Marshall Good Life Magazine - Winter 2018 by The Good Life Magazine

MARSHALL COUNTY

Did a rogue Rebel guerrilla leader reform and become a local pastor? Canyon Trevino is making a name for himself bull riding ... he’s 13 When it comes to photography, Judy Kennamer is truly ‘booking’

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Welcome Dad and Santa hit the bullseye with an extra Mattel Winchester

us Moore has been on my mind lately. He’s never really far from it ... for reasons good or bad, thoughts of our fathers are usually close at hand for most all of us. With Gus, who died in 1990, the reasons for me are good. And working on this winter issue of GLM during October has kindled afresh thoughts of Dad. Invariably, these recent thoughts of him return to the Christmas when I was in the second grade. This reeks of cliché, but it’s true: unless it was pouring rain or cold enough to freeze my lunch box handle to my hands, I walked about a mile and a half, each way, to school in the Bluff Park community south of Birmingham. I thought nothing of it, perhaps because it was not uphill both ways. I walked with a buddy, Gregg Adair, and with Willie Shinn, a kid who lived about a half mile from us in a rundown house with more brothers and sisters than I could count. My family was by no means rich, but it was obvious that Willie’s family was poor. But he was fun to be with, which was the important thing. That Christmas my little brother, Danny, and I were thrilled because Santa had come through – again – and brought us the toy Mattel Winchester rifles that had topped our wish lists. To the smell of popping caps, we ran around the Christmas tree in the living room joyfully shooting each other and, for a brief time, the cats. I was surprised a while later to discover another long, flat box wrapped and hidden behind the tree. I hoped it was mine, even if it meant, as I suspected, another rifle. Nope, Dad said. Santa had left the present in hopes that I might give it to someone else. When I asked who, he suggested I think about it. “Willie?” “He probably didn’t have as big a Christmas as you did,” Dad said. “And Christmas is not all about getting.” So later that cold morning I went to Willie’s. His house was crowded, messy and dark. They had a scraggly tree from the woods with about 20 odd-sized lights on it. He opened the present and was thrilled. I’d brought my handy Winchester along and we ran around his house and yard shooting each other and maybe a spare sibling or two. On the way home I pondered matters in my little head and decided Santa and Dad had a pretty good idea about giving gifts. I had plenty of time for that pondering business, too. I had to walk home. David Moore Publisher/editor 8

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Contributors Not that it’s blank, but David A. Myers can now add writing restaurant stories for GLM to his resumé. A Louisiana transplant to Guntersville, his resumé contains former boxer, teamster, riverboat deckhand, U.S. Marine and ironworker. He’s also written five novels and works under contract to NASA. Hunter McBrayer is changing his resumé. As a regional Extension agent, he wrote our “Good ‘n’ Green” features. Now he’s off to “Good ‘n’ Greener” pastures working as the Alabama Farmers Federation’s commodity director and head of the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. Best of luck, Hunter. Speaking of good people leaving ... this marks the final issue for Annette Haislip to write GLM’s “Good Reads” feature. “After five years, it is time for me to gracefully retire while I am still in good standing I hope,” she writes. “I wish you continuing success ... always.” With that, we dedicate this issue to Annette. While Hunter and Annette depart, we welcome back Seth Terrell. He took a sabbatical to complete his MFA, and with that under his belt he was hired by Wallace State Community College as a full-time English instructor at its site in Oneonta. He’s back this issue with story on a 13-year old bull rider. Steve Maze lists MMOS on his resumé – master’s degree in memorabilia and odd stories. In this issue he revisits a mystery he wrote years ago in Yesterday’s Memories. Did an infamous Civil War guerrilla become a reformed pastor? “It’s an interesting story,” he says, “with enough coincidences to make you wonder.” A story on a CrossFit training fan in Cullman County Good Life Magazine inspired GLM’s ad/art director, Sheila McAnear. After reading it, she pumped up her bike tires and started riding again. She knocked out 20 miles one week and plans to up that now that the weather has cooled – and this issue is finished.

For some reason, publisher/editor David Moore feels compelled to write something new in the contributor boxes every issue. Sometimes it’s easy, but usually it’s harder than seven lines look ... at least for him. He’d understand his compulsion if he’d learned anything from his UA psychology degree.

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Inside 12 Good Fun

Locally written Christmas musical to benefit homeless in the county

20 Good People

Danny Maltbie enjoys local history especially if comes from pottery

24 Between the ditches

Take a story ride and learn why Turnpike Road got its name

26 Good Reads

“There There” and “Warlight”

29 Good Cooking

Chef Joseph Vance spices his with his New Orleans “accent”

38 Christmas goes on

Teddy Rotellini loved Christmas; Sandy and Robin keep the tradition

46 Good ’n’ Green

Seasons come and seasons go but in good soil does wisdom grow

48 Good Eats

Jessica Hanners shares her delicious “homecoming” at her Langston café

51 History mystery

William Quantrell was a vicious marauder; did he reform his ways as a local pastor?

57 Ride ‘em young

Canyon Trevino at 6 wanted to ride bulls; at 13, he’s living his dream on the circuit

65 Judy is booking

Some photographers get published; but her work appears on hundreds of covers

74 Out ’n’ About

Artifacts in exhibit were excavated before the lake covered them up

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

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

On the cover: Judy Kennamer’s photo of Santa is said to look a lot like Gordan Mahathey of Allen’s Crossroads. This page: The chalkboard at Homecoming Café shows what’s cooking fresh-grown from local farms and gardens. Photo by David Moore

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MARSHALL COUNTY

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

Holiday Tour of Homes adds special Friday night event and four times on Sunday

fter an overwhelming response last year, the Guntersville Ladies Civitan Club has created a double event for its Fifth Annual Holiday Tour of Homes. Tours will be on Friday, Nov. 30, and Sunday, Dec. 2, all “chauffeured” by Guntersville Public Transportation. Friday’s tour begins with champagne and heavy hors d’oeuvres at the waterfront home of Jason and Judy Odell Upton on Signal Point Road (upper left). The interior is dramatic, almost whimsical, and wonderfully livable. The evening concludes with coffee and dessert at the custombuilt home of Wayne and Elizabeth Hofstetter on Hillwood Drive (upper right). Expect to enjoy Elizabeth playing Christmas carols on her pipe organ. Sunday tours include Bob and Phylis Baron’s unique and stunning Buck Island estate (first left). With the use of concrete and steel, they created an open rectangular building clad in glass, wood and stone that seems to float above the water. Sam and Pam Morgan’s bluff home in Riverpointe (second left) offers an expansive view of the lake and the river bridge. Tastefully decorated, it’s warm, inviting and great for entertaining. Also on Riverpointe bluff, Carol Lecuyer’s home offers water views from all the main living areas (bottom left). An international doll artist, she has a room devoted to her passion. To reach the homes, catch a Guntersville transit bus, leaving from the senior center, where you can also enjoy a reception. Friday’s two-hour tour starts at 6 p.m. Sunday has groups of buses leaving at four departures times: 10:30 a.m., noon and 1:30 and 3 p.m. Friday tickets are $60; Sunday tickets are $30; tickets for both days are $80. All tickets – and they are limited – must be purchased in advance at the Monkey’s Uncle in downtown Guntersville or online at: Guntersville Ladies Civitan Facebook, or Eventbrite. The tour is not handicapped accessible. Proceeds benefit Phase 2 of Every Child’s Playground and other community projects. For more information: Pam Krichev, 256 572-6351. 12

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

‘Tis the season ... to be out and about doing fun stuff

Good Fun

• Now-Nov. 30 – Jodi and David Nuttall exhibit Mountain Valley Arts Council presents the work of husband and wife, David and Jodi Nuttall who share a studio at Huntsville’s Lowe Mill. She met David in England and brought him back to her native Huntsville in 1996. Working in pastels, Jodi bases her work on how a subject’s mood or feeling resonates with her. Her focus is on local color and her technique usually involves a lot of blending. David Nuttall native of South Wales, centers his work on cartography, be it from real locations or geographic fiction. The maps are created on a variety of mediums, including paper, wood, board and canvas. The MVAC gallery, 300 Gunter Ave., Guntersville, is open 1-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. For more info: 256-571-7199. • Nov- 9-10 – Christmas Open House The North Town Merchants Association in Guntersville is kicking off the shopping season this weekend with sales and goodies. Stores will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. both days. • Nov. 12 – Veterans Day services The public is encouraged to attend the annual services in front of the courthouse in Guntersville sponsored by the VFW posts in Boaz, Guntersville and Arab. It begins at 11 a.m. Monday. A second service will be held at 2 p.m. at the All Veterans Monument at Arab City Park. Guest speaker will be Col. Randal Brown of Arab, a veteran of Afghanistan and retiree of the Alabama National Guard. • Nov. 15-Dec. 31 – Festival of Trees; private collection exhibits The Guntersville Museum will feature about 35 Christmas trees, gorgeously decorated by community

MVAC features pastels by Jodi Nuttall, top, and her husband’s map-inspired works.

organizations. As part of the festival, the Cherokee Elementary Choir will perform at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 2. There will be ornament crafts for kids and refreshments. At 2 p.m., Dec. 9, the RSVP choir and dulcimer and ukulele bands will perform. Refreshments will be served.

The annual festival is free except for the opening night reception 5-7 p.m. Free to members, non-members can pay $15 to enter, which covers membership for a year. The reception will also be for an exhibit of art from the private collections of museum members,

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

• Nov- 29-Dec. 2 – “Making Room for Christmas” Written by David Chupp of Guntersville, this “jukebox musical” is presented to raise money for the Marshall County Homeless Ministries. It tells the story of Room in the Inn – the emergency shelter program operated by MCHM and the story of Christmas from a different viewpoint. Music is mostly a cappella in the style of Pentatonix. “Making Room” is directed by Lori Boatfield of Boaz and – in the style of The Whole Backstage, for which Chupp wrote several original sellout plays – the musical incorporates local talent. Shows will be held at Lifepoint Church at 700 Motley St., Albertville (just off U.S. 431 across from Catfish Cabin).

including pieces by Picasso, Chagall and Audubon. The museum is open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 1-4 p.m. weekends. For more: www. guntersvillemuseum.org; or 256-5717597. • Nov. 23–Dec. 31 – Christmas in the Park Arab’s traditional Christmas in the Park kicks off at 6 p.m. the day after Thanksgiving when Santa helps flip the switches to some two million lights, transforming Arab City Park into a Christmas wonderland. Take a walk down the Tinsel Trail. The park is lit nightly from dusk to about 9 p.m., weather permitting. There will be entertainment opening night and on the weekends in the Old Rice Church at the historic village. Admission is free. In conjunction with Christmas in the Park, Santa will be at Arab Historic Village – located in the park 6-9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Nov. 23-Dec. 22. Snap a photo with the 14

General admission is $25 for shows at 7 p.m. Nov. 29 and Dec. 1, at 2 p.m. and 7:00 pm and 2 p.m. Dec. 2. Tickets are available online at: mchm.ticketspice.com/making-room-forchristmas. A dinner theatre performance catered by Gunter’s Landing will be held at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 30. Businesses and individuals can reserve tables for eight for $1,000 or a half table for $500. MCHM, a Marshall County United Way agency, works with 36 churches countywide and others to provide emergency shelter, food and counseling for “our homeless neighbors.” For more ticket or table info call: 256-459-8067.

kids and Santa, have fun, eat a snack and hammer reindeer shoes at the blacksmith shop. Admission to Santa in the Park is free for kids 2 and under, $5 per person or $20 per (immediate) family. More info? Call: Arab Parks and Rec, 256-586-6793. • Nov. 24 – Skinny Turkey Run The race starts at the Boaz Rec Center and runs through town. A 10K jumps off 8 a.m.; 8:30 for the 5 K. Register at the Boaz Rec Center or at: runsignup.com/Skinny/Turkey. Register before Nov. 11 and the entry fee is only $30 and you’re guaranteed a T-shirt. Register Nov. 12 -21 and the cost is $35. Register after that – up to 6-7 a.m. Nov. 24 – and the entry fee is $40. For more info: facebook.com/ boazrec; nicole.preselty@cityofboaz. org; or 256-593-7826. • Nov. 24 – Shop Small The statewide push this Saturday is to remind folks to shop in the small shops in

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

their towns and cities. Some businesses will have specials on that day. • Nov. 26-Dec. 20 – Free giftwrapping The Arab Chamber of Commerce is offering free wrapping for all Christmas gifts bought in Arab. Bring your receipt – and a box, if needed – when you drop off the gift between 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Thursday. • Nov. 26–Dec. 21 – Free giftwrapping, Albertville BYOB – bring your own box – along with a receipt from any merchant in town to the Albertville Chamber of Commerce during regular office hours for free gift wrapping. If it’s a really big present, the chamber folks will make you a really big bow. • Nov. 27 – Guntersville tree lighting The city’s annual 20-foot Christmas tree lighting ceremony starts at 5:30 p.m. with Santa doing the honors

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Did a rogue reform and Rebel guerrilla leader become a local pastor Canyon ? Trevino is makin for himse lf bull riding g a name ... he’s 13 When it comes to photo Judy Kenna mer is truly graphy, ‘booking’ WINTE R 2018 COMPL IMENTA RY

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loops back to the church on Sand Mountain Drive. To register an entry, call: Jason Simpson at Alfa, 256-8781412; or the chamber, 256-878-3821.

Six Christmas parades will brighten Marshall County. Join the community fun and attend one ... or two. This float last year was built by Arab Veterinary Hospital.

in Errol Allan Park downtown. Sponsored by the city’s Tree Commission, there will be Christmas singing by the two elementary school choirs, hot chocolate and cookies. Need more info? Call: 256-571-7561. • Dec. 4 – Lights of Love With families of loved ones who have died, Shepherd’s Cove Hospice will hold its annual celebration with holiday lights and music. For information on sponsoring lights and luminaries visit: sclightsoflove.com. The ceremony is 4:30-6:30 p.m. at 408 Martling Road in Albertville. • Dec. 4-28 – Christmas Card Contest Those are the dates for this ninth-annual popular event held by Mountain Valley Arts Council. Over 200 students from Marshall County will have their Christmas card entries on display at the MVAC gallery. The awards ceremonies will be 4:30-5:30 p.m., Dec. 7 at the gallery. During the exhibit, MVAC will host its first ART Market with over a dozen artists filling the gallery with their best holiday gifts. The MVAC gallery, 300 Gunter Ave., Guntersville, is open 1-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. 16

Saturday. Admission is free. For more info: 256-571-7199. • Dec. 1 – Arab Cookies with Santa The Arab Civitans invite young and old to its annual, free gettogether with Mr. Claus. The fun goes from 10 a.m.-noon at the Arab Fire Department. The Civitans provide a free photo with Santa, and kids can have cookies, juice and milk in the bay with the fire trucks. • Dec. 4 – Cookies with Santa in Grant Grant Chamber of Commerce is holding an evening of Cookies with Santa. The big guy will be at town hall 5-6 p.m. with Mrs. Claus and perhaps a few elves. Admission is $5, with proceeds going to the DAR Elementary School’s learning resource center and to help buy new playground equipment. • Dec. 6 – Albertville Christmas Parade It starts with the tree lighting at 4:30-5 p.m. at Rotary Park. The traditional parade, sponsored by the Civitans and Albertville Chamber of Commerce, starts at 5:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church, goes up Main Street, then left on South Hambrick, then

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

Dec. 6 – Arab Christmas Parade The annual Christmas parade starts at 6 p.m. at Arab First Baptist Church and runs south down Main Street. The theme is “People of Christmas” and the grand marshal will be Alex Sierra, winner of the Arab Chamber of Commerce’s 2018 Outstanding Citizen Achievement Award. Registration forms available at the chamber office on North Main Street. It’s free to enter the parade, but there’s a $35 float fee to be eligible for $100, $75 and $50 awards. For more information or to participate, call: Arab Chamber, 256-586-3138. • Dec. 7 – Holiday Concert at Snead The Snead State Community College Music Department’s Holiday Concert will be held at 7 p.m. in Fielder Auditorium. It features student solos and ensemble performances by the College Street Singers, guitar ensemble, concert choir and jazz combos. Admission is free. • Dec. 7 – Boaz Christmas Parade Boaz’s Christmas Parade starts at 5:30 p.m. on Ala. 205 at First Baptist Church and winds its way through town from there. This year’s theme is “Year of our People.” Prizes and ribbons will be awarded to top floats and the best decorated horse. Dec. 3 is the last day to register for the parade. There’s a $10 entry fee for parade units. For more info contact: Boaz Area Chamber of Commerce: 256-593-8154; or boazchamberassist@gmail.com. • Dec. 7 – A Night Before Christmas This big, free, Guntersville event, sponsored by North Town Merchants Association, runs 5-9 p.m. In addition to the snow machine in the parking lot of the old post office, there will be ice skating with a bigger rink than last year ($5 to rent skates). See Santa and Mrs. Claus at Errol Allan Park starting about 5:30 p.m. (There

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will be heaters!) Catch a carriage ride. And Guntersville First United Methodist Church will again set up its replica Bethlehem marketplace with live animals. Merchants will not only be open and offering sales, but offering refreshments and fun activities such as decorating cookies and hearing story tellers. • Dec. 8 – Cookies with Santa in Albertville You-know-who will be at the Albertville Chamber of Commerce from 8-10 a.m. for cookies, photos and other fun, including a coloring contest. • Dec. 8 – Guntersville Christmas Parade Lineup begins at 3:30 p.m. at Scott Street one block past the chamber and the parade begins its route up U.S. 431 through Guntersville at 5 p.m. The theme is “People of Christmas.” Applications are available at the Lake Guntersville Chamber of Commerce or online at: www.lakeguntersville.org in early November. For more info: 256582-3612. • Dec. 8 – Grant Christmas Parade Sponsored by the Grant Chamber of Commerce, kicks off at 1 p.m. Saturday and runs through downtown. • Dec. 10 – Douglas Christmas Parade The 2018 Douglas Christmas Parade lineup is at 4 p.m. at the football field and the parade starts at 5:30. The theme is “Miracles of Christmas.” The free, fun family event includes cookies and hot chocolate with Santa at Douglas Town Hall after the parade. Prizes will be awarded to the parade entries. For more info or applications, visit: www.douglasal. com. • Dec. 11 – “Gifts of the Magi” The Snead State Community College Community Choir will perform “The Gifts of the Magi” at 7 p.m. in Fielder Auditorium. Admission is free. 18

Valerie Pailloz’s paintings often draw upon scenes from yesteryear. • Dec. 15-16 – The Nutcracker The Whole Backstage Theatre and Sonny Lewis will present the Huntsville Ballet’s performance of “The Nutcracker” in the Dot Moore Auditorium. The performance of the classical Christmas piece is under the artistic direction of Phillip Otto and will include invited performances by 17 auditioned dancers from the Kohl Academy of Performing Arts. The program is funded in part by Support the Arts license plates. The Whole Backstage is located at 1120 Rayburn Ave. in Guntersville. Shows are 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets – $25 adults; $20 seniors and students – are available at the WBS office 9 a.m.-3 p.m. weekdays; by phone at 256-582-7469; or at: www. wholebackstage.com. • Dec. 16-17 – The Winter Rose That’s the title of the annual Christmas cantata performed by the Arab First United Methodist Church, accompanied by an orchestra. The performance will be held in lieu of the regular worship services at 11 a.m. that Sunday in the sanctuary. The public is also invited to a

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

community performance at 7 p.m. Monday. Arab First will hold its annual Christmas Eve candlelight and communion services at 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Dec. 24. For more information, call the church office during regular business hours: 256-586-5792. • Jan. 3-31 – Valerie Pailloz exhibit After retiring here, Guntersville native Valerie Pailloz began painting earnestly as a serious hobby. Finding inspiration in old vintage photographs, historic buildings and nature, her paintings evoke feelings of nostalgia, peacefulness and contentment. Daughter of Cranston and Dorothy Rains Kennedy and the granddaughter of James and Lucile Smith Rains, Valerie took painting lessons early on from Lucile, a renowned local Guntersville artist and founder of Art-On-The-Lake. A reception for Valerie will be held 5-7 p.m., Jan. at the MVAC gallery, 300 Gunter Ave., Guntersville. It is open 1-5 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Admission is free. For more info: 256-571-7199.

• Jan. 25-Feb. 17 – Eagle Awareness Lake Guntersville State Park’s 34th annual winter event highlighting bald eagle watching for young and young at heart. The Saturday (5:30 a.m.-5 p.m.) and Sunday programs (5:30 a.m.2 p.m.) are free. They start at the lodge, run through the day and feature guided field trips, live bird demonstrations and notable speakers. If that’s too early or too far to drive – or you want to make a fun weekend of it, the park offers special – two-night – packages from $45 campground fees to lodge rooms starting at $160 and cabins and chalet for $300. For more program info, call: the nature center, 256-571-5445; for campgrounds, call: 256-5715455; for other reservation, call: 256-505-6621; or visit: http:// alapark.com/Lake-GuntersvilleState-Park-Eagle-AwarenessWeekends.

Given their dramatic comeback and the popularity of the Eagle Awareness Program at Lake Guntersville State Park, the bald eagle might as well be Marshall County’s official bird. Here one pads its nest in a photo by Al Reese, subject of the Good People feature in the fall issue of GLM.

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SNAPSHOT: Danny Maltbie

EARLY LIFE: Born Aug. 7, 1952, to the late Ira and Elsie Maltbie. Siblings: Jeanette Gilliand, Albertville; Margie Crews, Jacksonville, Fla.; Max Maltbie, Pensacola; the late Lex Maltbie, Alpharetta, Ga. EDUCATION: Albertville High School. FAMILY: Married Darla Cordell, December 1972. Children: Julie (and Victor) Spivey, Albertville; Dan (and Celia) Maltbie, Albertville. Grandchildren: Stella Spivey, 13; Ari and Bo Maltbie, 10 in October and 6, respectively. CAREER: January 1973-1984, Monsanto polyester filament plant in Langston; 1984-2011, Chrysler Corp., Huntsville. ACTIVITIES: Avid collector of antique pottery; 2013-17, board member and chairman, Keep Albertville Beautiful; since 2013, board member or chairman of the Albertville Museum; present, volunteer at the Marshall County Archives. 20

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Good People

Danny Maltbie

He finds history close to home ... more often than not in antique pottery Story and photo by David Moore

eer inside one of Danny Maltbie’s collection of scores upon scores of antique pottery pitchers, jugs, jars and churns and chances are you won’t see anything but the dark bottom. Danny, however, looks deeply and sees a piece of glazed history. For more than 20 years he and Darla, his wife, have collected antique pottery, delving into its finer points, evolving into experts, especially when it comes to the highly regarded Sand Mountain pottery. Much of this finely turned, glazed and decorated pottery was produced at Belcher’s Gap, between Sardis and Crossville, from the 1860s or earlier through the early 1900s. The Maltbies’ knowledge extends to antique pottery made in Blount and Cleburne counties and other parts of the state. “Pottery,” Danny declares while discussing his passion, “is a folk art.” In his pursuit of collecting this folk art and learning about it, he found himself drawn into the Albertville Museum. “Wanting to know the history of the pottery led me to wanting to know more about the history our area, of our town,” Danny says. At this point in the discussion, Darla, a yoga teacher at TherapyPlus South, brings up a facet of local history she finds outright entertaining: stories of her husband’s childhood growing up in Albertville. “Tell the story about your pedal car,” she grins. “I’m not sure I need to get into that …”

ith a little egging, Danny sets aside pottery and relates some personal history.

5questions

As a tot, he says, his parents both worked so he stayed with his grandmother. “I was about 3 years old and I rode my pedal car across town and hung out at the filling station,” he confesses. “I only did it once. They didn’t let me go out much after that.” But he enjoyed hanging out at the filling station while he could. “People there didn’t know my name,” Danny says. “They called me ’Skeeter. I didn’t realize it, but I was probably an aggravating little thing …”

motorcycle. Danny and dad voted her down. When he turned 13, he got a 300cc Honda. “I weighed 110 or 115,” Danny laughs. “I could barely touch the ground. My mother was deathly scared.” The scary two-wheeler days ended a few years later when he and three buddies, stopped by the Guntersville PD, had their bikes confiscated. “So my Daddy sold the motorcycle,” Danny says. “But I already had a car.”

hen Danny was 5 or 6, the family lived on Miller Street. Danny’s father, Ira Maltbie, bought and sold used cars. He also had a shop where he worked on them, and, since he was banned from hanging out at the filling station, Danny hung out with his dad and helped at the shop. “I guess I aggravated him until he gave me money,” he laughs. “Some kids around the corner found a junk bike, and I bought it from them for $2. I got my daddy to carry it up to his shop.” Danny bought parts and fixed up the bike that winter. He bought a can or two of paint and sprayed it red. “I really fixed the bicycle up. It had all of the accessories that Western Auto sold,” he says. With no warning, however, on Christmas Eve his father gave the bike to a man with no money to give his son as a present. Danny was hurt. He did what? “Unbeknownst to me, Santa was bringing me and my older brother Max new bikes for Christmas,” Danny says. “All was forgiven at that point. Over time it had all of the accessories Western Auto had.” In the ninth grade, Danny sold a horse he had to bolster his savings from a gas station job and bought a Honda 50cc. Elsie, his mom, tried to ixnay the

t 18, Danny went to work at Hood Electric refurbishing industrial motors. Eventually he bought a ‘67 Chevelle SS, which he had when he and Darla – “She was a beautiful young woman,” Danny says – started dating in the summer of ’72. “It was yellow,” she says of the Chevy. “He kept it spotless.” They joined the parade of others and cruised around the Dairy Queen. In December they left the parade and got married. The next month Danny began working at the Monsanto plant in Langston. That’s when he began his foray into history, though it was a modest start. “Darla has always been a lover of old things, even before we were married,” Danny says. “We got to buying antiques. The first piece of furniture we bought was an antique bed.” In the mid-1990s – Danny now working at Chrysler in Huntsville – he and Darla began buying antique pottery. “I really don’t know who brought the interest to me,” he says. “Dale Clayton helped sparked it.” Along the way, he heard Holy Grail tales of Sand Mountain pottery from admiring friends. Over time, with some trial and error in purchases, Danny learned to identify Sand Mountain pottery. He recognized the double dipping that

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left two tones of glaze; the difference in ash and lime glazing compared to Albany slip; the wavy, incised lines combed into the clay as decoration; telltale thumb depressions at the base of handles; slender churns with small openings. “When you got to buying pieces like the Hopewell pottery, there is not much written about it,” Danny says. “So that started me digging into it myself.”

is retirement from Chrysler in 2011 gave him even more time for research. Meanwhile, buying and selling fine old pottery got out of hand. Several outbuildings overflowed with pieces, and they began selling more than buying. Their collection is “down” to maybe 150 pieces. “When you become a collector, you want every piece you see,” Danny laughs. “You will stand in line at estate sales. There was no reason to fight about a piece, but we would spare no expense in trying to be first in line if we knew there was a piece we wanted.” “At some point, when you get a certain age, you get content. I’m kind of at the point where the story of the pottery and the potter – the history – are more important than the actual piece. “Then again,” he laughs, “in the last six months there have been seven or eight new pieces come in here.”

You’re chairman of the Albertville Museum board. How did history get so important to you, especially local history? And why should history matter to people? History should matter to everybody. Everybody should know their local history. Our museum works to try to teach children history. We would like to reach as many as possible through school or whatever means. Darla’s father, Grady Cordell, was real good at telling stories. That was probably an early introduction to history for me. But to me, history is tied into pottery. At the time, pottery was made strictly for utilitarian use. At this point in time it is a folk art. Like a folk painting, or folk music or basket weaving, it’s a utilitarian form that turned into art. Art’s in the eye of the beholder, but 22

to me there is not a more beautiful piece of pottery in the Southeast than a doubledipped Sand Mountain preserve jar. The reason I got involved with the museum is that we did a pottery event there in June 2013. At that event we displayed pottery made in this general area. I guess I have been volunteering at the museum ever since. Also at that same time, me and two friends from Birmingham – Joe Forbes and Ron Countyman – did a 120-piece exhibit working with Donny Wilson at the Evelyn Burrow Museum at Wallace State Community College. At our museum, I normally take time to look through the old papers and things they have there. It’s never-ending learning of the history of Albertville. That’s primarily my interest, but the pottery led us all over Randolph County to Blount County to DeKalb County. As we find new pieces we tend to study the maker so that the pottery came full circle into local history. Pottery is why history became important to me. But it’s important for everyone to have a love of their town and know its history. There’s an old saying that you can’t move forward with your town without knowing the history of your town. I don’t know who said that. It might have been me. I think I’ve used that before at city hall to get them more involved.

Can you explain your fascination with antique pottery, especially Sand Mountain Pottery? When maybe you first start collecting something, you think about the value and aesthetics. Then the aesthetics take over more than the value. You realize the beauty of the piece. These pieces are 100, 120 years old, and they were made off the land. The potters used nothing but the clay they dug out of the earth to make these pieces of pottery. And why would potters do things such as decorations? The fellow who made this didn’t have to take the time to decorate it. He was making it strictly for use. But he had enough pride in his ability that he wanted his work to stand out, even though it was a utilitarian item.

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The glaze … double dipping. It would have been a normal piece, but he took the time to turn it over and dip part of it halfway into a different mixture of glaze. The glaze was made with watereddown clay and mixed with wood ashes or bottom crushed lime. Ashes from their kiln. He didn’t have to double-dip. He would have sold that piece just the same. The potters at those times used marks on their churns. Understanding them adds to the appreciation for me. Pottery was sold by the gallon size, five to 10 gallons. Like a churn might have a “4” written on it. A four-gallon churn was 40 cents in 1880. A two-gallon churn, that’s 20 cents. At the right place, the value now is astronomically more than that. All of this turns pottery into a folk art. You come to love the shape, knowing the function, knowing that it was made for the beauty in it.

Do veterans get the respect and recognition they deserve? And how did you come to help promote Veterans Day in Albertville? Every Veterans Day we have an event at the museum that is incorporated with the city event. Last year we had a breakfast at the high school. The Veterans Day events we have are a good time to pay respect to people like my wife’s father. He was military. My father was a military man. My brother was military. Darla’s brother was military. Our son Dan was military We, as the public, should recognize them daily. Veterans Day events are the least we can do to pay our respect. You ought to do that for the veterans. War should be the last thing we send our troops off to. That’s the last resort, as far as I’m concerned. But it sometimes may be a necessary thing. Billy Wayne Duke was one of the very few from Albertville who were killed in Vietnam. I remember him from school, just a mild-manner quiet man who got drafted and never came home. The simple fact is that our veterans have given a part of their lives – sometimes all of it – to protect and serve our country. We should take the time to recognize them for their service.

You served five years on the board of Keep Albertville Beautiful, chairing it for three of those years. How can we address the problem of litter? Back in 2013, somebody from the church across the street nominated us for an award for our yard. I offered to volunteer and help them when the ladies brought the sign over with the mayor and council people. So I became involved. Darla always worked to support us every way she could. Once we become involved we paid more attention to litter. Everyone in our city should, at some point, pick up litter around town so they can see what litter does to our town. If you have company coming, you want to clean up your house and make it presentable. Our citizens should be that way about keeping Albertville cleaned up, because we always have visitors coming to town. You do things such as volunteer for Keep Albertville Beautiful not for selfrecognition. You do it for the feeling that you have done something for your

Season’s Greetings!

Digging through old records at the Albertville Museum, Danny Maltbie has uncovered interesting facets of local history, such as Edward Cox’s Old Turnpike. Take a ride with Danny on this old road, starting on page 24.

community that you don’t need a thankyou for. You don’t do it for pats on the back. You do it because it needs to be done and you want to do it. Education is the key to preventing litter. Through Keep Albertville Beautiful, they have done a good job of working with the school on our campaigns. A part of the education process is teaching pride and ownership in our town. That’s something that needs to be taught. Children are the key to the education and pride in the anti-littering campaign. It’s a great thing for the city of Albertville. They have some great people in their organization. I was proud to belong to it.

What’s something most people don’t know about Danny Maltbie? They probably did not know about the pedal car … People around town probably think I just buy and sell pottery. Most of them don’t know that at Chrysler I had a very high-tech job. I was responsible for maintaining the latest in robotics. I was actually a pretty good robotics electrician. [Darla interjects an observation …] Danny is like his mother. She could do anything, and he can do anything. He can sew, do plumbing ... His mother would go under their house and do plumbing, and that’s the way Danny is. He can do anything he wants to do. Danny had a ‘47 Ford he took completely apart – and put it back together, too. He sold it, and we later saw it at a car show in Gatlinburg. He can do anything, and he was a pretty good robotics technician. [Danny speaks, looking at Darla …] All of the pottery and old history in the world doesn’t mean what she does to me. Good Life Magazine

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Headlights cut the eventide at a curve in Walnut Street on the southwest edge of Albertville. The curve is 0.7 miles south of the T-intersection with Turnpike Road. Edward Cox’s Old Turnpike – built along the “road” Andrew Jackson’s army cut in 1813 – followed the route of today’s Turnpike Road ... hence the name. It veered southwest at what’s now Walnut. The old roadbed is visible today to the left of the photo. Danny Maltbie says he drove these roads for years, never knowing the history held between their ditches.

Long before traffic packed U.S. 431, travelers in wagons and coaches paid a toll to bump along

Edward Cox’s Old Turnpike

Story by Danny Maltbie Photo by David Moore

ward Cox’s Old Turnpike across Sand Mountain is one of the earliest roads built in the area. And it actually followed much of the trail laid by Andrew Jackson’s Army in October 1813 on its march to the Creek War battle of Horseshoe Bend. The turnpike led from the Warrenton area, up across Sand Mountain and down again into Bristow’s Cove in Etowah County. The road is shown on a map drawn by Oliver Day “O.D.” Street, who was a county historian. He drew it about 1900, and it depicts his memory of the county in the 1850s. Among the sites Street notes on his map is Cox’s Old Stand. Edward Cox ran the “stand,” which was a stagecoach inn and storehouse for travelers through the area. The stand was located south of Albertville near the intersection of what today is Walnut Street and Turnpike Road. Back then, residents who owned property that the turnpike crossed were responsible for the maintenance of the road on their land. After Marshall County was established, they could 24

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pay a fee to the county commission or spend a certain amount of time working the road themselves. This being the case, Cox built a fence across his land and charged a fee for travelers to pass. This seemed to be a practice other landowners used, too. After an 1899 interview with Martha Miller of Albertville – somewhat of a historian herself – O.D. Street had written: ‘The old Edward Cox Stand is now known as the Reynolds Place and is situated on the Old Turnpike Road, which leads from Gunter’s Landing on the Tennessee River to Double Springs, now called Gadsden, via Bristow’s Cove. Here resided in the early days one Edward Cox who kept a stopping place for the lodgment of travelers. “Blood curdling stories were long told of guests murdered by Cox at this place from motives of robbery. Mrs. Reynolds told me that a son of Edward Cox, who in later years visited them, refused to occupy a room in the house alone.” The Street interview with Mrs. Miller led me to search for more information on Cox, with more yet to be discovered.

This is a reproduced portion of O.D. Streetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Marshall County Map, drawn circa 1900 as he remembered the area back in 1850. The Edward Cox Turnpike was digitally emphasized in gray for clarity. The Tennessee River was also accented.

oday, as you travel Ala. 205 southeast from Guntersville, you can see parts of the old road if you veer off onto Turnpike Road at the three-way intersection with the Oneonta Cutoff. Turnpike Road basically follows the old turnpike route. One spot where the old roadbed is very visible south of Albertville, just across Whitesville Road and down the hill on the left. Turnpike Road ends at Walnut Street, but if you turn right

there, at about 2659 Walnut, you can see another section of the old roadbed heading off to the south. The old roadbed doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come back into contact with another street until it crosses Ala. 168 south of Boaz. From there, Ala. 179 pretty much follows the old turnpike route south toward Gadsden. For many years I used Turnpike Road to get from A to B, and it never occurred to me the history this old road across Sand Mountain holds within its ditches. Good Life Magazine NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

Good Reads Tommy Orange’s ‘There There’ is a powerful debut novel

Ondaatje’s intriguing novel unfolds from a world dimly lit

n his haunting debut novel, “There There,” Tommy Orange, a member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes, portrays the plight of the modern day urban Native American. Set in Oakland, Calif., it takes its title from the famous Gertrude Stein quote about her hometown, questioning whether “Being Indian has never “there is a there there.” been about returning Orange asks the same to the land. The land is question. everywhere and nowhere.” Although fiction, the novel begins with an intense, sometimes bitter essay presenting a condensed version of the 500 years of betrayal, humiliation, and loss of land suffered by the American Indian. Its brief chapters focus on 12 characters, each of whom seeks a sense of identify and ethnic pride. Some are of mixed race, some adopted; all look for a connection to their heritage. Beset with drug and alcohol addiction, unemployment and lack of family stability, they want to find a place to belong. As the story progresses, it becomes apparent that their lives are interconnected. The strongest characters are two sisters, Opal and Jacquie, whose family story is quite moving. The big powwow that takes place at Oakland Coliseum eventually brings the diverse characters together in an explosive, tragic, somewhat confusing climax. Some lives are brought together, some lives are lost. This is a powerful first novel, and you will be glad that you have gone “there.” It is somewhat reminiscent of J. D. Vance’s “Hillbilly Elegy,” an ode to his own Appalachian heritage. – Annette Haislip

arlight” is Michael Ondaatje’s first novel in seven years and does not disappoint. Its title is taken from the dim light surrounding London during the Blitz when the only illumination came from pale yellow lights on the bridges over the Thames to guide boats. “The past never remains The first half of the novel is set in 1945 in the past.” postwar London when Nathaniel, 14, and his older sister, Rachel are left in the care of a mysterious lodger the children call ”The Moth.” Their parents are supposedly going to Singapore for a year on a job assignment. However, something happens that calls that into question. For more than a year the abandoned children are surrounded with a group of eccentric characters who drift in and out of their lives. The most notable is “The Darter,” who plies his trade as a smuggler of illegal greyhounds along the river and who eventually becomes a surrogate father. Nathaniel also engages in a romantic interlude with Agnes, an enigmatic older girl. On their way to the theater, the children are ambushed in a brutal kidnapping attempt resulting in a death. When Nathaniel regains consciousness, his mother’s face hovers over him. The second part of the novel occurs when Nathaniel, now 28, works for British Intelligence and discovers his mother’s intriguing past. He also learns the parts of his earlier caretakers. It all leads up to the novel’s surprising ending. This is a beautiful coming of age novel filled with symbolism, illusion and more than a hint of Charles Dickens. – Annette Haislip

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Good Cooking Story and photos by David Moore

Chef Joseph Vance adds New Orleans zest to his dishes

hef Joseph Vance may well be marinated in natural cooking talent, but he honed his culinary flair to tasty heights at some of New Orleans great restaurants. Today, he brings his zest for cooking to Marshall Medical Center South, elevating meal quality for patients, staff and the public to that of fine dining. He’s also introduced Healthy Heart cooking demonstrations at Marshall South, but at home in Cherokee Ridge he sometimes pulls out the stops with rich cooking for family and friends. Either way, the end results are the same – happy Cajunlit taste buds. “I like to eat and cook the things I like,” Joseph says. “Then I like to see other people smile when it comes out.” “It’s not just a job when it comes down to bringing smiles to people’s faces. That’s the art of the whole culinary experience.” His art of creating those smiles began in high school in the Big Easy. He had an early love for cooking, but it initially sat on the back burner to basketball. That changed in 1985. Then a 19-yearold senior, he washed dishes part time at Copeland’s of New Orleans. “We got real busy one night after we’d let some of the cooks go home,” he recalls. “So I came up and started making biscuits. I had been watching from time to time and just jumped in there. “The manager loved them so much he said, ‘You’ll never go back to washing dishes again.’ I took that and ran with it.” Three years later, Copeland’s brought in a new chef. As lead cook, Joseph was enthusiastically showing him around and talking food, when his new boss suggested he go to culinary school.

oseph did just that, studying culinary arts at Delgado Community College. Before graduating with honors in 1992, he began cooking at Westin Hotel and Resorts in New Orleans.

Joseph Vance, right, the executive chef at Marshall Medical Center South in Boaz, cooked some New Orleans dishes recently. Beneficiaries include his wife, Arnetta, upper left; granddaughter Lundyn, 5; her dad, Bryan, upper right, whose wife Nina is not pictured; and a Cherokee Ridge neighbor, Lucy Slater. The Vances have two other grown children, Annsheric and Jezell, and another granddaughter. Arnetta is the food service director at Signature Healthcare in Huntsville. Also in ’92, he received the Culinary Excellence Award at a convention of the National Restaurant Association in Chicago where he was thrilled to meet the legendary Julia Child. When Joseph was hired as a sous chef at Commander’s Palace, the chef asked what his weakness was. “I told him I never did much in desserts, so he put me in desserts,” he says. “It was an awesome learning experience.” A year later Joseph landed his first job as chef, this for the New Orleans park and recreation department. He catered weddings at the botanical gardens, concerts in the park and prepared meals for entertainers. Still in the city, in 1993 he went to Loyola University, catering as an employee

of Sodexo. With 420,000 employees, the French-based multinational handles food services and facilities management for businesses, country clubs, hotels, resorts, educational institutions and the healthcare industry. Sodexo brought Joseph to the Huntsville Marriott in 1996. He left the company in 1998 when he was hired as executive chef at Atria Weatherly Springs, a senior living facility. While applying he met Arnetta Cole, interviewing for the same job. “They hired both of us, but they put me over her,” Joseph says, ribbing her a bit. Arnetta recalls a year later cooking for him on their first date – T-bone, au gratin potatoes, salad and a red velvet cake. “She had the big bait out,” Joseph

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

NEW ORLEANS PRALINES 1½ cups sugar 1½ cups finely granulated sugar 1 cup condensed milk ¼ cup butter or margarine 2 cups pecan halves, toasted (optional) 1½ Tbsp. vanilla beans, ground 1 tsp. vanilla extract Bring sugars, vanilla beans and milk to a boil over medium heat, stirring often, 11 min. or until a candy thermometer registers 228° (thread stage). Stir in butter and pecans; cook, stirring constantly, until candy thermometer registers 236° (soft ball stage). Remove from heat; stir in vanilla, beat with a wooden spoon 1-2 min. or just until mixture begins to thicken. Quickly drop by heaping full tablespoons onto buttered foil or parchment paper; let stand until firm. laughs. Something worked. They married that December, suddenly a family with three kids.

ealth issues waylaid Joseph in 2003. He’s thankful he had become a Christian when he moved to Huntsville. “I knew God but I did not know God,” he says. “It was my Moses experience. When he went up to the mountain, he met God.” Diagnosed with pending kidney failure, he left work and began dialysis. Arnetta offered to donate a kidney, but Joseph needed a pancreas, too. “I heard from God,” he says. “I would use my faith to get both.” May 11, 2004, the hospital informed him of a cadaver donor. That day, he underwent transplants for a kidney and a pancreas. His surgeon later explained that second transplants are usually done later, but when he saw the new kidney immediately functioning, he transplanted the pancreas, too. “He also said I was talking during the surgery about my three kids and how I’d 30

met Julia Child,” Joseph laughs. “‘Do you have three kids? Do you know Julia Child?’” Seriously, he says it was a blessing to receive both organs that day. “I never had the urge to meet the family members of the donor,” he adds. “It was uncomfortable knowing they lost a loved one, and me counting it a blessing. I appreciate it, of course, but I also know it’s a blessing from God.”

oseph started doing private catering again in 2006, but he feared a relapse. “It’s my relationship with God. His grace and mercy got me through,” Joseph says. In 2007, he returned to Sodexo as general manager for a Verizon building in Huntsville. He was transferred to Oakwood University as executive chef, then to Troy University in that capacity and back to Oakwood. In 2015, Sodexo moved him to Huntsville Hospital again before transferring him to Marshall South in February 2016. “The staff here is great,” he says. “They absorb information like a sponge.”

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

Not only have patient meals improved, but the retail dining room – with Joseph’s comfort food – draws customers from all around. “We blow the doors off,” he says. Joseph’s popular quarterly cooking classes at Marshall South – the next one is at 5:30 p.m., Dec. 18 – will be held every other month in 2019. He also wants to produce a cookbook in conjunction with the hospital, the proceeds going to juvenile diabetes and kidney disease. Last month, Joseph went to Tallahassee’s Capital Regional Medical Center, another Sodexo account, and served food to disaster relief workers helping in the wake of Hurricane Michael. “I still get a chance to play basketball and golf,” he says. “God keeps my plate full. My cup is never empty.” That, he laughs, is a good thing about being a chef. “You can make a meal with whatever is in the pantry.” Adds Arnetta, “We will never be hungry.” Good Life Magazine

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CRAWFISH RÉMOULADE FROM GULF COAST FAVORITES COOKBOOK This classic but easy rémoulade recipe – prep time 10 minutes – is from my cookbook “Gulf Coast Favorites,” which includes all your favorite healthy Cajun recipes. It can be served on a bed of lettuce for a first course. It also makes a light lunch or wonderful dip. Serve with crackers or fresh veggies.

Many people cut raw spaghetti squash into lengthwise halves to form two “boats.” That’s fine, but it disregards the way the strands grow in circles around the width of the squash and gives you shorter and often soggy “spaghetti.” Instead, try the ring method in the instructions below. 1 (2.5-lbs.) spaghetti squash Cooking spray 1 ½ Tbsp. unsalted butter 1 ½ Tbsp. olive oil 32

2 Tbsp. light mayonnaise 2 Tbsp. plain fat-free yogurt 2 Tbsp. prepared horseradish 2 Tbsp. mustard (Creole or grainy) 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp. lemon juice 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley 1 bunch green onions, chopped Salt and pepper to taste SPAGHETTI SQUASH SHRIMP SCAMPI (Grain-free and low carb) ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper 3 garlic cloves, minced 8 oz. large shrimp (peeled, deveined) 5 oz. fresh baby spinach 3/8 tsp. kosher salt Preheat oven to 375°. Trim off squash ends. Cut remaining squash into 1½-inch rings; scoop out and discard seeds and membranes. Arrange rings on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Coat rings with cooking spray. Bake for 45 min. or until just

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

2 lbs. Louisiana crawfish tails, drained and rinse In a medium bowl, mix together mayonnaise, yogurt, horseradish, mustards, lemon juice, parsley, and onion. Season to taste. Carefully stir in crawfish and refrigerate until serving time. Makes 16 (¼-cup) servings

tender. Cool slightly. Cut through each ring and open slightly to reach strands; carefully scrape out the long, spaghetti-like squash strands. Heat butter and oil in a medium skillet over medium-high. Add pepper and garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add shrimp; sauté 2 min. or until almost done. Add spinach, tossing until spinach wilts. Add squash strands; sprinkle with salt. Toss gently to combine.

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ONE-PAN COUSCOUS JAMBALAYA 1 Tbsp. canola oil 1 (8-oz.) pkg. frozen chopped onion and green bell pepper, thawed 3 oz. Andouille sausage, finely chopped (any flavorful chicken or pork sausage) 12 oz. skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces 2 (10-oz.) cans unsalted diced tomatoes and green chilies 2 tsp. salt-free Cajun seasoning (such as Tony Chachere’s) ½ tsp. kosher salt 2 (8.8-oz.) pkgs. precooked couscous 4 green onions, chopped 1 lemon, cut into wedges Hot sauce (to taste) Heat oil at medium-high in a large skillet. Add onion mixture and sausage; cook 4 min. or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Add chicken; cook 4 min. or until chicken is lightly browned, stirring occasionally. Strain tomatoes in a colander over a bowl, reserving ¼ cup liquid. Add strained tomato mixture, reserved tomato liquid, Cajun seasoning, salt and rice (couscous) to pan, scraping pan with a wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Cover pan, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 10 min., stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat; sprinkle with green onions. Divide rice mixture evenly among 4 bowls. Serve with lemon wedges and hot sauce, if desired. Serves 4 (serving size: about ¾ cups)

CAJUN CRAB AND QUINOA CAKES 4 cups water ½ cup uncooked quinoa 1 thyme sprig ½ tsp. black pepper ½ tsp. paprika ¼ tsp. ground red pepper ¼ cup canola mayonnaise ¼ cup chopped sweet pickles 1 tsp. Dijon mustard 8 oz. lump crabmeat, drained and shell pieces removed ¼ cup finely chopped red bell pepper ¼ cup finely chopped celery ¼ cup chopped green onions ½ tsp. kosher salt 34

1 large egg white 2 Tbsp. olive oil, divided Combine first 3 ingredients in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 30 min. or until mushy. Discard thyme. Drain, pressing to remove excess water. Cool slightly. Combine black pepper, paprika, and red pepper. Combine mayonnaise, pickles and mustard. Place crab in a medium bowl; mash slightly. Add quinoa, ½ tsp. spice mixture, bell pepper, and next 4 ingredients (through egg white); stir gently. Divide mixture into 8 equal

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

portions; gently pat into a 3-inchwide patty. Place on a parchmentlined plate. Refrigerate 20 min. Preheat broiler to high. Brush a jelly-roll pan with 1 Tbsp. oil. Arrange chilled cakes on pan; brush tops with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil. Sprinkle with half of remaining pepper mixture. Broil 5 min. or until browned. Turn cakes over. Brush with oil from pan; sprinkle with remaining spice mixture. Broil 5 min. or until browned. Serve cakes with remaining sauce. Serves 4 (serving size: 2 cakes and 1 Tbsp. tartar sauce)

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NEW ORLEANS BEIGNETS 1 package (¼ oz.) active dry yeast ¼ cup warm water (110° to 115°) 1 cup buttermilk ½ cup canola oil ¼ cup sugar 1 large egg 4½ cups self-rising flour Oil for deep-fat frying Confectioner’s sugar (dusting)

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add milk, oil, sugar, egg and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft dough (dough will be sticky). Do not knead. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Punch dough down. Turn onto a floured surface; roll into a 16x12-in. rectangle. Cut into 2-in. squares. In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer,

heat oil to 375°. Fry squares, a few at a time, until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Roll warm beignets in confectioner’s sugar as illustrated in the provided photo above. Note: As a substitute for each cup of self-rising flour, place 1½ tsp. baking powder and ½ tsp. salt in a measuring cup. Add 1 cup. all-purpose flour.

PERFECT CRÈME BRÛLÉE I have made crème brûlée many times, and have been perfecting it over the years. 18 egg yolks 1 cup white sugar 2 Tbsp. vanilla extract 6 cups heavy cream 1/4 cup and 2 tablespoon sugar in the raw (Turbinado Sugar) Brûlée burner or torch burner (or use the oven method in following instructions)

Preheat oven to 300º with rack on the bottom. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar and vanilla together in a stainless steel bowl until smooth. Bring the cream just to a simmer in a saucepan over medium-low heat; pour into the egg yolk mixture, whisking continually until combined. Bring a couple of inches of water to a simmer in an oven-safe saucepan over medium low heat; set the bowl with the cream mixture over the saucepan to form a double boiler. Place the entire

double boiler into the preheated oven; bake until the mixture sets, about 30 min. Chill in refrigerator 2 hours. Preheat the oven’s broiler and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Combine the brown sugar with 2 Tbsp. of white sugar in a bowl; sprinkle evenly over the cold crème. Heat under the preheated broiler until the sugar melts and browns, 2-3 min. Return immediately to the refrigerator and chill until the sugar is set, about 15 min.

Got a suggestion for a guest cook or chef to be featured in “Good Eats”? Email the editor: david.goodlifemagazine@gmail.com 36

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Christmas without Teddy Sandy and Robin strive to carry on the traditions he loved Story and photos by David Moore

nearly echoes, whose presence lit up Christmas like the 15-foot tree he bought for their new living room, died in July 2016. He was 68.

people in the house,” she says. “He and his family loved to entertain.” In the Anglo-Italian tradition, on Christmas Eve, Lucy used to prepare the Feast of the Seven Dishes, including baccalà (salted cod), scungilli (conch), marinated muscles and shrimp, clams and scallops with pasta sauce. Teddy concluded the lengthy meal with espresso containing a shot of liqueur, topped with whipped cream and a slice of lemon. “Then we’d stand by the piano and sing Christmas carols,” Sandy says. “My husband went for the tradition.”

hristmas will be a bit jumbled this year for Sandy Rotellini and her grown daughter Robin. But nothing as bad as the past two years. They’re in the process of downsizing, moving from a house almost big enough for echoes on Hickory Drive in Arab, to a more tamed house on Union Grove Road. Robin is already living and operating her business there. Sandy had thought she’d be out of her big house by now but ... well, you know how life can get. andy and Teddy At any rate, Christmas were 18 when they eloped will be split between the in 1966. Robin was two places. born in August ‘68. The 2016 was the bad year. only grandchild on both “I ran across a picture of him today and cried,” Sandy recently Though not on Christmas sides, she managed to get said. This is one of her favorite photos of Teddy. Day, Lucy – her mother-inthoroughly spoiled. law, who lived with them Initially, Christmases in Arab – died Dec. 30. were not very big, at least at “Christmas with Teddy was always “She was 93 when we moved up in their house. But, of course holiday visits joyous,” Sandy says. “We looked 2013,” Sandy says. to his parents’ house were huge. forward to going shopping every year. But it wasn’t just Lucy. Teddy, her Sandy worked for a car dealership If he knew you liked a special kind of husband, rode herd on that move from chain in Miami. Teddy, in commercial liquor or cookies or candy, he’d buy that Fort Lauderdale. Teddy, who was bigger construction, worked his way up, for you.” than life, who could fill the house that literally and figuratively. He became a “We never exchanged gifts, but one superintendent on numerous high-rise year he did give me ruby earrings.” A buildings in South Florida, including the hint of sadness tints her laugh as she Diplomat Beach Resort in Hollywood, a Sandy and Robin Rotellini sit under adds, “I could have killed him.” huge three-year project. their downsized 12-foot tree last Through his work, Teddy and Sandy Christmas, their second without Teddy. hristmas was a big deal with her became close friends with Joe and Louise At the time they figured it would be family in South Florida, but nothing like Vernaglia. Joe was a vice president with their last Christmas in their house on Teddy’s. the construction company. (Joe and Hickory Drive, off Haynes Road in Arab. Continued on page 42 “With him it was more about having

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

Sandy and Robin’s new 12foot tree is a bit dwarfed by the 25-foot ceiling in the living room. The house has 6,800plus square feet. The house Sandy bought to downsize has 2,100 square feet plus a basement they’ll finish off for an apartment for Robin. She has a shop there where she’s moved her business, German Parts Supply. Sandy works at Major Motors in Arab.

Continued from page 39 Louise, moved to Arab in 2011. They and their unique home were featured in the 2017 winter issue of Good Life Magazine.)

he Rotellinis and Vernaglias often visited World of Décor, a large showcase and auction house that handles new products and estate sales all over the country. Teddy, who’d always been a collector, gleefully bought art, highend furniture and the like. (“And he got rid of absolutely nothing, hence the mess in my garage,” Sandy laughs.) Another of Terry’s close work buddies, Jerry Nydam, along with his wife, Anita, visited the Rotellinis in Miami and later Fort Lauderdale, every Christmas for 30 years. A good friend of Jerry’s family lived in Huntsville, and about 2005 he and Anita moved to Arab. In 2006, returning from a family reunion, the Rotellinis stopped and visited the Nydam’s. “Jerry took us around to the L’ Rancho and Cherokee Ridge,” Sandy says. “Teddy had a cousin and his wife and daughter in Huntsville. We were all very close.” So the Rotellini’s decided to move to Arab, too. But like Christmas Day for a kid, it seemed to take forever for moving day to arrive.

or starts, Sandy and Teddy had to find a house. For several years Anita sent real estate magazines to her in Fort Lauderdale. Finally, one Sunday in 2009, Teddy was browsing one of the magazines and saw the house on Hickory Drive, which had formerly belonged to Darrell Cottle. “How did you miss this?” Teddy asked her, It was easily large enough to also accommodate Lucy. Heck, it was big enough for Robin, her seven cats and two pet pigs. Teddy – between getting two stents and dealing with kidney cancer – couldn’t drive at the time, so Joe Vernaglia chauffeured him and Sandy up to see the house. Joe later drove them up to close on it. But the Rotellinis didn’t move for another four years. “We came up for the Fourth of July and Christmas,” Sandy says. “Sometimes on Thanksgiving if I could get off. Teddy and Robin would come up about two weeks before Christmas, then I would fly up.” The Rotellini’s brought up a 10-foot tree. It was lost in the cavernous living room, but that didn’t dampen the holiday. “One year we had three of Teddy’s aunts and one of their daughters here,” Sandy says. “We blew up mattresses all over the house. It was the spirit of Christmas.”

he Rotellini’s finally moved in February 2013. They not only upsized their Christmas tree to a 15-footer that year, but Sandy got a second tree she’d wanted for years, which she decorated with numerous Santas collected over their married life together. Robin got a tree for her upstairs area in the house. Teddy, loving to buy things, purchased a huge 42

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

Sandyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Santa tree is in the dining room. She says Teddy was better at decking the chandelier. Above, one of Robinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cats is a fan of her tree on the balcony, reached by the staircase guarded by a decorated statue. Elsewhere are some of the decorations the Rotellinis collected over the years. NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

Jerry Nydam’s wife, Anita, died three years ago. This June, Sandy and Robin hosted his wedding in their back yard. Jerry and Wanda were married under the gazebo, below. Teddy, one has to figure, would have loved being there to help entertain.

nutcracker and decorated with other statues they’d brought up from Florida or he bought at area antique stores. He was indispensable in mounting the top section of the huge tree. Sandy would string on the lights and Teddy and Robin would help decorate it. He was also in charge of decorating with foliage and flowers and decking the chandelier with greenery. “I can’t duplicate what he did,” Sandy says. That became a sad new reality that first Christmas after Teddy died. Sandy and Robin, unable to assemble the huge tree alone, had to sell it. They bought a new 12-footer they can barely handle. Trying to keep up holiday spirits that first year without Teddy, Sandy and Robin entertained old friends from Florida with their family. They had 17 folks at the table for Christmas Eve dinner and served a standing rib roast the next day. 44

“It was tradition,” Sandy says. “Teddy was all about tradition.” “As I remember we didn’t know what to do with his seat,” she continues. “We were going to leave it empty, but Robin sat there and gave a tribute to Teddy. She told everyone that he was there with us in spirit.”

hristmas last year was not as hard as 2016. “We still missed him,” Sandy says of

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

Teddy. “I don’t know … we thought he was watching over us as we were decorating, so we’d know we were doing it the way he would want it.” During 2017, Sandy decided they needed to sell the house. “My family was shrinking,” she says. “I couldn’t see paying the gas and electricity here for two people.” They found the house in Union Grove, and this summer Robin went ahead and moved her business there. Sandy thought she’d have the big house on the market by now, but alas that didn’t come about. So she and Robin will spend one more Christmas in the big house on Hickory Drive. And one more time they’ll decorate it, though they might cut back a tad, with their situation in a bit of a jumble. “I don’t want it to be something Teddy wouldn’t approve of, because he was a perfectionist,” Sandy says. “We’re trying to still stick with tradition.” Good Life Magazine

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“It takes time to grow a proper garden,” writes Hunter McBrayer. “Nothing is instant.”

Good ’n’ Green

Of life’s changing seasons and wisdom grounded in gardens

Story by Hunter McBrayer Photos by David Moore

ust as in nature, life’s seasons change. Whether you are planning for a cozy fall, a sedentary winter, a spring that brings new opportunities or a sweltering summer that seems to never end, many of us can relate to the ebb and flow of the seasons. Along those lines, I am in for a change of season myself; I optimistically foresee a new career ahead, bright with blue skies but with the occasional thunderstorm. Yes, I am moving away from my career as an Extension Agent and on to new (not necessarily different or better) things. Our Cullman County readers already know that Tim Crow, who 46

worked out of the office there with Tony Glover, has likewise moved on to another position, though he’s still with the Auburn Extension Service. Given these changes, I’m making this a somewhat personal end-of-an-era article. Looking over the past years, I thought I could share life lessons that can be learned from gardening, or at least philosophies that are relevant to both areas. Enjoy, my friends … It all starts with the soil Clay, loam, silt and sand. These are the components of soil that we, as gardeners, contend with, relative to our location. Without a doubt, soils are the foundation on which we build our gardens and harvest our bounty. Unfortunately, there are few things

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we can do to completely change the soils on which our gardens lie. However, while we can’t change soil type, we can amend and improve the conditions in which we plant our seeds, and we can also destroy and deplete them. Life is much the same – many of us are dealt a hand that we didn’t deserve, either good or bad. But with perseverance, a sprinkling of friends and a lot of work, we can improve our situation. At the same time, we can use up what we have been given, never taking time to replenish what we use, and can be left with nothing. Don’t let the soils dictate what plants you grow, and don’t let your current situation take control of the rest of your life.

Clear out the weeds A garden is only as good as its gardener. We have all seen those vegetable gardens that are spotless – free of weeds and ripe for the picking. Then there are those that are a little untidy, but somehow still productive. Lastly, there are those that are overgrown, full of pests and disease and seemingly good for nothing. While I’ll be the first to admit that I tend to keep a less than spotless garden, I am normally able to apply the right care in the right place … just the right amount of fertilizer, water at the roots and enough sunshine to get me to where I need to go. Remember not to envy the apparently spotless garden, as there’s a good chance that there are a few pests lingering that could bring the whole thing to a stop. What about the over-grown piece of ground? Well, that one can be hard to handle by yourself. Be willing to ask for help from friends that have tillers, shovels and rakes … and if your neighbor has a tractor, he can probably bail you out. It takes time to grow a proper garden Nothing is instant. We like to plant seeds, count the days until our fruit should be ripe and carry a basket out to gather all that we deserve. But it takes time, commitment and maybe even a little luck to ensure that the seeds we plant turn into something that we are proud of. Plants can wither and die without water, grow large and bushy without a single flower if we over fertilize, or they can turn out just the way we planned if we treat them with the right amount of care. Many things in life are this way, from children to jobs and all things between. Very few things take care of themselves. A diverse garden is a productive garden I have talked to people who have planted the same tomato cultivar for 30+ years, never taking a risk and trying one of the more than 10,000 commercially available types that are out there. Instead they settle for the same: It’s easy, pretty and doesn’t take as much work. Unfortunately, things change and

‘I have talked to people who have planted the same tomato cultivar for 30-plus years, never taking a risk and trying one of the more than 10,000 commercially available types that are out there,’ writes the author. ‘Instead they settle for the same.’

these plants can become susceptible to disease or a new insect. A willingness to be flexible can make the difference between a harvest and a wasted season. Trust me, not all of those 10,000 varieties are as good as others, but you will never know if you don’t try them. This goes with life. I know a few folks who are unwilling to listen to other ideas. Nowadays it seems that a different

opinion is a wrong opinion. I disagree whole-heartedly. We are built on new things, and while old ideas can still work, there is always a way to improve. Fill your garden of life with people from all walks, and I assure you that your harvest basket will be full when you get to the end of the row. Good Life Magazine

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Good Eats

Homecoming Café: worth the trip for Jessica ... and for you Story by David Myers Photos by David Moore

ometimes you want to get away from the fast food and chain restaurants to find something a little more creative. That was the plan on a Saturday morning when Rose and I left Guntersville for a scenic 20 miles along Ala. 227 to Langston, where a heavenly breakfast awaited at The Homecoming Café. The name neatly sums up Chef Jessica Hanners’ story. The young chef literally came home to where she got off the school bus as a kid and got her first job at age 14. Her parents took over the restaurant when she was 16, then called Jeanne’s South Sauty after her mom Jeanne Hanners, who ran the place for 15 years. “I cooked professionally here and I 48

washed dishes,” the younger Hanners recalls. After high school, Jessica headed to The University of Alabama where she bounced from an art major, to a psychology major until someone suggested the obvious – the restaurant business. She switched her major to hospitality management and got a degree in something for which she had a passion. It took her to Oregon and later Atlanta where she worked for restaurant companies, including an eight-year stint as an executive chef. She soon realized she wanted to be in the kitchen doing what she knew and loved. “It feels the most natural to me,” she says of cooking. “It feels like home to me.” So she decided to return to South Sauty – with a vision. The restaurant she had grown up in had been sitting vacant for

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a year and a half. Owned by South Sauty Resort, Jessica leased the building, which is half general store and half café. One side sells tackle and bait, bread and ice, with gas out front. The other side is all café, open seven days a week. “This is somewhere I love,” she says. “It’s a part of the world I’m very attached to, very deeply.”

he breakfast menu is vast, offering everything from Green Eggs and Ham to Avocado Toast to Banana Nut Pancakes. All biscuits, pancakes and waffles are made from scratch, as is the batter for the chicken served on a waffle, called Dirty Bird. I went for a healthier choice. The Power Move features a smashed avocado on multigrain toast topped with two fried eggs and a side of stone ground grits. My plate

When possible, locally grown and raised products are used at Homecoming (see page 10); the veggie plate, upper left, is one delicious example. Continuing clockwise: Jessica’s mom, Jeanne Hanners, serves three couples who drove out for the supper on a Friday night, the only time it’s served; Jessica, above right, hugs her cousin Allison Fredrick, who’s her number one help at the café; egg and avocado is great, as is a fresh fried egg on a hamburger; flank steak with Jessica’s béarnaise sauce is sometimes one of two rotating items on Friday’s supper menu.

was so clean when I finished they could have put it back on the shelf. Rose opted for The City Slicker, which did not disappoint my country girl. It arrived loaded with crispy potato cakes, cured ham and two fried eggs topped with a spoonful of avocado and apple slices on the side. She wasn’t shy about cleaning her plate, either. Other tempting options were: “A Warm Hug” biscuit with chocolate gravy, candied bacon stuffed French toast and BYOB – Build Your Own Breakfast sandwich. The fishermen’s favorite breakfast is called Southern Comfort with two eggs, bacon or sausage, grits or smash browns and biscuit. “I call it Eclectic Southern food,” Jessica says. “It’s super Southern, but the focus is on clean eating. We’re really focusing on high-quality ingredients and everything from scratch.”

upper is served only on Friday nights. Diners can order from the extensive lunch menu or one of two weekly specials. Choices on a recent Friday night featured Korean style grass-fed skirt steak, seasoned rice and roasted veggies topped with fresh herbs, avocado and peanut sauce, or Gulf Shrimp Pasta Carbonara, with homemade pasta, peas, bacon and Parmesan cream sauce with grilled bread. Both cost less than $20. Lunch varies from a 100-percent grassfed burger to a grilled chicken sandwich called Aloha Ya’ll. A sandwich called The Homecoming boasts smoked local pork with homemade barbecue sauce. Chicken fingers and Jessica’s Country Vegetable Plate round out the hot options. Salads include Jeanne’s Chicken Salad,

the Big Green Salad and Sweet and Smokey 2.0 with smoked chicken. Sides are hand-cut fries, mac ‘n’ cheese, onion rings, griddled green beans and dill pickle slaw. The Homecoming Café, located just yards from the Jackson County line, is open 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. every day. It reopens 5:307:30 p.m. Fridays.

essica’s mom is delighted to have her back home and following in her footsteps. “I’m so proud,” Jeanne says. “She has a vision.” Jessica and her 5-year-old son, Sean, are literally back home where they share her old bedroom. They’re both loving life here. “I wanted him to grow up here,” Jessica says. “I wanted him to go to the same school I did. It’s God’s country.” Good Life Magazine

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A Mystery of History

Did a once notorious Confederate guerrilla leader completely reform and become a preacher in Marshall County? Members of the pastor’s family remained split on the issue over the years Story by Steve A. Maze Photos provided by the author

Called “guerrillas” for their hit-andrun tactics – ambushing unsuspecting Union soldiers from hidden locations – these marauders were not soldiers. All of my research indicates they were no more

bout a month after Gen. Robert E. Lee surrendered to Gen. Ulysses Grant on as William C. McCoy a wellApril 9, 1865, Union soldiers ambushed respected Marshall County preacher and killed Quantrell in Kentucky. Most … or a vicious killer who historians believe this, but rode with Frank and Jesse shortly I’ll tell you a story that James? disputes Quantrell’s death. I have found indications Also, in 1907, newspaper he was, perhaps, both. articles popped up in Canada William Clarke and the U.S. stating the Quantrell (often spelled infamous bushwhacker was Quantrill) was a alive. Several war veterans Confederate guerrilla leader who had known Quantrell during the American Civil swore they had seen and War. Some, including his recognized him living under family members, believe he various aliases. came to Alabama after the There is no known date war under the alias William as to when William Clark Clark McCoy. McCoy showed up in Quantrell was born in Alabama, but it was sometime This is a depiction of Quantrell’s Raiders torching Lawrence, Ohio in 1837 but joined after the war ended in 1865. Kansas, and the cold-hearted shooting of some 200 civilians. Confederate Gen. Sterling McCoy probably arrived Price in Texas in 1861. His in Stevenson by freight train. reputation for brutality and Sitting on cross ties late in than a group of bloodthirsty bandits who murder prevented him from gaining a the afternoon, he was approached by a enjoyed killing. regular command, and he soon deserted preacher with the last name of Cox. The vagabond band of guerrillas and formed his own “Army.” “Who are you?” the preacher asked. inflicted savage attacks not only on The renegade leader formed “W.C. McCoy,” the man answered. opposing soldiers, but also murdered Quantrell’s Raiders with a dozen or Cox asked where he was going. citizens who were sympathetic to the so men – they would number around McCoy said he didn’t know. The preacher Union. They saw nothing wrong with 400 by war’s end – and began to make said he could stay the night at his house rustling cattle or stealing goods from the independent attacks on Union camps and, after supper, invited McCoy to a cabins of locals. and patrols around the Missouri-Kansas revival he was holding at a nearby country The bushwhackers’ most infamous border. church. McCoy accepted the offer and Among those in Quantrell’s gang who raid came on August 21, 1863, when they afterward was invited to stay the week. burned the town of Lawrence, Kansas, went on to lives of lawlessness were McCoy attended church services killing up to 200 civilians. The bloody and all week, apparently sought God’s Frank and Jesse James, Cole Younger blazing inferno was one of the greatest (a cousin of the Jameses), and “Bloody forgiveness and was converted. Thereafter atrocities of the war. Bill” Anderson, a psychopathic killer. he became a Methodist preacher and was

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highly respected in the Tennessee and later the North Alabama Conferences. “No man ever grew faster in popularity with the people or in power of the pulpit than did W.C. McCoy,” said James F. Sulzby Jr., a former secretary of the Alabama Historical Association. “He rapidly went from circuit to station and on to district work. He then filled the position of agent for Greensboro College, and then editor of the Christian Advocate.” McCoy married Annie Vaughn of Blount County and eventually settled in Marshall County.

nervous as we walked down the stairs. When reaching the foot of the steps, he walked briskly to the cell door. ‘Hello Frank, do you know who I am?’ Frank James’ eyes almost popped out of his head. Frank said, “Well, if I didn’t know you were dead, I would say you

Kansas City and Huntsville and lived to the ripe old age of 72, dying in 1915 on his farm in Missouri.

he Rev. William and Annie McCoy had five children: two sons (one became a judge, the other a bishop) and three daughters (two of whom married preachers). Daughter Sallie married the Rev. Mount Davenport, who believed McCoy was a former member of Quantrell’s band, but not Quantrell himself. He said he was a two-gun preacher and told the following story: n 1881, Frank, “In the days of Jesse and their gang reconstruction after robbed a paymaster the Civil War the in Muscle Shoals. U.S. government took It was their last job. over the Southern The brothers split up, Methodist churches and Jesse was killed and appointed Yankee in the spring of 1882. preachers in Yankee Later that year, uniforms as pastors. Frank surrendered W.C. McCoy was to authorities in appointed by the Missouri in return Methodist bishop to for promises of fair the Van Buren church trials in Kansas City near Collinsville. for train robbery and The Yankees had in Huntsville for the appointed a man by paymaster robbery in the name of Larkin to Muscle Shoals. the same charge. 1884 found Frank The preaching day in jail in Huntsville for Van Buren came awaiting trial. and an announcement The same year went out that McCoy Annie Guthrie was Annie and the Rev. William McCoy’s granddaughter. found McCoy could not preach During an interview in 1996, she gave author Steve Maze this photo serving as pastor there. Nevertheless, of William. Annie was willing to consider both sides of the question of at Haney Chapel he went to meet his William’s dual identity, but she declined to take one side or the other. Church near to where appointment. the Monsanto plant In front of the Van was built years later. Buren congregation, were Bill McCoy.’” When McCoy heard Frank was being he laid his brace of pistols down on the It was common for members of held in Huntsville, he went to see him pulpit and announced, “I am here to Quantrell’s gang and other old west accompanied by George Bain and speak. If I do not speak these guns will outlaws to assume aliases. If McCoy Crawford Coleman of Haney Chapel. … and they never miss.” was indeed Quantrell, I’ll tell you The jailer, whose name is unknown, The next day he met Larkin, who shortly where he got that alias. alleged the following: demanded McCoy’s title to the (church) By the way, Frank was acquitted “The marshal told me to take McCoy property. McCoy pulled his brace of of charges by sympathetic juries in down to Frank’s cell. He seemed a bit pistols and said, “Here is my title. If you

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The family story is that Annie McCoy, left, promised to never divulge the background of her husband, the Rev. William McCoy, going so far as to burn his Civil War records. Frank James of James Gang infamy was a member of Quantrell’s Raiders. In 1894 he was in jail awaiting trial for robbery. An jail guard allegedly overheard a conversation between Frank and pastor William when the latter visited him there.

want to see more of them, just push the matter.” Larkin decided not to push the matter.

allie and the Rev. Davenport had a daughter named Annie, after her grandmother Annie McCoy. Through a string of coincidences, Annie Davenport married McCoy Guthrie, named after a son of the Rev. William C. McCoy. Annie and McCoy Guthrie lived in various Alabama communities before moving to Guntersville in 1968. He was pastor of Guntersville First United Methodist Church; she taught elementary school. Along with a story about the Quantrell/ McCoy question that appeared in The Advertiser-Gleam on Dec. 11, 1975, Annie Guthrie was a source for this story when I interviewed her in 1996. She found the Quantrell/McCoy question interesting and amusing and told 54

me that family members were split over whether or not it’s true. Annie was willing to consider both sides but never took one or the other. The Rev. William C. McCoy died of cancer in 1891 and was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham. After his death, family members sometimes asked his widow if he was actually Quantrell. She never gave a direct answer. She had promised her husband she’d never divulge his background. At 94, Annie McCoy broke her hip. Pain medication she was given put her out of her head, and she apparently told more than she meant to. We don’t know what she told those around her at the time, but she was later heartbroken to have discussed his background.

ome McCoy ancestors don’t believe Union soldiers killed Quantrell in 1865. According to family lore, he and

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a gang member – named McCoy – were shot during a train robbery. Authorities claimed Quantrell was killed and McCoy escaped, though wounded in his right side and missing the end of a finger. But when Quantrell’s mother saw the body, the man’s hair was red instead of dark like her son’s. Quantrell had escaped, assuming McCoy’s name. Family members believing that scenario also point out: • Similarity of their names. William Clarke Quantrell and William Clark McCoy. • The Rev. McCoy, like Quantrell, was missing the first joint from the little finger of his right hand. • Quantrell was an expert rider, and so was McCoy. At one time, the preacher served eight churches some 100 miles apart. By hard riding, he’d preach at three churches in one Sunday.

• Like Quantrell, McCoy was an expert shot. He would hang an object by a string and bring it down by breaking the string with a bullet. • Quantrell had taught school up north before moving to Missouri at age 19. McCoy always said he had no education, but his oratory skills indicated otherwise. For years, he was editor of two church newspapers, his writing was distinguished, his grammar polished. • Quantrell was ruthlessly determined and fearless. So was McCoy in his work as a minister. His two-gun defiance of a northern attempt to take over one of his churches proved that.

hen there’s the tattoo story, related by one of the Rev. McCoy’s granddaughters, a Mrs. Estes (first name unknown) ... Quantrell had a tattoo of an Indian girl on his left arm or shoulder. McCoy’s left arm bore the same mark – though very few people

well below the elbow, even while working in the fields. On a hot August day, McCoy and his two young sons were plowing near a creek. The youngsters suggested they take a dip. McCoy told them to go ahead, and he would be along shortly. After the boys finished their dip and dressed, they walked down to the creek and found their father with his shirt off. Seeing the tattoo for the first time, they were curious and asked about it. McCoy quickly put on his shirt. “Now you listen to me,” he told the boys. “You haven’t seen a thing, not a thing. It is simply your imagination.” Could William Clarke Quantrell have adopted the name William Clark McCoy after the Civil War and reformed his old ways?

knew, including family members. He never revealed the upper portion of his left arm, always wearing his shirtsleeve

o … will this mystery ever be solved? Not likely, at least in this lifetime. The only evidence that might have proven McCoy’s true identity was destroyed when his loyal wife burned his Civil War records, thus sealing any possible family secrets. Good Life Magazine

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Meet Canyon Trevino At age 13, he’s riding a dream he hatched when he was 6 – riding bulls in the rodeo (and he’s writing his second book)

Story by Seth Terrell Photos by Avid Visual Imagery

“Y

ou want to do what?” Boaz mom Kelly Trevino asked her son Canyon when he first posed the idea to her at the young age of 6. The idea – while perhaps a simple one in Canyon’s mind – would require his mother to do some thinking and research mingled with a little fret, then a lot more thinking and research. “Mom, I want to ride bulls.” “We didn’t know anyone who rode bulls,” Kelly now offers seven years later as she sits across the kitchen table from her 13-year-old son, fresh home from the American Royal Pro and Youth Rodeo. Canyon rifles through his monogrammed “bull-riding” bag, looking for his spurs. “Here they are,” he says, holding them up to the kitchen light. He places the spurs (specially made for him by the renowned Slingin’ Shanks Custom Spurs of North Carolina) alongside his protective vest and helmet and next to his most recent exhibit that illustrates the nature of bull riding: a powder blue Wrangler pearl snap shirt with a hole torn in the sleeve from where a bull slammed a hoof onto Canyon’s left shoulder two weeks ago at American Royal. On cue, Canyon pulls up the sleeve of

Canyon will be competing in the Miniature Bull Riders finals in November that takes place concurrently with the PBR World Finals. His second book, “Dear Young Gun,” is being written now. He and his family hope it goes to press in late 2019.

his It’s a Rodeo Thing t-shirt, and displays the cuts on his shoulder. Some of them beginning to heal. “At least,” he says, “I didn’t break anything this time.”

anyon’s journey to Kansas City and to the American Royal began with a dream and a sheep. After happening upon a televised Professional Bull Riding event at age

6, Canyon’s passion for rodeo was instantaneous, though his family knew next to nothing about the sport. “This has been the craziest experience,” Kelly says, reflecting on the past seven years. “The truth of it is, if he’d said he wanted to be a pro basketball player we would have gone that route and helped him pursue that dream.” But Canyon, a student at Crossville Middle School, doesn’t spend most

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afternoons bouncing a basketball or hitting baseballs from a pitching machine. Instead he is doing stretches, hundreds of crunches and spending hours on the back of his makeshift bull in the family garage. The bull is a metal barrel with a carpeted finish, designed with a metal lever that Canyon’s dad, Santos, pushes up and down to simulate the movements of a rodeo bull for his tightly hanging-on son. Back to the sheep ... Canyon’s first rodeo experience was in the mutton busting circuit, getting his start at the local Cowboy Church of Albertville. Mutton busting is as fun as it sounds – picture a small, sometimes smiling, sometimes screaming child, decked out in rodeo gear, hanging on to a running sheep for dear life. The first time he ever sat on a sheep, Canyon got second place.

omething about the whole endeavor came natural to him, and he won the mutton busting championship the same year. By age 7, Canyon had made the slightly more perilous leap to riding calves. He still remembers sitting atop the menacing, fire-breathing calf that went by the bonerattling name of Powder Puff. Canyon smiles remembering that first bout; he placed 3rd in the State Finals in Selma. Those powdery, puffy days were soon over. Canyon’s first “real” event took place in Abilene, Texas in 2014. There, he was joined by over 300 other young riders from at least four different countries for the Youth Bull Riding World Finals. He remembers that first time quite well because, strangely enough, there was no worry plaguing his young mind. Each ride since then, Canyon has taken the same approach to his preparation. “When I crawl on the back of the bull, there’s nothing going through my head. I take a moment to just breathe and focus,” he says. Somewhere in the moment of breathing and focusing, Canyon wraps one hand – his left, in the bull rope using the most recently adapted and highly effective technique borrowed from the world-famous bull riders of Brazil. Canyon is not naturally lefthanded; after breaking his right elbow at a Little Britches Rodeo event, he was forced to become ambidextrous. These days, he prefers riding left-handed, but for the tricky bull that perhaps would spin the opposite direction, it is nice to have his right hand ready and willing. 58

Once his hand is wrapped, Canyon exhales slowly. The gate swings open. And this lanky, middle schooler devotes his entire being to staying on a 900-pound bull for eight seconds.

anyon Trevino: broken elbow, broken leg, dislocated shoulder, countless stitches. These are the statistics kept by bull riders, seared in their minds right alongside the number of seconds ticked away in their near-misses, and only secondary to their high

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scores from rides when they are fortunate enough to make the eight second buzzer. (Canyon’s high score is 80, on a bull named Butthead.) Canyon’s “statistics” read like a medical record that would perhaps result from a highspeed car chase. It’s no surprise bull riders refer to their worst buck-offs as wrecks. “It isn’t a question of if you’ll get hurt in rodeo,” Kelly offers, her face more serious. “It’s a matter of when.” She and Santos watch Canyon’s rides

Though he might use his right hand for certain bulls, Canyon prefers to ride left handed, as shown here. It seems to work just fine. He entered last year’s Miniature Bull Riders finals in Las Vegas as the eighth ranked rider in the world for his age group. He is a three-time qualifier for the Junior National Finals Rodeo, and is currently ranked number one in both the Alabama Little Britches Rodeo and the Georgia Junior High Rodeo.

with bated breath. Unwilling to flinch until the ride is finished and Canyon appears to be safe. And sometimes the injuries seem to keep coming. One rodeo season Canyon was injured so often that it seemed like he was

in a hospital room more than he was on the back of a bull doing what he loved. There were some family challenges that affected the Trevinos around the same time: Kelly’s father’s health was failing and he had come to live with the family.

The season was a tough one, but Canyon went searching for a way to process it all. He knew his injuries would not be unique to him, that other young cowboys had and would experience the same kinds of setbacks, even some of the same personal challenges.

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

Initially, Canyon didn’t think his first name was fitting for a rodeo fella’, so he went by his initials, CT. But he’s now decided “Canyon” fits just fine, thank you kindly. His mom’s not sure how she came up with that – certainly bull riding was not in her mind for her baby – but she feels the choice was divinely inspired.

The result of the search was his first book, published by Lighthouse Christian Press, “Life’s Arena.” The pages are full of action shots of Canyon and of his advice and insight into the ways that life and rodeo come together and sometimes imitate each other. “It’s about [how you] just keep chasing and never give up,” he says. “Just try to stay humble and have fun with what [you] do.” Kelly’s father, a storyteller and writer himself, was able to give a final approval to the book before passing away. It was published shortly after his death.

art of becoming a legendary bull rider is having a memorable name. Some names just sound like bull riders’ names: Tuff Hedeman, Chase Outlaw, Ty Murray, Tater Porter, Sage Kimzey. Years before her son posed the question of bull riding to Kelly, she felt divinely 60

inspired to name him Canyon. At his early rodeo events, Canyon preferred to be called “CT,” but, eventually he agreed with everyone else – Canyon Trevino is a perfect name for a bull-riding cowboy. The family often reminds each other that this special dream, this special calling, is a marathon and not a race. And while thrilling, it is not always glorious. “When something inside of you is saying, ‘I can do this,’ there is an obligation to look for that calling,” Kelly says, “Even when it’s not the easiest, you find what you are supposed to find in life.’” As for his part, Canyon sees himself as any other 13-year-old. He likes basketball; he’s full of energy and can rarely sit still except when he’s straddled atop a bull. But this particular dream has taken him and his family to places he never imagined. Canyon has traveled all over the country. From New York to Nashville to Las Vegas to Dallas, Canyon has a

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

clear goal – he wants to reach other young people with his encouraging message from rodeo: “Don’t give up.”

long those same lines, Canyon is writing a second book, “Dear Young Gun,” a compilation of advice he is seeking from his riding mentors and idols such as Jess Lockwood, Cooper Davis and Matt Tripplett. The Professional Bull Riders (PBR) has granted media passes to all their events for Canyon to do interviews and research. His plan is to take this advice to heart and then offer it to his young rodeo peers through writing. While he has rubbed elbows with some of the greats – even having been baptized by former world champion Mike Lee and long-time bull fighter Frank Newsome in a baptistery in Lane Frost’s parents’ backyard – it is the interactions

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with people his age, especially from different parts of the country, that Canyon most cherishes. In particular he recalls meeting some kids from New York and exchanging anecdotes about their lives at home. The New York kids couldn’t believe that Canyon rode bulls at such a young age, and Canyon couldn’t believe they rode the subway alone at such young ages. The PBR has made Canyon a part of their PBR Celebrate America Youth Outreach where he has no shortage of peer interaction. “I try to stay as positive as I can around other kids and get them to keep following their dreams,” he says. “I love reaching out to other [young cowboys and cowgirls], too.”

Canyon Trevino, 13, is in a minority of kids who are rough-riding dream-goals they set at the age of 6. Renae Suttles of Sew Irresistible in Albertville is fine with that – one, she’s a fan, and two she gets to sew on all of his sponsor patches.

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n November, some of the greatest rodeo cowboys in the world will descend on the T Mobile Center in Las Vegas for the PBR World Finals. And, as with any professional sport, very few make it to the highest level. Through hard work and a little luck, perhaps one day Canyon will join them. For now he’s content to ride and enjoy life. Preparing his mind as well as his body. His riding coach, Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame member and former world champion Gary Leffew, sees Canyon’s potential. But even more Gary sees and encourages his mental toughness. Such toughness, Canyon hopes, will follow him throughout life, regardless of whether or not his life is spent on the back of a bucking bull. Good Life Magazine Good Life Magazine Delivers Happiness To Thousands Of Readers Across Marshall County

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Judy Kennamer

Story by David Moore

Cover stories behind her cover shots

udy Vest Kennamer is well known locally for her portraits, landscapes and nature photography. But through photo sales for book covers, her work has been seen across the U.S. as well as in Europe and Australia. Photography emerged as a full-blown chapter of her life only in 2007, but it’s been in the background much longer. Judy got her first camera when she was editor of the Marshall County High School newspaper. “I had a co-op job at a bank and used my money to buy a Polaroid Instamatic,” she says. After graduating from high school in 1969, she married, raised her daughter, Gena Moore, worked full time and took night classes at Snead State Community College. In 1979 Judy remarried. Judy Kennamer, behind Her new husband, Lowell the wheel, scours the Kennamer, urged her to countryside looking for go to school full time and “photo treasurers.” finish her degree. She earned an electrical engineering degree from UAH in 1984. During a career with the Department of Defense at Redstone Arsenal, she did post-grad work through Florida Institute of Technology and traveled extensively before retiring in 2007. “I got serious about photography when I got to the point I could travel for fun,” she laughs. Working from their home at Point of Pines, Judy began selling stock photographs about 2008. In 2010 she acquired an agent and began selling photos for book covers. Here’s a look at some of her work …

Judy was shooting a church with photography friends in Virginia when, across the road, she spotted an old truck by a barn. The owner said it was OK, so she shot the scene below. It didn’t mean much to her until it was purchased for the cover of this classic John Irving novel.

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Judy’s now late husband Lowell had her pegged. “He’d say, ‘She likes Photoshop better than photography because it lets her exercise her technogeek,’” Judy laughs. “He was always right.” She used Photoshop’s layer function to “grunge” a photo of her boathouse, far right. A German publisher, who further edited the photo, paid Judy multiple times to use it on hard cover, large print, Kindle and paperback editions of “Spur 24.” Judy also used her photo-editing program to tone her picture of fog rolling in at her neighbors, Jenny and Rick Hoepfner’s boathouse. Judy shot the heron at Warrenton causeway and moved it via Photoshop to the Hoepfner’s boathouse. A Spanish publisher bought and further tweaked the photo – including removal of the heron – for a Nora Roberts novel. 66

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Models rode horses for photographers at a workshop Judy once attended in Georgia. Lying on her stomach in weeds for an hour, she shot uphill to catch the sky as the silhouetted riders passed. The French publisher who bought her photo, at left, added the sunset coloring for the cover. Judy sold the same photo for a cover in another country, along with five other shots from the Georgia shoot. “Publishers,” she says, “like girls on horses.”

Meet Candice Fawcett of Joppa, right, a model of Judy’s. “She’s a talented singer, actor. She’s studying to get a master’s degree and intends to be a college professor.” Judy first saw Candice in “Wizard of Oz” at the Whole Backstage and told her husband, “I want that face.” In her studio, Judy photographed Candice with a stethoscope and doctor’s lab coat. The Polish publisher of “Obsession” tweaked her eyes for a sinister look. NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

Judy and Cathy Barrows, who lives near Atlanta, are best shooting buddies … BSBs, if you will. One of their many outings took them – for about the sixth time – to Cades Cove in the Great Smoky Mountains. They arrived early to catch the light and weather and beat the crowds. “We were behind 20 cars waiting for gates to open before sunrise,” Judy laughs. It was worth it. The fog-filtered light created a magical atmosphere she captured in the photograph at right. Driving further into the tunnel of fog and trees, Judy, as she’s wont to do, checked her rear-view mirror and saw another captivating scene. She stopped, set up her tripod and camera and, just as she started shooting, an antique car puttered out of the fog, bottom right. Judy kept shooting. “The man stopped and said, ‘Oh, honey, I’m sorry I ruined your picture,’” she recalls. Not at all, she assured him. In 2012 she sold photos from both locations, the first one to a Spanish publishing house, the second, with the car, to a book published in Portugal. The latter book was about a traveling band of gypsies from the time period of the nice man’s car. The publisher’s art department added a second car to give the feeling of a “band.” 68

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Of faces that appear in Judy’s commercial photography, her go-to model has been 24-yearold Kendall Wallace of Guntersville, left. Judy has been friends with her mother for 22 years and has known Kendall since she was 2. Judy began shooting photos of her when Kendall was 14. The long relationship has paid off. “Kendall understands what I want,” Judy says. “She’s very focused. She anticipates what’s coming next. She’s game for any costume, any wig. ‘You betcha, Judy!’ I know what she’s going to do; she knows what I’m going to do. We understand each other totally.” On one particular shoot, their rapport was “magic,” Judy says. It was 2013, the year before she built her studio by her and Lowell’s house, and she and Kendall worked in one of the Kennamers’ rental houses. Her photography buddy, Cathy Barrows, came over from Atlanta and helped with the 1930-40s-era costumes Judy had picked out for Kendall. “We had a ball for three hours,” Judy says. That one shoot produced photos for six book covers so far. Her agent submits photos online. Publishers usually purchase them with four- or five-year exclusivity rights. They don’t like to see similar photos show up elsewhere in their country during that span, though Judy and her agent are free to sell the same images in other countries. As for Kendall, she’s now working full time in the medical field in Marshall County and will soon marry the love of her life, Matthew Jones. NOVEMBER | DECEMBER | JANUARY 2018-19

Constantly searching for props and clothes, Judy visits Unclaimed Baggage (and other such places) every chance she gets. It was there she bought a pair of zebra-striped heels. She photographed them with a pair of toy handcuffs, at right, and an Italian publisher bought the image. A shot of red heels modeled by Kendall wound up on an Australian book cover. The same image, recolored and flipped, appears on a Portuguese book. Judy shot Kendall dressed in period attire in a field on family property about a mile from her house. A French publisher used the image on the cover of a Maggie Robinson romance, above. 70

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Judy was headed for Tennessee one morning and couldn’t help but notice the beautiful sunrise when she reached the Warrenton causeway. “My car just jumped into the parking lot, and the lake said, ‘Shoot me! Shoot me!’” So she did. “I try not to call it a drive-by shooting,” she quips. Judy posted the shot, as she often does, on her Facebook page. Kathryn Lang of Guntersville needed a cover shot for her latest in a series of motivational books, saw the photo and acquired it. Judy’s sunrise wraps around the front and back of the book, above. One of Judy’s photos of Kendall, dressed in period costume, at Arab Historic Village was used on the cover of “A White Wind Blew.” The piano is in the Lola Boyd House. Judy has sold a number of stock photos from photo shoots there. Stock photos are professional images of common or generic places, events, people and nature that are sold without royalties and can be published multiple times. Judy finds Marshall County offers a wealth of photo opportunities, such as Guntersville’s fireworks show on the cover of the 2017 summer issue of GLM. “There are so many beautiful, historic and interesting things here,” she says. It’s not just Judy’s opinion. Numerous photography friends from Virginia, Georgia, Florida and Australia tell her the same thing. “They come here,” she says, “to shoot this area.” 72

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SUMMER 2018 COMPLIMENTARY

Nancy Stewart did what many told her ... put recipes in a book Take a look at wild landscapes through John Sharp’s eye, lens

HydroFest makes a splash ... with help from tons of volunteers See why Thompson Falls is among Marshall County’s ‘Seven Wonders’

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Did a rouge Rebel guerrilla leader FALL a 2018 reform and become loal pastor? COMPLIMENTARY

Canyon Trevino is making a name for himself bull riding ... he’s 13 When it comes to photography, Judy Kennamer is truly ‘booking’

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Out ’n’ About Verna Hayes and Adrian Lloren of Guntersville, upper right, were among those who visited the artifacts exhibit at the Guntersville Museum this fall. The artifacts came from Gunter’s Landing, McKee Island and Henry Island, which were among the 75 sites excavated in the Tennessee River basin before Lake Guntersville was formed. The 80 or so exhibited items were on loan from The University of Alabama and TVA and included parts of pendants and spherical glass beads, right, and a prehistoric ceramic bowl decorated with Moundville-type incisions, center. Also on exhibit were artifacts from John Gunter’s family as well as Native American regalia. Above, Michelle Edwards of Collinsville – speaking with the Guntersville resident known as Phillip – created the regalia, including what she’s wearing and the Jingle Dress, pictured at the top of the page. The origin of the modern Jingle Dress dates to he Ojibwa community. Michelle made hers using more than 400 jingles formed from can lids. Photos by David Moore. 74

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