editor’s letter
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Editor-in-chief Becky Hopf Design Editor Lindi Daywalt-Feazel Photographers Gary Cosby Jr. Erin Nelson Jake Arthur Copy Editors Amy Robinson Kelcey Sexton Edwin Stanton Annie Milbourn Angelica Zdzienicki Operations Director Paul Hass Advertising Director Bobby Rice Prepress Coordinator Chuck Jones Published by The Tuscaloosa News 315 28th Avenue Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 Executive Editor Michael James Senior GL Accountant Carolyn Durel Magazine 205-722-0232 To advertise 205-722-0173 To subscribe 205-722-0102
t wasn’t intentional — no planned theme — but this Winter issue of Tuscaloosa is filled with dreamers who had an idea or a dream and went out and made it happen. Perhaps it’s an appropriate message for us all as we head into a new year and make our resolutions to be the best we can be and work to make our own dreams happen. I’m not sure I can even Yvonne Wells and Becky Hopf with the Tuscaloosa bicentennial quilt. pick a favorite among the overachievers we highlight, particularly in decorations that Tuscaloosans have gone wild our “Six Intriguing People” section. There’s Ruby over. There’s Rose Chang, who got her own home Battle, who has lived 100 years now and has in total order and decided she could do it for oth100-and-more fascinating stories of those years, ers — and in a matter of months established a including how she was just a generation removed thriving business. Also, there’s Kelly Wilkin, whose from slavery yet went on to earn a college degree eye for arranging and creating floral masterpieces and become an educator … or how she was led her to start her own business, Kelly Wilkin injured but survived a 1932 tornado in downtown Floral Creative. Northport that leveled her family’s home — with I first learned about Soggy Bottom Lodge while them and some neighbors in it. There’s Lucretia writing a sports story on Demopolis hosting the Prince, who had a heartbreaking blow as a senior upcoming 14-year-old Babe Ruth World Series in high school, learning at the last minute she next summer. One of the questions I asked was didn’t have enough credits to graduate. Prince where visitors could stay and was told Soggy took that heartbreak and turned it around, earnBottom would house the league officials and ing her master’s degree, establishing a summer umpires. I looked it up online and was immeschool program for kids, authoring two children’s diately impressed, and was seriously “wowed” books, and, she’s now an elementary school when we visited for the interview and photo principal. Yvonne Wells is a retired educator who shoot. took her love of quilting and has won national We visited the Collier home, which is closing recognition for her art. She led the creation of in on its 200th year, with each owner during that Tuscaloosa’s bicentennial quilt, which will be span taking loving care of it so that it might enjoy unveiled this winter. And those are just three of another 200, including its current owners, James our very-intriguing six. Wait until you read about “Butch” Grimes and his wife, Amy. And, for style, Linda Knowles, Anna Katherine Cabaniss and we head to the movies with fashions from Dukes Nicholas Britto. Clothier that will make stars of anyone who wears There’s our cover story on Joshua Williams, them. whose sweet sounds on the French horn won an Winter is here. Cuddle up with this issue. international competition. He is already receiving — and accepting — invites to perform in some of our country’s most renowned symphonies. Becky Hopf, editor There’s Julia Phifer, who took the “I can do that” Reach Becky Hopf at attitude and did just that in creating sugar cookie becky.hopf@tuscaloosanews.com.
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