled 120 pounds of wings plus grilled burgers and ’dogs.

His ultimate compliment? No leftovers.

While David doesn’t share his Three Paws recipe, he and Stefani gladly share the following recipes for your summer cookouts. What? No Three Paws? Just be patient and substitute your favorite dry rub …

See recipes on page 28

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GRILLED CHICKEN WINGS Put wings on grill. Sprinkle with Three Paws seasoning. Let brown on both sides then take off direct heat. Pile on top of each other on the side of the grill and let them “bake” to finish cooking.

GREEN BEANS 1 can of green beans 1 beef bullion cube 1 Tbsp. sugar For each can of green beans use one beef bouillon cube and a tablespoon of sugar. Do not drain beans. Boil 2 to 5 minutes in medium size pan on cooktop, then simmer until most of the water is evaporated.

POTATOES 3 lb. bag of red potatoes, cut into quarters.

Dales steak seasoning Three Paws seasoning 1 stick of butter, cut in slices Shredded cheddar cheese Bacon bits Cover bottom of large casserole dish with potatoes. Sprinkle with Dales, add butter slices 28

MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

and sprinkle with Three Paws seasoning. Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 30 minutes. Bring out of oven and sprinkle with shredded cheese and bacon bits. Return to oven and broil until cheese is melted.

BAKED BEANS 1 can of pork and beans 1 can of red beans, drained 1 can of black beans ,drained Heinz 57 steak seasoning 1 onion, diced 1/2 pound hamburger meat 1 pound smoked sausage Brown hamburger meat. Put in crock pot and add all other ingredients. Simmer until warm.

SMOKED CHICKEN LEG QUARTERS Apply Three Paws seasoning on both sides and place in the smoker at 225° for 1.5 hours.

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SMOKED RIBS Pork or St. Louis style ribs Honey Sugar

Three Paws seasoning Apple chips Apple juice

Prepare meat by removing membrane, season the meat side with Three Paws seasoning. Soak the apple chips in water before adding to smoker.

Refresh as needed.

Pour the apple juice in the smoker reservoir, this is what helps the smoker maintain moisture. Add more apple juice as needed.

Grill at 225 for 2.5 hours.

Remove from heat and apply honey and sugar, wrap in foil then smoke for 1.5 hours. Allow to sit for a half hour before serving.

GRILLED ZUCCHINI AND SQUASH 3 zucchini squash 3 squash Olive oil Parmesan cheese Three Paws seasoning Slice zucchini and squash long ways at an angle. Brush with olive oil, apply Three Paws seasoning and grill until brown on both sides. Remove from grill and lightly dust with Parmesan cheese.

SMOKED SHOULDER ROAST Coat meat in Three Paws 30

MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

seasoning, place in smoker with fat side up. Smoke at 225° until internal temp is 165. Normally 5 to 8 hours depending on size.

SHRIMP BOIL 3 lb. bag of red potatoes, whole 16 half ears of corn 1 onion, sliced Three Paws seasoning 2 lbs. smoked sausage, sliced 1 stick of butter 31-35 medium shrimp, shelled Bring water to a boil, add Three Paws seasoning and butter.

Add potatoes and cook for 20

minutes. Add corn, onion and sausage and cook for additional 10 minutes. Finally add shrimp and cook for 5 minutes.

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VEGGIE MEDLEY 3 lb. bag of red potatoes, cut into quarters.

Dales seasoning

Three Paws seasoning 1 stick of butter, cut in slices 3 zucchini squash, sliced 3 squash, sliced 1 onion, sliced Mushrooms, sliced

Place potatoes in the bottom of a large casserole pan and cover with aluminum foil.

Cook for 30 minutes.

Add seasoning, butter and remaining vegetables.

Sprinkle Dales on top of the veggies before placing them in oven.

Sprinkle with Three Paws seasoning and return to oven and cook until vegetables are soft.

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412 Public House

A delicious convergence of ‘six degrees of Cullman separation’

Story and photos

by David Moore

T

he menu at 412 Public House, Cullman’s newest restaurant offers an enticing selection of dishes. It also offers a variety of specialty cocktails made with fresh ingredients, a diverse wine list and lots of Alabama craft beers on tap.

But unless you use “upscale” or “Rico cuisine,” partners Stephen Gannon, Trey Jordan and chef Rico and Christine Nishimura hesitate to pigeonhole their restaurant into any category.

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That’s probably fitting. The restaurant came to be through the juncture of two influences seldom pigeonholed together: children’s books and the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament. Into that unlikely mix you can even toss Dairy Queen.

Trey laughs and says the diverse partners have “six degrees of Cullman separation.”

Stephen hails from Greenwich, Conn.

In 2007, his faith tugging, he journeyed to Hanceville and stayed a time with the brothers at the Shrine.

“It was phenomenal,” he says. “But I knew I was not called for the long term.”

A couple he’d met at the shrine was headed to Alaska and arranged a teaching job there for Stephen. He did that a year then, while the couple stayed in Alaska, returned to Hanceville to house sit for them.

He later moved to Cullman, commuted to a job in Huntsville. After five years he was laid off, but a nice severance package allowed him to invest in an Anytime Fitness franchise.

Along with Cesar Garcia, he opened a gym just off Cherokee Avenue in 2015.

C

hristine was one of the first to join the gym, later followed by Rico. A

Clockwise: Cobia with asparagus over homemade roasted garlic mashed potatoes; signature cocktails .50-Caliber Bullet, Hemingway with grapefruit juice, Papa’s Old Fashion, raspberry Southern Belle and the house margarita, Frida Kahlo; with the exception of blueberry cheesecake, desserts by Amy McCracken, including Sea Biscuit Pie, lemon ice box pie shooter, truffle and cheesecake; wanton nachos with pork rib eye; seared ahi tuna salad with cusabi (cucumber wasabi) dressing; and partners Trey Jordan with wife, Hayley, Stephen Gannon, Rico and Christine Nishimura during a workshop for employees prior to the grand opening April 12. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Saturday and for Sunday brunch from 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Brazilian native, he’d landed here via a tennis scholarship to Wallace State Community College.

While there he worked restaurant jobs, learned he had a flair for cooking and came to love it. While working at Chamblee’s, a former Cullman restaurant, he met the now late owner’s daughter, Christine.

They fell in love, married and, for four years, worked at Brother’s Kitchen & Pourhouse (located at the site of the former Blue Moose), he as chef and she as eventual manager/bartender.

Trey and his wife Hayley, also joined Anytime Fitness. There, in Stephen’s office, Trey saw a copy of “The Doldrums,” a children’s series by author-illustrator Nicholas Gannon, Stephen’s nephew. It caught Trey’s eye because – with thanks to having four children – he’s written a

children’s book he hopes to publish. That tie led to Trey and Stephen’s friendship.

Trey grew up in Birmingham, moving here to manage the family-owned DQ in Hanceville. After he married Hayley, they discussed opening a franchise restaurant, but private ownership offered more flexibility.

Stephen liked that idea, too. Then a friend mentioned to Trey that Rico was a great chef, and by 2016 the degrees of separation dissolved … and evolved into a partnership.

“I remember as a kid when they were building the Shrine,” Trey says. “I never thought my business partner would someday come there. It’s a God-thing.”

T

he name 412 Public House is drawn from its address: 412 Second Ave. SE. The partners “absolutely” wanted to be downtown. They leased the lot from

WDJC Properties – owned by Windell, Debbie (owner of the former Blue Moose), Jacob and Chelsea Wood – with a buildto-suit agreement. Jacob, a VP at Nearen Construction, was general contractor on the project. His sister-in-law, Amy Wood, designed the interior.

Cullman architect Frank Fagg drew up a design the partners loved, though Stephen takes credit for adding the folding glass door panels that open to patio seating.

While a pigeonhole for the fine dining at 412 Public House might not be obvious, the interrelations behind it are. It’s that “six degrees of Cullman separation.”

But when someone asked the partners if the opening date of April 12 – 4/12 – was intentional, they had to say no. That was just happy coincidence.

Good Life Magazine MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

35

Comfrey, Symphytum officinale – Comfrey has been grown for a long time for its medicinal properties, but it has become recognized as a fantastic plant for its visual properties. This perennial can sometimes be mistaken for a shrub due to its size each year.

It will go dormant in the winter, dying back to the ground. Its clusters of bellshaped flowers contrast well with the large bright green foliage to really draw the eye to the plant. As an added benefit, comfrey leaves can be used as a great mulch for other plants because they release the nutrients they take up back into the soil.

Good ’n’ Green

Herbs: an attractive, tasty option for you Story by Tim Crow Photos by David Moore

I

f your ambition is always to do something new and great in your garden or yard, here’s a suggestion – or five – that gets the cold shoulder but can be a real addition to your landscape and cooking – herbs.

Usually when we think of herbs, they seem a challenge for the hobby gardener. But most herbs in the right conditions can be grown with the same success as our typical annual and perennial plants.

Calera McHenry may know as much, if not more, about herbs than anyone in Cullman County. For years, she and her late husband, Ronnie, operated CalMac Nursery on Ryan Road, and herbs are her specialty.

For one thing, she says, many are perennials. And most herbs are very aesthetic in your landscape, as well as being attractive to certain wildlife and butterflies.

Calera also says they can be enjoyed on a daily basis as both an enhancement to food taste as well as some medicinal uses.

As you hit the nurseries this year, consider adding some herbs to the garden.

Here is a list of five of Calera’s favorites – photographed at her house – to consider adding to your garden or yard ...

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Bloody Sorrel, Rumex senguineus – This upright foliar, or leafy, plant can add great interest to your garden or a decorative pot. Its colorful venation grabs the eye with its accents of greens and reds. This perennial herb loves a moist soil so it’s great around ponds, water gardens or marshy bogs. This herb likes full to partial sun so the options for planting areas are plentiful. Bloody sorrel is grown for its foliar appeal, so don’t expect showy blooms. While the blooms may not be impressive, the foliage provides the impact.

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Salad Burnet, Sanguisorba minor – One of the great edible herbs, it can be used in salads to give a nice cucumber flavor. It’s also great on sandwiches or in drinks such as lemonades and spritzers. This low growing herb prefers a moist soil and full sun, or partial shade in drier areas. It’s also a great filler for decorative pots and hanging baskets.

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Chive, Allium schoenoprasum – Part of the lily family and grown for their leaves and flowers, chives are popular in the garden and kitchen. Great upright clump-style plant, they can be used along borders or in containers. Their rosy purple flowers make for a great accent plant.

Most people are familiar with chives in certain dishes, and they can be harvested for use when they’re large enough to be clipped. Cut them about a half-inch from the ground when harvesting.

Rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis – Rosemary is a staple in both ornamental and herb gardens for its beautiful foliage, lavender flowers and incredible fragrance.

Popular for its culinary characteristics, it is used in many dishes for its flavor accent.

Three keys for growing rosemary are sun, well-drained soils and good air circulation.

Don’t mix rosemary with other herbs that prefer a nice damp soil. This plant is not a heavy feeder, but fertilizing in the spring will get it off to a great start

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Alongside the greats

Jim Atkins pitched against and played with Williams,

DiMaggio, Berra and others Jim Atkins in his baseball days Story by Steve A. Maze Photos from the author’s collection

I

t wasn’t unusual to spot Jim Atkins at the Cullman flea market each weekend selling typical items sold at such venues.

He loved cooking and even sold a few of the delicious cakes he had baked. Jim also sold baseballs he signed … and maybe gave a few away to starry-eyed youngsters.

Jim had the good fortune to experience a side of life that many of us can only dream of. In his earlier days, he competed alongside and against some of the biggest names in Major League Baseball history – Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, Bob Feller and Mickey Mantle.

J

ames Curtis “Jim” Atkins was born March 10, 1923, in Birmingham. He was the second of three children born to Roy and Annie (Sheelor) Atkins.

ACIPCO, a Birmingham manufacturing plant, sponsored a junior baseball league for boys 12 and under. The fact that ACIPCO furnished the uniforms, bats and baseballs for the players created an interest in the sport for youngsters whose parents were feeling the pinch of The Great Depression.

Jim was used to playing “scrub” baseball in vacant lots when he signed up for the league at age 10. By the time he turned 16 he was competing with much older men in a Birmingham league that played only on Sundays.

Jim played a variety of positions by the time he went to work at Stockham Valve 38

MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

in Birmingham, and was a member of their baseball team from 1941-42.

A minor league scout for the Detroit Tigers saw Jim when he was playing with the team. It was by coincidence that Jim was filling in at shortstop for a player who did not show up for the game. He had a phenomenal game making long, accurate throws to first base and turning double plays.

The scout signed Jim to a contract and sent him to Detroit for a work out.

T

he Tiger organization quickly realized that shortstop was not his natural position. The general manager had him pitch for batting practice and liked what he saw. He sent Jim to a minor league affiliate, but the big right-hander spent less than 30 days there before returning home.

“I wasn’t 21 at the time,” Jim said, “and my dad did not sign my contract, which voided it. Plus, I was in love with a young lady and wanted to return to Birmingham.”

Uncle Sam called during 1942, and Jim spent the next four years serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. He played on a Corps baseball team while stationed in Honolulu, and one of his teammates was the legendary Ted Williams.

“Williams was an officer and I was just a soldier, but that didn’t make any difference to him since he liked hanging out with regular guys,” said Jim. Williams was a pilot and Jim watched him practice takeoffs and landings at the airport. Most of the contact he had with him, however, was on the baseball field.

“Williams was generous with his

money and secretly helped out various charities.” Jim recalled. “Not only was he well liked by the ballplayers, he was well respected. A complete hush would come over the ballpark when he took batting practice. Fans, teammates, and opponents would stop what they were doing to watch him hit.”

A

fter WWII, Jim returned to Stockham Valve’s team before pitching for various minor league teams. In 1949, he was traded to the Birmingham Barons – parent team of the Boston Red Sox. Boston was in a pennant race with the New York Yankees during the latter part of the 1950 season, and decided to buy Jim’s contract in order to bolster their bullpen.

“I was very excited getting to the Major League since that would mean receiving a minimum salary of $1,000 per month,” Jim said. “I only got into one game that season, and it was against the Washington Senators. I remember throwing a pitch to Hal Keller that was over his head, but he still hit it for a home run.”

Joining the Red Sox also reunited Jim with his friend in the Marine Corps.

“Ted Williams was still the same type person as he was in Honolulu,” he said. “He avoided the public spotlight whenever possible since it seemed everyone wanted an audience with him.

“At times, big-shot politicians were allowed on the team train to hobnob

with Williams. All of them wanted to have their picture taken with him, but Williams wasn’t impressed with big shots.”

J

Jim only appeared in three games with Boston during the 1952 season. In his last appearance, he got future hall of famer Yogi Berra to pop out.

Although he didn’t know it at the time, that would be the end of Jim’s Major League career. Boston started a youth movement soon after, and that was not good news for a 31-year-old rookie.

im went to spring training with the Red Sox in 1950 but was soon sent down to one of Boston’s minor league affiliates.

The New York Yankees also sent down a young outfielder by the name of Mickey Mantle he hard-throwing pitcher was still good to their Kansas City affiliate that year. Jim enough to play for minor league teams. He decided struck out the future hall of famer three times in to end his baseball career in 1957 when he went to the first game they faced each other. But it was work with Metropolitan Life Insurance Co., from another at-bat that Jim remembered the most. which he retired after 20 years of service.

Jim Atkins “He hit a triple off me that was hit so far it In 1988, Jim moved to Cullman since it is in the early 2000’s would have equaled about 150 hits if it had been half-way between Birmingham and his favorite cut up into singles,” Jim laughed. fishing spot at Wheeler Dam. His wife of 30 years, “Williams was the best hitter I ever saw, but DiMaggio the former Voncille Stubbs, had passed away in 1976, but his two was the best all-around player,” Jim said. “DiMaggio kept his sons, Jimmy and Justuce, relocated to Cullman with him. bat still and was never anxious at the plate. He was very cool Before his death on Feb. 28, 2009, Jim was not shy when asked and didn’t move around much in the batter’s box.” about comparing today’s baseball players with those of his era.

Jim again went to spring training with Boston in 1952 and “The biggest difference is desire,” he’d say. “We played for the was on the team roster when the season began. love of the game instead of the money. Many pitchers make more Jim and teammate Ted Williams had something in common per pitch than I made in a season.” besides baseball. Both were avid fishermen, and they made “Many of today’s ballplayers would not have been able to plans for Ted to visit Jim for a fishing trip to Wheeler Dam. make the team when I played. At the time, there were only 640 The Red Sox needed another catcher on their roster, however, players in the Major Leagues.” and Jim only remained with the club for about a month.

Probably none of today’s player can bake a cake like Jim, either.

Unfortunately, the fishing trip never took place.

Good Life Magazine

T

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39

To the lake, irresistibly drawn

Bonnie and Jon Paulin always lived on the shore somewhere

or had ready access to water. When they moved to Alabama in1997, they were irresistibly drawn to build a house on Smith Lake. Sure, it took some scrimping and saving, but good things are worth the wait.

Jon and Bonnie’s house has 4,800 square feet. They chose a textured brick on the facade which, along with darker, accent brick above the window and garage door frames, adds to the appeal of the exterior. The exposed truss over the entrance is echoed on the deck overlooking the lake behind the house. Photo above by Bonnie Paulin.

It took a while for the Paulins to get there, but as the saying goes ... home is where the lake is Story and photos

by David Moore

I

t’s been about a year and half since Bonnie and Jon Paulin moved into their house on Smith Lake. But sometimes it still feels unreal, like a dream too cherished and loved to be true.

Actually, their house on the lake has been their collective long-time dream, and perhaps even an individualistic dream dating back to before they ever met. That’s because they seem to have always been irresistibly drawn to water.

Bonnie was born in Rhode Island, near the Massachusetts line.

“I grew up on a 100-acre pond, on the water” she says. “I went ice skating there, swimming, kayaking. My family would go to Cape Cod for the month of July. I never lived anywhere that I was not on or near the water. I couldn’t imagine not being on the water.”

Bonnie married her high school sweetie – not Jon – and they eventually moved to Portsmouth, R.I., on Aquidneck Island in Narragansett Bay. That worked out fine because, one, she was near the water, and two, after her divorce she later met Jon there.

Jon, who grew up in Athens, Ga., developed his early desire for water from visiting his grandparents on Lake Beulah in Wisconsin. And they weren’t just summer visits. On their winter trips he’d go ice fishing.

“I fished nonstop,” Jon says. His outdoors appetite was also whetted with lots of hunting, and he still loves both.

He managed to park his rod, reel and gun long enough to 42

MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

Suzie, one of the Paulins’ thee cats and a dog, gets cozy in the great room during a cool spring afternoon. earn a master’s in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech in 1988. From there, he went straight to work for Raytheon in, of all places, Portsmouth, R.I., located on the sizable Aquidneck Island.

There, in the same software department where he worked, Jon met a bonny Yankee named Bonnie.

T

hough no amorous sparks or tingles were initially

Jon and Bonnie sought a rustic look when buying interior materials. They opted for oak flooring with knots in it and mixed several different board widths together.

Bonnie says they shied away from the popular nickel-gap shiplap for the walls, finding the look too perfect.

So they had their shiplap milled with slightly irregular gaps.

MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

43

The master bedroom takes good advantage of the Paulins’ view of Smith Lake with French doors opening to the deck.

The stairwell to the ground floor is home to a few photos paying tribute to Bonnie’s love of horses. The stained glass windows came from Jon’s grandmother’s lake house in Wisconsin, a tribute to the place he fell in love with water, fishing and hunting.

detected, the following exchange offers a glimpse into the easy atmosphere of banter and love around the Paulin house on the lake today ...

“He was a skinny little twig with blond hair talking like a redneck in Rhode Island,” Bonnie says of Jon back when they met.

“It wasn’t love at first sight for either of us,” he laughs. “She had glasses about this big (he curves thumb and index finger, a good two inches between them) and a half-inch thick, so her eyeballs were like …”

“Jon was very shy,” she interrupts. “I was always the life of the party at the bar.”

“And she was like … yodeling,” he says. “You can tell she’s like that.”

At least, she says, the skinny guy did buff up.

At any rate, the fledging relationship survived and after three years they married in 1994. They lived in Middletown, five minutes from the beach, and enjoyed the outdoors. She kept horses for showing and trail-riding events. Jon had his hunting and fishing.

“I watched him fish a lot of times!” Bonnie beams with a questionable smile.

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Bonnie laughs and says that hardly any of their furniture is new, but if it ain’t broken ... They got the comfortable leather sofa and chair for the downstairs den from her late father’s house. Jon loves restoring cars and couldn’t resist buying an old gas pump, which also sits in the den. He couldn’t resist the unique ceiling fans, either. The den opens to two downstairs bedrooms, basement storage and –not surprisingly – a great lake view.

In ’95, Angela was born. After four months of maternity leave, Bonnie returned to her job as a software engineering aide, and they took Angela to day care – for which they cared not.

“It just felt wrong,” Bonnie says. “We had wanted a kid so much.”

“We fed her a bottle, changed her diaper and put her to bed,” Jon says.

“Then we’d wake her up, feed her, change her and drop her off at day care.”

T

hey discussed it and Bonnie agreed to give up her career. But the cost of living in the Northeast would make that hard on their one paycheck back in those days. Also, Jon’s dad had died.

So, to be closer to his Mom in the South, and with the cost of living much kinder here, he got a transfer to Raytheon’s Huntsville operations. He came down to start his new job and find a house. Bonnie and Angela joined him three months later, after she sold their house.

“You got you a Yankee bride and dragged her down South barefoot and pregnant,” Bonnie says.

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“You were not pregnant then.” As an aside he adds, “She’s one of those damn Yankees who came down here and never left.”

“That,” Bonnie counters, “is your fault.”

After an apartment spell, in early 1997 they bought a house in Priceville, on 4.25 acres near the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge.

Jon had told the Realtor they wanted to be no more than a mile from the Tennessee River.

The next year, Jill was born. They got involved in the girls’ schools and sports in Priceville. They fixed up the house.

Jon restored and showed a few cars, hunted and fished, coached a girls soccer team. The girls also enjoyed horses with Bonnie.

Not too surprisingly, the Paulins bought a ski boat and the family spent hours on the river. The water attraction apparently rubbed off. The girls became lifeguards, and Jill still is.

T

wo other things the Paulins did, starting while the girls were young – they saved money and looked for property.

It wasn’t long before they discovered the clear waters of Smith Lake.

“The first time Jon brought me here, we were like, ‘We are going to live here one day!’” Bonnie says. “But it was just a wish, just a hope.”

Most of their early lake forays were to the Arley area because it was closer to their house. But even though lake lots went for only $35,000 at the time, that sum was simply out of reach.

“We used to just go out and just look at land,” Jon says. “That was our entertainment.”

“All we could afford was gas,” Bonnie says. “But the kids loved it. They’d get out of the car and go in the water or go hiking.”

During their 18 years in Priceville, they kept saving. They steered clear of expensive vehicles and vacations.

“Our friends were going to Italy and Ireland,” Bonnie laughs. “The Paulins were going to Orange Beach.”

One day in 2014, with finances feeling much better, they drove to Rocky Springs.

Jon had seen it advertised, a development on the south end of the lake with – not

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So ... if you love being on the water, why would you not have a couple of rockers on the deck overlooking the lake, as do Bonnie and Jon in their Buettner Brothers swing below. At bottom left is a photo mom shot of Jill, 20, and Angela, 22, on the Paulins’ dock during a visit home. Angela graduates in May from UAH with a degree in industrial and systems engineering. Jill is working on a nursing degree there. Both live in Huntsville. that it mattered to the Paulins – its own airstrip.

They drove to see it, walked down a rough drive at a vacant lot and reached a point with a commanding view up and down Smith Lake and homes on the bluffs across the water. And the Paulins had found the place for which they’d been looking and dreaming.

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hey bought the lot and the following year sold their house in Priceville, moving temporarily into

a 1,000-square-foot rental with two teenaged girls, a rescue dog, four cats and one bath. To help finance the construction project at Rocky Springs, they sold a few horses, a nice trailer and a 1933 Ford Jon loved to show.

It was fun but challenging picking out plans, deciding on materials.

Helping smooth the process was their local contractor, Dana Welch.

“We love him,” Bonnie says. “He’s a fantastic guy. He helped us and educated us the whole way.”

Finally, their house on the lake was completed. On Dec. 22, 2016, they officially moved in.

“We’re just a water family, now that I think about it,” Bonnie says. “I swim every day. If I’m home, I’m on my noodle in the water. I love it, love it, love it, love it.”

To the water they’d been irresistibly drawn.

So now they are home … and home is where the lake is.

Good Life Magazine

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Fred Osborne keeps his amazing collections of ... well, neat old stuff in a world he built out back Story and photos

by David Moore

A

first-time visitor inside the two buildings Fred Osborne built in his backyard can’t help but be astounded. Fred, however, seemingly takes it all in stride, but you have to figure he’s rather amazed himself.

The two buildings are filled to the rafters, literally, with, with … well, with Fred’s collections of neat old stuff. To enter is to embark upon a journey of discovery, but it’s hard to decide where to start.

An old piano and a jukebox by the door might catch your eye first, if for no other reasons than they are big. Hundreds of old fishing lures, rods, reels and bait buckets are displayed all around the main building. Many are stored in fine, glass-fronted display Case Knives cases stacked high to form a neat wall down the center of the main room.

It takes little nosing to find Fred has old toys lining wall shelves, along with newer toy John Deere tractors – fleets of them. Look a little more and you notice dusty bottles of wine and overhead lights constructed from old bug-zappers and hung with yet more lures.

Stuff is neatly stuffed everywhere. Sooner or later you’ll notice the old set of scales, the tall kind you put in a penny and get your weight. Look further on a high shelf, partly concealed by a line of rods dangling from the ceiling by their tips and you’ll spot Fred’s collection of old scales for meat and such.

T

he second building, which started out as a woodworking shop, still has some equipment in it, but it, too, has more of Fred’s toy, John Deere farm equipment as well as his NASCAR collection. They’re displayed on several stepladders, opened out with carpeted planks resting on the steps.

Continued on page 54 Next page: Braided colonial rugs add to the “cozy” atmosphere.

The jukebox is probably Fred’s favorite item in his “getaway.” And that’s his favorite straw hat he’s holding. He collected the feathers over time, picking up one whenever he saw it.

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51

Above is the “den” area in the main getaway building.

At upper right is an attic view of Fred’s Case Knives cases. Below that is part of his collection of 50 state Lions Club pins. He’ll mark 50 years in the Cullman Lions this year – with perfect attendance. He and Dolores like to assemble jigsaw puzzles, which Fred frames, like the Coke ad here.

Electric trains and Christmas villages line high shelves. An eyebrow-raising collection of jigsaw puzzles – all glassed and framed by Fred – sit on floor stands, or hang on or lean against walls around the room.

Like the first building, so much bombards the visual senses from every direction, one hardly knows where to start the totally entertaining journey into exploring this unique world Fred has created.

Most folks probably know Fred’s world 54

MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

as the framing department at the Mary Carter Paint Store in downtown Cullman.

Besides paint and custom framing, the 54-year-old store is renowned for selling a variety of items from window cleaning spray, skillets and canning supplies, to Radio Flyer wagons, hard-to-find hardware and loads of sporting goods – including tons of rods, reels and lures.

It’s hard to miss similarities between the store and Fred’s collections behind the house

he and the former Dolores Young – his wife of nearly 55 years and mother of their two grown children – built in West Point.

B

orn in 1937, Fred grew up in Cullman. He and Dolores were basically high school sweethearts.

“Pretty close,” Fred says straight-faced.

Counter to what one might think, he had no collections back then.

“I carried papers as a kid,” he says. “We

didn’t have the time. We had to work.”

At age 16, he started a 24-year career at Modernistic Printers. Plus, at night, he did picture framing with his friend and later brother-in-law, Raymond Young, who had bought the Mary Carter Paint Store in 1964.

In 1973, Fred left the printers to build frames full time at Mary Carter.

“We decided we were going to get in or get out, and I decided to go into it full time,” he says.

Dolores, meanwhile, started filing checks in 1961 for the former State National Bank in Cullman. In 2015, she retired as manager of Compass Bank in Cullman.

In between, she and Fred bought a 32acre farm in West Point and built a roomy saltbox-style home with porches. A pond tops off the attractive setting.

F

red dates the start of his collections to one day about 20 years ago when a friend

came into Mary Carter one Monday and he’d been to trade day at that weekend at Lacon.

“He said he bought eight fishing reels and he asked if I’d be interested in half of them” Fred recalls. “So I bought half of them.”

After that … “I don’t know. I just got interested in them. And then I got interested in toys. Everything just came together.” And his collections grew.

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55

Fred Osborne sits on the porch of his “getaway” with granddaughter Emma, who attends Sacred Heart School.

He and Dolores have two grown children, Fred Osborne II and Laura Paul. Today, Fred II and his wife, Laurie, live up the road from his parents and they have two children, Lee and Emma. The two Freds raise cattle. Laura lives in Athens with her husband, James Paul, and their sons, John and Andrew. Below is a cross-stitching of the hymn “How Great Thou Art,” which Fred framed.

Initially he kept his growing collections at the store. Well, they did fit the atmosphere, but …

“It got to where we needed the room at work,” he says. So about 15 years ago he built the first of his two sheds or shops in his backyard. Fred calls them his “getaways.” And his collections grew.

From Mary Carter, he bought the Case Knives cases. He modified the shelves to hold reels and lures. And his collections grew.

Sometimes, folks gave him things. Mostly he bought stuff, stuff he liked that added to his collections. Some items came from antique stores visited while he and Dolores traveled.

“I never bought them to sell,” Fred says. “I’ve never sold anything.”

And his collections grew.

Eventually, he built a shop for woodworking but later decided he didn’t want to do that anymore – maybe too much like work. And his collections grew into that building, too.

H

as anyone, in a kind sense of the word, ever looked at Fred’s collections and accused him of being crazy?

“I don’t reckon,” he says evenly.

What’s Dolores have to say about it all?

“What ever I want to do,” Fred says, “she’s been real supportive of it.”

Since he buys stuff with no thought of investment, why does he collect all of this interesting stuff anyway?

“I just enjoy doing it,” he says. “It’s a good pastime.”

What? With a job, a big yard, a farm and four grandkids, he’s got a lot of extra time to pass?

“Well,” Fred says, maybe grinning a little, “in the winter we have some time. In the summer time we stay busy.”

Well, a man needs a hobby.

“Yea,” he agrees. “But my kids say, ‘What are we going to do with that stuff?’”

Keep it, he hopes, either them of maybe his four grandkids.

Meanwhile, he’s got all of his amazing stuff to enjoy. He can visit his getaway – and start fires in the two potbelly stoves if it’s cold – plug in the jukebox, sit a spell and enjoy himself.

“I guess whenever I quit working, I’ll come out here more often,” Fred says. That would be a good time to dust off his astounding collections.

Good Life Magazine 56

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Don’t worry ... it’s just another phase Randy is going through Story and photos

by David Moore

O

nce upon a phase in Randy Powe’s life, he and his wife, Jill, owned a stable full of sleek, championship American Paint Horses. They bred, sold, rode and showed them. He thrived on the competition, and 11 of their horses won world championships.

But things tend to come and go with Randy and his seemingly insatiable urge to win, and the stable of paints gave way to a new arena in which he could compete, a new phase of his life.

Now he owns a “stable” of four sleek show-winning championship Mustangs – muscle cars, not horses. And he’s rebuilding a fifth ‘Stang, a Mach I into which he’ll bolt a monster 1,021-horsepower engine.

Also in his car stable are a Chevelle SS and a Comet Caliente, show-winning muscle cars both. And, just because he has a soft place in his heart, Randy has restored his dad’s old 1979 GMC pickup they used to drive to Denny’s on Saturdays for pancakes.

From the stables this particular fine day Randy has borrowed his wife’s Mustang for a short cruise down Golf Course Road, near their house in Cullman. To be precise, Jill has a 2013 Shelby GT500 convertible. Red stripes on black with one-of-a-kind custom seats she covered in genuine red and black cowhide, complete with wicked cobras she monogrammed onto the headrest. (Didn’t 58

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Randy and Jill Powe stands beside their stable of cars – you always want to rest your head on a king cobra?)

Randy, who happily and readily confesses to his own personal brand of crazy, gooses the Shelby a little. Its 5.8-liter, 662-horsepower engine responds with a satisfyingly deep-throated roar and a physical squawk of rubber. The headrest comes in handy.

Make a 64-year-old guy feel young?

“Sheet metal Viagra,” Randy laughs over the engine.

O

nce upon another “phase” – one he never outgrew – Randy learned/inherited his work ethic from his father, the late Teddy Powe (pronounced Poe).

“He wasn’t a workaholic,” Randy says.

four of the Mustangs. All of them have garnered their share, and perhaps more, of car show trophies.

“He just loved working. He taught me that in anything I was going to do, to be the best I could be.”

He describes his mother, Evelyn, as “gritty” and “tough.” It rubbed off on him.

Through their influences Randy grew up to be Competitive with a capital “C.” “I guess between the mix of the two I was never satisfied to just get by,” he speculates.

“I wanted to be successful, and it wasn’t necessarily about money. I never did like being a loser. I worked my tail off to make sure I wasn’t a loser.

“Second place,” he adds, “is the first loser.”

Born in Birmingham, Randy grew up in Cullman County’s Etha and Gold Ridge communities, attended Fairview High. His

first car was a ’52 Chevy. Paid $150 for it.

“I baled hay. I hauled hay. I picked tomatoes and saved up my money,” he says.

“I knew if I wanted to have a car, I was going to have to work for it.”

Randy traded for his second car, a ’55 Chevy that he later sold. He well recalls the road to car number three.

“I planted 11 acres of corn and three acres MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

59

of pimento peppers,” Randy says. “I picked peppers twice a week and sold them to King Pharr Canning in Cullman.”

Teddy worked at Royal Chevrolet in Huntsville and one night drove home a hot ’65 Comet Cyclone – 289 cubic inches, four speeds – that he correctly figured would steal his son’s heart. All of his hard work, however, still left Randy $500 short of the cost. Mom and dad covered it for him, somehow without completely spoiling the boy.

“I grew up in that car,” Randy fondly reflects. “I skipped school and chased 60

MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

women. I drag raced everyone in the county.

It was a rare deal that I got beat.”

W

hile at Fairview, Randy got married.

He worked after school at King Edward Cigar.

After graduating in 1972, he was a mechanic at Royal Chevrolet, but his father-in-law, a contractor, repeatedly tried to hire Randy.

“Finally he made me an offer I could not turn down,” he laughs (something he does a lot). “It’s hard to walk away from $2.75 an hour. I couldn’t say ‘no’ no longer.”

Having played softball during his high school years, Randy now sought further

competition on the diamond, both playing and coaching.

“I wasn’t always fat,” he laughs. “There wasn’t a position I couldn’t play.”

In the early 1980s Randy entered two new phases. The one that remains a big part of his life is Powe General Contracting, a burgeoning Hanceville-based company. Call Randy at work and there’s a good chance he’ll have to shut down a bulldozer to talk on his cell.

His other new phase was water skiing.

In five or so years of competitive skiing he figures he got beat maybe three times.

Clockwise from upper right ... Randy bought his ’65 Mustang from James White in 2011 and added more than his penny’s worth to the regular show winner.

He’s got his own Cobra GT500, but if he’s good Jill lets him take hers, a convertible. At shows with the cobras, they mess with people by setting out rubber cobras. Randy’s ‘70 Mach 1, with a gorgeous 351 Cleveland engine, won its class three straight times at World of Wheels, plus show sponsor American National’s Pick of the Show. Randy is reflected in the bumper of his ‘65 Comet, another consistent show winner. The 396 Chevelle, with 160 showing on the dash, belongs to his unofficial son-in-law Joey Hinkle.

A testament to his drive to win, Randy wore boots to work with five-pound weights on each ankle. His first year he won a 25mile race on Smith Lake, skiing in the B class for boats with 150 horsepower or less.

He won again the next year in the unlimited class.

Johnny Harbison pulled him with his tunnel-hull boat. Randy raced on a Maherajah slalom ski that cost him $800 back in the day.

“We used to race at Smith Lake and Rainbow City,” Randy says. “I think Johnny was running a 250 at the time.

Ninety-seven miles per hour was the fastest I ever skied.

“At that time I think the world record was 127,” he adds. “If I had a boat that could pull me that fast I would have done it, too.”

Of course he would.

W

inning on water skis got old. So about 1986 Randy moved on to a new phase: mud racing.

“I had a four-wheel-drive truck for deer hunting and wasn’t doing nothing else at the time, so I thought, what the hell? I jumped in and just started mudding,” he says. “From

there it just got bigger and bigger and faster, and I just had to have more horsepower.”

In typical Randy fashion, he bought another truck. Then he built two more. Then he and a buddy built a mud racing track behind what’s now his sprawling, rancherstyle house off Golf Course Road.

Besides holding mud races at his track, he traveled to other venues, even winning a reserve world championship in a modified class at a race in Phenix City.

He was still mud racing when he married Jill in 1989. She stayed, but a few years later mud racing went the way. Randy hauled MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

61

all of his mudding trophies to the landfill except the one for his reserve national championship. It’s nearly as tall as he is.

By this time he had bought his first horse and was phasing in his next phase: trail riding with the kids and Jill. It lasted a few years.

“I still enjoy it occasionally,” Randy says. “But you aren’t beating nobody, and you aren’t trying not to get beat.”

The beautiful horses, however, lasted longer, and he decided he wanted to begin showing them.

The man who hates second place recalls his first American Paint Horse competition show.

“They whipped me like I stole something,” Randy says. “I didn’t take that very well. I started buying books and magazines, going to shows and talking to anybody I could.”

S

Two large cases in Randy and Jill’s house glitter with championship belt buckles attesting to years of winning horse shows. Now Randy wins modified car show championships. Jill‘s unique contribution to two of the cars are customized leather seat coverings she’s made that include machine embroidered mustangs and cobras for, well, Mustangs and Cobras.

62

MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

o Randy learned what to look for when buying a horse. How to breed one.

How to condition one. How to show one.

How to win.

“It wasn’t long before we were whipping everybody,” he says. “It was really good for the kids. I wanted to compete in something, but I wanted the kids to compete with me. I tried to put that same grit and drive in my girls as I had in me. I pretty much got it in them, I think.”

Randy built barns. He had 36 stalls. At the peak of the Powes’ horse years in 2001, they owned 75 Paints. That year he bred 127 mares to his stallions and sold all of the foals by May. After 9/11 and the ensuing financial crash, 2001 became a peak for most horse farms and shows, Randy says. By way of illustration, the next year he bred only 22 Paints and, failing to find buyers, kept 16 of them. Over the next six years or so they phased out nearly all of the horses.

I

t was 2011 when Randy bought his first Mustang. It was not for show competition, at least initially.

A ’65 fastback, it belonged to James White, then head of construction for People’s Bank. Randy got to know him through the contracting he did for the bank, and one day James asked him about buying his Mustang, which he really loved.

“I wasn’t really interested,” Randy recalls, “but he kept on and kept getting a little cheaper. Finally I bought it.”

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Somehow Randy and Jill got the Powe clan together last summer for this provided family photo taken on their 38.5acre farm. They have four daughters: Kim; Jaime, married to Nathan Sweeney; Kelley, married to Adam Burgess; and Amanda, married to Chris Campbell. The Powes have two “virtual” daughters and their families who are not related by blood, “but we wish they were,” says Jill. They are Becky, married to Joey Hinkle; and Angie and her husband, Darren Hinkle. All together there are 11 grandkids and two greats ranging in age from 1 to 27.

In laughing reference to his expensive and ongoing phase in show cars, he adds, “So blame the rest of this on James!”

Randy drove the spirited little pony car for several years and tinkered with the engine in his garage – remember, he’s been a mechanic since high school.

Knowing what the car meant to James, when it came to paint, Randy first asked if the orange color he loved met with James’ approval. James said go for it.

The ‘Stang was so pretty afterward that Randy entered it in a car show at Holly Pond. That was six years ago. Not only did he come home with a trophy, but he found he enjoyed all of the comments the car garnered. Plus Randy got the satisfaction of beating out another guy who had assumed he’d won.

Hey, Randy thought, competition throbbing in his veins, this is fun.

James, sadly, died of cancer last June.

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On his iPhone, Randy keeps a picture of his buddy’s tombstone. It has James’ ’65 fastback engraved on it.

I

nspired by his success with James’ Mustang, Randy took what to him was the next obvious competitive step. He went overboard buying and fixing up show cars.

He tried to find a Comet Cyclone to replace his high school car, but was eventually happy to “settle” for a similar Comet Caliente. Then Randy added another two Mustangs to his stable, and he was at full gallop.

“He has,” says Jill, hardly repressing a grin, “always been an over-achiever.”

Shelves in one of Randy’s numerous garages gleam with trophies his stable of cars has won. With the exception of his 2010 Shelby GT500, all of the muscle cars he’s meticulously rebuilt and modified have won best in show multiple times in

their various classes at the annual O’Reilly Auto Parts World of Wheels Custom Auto Show in Birmingham.

Randy’s work ethic, grit and drive to win has seen to that.

But remember, this is a man of stages and phases, always seeking the next challenge, the next competition, the next race to win. It’s hard to think he’ll quit now.

So when his five-year streak in custom car shows grows old, what the heck will Randy Powe do next?

“I might get time to sit back and rest a while,” he laughs.

“And start polishing,” Jill adds.

Then again, what’s the ultimate race to run, perhaps even the ultimate competition?

“I could run for president,” Randy muses. “Trump will be out in seven years …”

Good Life Magazine

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Numbers look like war paint on the face of Dr. Lance Boyd as he stands in front of a math problem projected on the white screen in his class at Wallace State Community College.

66

MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

Beyond The Numbers From class size to graduation rates, from teaching addition to advanced calculus, in some shape, form or fashion numbers play a part throughout the education process.

But some of the best teachers and instructors make it a point to go beyond the numbers, per se, beyond the textbooks in whatever courses they teach.

They view themselves as mentors and strive to instill useful life lessons into what their students eventually take with them from class.

Dr. Lance Boyd is one of those ...

MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

67

a bad grade. Lance finds test anxiety affects about five of his students per semester. Helping them overcome such anxiety, he figures, means perhaps five s May winds down, more than more students pass, perhaps going on to 12,000 students in Cullman city, county become nurses or engineers. and private schools will walk out of While there’s no substitute for this year’s classrooms for the last time, preparation, he reminds stepping in August into new the class that anyone classes and new experiences still feeling anxiety at the next grade level. is invited to visit the Another 1,200-plus seniors classroom alone the day will graduate from local high before the test. Such schools and head off for the respites, students say, next phase in their education help them relax and or life. focus.

After further education On the classroom and training at Wallace State white board Lance Community College, some graphs a function on 1,500 students depart this year an axis like those that for improved job opportunities will appear on the and four-year schools. test.

He works the As these annual scenes problem on an overhead play out here – and, indeed, projector that displays much of the world – the the evolving solution teachers, instructors and The walls of Lance’s classroom are plastered with life-lessons on a whiteboard. He professors who taught these that carry meaning to his students. encourages students to students will remain behind speak up as to what they in the classroom doorway – at think the next step is. least figuratively. They’ll have blessed to teach.

I have tried to pass on “Never let the fear of striking out a pretty good idea of the direction some of to them the many positive traits that past keep you from playing the game,” their students will take, but far too many mentors instilled in me, lessons that go Lance reminds them.

It’s a simple but variables exist to ever know with certainty beyond the syllabus, and which students useful life lesson they’ve heard him say where they’ll end up in a world of chutes will use each day of their lives. before. and ladders.

Inevitably, some teachers won’t care.

Others will wonder what more they might t’s a wet day in March in Dr. he classroom walls are filled with have done to reach a particular student.

Boyd’s 8 a.m. Math 112 class. He and such lessons and sayings. As homework, But one would like to believe most the students are reviewing exponents, Lance has students cut square notches teachers view these annual departures volume, factoring and other aspects of from each corner of an 8.5x11-inch with the satisfaction of knowing they did pre-calculus/algebra for a coming chapter sheet of paper and fold it to create an their best to prepare their students for test. open rectangular box with raised sides. whatever lies ahead.

“We’re preparing for ‘game day,’” They are to write a saying in the box and Dr. Lance Boyd of Fairview, a math the former coach tells the students. decorate it for the wall. instructor at Wallace State Community Often alluding to sports, he continues “Write something that helped you get College, wrote an essay this year titled with his favorite quote, borrowed from through life,” he tells them.

“As I Watch My Students Leave.” It UCLA’s former great basketball coach, Besides this philosophic touch, the appeared in “Innovation Abstracts,” an John Wooden. “‘Failing to prepare is exercise is also removed from gradeonline publication of the National Institute preparing to fail.’ Preparation is so much school level because it’s a problem in for Staff and Organizational Development of life … so when decisions come along determining volume. The deeper they of the College of Education at the you want to be prepared to face them.” notch the paper, the taller the sides can University of Texas at Austin.

For Lance, preparation starts with the fold up, but the smaller the resulting base In his essay, Lance reflects on the life students’ notebooks, which they build on of the rectangle. How deep do you notch lessons he mingles with math and strives daily as a future reference source, at the the paper to create the greatest volume? to impart to his students. His essay begins same time learning, he hopes, lessons on “There will be a test question in with … organization. maximization of volume,” Lance says.

As I watch students leave my Besides preparation to not fail, these “This room is 30 feet long, 20 wide classroom after their final exam, it is class reviews are one of his tools to and 10 tall. To figure the volume you with sadness that I realize I will never help remove test anxiety, leading to multiply 30x20x10. It would take 6,000 Story and photos

by David Moore

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see many of them again. I have been an educator for 26 years, including as a middle school math teacher, coach, assistant principal and currently as a community college instructor. During my entire career, I have tried to bring the best out of each student I have been

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“There are steps to working through a math problem,” Lance tells his students. “There are also steps in life.” In teaching the math steps, he gets good mileage out of the educational software system Tegrity. He walks the class through problems, working them on a whiteboard. Tegrity records a visual of those steps and his narrative, which students can replay on demand via the internet. Lance, who grew up in Hanceville, is big on education. He went to Wallace on a baseball scholarship then earned his BA with a double major in math and biology from Athens State. He got a MA in math from Alabama A&M and a second MA and his EDS in administration from The University of Alabama. That’s also where he earned his PhD in higher education. cubic feet to fill this room with water.

That’s volume.

“That’s why I geehaw with math. It’s an absolute,” he adds. “Math works. It always works.”

Lance poses a critical thinking question about the size of the four squares to be cut from that sheet of paper. The sides of the square are X. “What’s happens when I put the X value at five inches?” he asks holding up a sheet of paper. “Think about it … cut a five-inch square out of each corner of this paper.”

Puzzled looks but no comments.

“Brady, how many times do you usually bat in a game?”

“Three.”

“You can’t bat three times and get five hits.” And neither, adds the math instructor, can you cut 5-inch squares from both sides of a sheet of paper 8.5 inches wide.

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n his office after class, Lance discusses a favorite topic – teaching, both math and life lessons. Like the order and consistency in the math he teaches, he strives for order and consistency in life.

For instance, at 6:30 a.m. he’s first to arrive at the Harlan G. Allen Building, which houses the WSCC math department. He always parks in the same space by the flagpole, and convenience is not the main reason.

“There are two reasons,” Lance says.

“One, I look at that flag and think of Clyde Hooten.” The Fairview man was belatedly awarded the Bronze Star for his service in World War II, which included firing a 30-caliber Browning from his hip during the Battle of the Bulge.

“I think of him and all the others who gave me the freedom to come in and teach these kids,” Lance says.

The second reason is that the late Dr. James “Jake” Bailey, longtime president of WSCC, parked in that same space as an instructor. Bailey, Lance says, is one of his male mentors. Others are: • Jim Boyd, his father and former superintendent of Cullman County Schools; • Wendell Roden of Fairview, former county sheriff; • The late Mitch Smith, who owned the namesake Chevrolet dealership in Cullman; • Cullman attorney Finis “Fess” St. John, who serves on the Board of Trustees for the University of Alabama System.

Others heavily influencing Lance’s life include the late Rayford Talley, who coached Boyd at quarterback for Hanceville in 1988; and Dafford Smith, a former coach for whom the Fairview MAY | JUNE | JULY 2018

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stadium is named, who also impressed Lance as a highly organized National Guard colonel.

“Those are the people who helped shape me, who taught me to be organized, to keep my priorities,” Lance says. “Good, Godly men.”

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ance believes in mentoring. Heck, he wrote his dissertation about it.

“I try to help my students find a mentor during my time with them,” he says. “Mentors don’t tell you what you want to hear, they tell you want you need to hear.”

They obviously helped Lance. And his passing on of life lessons to his classes is part of the reason Wallace State’s Phi Theta Kappa Honor society named him Outstanding Academic Faculty Member last year.

Another reason for the recognition is that his teaching methods work. In the spring semester last year 27 of his 28 students passed – a 97-percent pass rate.

Lance’s earlier career included 10 years of teaching, coaching or serving as assistant principal at Fairview elementary and middle schools. Since starting at Wallace part-time in 1995, Lance has taught 9,874 students. (The numbers guy can count.)

Of those, 11 students have scored perfectly on every test he gave.

“It’s amazing that anyone can do that,” he says.

The numbers guy can work out interesting volume problems, too.

“Next semester will mark 10,000 students coming through my classes,” he says. “That would fill up the Tom Drake Coliseum twice.”

Lance takes a personal approach to those 10K kids and adults.

“I don’t believe anyone in my classroom is there by coincidence,” he says. “When this semester ends in May, I start praying for the ones I will have next semester.”

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While hardly deep philosophy, sayings that students write in the boxes they construct while studying volume are important to them and add up to a lot of positive thinking.

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eaching, for Lance, is a commitment, similar in ways to the one he made in 1992 to Kristi, his wife, a teacher at Fairview Elementary.

“When I put that gold band on her left hand, I made a commitment to my wife. And I tell my students, ‘If y’all commit to me and stay in the classroom, I commit to you I will be here for you.’”

A linchpin of his teaching methods calls for any student making below 75 on a test to drop by his office for a chat on the sofa where they go through Lance’s grade improvement checkoff. “‘What you’re doing is not working or you won’t be sitting here,’” he tells them. “They have to stay humble. Be willing to change. I have changed all my life.”

One change for Lance came years ago while sitting in the office of former three-term Cullman Mayor Jack Sides.

“His phone rang,” Lance recalls. “He said, ‘Excuse me, Lance, there is someone I can help.’ He answered the phone and said, ‘What can I do for you,’ not ‘What do you want.’

“That always stuck with me,” Lance continues. “He was a servant-leader. I am a servant-leader. When my students walk in my door, I am here for them, they’re not here for me.” He doesn’t ask what they want, he inquires what he can do for them.

Being a servant-leader requires being accessible. To that end,

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Boyd answers questions from Mattie Putman following class one morning.

Accessibility and consistency, he feels, are two of the many important aspects of teaching. “I’m the same person in that classroom as I am at church, at the market, at a ballgame.

Lance usually stays in his office to eat his turkey sandwich for lunch in order to be that much more available to students.

“I really believe that everyone I have in my class is there for a reason, and I try my best to develop that relationship with them,” he says, his earnestness as absolute as a math equation.

“That they know I am always available to them.”

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Still, it’s what Lance loves, what he signed on for – helping to get the most out of his students.

So he seeks to maximize their potential before they exit his sphere of influence.

“I tell them, ‘Whatever you’re doing at the moment, give it all you’ve got.’ I have such a passion about this,” he says.

“When it leaves me I will retire.”

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long with Harry S. Truman, Bear Bryant r. Lance Boyd sums Lance’s daughter – now Sadie Hardin and teacher in West and Nick Saban, Thomas up his essay, “As I Watch Jefferson is one of the My Students Leave,” with Point – was a student of his at Wallace and put this “bright” famous men Lance Boyd these parting thoughts … saying in the box she made while she was a student of his at strives to emulate.

As my students leave Wallace. “Never a day goes by that I don’t think of Sadie’s “He was all about each year, I hope and pray box,” Lance says. He and his wife, Kristi, have a son named public schools,” he says of that they never settle. I Truman after the president Lance holds in high regard. He Jefferson. “He perpetuates want them to be the best himself is the son of Jim and Willodean Boyd. public education. mom or dad, the best “Here at Wallace, we engineer, the best teacher take them all. That’s what – I want them to be the Others have problems with time Jefferson was all about. best they can be … [to] That’s what this college does. That’s why management, making bad choices. Lance learn from their mistakes and not make tries to help them overcome such issues.

I love this community college.” the same mistake in the future. They will It doesn’t always work.

Taking “all” students in creates a listen more and talk less. They will have Those are the tough days when he downside. It opens the doors to some a humble spirit and always continue finds himself reading the life lessons and their pursuit of knowledge. Yes, it is a Lance can’t reach. saying his students have written in their “I have cried with several students sad day as I watch my students leave, boxes hanging on the classroom walls. who had been addicted to drugs,” he but I’m always happy that I was able to “Or I go home and talk to my says. “Or they maybe got a head injury spend a few pages in a chapter of their wife about it,” he says. “She’s my big and couldn’t do the job they dreamed of, lives. encourager.” and we cried about that.”

Good Life Magazine 72

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Don’t worry, no voters – or politicians – were hurt in this reenactment of the damage done by the hail storm and tornado in March to the double-decker landmark, heirloom outhouse Steve Maze’s father built some years back. It was bad, Steve says, but nothing compared to what others had to deal with ... corncobs notwithstanding.

Landmark outhouse topples in storm Story by Steve A. Maze Photos by David Moore

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certainly sympathize with my fellow Cullman Countians who are now finding it difficult to secure the services of roofing contractors, glass repair shops, tree trimming companies, etc., after the devastating storm that took place March 19.

All of them were in high demand.

My property did not sustain as much damage as that of my late father, who lived across the field from me in the New Canaan community of eastern Cullman County. Pieces of metal roofing had to be replaced on his barn, one outbuilding will have to be torn down, and sections of his house will need to be repainted.

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The largest loss I suffered was a sentimental one that left a deeper scar than the physical losses. Corncobs were scattered everywhere because dad’s outhouse was also toppled. And it wasn’t just any outhouse …

Once upon a time, during election years for more than a decade, politicians’ cars would line the road in front of the iconic structure. Whether they were running for local or state office, they all clamored to get their picture taken with the doubledecker outhouse constructed by my dad, Marlon Maze.

The two-story structure had one outhouse stacked directly on top of the other. Dad placed a “politicians” sign on the top outhouse and a “voters” sign on the bottom. It wasn’t difficult to determine who had the advantage over the other.

Dad was always very involved in the political process – if

Steve, in 2009, admires the carpentry work, if not the statement, of his late dad, Marlon Maze.

being “involved” meant criticizing incumbents or those hoping to be elected to office.

Dad did not discriminate when sharing his criticism of politicians. That meant office holders from Arab, Cullman County and the state of Alabama felt the wrath of his ire on more than one occasion.

Dad had a great sense of humor, and particularly delighted in giving grief to politicians who visited with him until his death in 2007.

“I wish ya’ll would quit using the outhouse when you stop to take pictures,” he laughed. “But if you do, I have a syrup bucket full of corncobs in case you need them.”

Dad also kept a shovel handy so politicians could help clean out the privy.

“Ya’ll can go a half-mile up the road to Maze Cemetery and dig up votes when you are through,” he suggested.

But dad wasn’t the only one in his family with a sense of humor.

One year – on election day – dad woke up to find his yard full of political signs supporting an incumbent he had worked very hard to get voted out of office. To say he wasn’t happy would be an understatement.

Dad swore it was the work of the politician he had worked to unseat, but later discovered the real culprit. Only then did he manage to crack a smile, but not much of one.

Office seekers knew they could count on him “politicking” for them if they could just get on his good side.

And a few did … he just never let them know it.

Like so many others, I face a daunting task but I am inspired by fellow Cullman Countians who have always arisen to such challenges – especially in recent years.

They just didn’t have to pick up so many dang corncobs.

Good Life Magazine

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Some went to Smith Lake Park last July to the watch WakeBattle. Others were out and about at the park or boating on the lake and caught the show. Either way, they saw wakeboarders doing crazy stuff. Above, boaters watch young Troupe Creswell from Tallassee catch some air. Below Mary Morgan Howell of Troy and Alex Graydon of Lake Martin challenge gravity. (Next page, please.)

Out ’n’ About

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One of five stops in the Southern Wake Series, WakeBattle returns to Smith Lake Park July 14. The competition – which runs from 8 a.m. until whenever – last year attracted more than 50 of the best riders from across the Southeast. Sponsored by Russell Marine, the events were held for about five years on the Alabama River in downtown Montgomery. When Russell opened its dealership in Dodge City last year, Smith Lake offered a great venue and WakeBattle moved there. The series includes events at Oak Mountain State Park, Lake Guntersville, Gulfport, Miss. and Orange Beach. In scenes from last year: Leif Lacey of Tuscaloosa finishes a run and coasts into the judging/spectator area at the park, above. At far right, Courtney Washington of Jacksonville and Ben Allbright of Amandaville, La., put on a show. Between runs, nothing says you can’t jump in the lake. Photos by Patrick Oden.

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