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Heard
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| Each month we will publish this column that is packed with interesting tidbits of life in Huntsville, who we met during the month, some upcoming events, etc. There are birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, etc. If you are in the Huntsville area or even just have a connection to Huntsville, we want to hear from you! And one day you might just see your name in "Heard on the Street"!
Congratulations to Ruth
Rasmussen who was the first caller to correctly guess the Photo of the
Month for December. That beautiful
little girl was none other than Jackie Reed, who attends each City
Council meeting in Huntsville and always voices her opinions. Ruth is a retired
apartment manager and worked at that for
30 years. I talked with the sweetest guy
recently. J. C. Moore lives in
Fayetteville now but worked in Huntsville as an aerospace engineer for Wernher
Von Braun starting in 1953. He was a fighter pilot in Burma during WWII. He and
his lovely wife Florence have been married for 65 years and will
celebrate their anniversary in February, same month that Florence has a
birthday! The residents at Redstone
Village Retirement Community were in for a real treat when they were
visited by the Nashville Suzuki Players on their Fall 2009 Tour. They
vary in age from 6-17 and all of them play the violin. They played wonderful fiddle music as well as
traditional violin, and were just fantastic, per the residents. Be sure to keep your eyes out for bicyclists
on the road - there are many more now traveling to work and biking for
leisure, and they’re hard to see. Just
be careful and watch out for them as well as motorcyclists & scooter
drivers. Joan Babin was a familiar name to many in Huntsville. Joan was a
member of Holy Spirit Catholic church and a mom to 11 children. In her spare
time, she frequently took in foster-care kids! Joan died at the young age of
79, and will be missed by so many. Elwanda Hallman lives at the Russel Erskine apartments downtown, She
was married to Jim Hallman, who was the son of a Methodist
preacher, and is now deceased. He wrote memories of life as a preacher’s son,
and Elwanda treasures each minute she had with him. Happy Birthday to Heather
Bzdell. She is the sweet daughter of proud dad John Bzdell, owner of
Marathon Painting. John recently lost his Dad Stephen Bzdell, Sr., and
we want to send our sympathy to all families who have lost loved ones over the
past year. It is really difficult going
through the holidays, when someone so very special is missing. Chuck Bobo is a fascinating gentleman to talk with. His family
has lots of history in the North Alabama area. Chuck was born in Limestone
County and grew up in Madison and Morgan counties. Chuck left this area to work
but when he retired he returned to Huntsville. He just couldn’t believe the
difference that 50+ years made in the Huntsville area. As a youngster he lived
in the Gladstone Community north of Pulaski Pike. His friend Jim Webb and
he would hunt squirrels in the woods on the farm of Mr. Robert White.
They would swim at the swimming hole on Beaverdam Creek at Pulaski Pike. Jim’s
dad managed Huntsville Wholesale Nursery at Gladstone and most of the boys in
the community had summer jobs there. Calvin Holder was telling us recently that his father drove the
Westlawn bus years ago, he was Calvin Holder, Sr. Some other bus drivers
back 50 years ago were Mr. Armstrong, who drove the Lincoln bus, and Herman
Gardner who drove the Fairground bus. Jane and Louie Tippett helped to host
a rocking annual Christmas party held at the Eagles Club on Bob Wallace. Rudy
Mockabee played for the partiers and there was a huge crowd there, all
having a great time. Tim Spivey
was playing as well. Tim is part of the band Hot Mix and it’s always good to
see him. It was great seeing old friends and catching up with folks we hadn’t
seen in a while. Gibson’s BBQ is a well-known
eatery to many locals here in the North Alabama area, but for you newcomers
they have the best pie you’ll find anywhere.
Their mile-high coconut pie just won the Huntsville Times Readers
Choice Best Dessert, and I can vouch for that - there’s no way that meringue
topping can stay that high through cooking but it does. My personal favorite is
Gibson’s Peanut Butter pie, so you guys have just got to try it. Congratulations to the folks at Gibson’s for
the award! Joyce Russell, of New York Life Co., sure had alot of birthdays in
her family in December. Her daughter Megan
Mack turned 27 on the 19th, her grandson Trenton Keefer turned 12 on
the 19th, and her handsome grandson Nate Keefer turned 16 on the 4th. To
add to the count, her daughter Megan delivered a beautiful baby boy on Dec. 14,
whom they named Robert Butler Mack, to make one more for December! Speaking of birthdays, we always
had a soft spot for those who have birthdays close to Christmas. Audra
Wilson of Salon Bella had a birthday right after Christmas and her gorgeous
daughter Olivia also has a close-to-Christmas birthday. We hope everyone
had a wonderful birthday/Christmas
combo! We keep hearing about people who
leave their valuables/purses in their cars, in full sight of anyone looking in.
It is too much of a temptation for some folks if they see that. The smartest thing
to do, if you HAVE to leave valuables in your car, is to leave them in the
trunk or hide them somehow. Also,
when you’re shopping at the mall and notice that someone is following you, just
go back in the store. It’s not worth the risk. Be aware of everything around
you. And finally, when you do get into your car, immediately lock your doors.
Oftentimes crooks will wait for a victim to get into the car, knowing it’s
going to be a minute or two before you
leave. The Channel 31 annual Christmas
parade downtown was a huge hit, with hundreds of floats and
organizations. We look forward to that
every year, it’s just part of our holiday traditions! And the bands are always the greatest! Love A&M! A special hello to our friend Linda
Hamlin of Linda’s Printing. She is just the sweetest lady and so much fun
to talk with! We want to wish you all a warm and
wonderful and successful New Year, it’s GOT to be better than last year. And please watch out for your older
neighbors.
Congratulations to William
Henderson for being the first caller to correctly guess the Photo of the
Month for October. We have gotten hundreds of calls so far and most of them are
correct! The adorable boy is M.D.
Smith IV, who has been associated with TV and radio, (WAAY-TV) and now the
internet (HIWAAY.net). William is
retired from the Post Office and the Air Force, and is a Proud 1957 Jesse Hopkins was a very hardworking member of the Golden K
Kiwanis, and headed up the distribution of “Old Huntsville” magazine. Jesse
passed away at 88, on November 10. Even though he had some serious medical
issues, you never heard Jesse complain or be anything but positive. Our deepest
condolences go to Jesse’s family and many friends. We are so proud of Debra
Jenkins, co-owner of Merrimack Hall
on Stephen Bzdell, Sr. was 91 when he passed away Nov. 13. His son John
Bzdell, of Marathon Painting, would often take his Dad with him on jobs,
which they both really enjoyed. We send our sympathy to the family of Mr.
Bzdell, who lived each day to the fullest. That smiling face you see when you
walk into Redstone Federal Credit Union on So. Parkway near Gibson’s BBQ is
that of Beth Dunson, who works there as a teller & receptionist. She
wants to say “Merry Christmas” to her dear husband Carl, as well as kids
Kimberly & hubby Nathan, and daughter Michelle and
husband Anthony who live in We wanted to wish a special Dec.
22 Happy Birthday to Princella Hatcher, who works at BB&T (Colonial
Bank on Scott Reeves is a young Systems Engineer who works for Nasa. He
just won an award from Space Flight Awareness which sent him to Kennedy AFB to
see the launch of the Space Shuttle.
This award is given to only a few annually who have gone over and above
in flight safety. We are so proud of you Scott!! Happy Birthday Robert Madison!
He turned 66 years old and is one good-looking dude! Many remember Bryce Davis,
who often would eat breakfast at Eunice’s Country Kitchen on The spirits were moving on
Halloween night at the Historic Lowry House. The first annual Costume
party attracted a large crowd of spooks who danced to the music of the
Fairlanes and sampled heavy hors d’oeuvres.
The winning couple were Judy and M.D. Smith IV. Judy came as the Swine Flu and M.D. was the
doctor! Plans are underway for next year
already! Happy Birthday to Mable Hawkins,
who turned 96 in October! And she still
lives at home! Her very proud daughter is Linda Taylor, whose hubby Ollie
owns John Shaver, of Shaver’s Books located at the Railroad Station
Antiques, sure is looking happy these days. He and sweet wife Sue have a
brand new granddaughter, Suzanne (Annie) Shaver. John, of course, wouldn’t think of bragging,
but he told us that she is by far the most beautiful baby on Earth! Chuck Bailes was the long-time love of Jackie Reed, and she
said he was her absolute rock. He
especially enjoyed helping her prepare for the City Council meetings that she
has spoken at for so many years. He died in August at only 77. Chuck will never
be forgotten, and we send our deepest condolences to Jackie. Malcolm Miller recently underwent a pretty serious operation but
we’re happy to hear that he is doing fine and a good recovery is expected. Malcolm is a very talented musician and also
writes stories. His dear wife Lois is
taking good care of him. We read in the Times recently that
Mike Marshall was wondering about the history of the road that travels
over Monte Sano to Hampton Cove. Mike remembered when he traveled that road 8
years ago with Cecil Ashburn, the premiere roadbuilder in Angela Copeland-Humlicek is the owner of “The Design House” located across
from Jana Hinsley, who works for Edward Jones as a financial advisor,
has a big day coming up in December. She
and her fiancee Will Wise, an engineer at Redstone Arsenal, will be
getting married during the month. Congratulations to both Jana & Will! Maple Hill Cemetery had their largest crowd ever at the October cemetery
stroll. Costumed volunteer actors stood atop the graves and shared stories of
more than 60 people of the past. One of the most outstanding of these was Christy
Webb who portrayed a very believable Molly Teal (1852-1899). Miss
Teal was the very popular “lady of the night” who gave her large Victorian home
to the city of Christy gave a charming and
extraordinary performance, and has been named the Best Madam Teal to
date. In fact, Christy has already been tapped by the Pilgrimage Asso. to play
Miss Teal again next year! When she’s
not performing, Christy owns Sexy Shoes in the City, next door to Have a warm & wonderful
Christmas, and watch over your older neighbors.
Congratulations to Betty
Browner for calling with the first correct guess for the Photo of the Month
in October. Betty is a safety patrol
lady at Westlawn Elementary and helps keeps the kids safe. The little boy with the huge smile was none
other than our City Councilman, Bill Kling! Congratulations to you Betty! Our friend Betty Williams
Gordon called the other day. She currently lives in Callahan, Fl. Betty was
here for their family reunion, with the family who’s left (2 brothers) and told
us she was born in Congratulations to that
good-looking couple, Joe and Liz Waggett of Huntsville’s Operation Green
Team is an award-winning,
hard-working group of people. They have so many projects going on, but couldn’t
do it without the help of the One recent collaboration with the
Green Team is that of Old Town Historic District and the little park on
Pratt/Walker and White streets. This former eyesore was totally transformed by
the OTHD board & residents along with much help from Joy McKee and
the staff of the Green Team. The new We are so proud of Johnny
Johnston! He worked for years at the
old airport off South Mem. Pkwy., and now entertains thousands when he speaks
before groups and tells them how it used to be in BB&T bank, which used to be Colonial, has a birthday in
November! Jane Eller, a very
sweet lady and customer service rep at the bank, is celebrating on Nov.
15. Happy birthday to you Jane! James Hughes was 84 when he passed away in late August. James was
the manager of Eastern Airlines when our airport was located off It was great running into Meckel
Richardson recently at Larry’s Pistol & Gun shop on From Nov. 27- Dec. 13 on the Alpha
Stage on M.D. and Judy Smith recently hosted her best
friend, Anna Gene Cliff Chesnut and her husband Charles Chesnut.
They were here for the 50th anniversary of Huntsville High’s class of 59, and
had a great time visiting friends. Happy 30th wedding anniversary to
our dear friends Barb & Ron Eyestone. To celebrate such an important occasion, they
are traveling to Another 30th anniversary is being
celebrated by Hospice Family Care.
They are the only non-profit hospice service in this area and have
provided comfort and help to thousands of people. To celebrate the event, they
are hosting a gala at the Jackson Center of HudsonAlpha Institute. It will take
place on Nov. 13, tickets are limited and sell for $75 each. Call 650-1212 for
more info. Rob Zimmerman loved history and was very successful in radio
advertising sales. We remember Rob for his smile and wonderful sense of humor.
He died recently after having been sick for several years, he was only 61 years
old. We will miss Rob. A special hello to Mildred
Johnson, our 81 year-old friend from Fulton, Ms. who loves reading about We were really sorry to hear that Scottie
Brier’s mom had passed away, in October.
Jane Scott Brier was born in 1918 and had a good long life. We
send our deepest condolences to Scottie. Dick Maroon is a Twickenham resident who thinks about kids
probably 15 hours a day! He spends most of his waking hours building little
wooden toys, trucks, trains, etc. for sick children who have no insurance. He
brings his toys, thousands of them each year, to Huntsville Hospitals
Children’s unit, as well as to DHR, each Christmas. He does all this on his own, spending
thousands of $$ each year to buy the supplies. Dick brings so much happiness to
this sick kids and definitely has a place in heaven! Harrison Brothers is that unique store downtown that many new people to
Huntsville Love! They are having their Christmas Open House on Nov. 19
from 5-8pm, and our mayor Tommy Battle will be there to unveil their
2009 Christmas window! Happy November Birthday to
Stephanie Troup, my beautiful daughter who is mom to Hannah and
Evan, and wife of John Troup. You’re the BEST! Anyone who’s teeth have been to Dr.
Whitworth’s office in We were so sorry to hear that Jim
Worden, of Munith, MI. had died in February. He loved reading about the history of this
area. He and his wife Doris raised 4 wonderful daughters, and he will be
so missed among his friends and family. Have a warm and wonderful
Thanksgiving with friends and family, and be sure to take walks around the
downtown neighborhoods - it’s beautiful this time of year.
Many were so disappointed last
spring when the Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll had to be cancelled due to
heavy rains. Well, you’re in luck
because it has been rescheduled for October 18, a Sunday from 2-4:30 and is
FREE to the public. Any donations received go to the cemetery for its
maintenance and upkeep. Mark your calendars - and if you’ve never been, it’s a
fascinating look back at Huntsville’s history, with actors standing on selected
graves to tell visitors about their lives. We were so saddened to hear of the
death of Ralph Butler. He
was the beloved big brother of Joyce Russell of Huntsville. We send our
deepest sympathy to his many friends and family. Happy Birthday to our good friend Darryl
Goldman! We hope you and sweet wife Linda
did something really fun! Darryl is the
handsome interim pastor at First Presbyterian Church. Hall Bryant, Jr. looks really good to be 125 years old! No, seriously, it’s his company that is
celebrating its anniversary, having been founded in 1884 and still going
strong. H. C. Blake installed the
first indoor plumbing at Harrison Brothers downtown, and a book could
probably be written on all the events that have taken place over the last 100+
years. Congratulations to Hall and his employees at H.C. Blake! Colonial Bank on Church Street
(now BB&T) employs some really hard-working ladies, but two of the sweetest
ones are Thelma Schaefer and Kristyn Towers. They are celebrating
birthdays in October, Thelma’s is Oct. 20 and Kristyn’s is Oct. 23. John Bzdell and Margaret Watson went to Louisville, KY
recently and supported a local fellow school teacher at Challenger. Barry
Leshinsky, who’s 49 years old, had trained for this event for over a year.
He completed an Ironman competition which is a 2.5 mile swim in the river, then
a 112 mile bike race, then ran a 26.2 mile marathon, all with no breaks. It took
him a little over 15.5 hours of non-stop effort, and his girlfriend Susan
Cox was there supporting him the whole time! Mickey Moore and Robert Staggs are two of the graduates of Huntsville
High’s class of 1959 who will be here celebrating their 50th. anniversary! There were alot of characters in that class
and they will all be in Huntsville on Oct. 2 and 3 for the fun event at
Huntsville Depot and Earlyworks. The popular band Reunion will be
performing Oct. 3rd - for more
information call Mickey at (256) 541-1430. Lynn Turton celebrated her 65th birthday recently, and her good
friend Gale Nichols says, “Happy birthday, you ole heifer!” A beautiful baby boy named Wyatt
Daniel Hollingsworth was born Sep. 1 to proud parents Adam and Mary
Hollingsworth. Big sister Jade was there to welcome the baby boy.
Grandparents are Larry and Barbara Hollingsworth of Gurley, and Danny
and Kathy Dolberry of Woodville. Congratulations!! So many people were saddened to
hear that Susie Hudson had passed away, at the young age of 68. She was
the businesswoman who was known for her love of downtown Huntsville and is
credited with revitalizing downtown restaurants, condo’s and the entertainment
scene here. In 2000 Susie and her
husband Jim Hudson co-founded Cityscapes, which bought old buildings and
transformed them into beautiful apartments, condo’s and restaurants. Susie was
a kind and gentle lady who made people feel good just by being close to her.
She will be terribly missed by her many friends and family. Kerry and Carolyn Pinkerton are so proud of their
baby granddaughter Kennedy. She
has the biggest brown eyes you’ve ever seen, and looks exactly like her grandma
Carolyn! Many restaurant patrons know Lisa
Cook, who has waited on many Huntsville folks at the LIttle Diner. She is
now working at Dee’s Diner, located on Oakwood and No. Parkway, and her
customers are definitely following her to her new location! It’s hard to believe that Marie
Hewett is retiring from the business she founded, PAMA (Professional
Academy of Modeling & Acting). She’s way too young! The business will continue, however. A fun
wine & cheese party was held in late August to honor Marie. It was great to see Ellen
Holder walking along the Green Mountain Nature Trail recently with her
daughter-in-law Tamra Holder and granddaughter Noelle. Noelle turns 14 in October and
is as beautiful as her mom. Tamra and Noelle live in Covington, GA and were
here for a visit. Tamra’s Mom and Dad are Steve and Kathy Cotney. Terese Stevens, owner of Cloud Nine, made an interesting trip
recently. She traveled to Michigan for a family reunion, stopped in Cleveland
to tour the Rock & Roll museum and ended up in Tennessee for a BMW
motorcycle rally with “8,900 of her closest friends”, to camp for the rest
of the weekend. She did all of this on
her Motoguzzi motorcycle and did it solo!
1,841 miles in 10 days! Way to go, girl! Lots of new folks are moving to
the Huntsville area as a result of BRAC, but two we met recently are Cynthia
Cindric and Mike Connor. They have only been here a short time but
already love Huntsville. Having moved
from the Washington, DC area they LOVE our lack of traffic and beautiful
weather. Welcome! We were so sorry to hear of the
death of Shirley Winter, who resided at Redstone Village. She was an active member of Temple B’nai
Shalom Sisterhood, and the loving wife for 59 years to Ret. Col. Leonard
Winter. We send our deepest
condolences to Shirley’s many friends and family who will miss her so much. Have a safe & fun October
& watch over your neighbors!
Donna Gurley of Owens Cross Roads is the winner of the Photo of
the Month for August. The beautiful girl
in the photo was Erin Dacy, and I promise you we will never run her
photo again - we had calls each day that started at 5am and continued through
midnight - who were calling to guess the photo!
Erin works at Channel 31 and is a hugely popular anchor there.
Congratulations, Donna! John Bzdell was visiting his doctor recently (Dr. Kaufman)
when he saw a good friend of his. Michelle
Berres Nelson from Davis Hills and Lee High was there too and they were
able to catch up with the news.
Michelle’s husband, Bruce Nelson, has worked at PPG for 36 years! We want to wish Darryl Goldman
and his wife Linda a happy 40th wedding anniversary that was celebrated
in mid August! Darryl is the interim
pastor at the historic First Presbyterian Church on Gates Avenue. Congratulations to you love birds! Many people remember Cecil
Tipton. Cecil had a September birthday and was 87 when he died nearly 2
years ago. Cecil was the Madison County Health Department officer for many
years. His daughter Debbie Maples
and her Mom Gladys Fanning loved Cecil so much and will never forget
him. A special hello to our dear friend
Robert Martin, who lives at Valley View Health & Rehab, in Madison.
He’s so proud of his son Randy Martin, who retired from the Army as full
bird Colonel. Steve Cappaert, of Averbuch Realty, and his gorgeous wife Kim
are proud grandparents again of another sweet baby boy! Max Caden Sylvester was born on July
2, and his proud parents are Michael Sylvester (of MS Masonry) and wife Lindsay.
That fabulous musician Malcolm
Miller celebrated his 82nd birthday on Aug. 10. We send our congratulations to Malcolm and his loving wife Lois. Happy birthday to the most
beautiful Mom a girl can have. Annelie Owens was born in Berlin where she studied to be a medical
doctor, met her handsome Army husband-to-be and traveled to the U.S. to make a
life here. Her birthday was celebrated
with family at her favorite German restaurant, Cafe Berlin! If you’re a dog lover you’ve got
to put September 12 on your calendar. That’s when Huntsville Obedience Training
Club is sponsoring it’s Dog Fair from 9am - 3pm at Monte Sano State
park. Lots of fun canine activities! While eating at Lee Ann’s
Restaurant & Bar recently, we caught up with Joe Walker. Joe is
one of the sweetest guys I know and I love his light blue eyes! Joe and his
brother Jeff Walker stay really busy with their company, Southern
Sealing and Striping. A couple of very important
birthdays were close together - Jane Tippett celebrated hers on August
29, while Judy Smith had hers on
Aug. 30th. Happy birthday to two beautiful ladies! We were so very sad to hear of the
death of Margaret Ashburn. She was 86 when she died, leaving husband Cecil
Ashburn. She loved her family dearly. In addition to Cecil, she leaves
daughters Jenny Ashburn and Judy Nayman, as well as countless
friends who loved her. We send our deepest condolences to Cecil and his family. On September 29 Virginia Mae
Esslinger turns 100 years old! What
a happy birthday that one will be!
Virginia lives in the same house
she was born in 100 years ago, and her daughters Betty Esslinger and Mary
Thomas take good care of her.
Virginia is a New Market native and retired school teacher. She taught at Riverton, then Plevna, and
finally at New Market school. Congratulations to you, Virginia! Happy 10th birthday to a pretty
young girl - Rachel Sisk had an August birthday party given by her
parents, Glenn and Jodi Sisk. Rachel is home-schooled and is just
a sweetheart. A beautiful young lady who works
for Amedisys Home Health Care is Tiffany Day. Tiffany works there as a
Physical Therapist Assistant and does an outstanding job with her clients. We met her recently and her clients think the
world of her! The Huntsville Beautification
Board was first created in 1965 and works really hard each year to identify
and rate business properties in regards to appearance. The 35th Annual Awards
program was held recently at the Wynn drive location of Redstone Federal Credit
union. Joy Parker is the Beautification Board President and Peg
Heeschen is the Board Vice President.
These ladies have worked in overdrive, along with Huntsville’s Green
Team, to judge and select worthy properties that received the awards. Mayor Tommy Battle made the presentations to the hundreds of property
owners. We were really proud of Louie & Jane Tippett’s Historic
Lowry House, which has won the award two years in a row. Congratulations to all the winning companies
for keeping our city so beautiful! Trade Day this year is going to be held on Sep. 12 from 8-5, a
Saturday. Because of the sidewalk construction around the square, the event had
to be moved a couple of blocks South to Constitution hall Village on Gates
Ave.. It is always fun and there are so
many interesting items to look at, entertainment, food, etc. just like in the
old days! Shirley Bush, of Colonial Bank, is retiring on Sep. 18! She has
done a great job in her position and is always one of the first smiling faces
you see when you go to the main branch on Church Street. Shirley is retiring
after 31 years, 4 months and 18 days - but who’s counting?? We are very proud of you, Shirley! Lewis Mills lives in Decatur now.
He moved in 1955 to Huntsville from Texas, and owned the Buckskin
Western store on North Parkway and Blue Springs Rd. Lewis loves history and
reading about all the events that happened in this area over the years. Sam and Glenda Huffstetler are proud of their
beautiful granddaughter, Morgan Rae Carter. Morgan married Chris
Scott in a moving ceremony at Holmes Street United Methodist Church. Have a safe & fun Labor Day,
and be sure to support our local, home-owned companies!
Our winner of the July Photo of
the Month contest was Eddie Wilson.
The cute boy in the photo was Donnie Thigpen, who co-owns Po-Boy
Factory on Andrew Jackson Way with his pretty wife Marie. Eddie is an old guitar-picker from way back
and even remembers playing at the Snuff Dippers Ball downtown! Congratulations to you, Eddie! It seemed like the day would never
come, but Joe Lougheed has finally decided to retire from Huntsville
Firefighters after many years of service.
Joe’s sweet wife Connie Broadway-Lougheed threw him a rocking
Mexican-themed party which was not only a retirement party, but a birthday
party for Joe too! It was definitely an
unforgettable night, made even more fun by the live Mariachi band! We met a really interesting lady
recently in downtown Huntsville - Marsha Lucas works for GMAC Real
Estate and knows many folks in this area!
She was alot of fun to talk with. One recent summer afternoon we
were sitting at an outside table at the Kaffeeklatsch bar on Jefferson Street
and Mark Haynes stopped by! Mark
is from Huntsville and has lived here for years but is now selling trucks in
Nashville. He looked great and none the worse for wear after having added about
5 years to his age! Will Stutts was amazing in his performance of Antonio Salieri in the UNA Florence
production of “Amadeus”. The audience was mesmerized by him and the entire cast
did a great job. Will also was Producing Artistic Director of the play. George Boles used to live in Huntsville and worked with the DA’s
office til 1993. He now works in Birmingham and tells hilarious stories. He is known as “Bosco” to his family
and has brothers living in St. Louis and in Scottsboro. An unnamed family member let us know that
George had a very important birthday on Aug. 1, not an old one - just a good
one. It does have a 7 in it,
somewhere. Happy birthday to you,
George! Many, many people know of Dr.
Mabry Batson Miller. If you have
anything to do with the arts or civic organizations here, you have met
her. Dr. Miller was recently given a
very prestigious award in Montgomery - she was one of four recipients to
receive the Governors Arts Awards.
Congratulations to you, Dr. Mabry Miller! We’re very proud of you. John Rader worked for Hewlett-Packard as parts manager for many
years in Huntsville. John always had a
huge smile on his face and a kind word for everyone. John passed away in July at the young age of
77. He leaves his daughter Renay
and her husband David Nunn, and his loving wife Phyllis. John and
Phyllis had just celebrated their 50th anniversary, and were always in love. We
will miss John very much, and we know his friends and family are so saddened at
the loss. Ken Owens, of Huntsville, recently celebrated a milestone
birthday. We won’t say exactly what but
it comes right after 59. He looks great for being an older guy and is really
enjoying life right now with his feisty wife Diane. Merrimack Mill has announced that it will be holding its first
original production. “Upon Their Shoulders:
The Merrimack Story”, which was written and researched by local playwright Ron
Harris. It is a play that
illustrates the rich history of Huntsville through the lives of real people who
labored in the city’s textile mills. The play traces the development of child
labor laws, mandatory school laws and the socioeconomic impact on Huntsville
today. The play will be performed Oct.
15-18. Our good friend Mike Kaylor
seems to be pretty content with being semi-retired. After 20 years of working
nights, his wife Jenny loves having him home these days! Louise Hope was 90 when she passed away the end of June. Many
remember Louise and her sweet husband Harley Hope who preceded her in
death. Harley was a member of the Golden K Kiwanis and is missed, to this day.
He and Louise were a very loving couple, and we went to send our condolences to
the Hope family and many friends. Happy Anniversary to that great
couple, Stephanie and John Troup!
They make being in love look easy!
John is also celebrating his birthday on the same day in August - Happy
Birthday to you John! Linda Hamlin, owner of Linda’s Printing Services, and Christina
Reynolds are the proud recipients of the 2008-2009 Tom Milford Rotarian
of the Year award from the Greater Huntsville Rotary Club, #6860. Linda and Christina co-chaired this year’s
The Great Gatsby Gala event. Their efforts raised $22,926.51 for the Community
Free Clinic and $18, 785 going to the Rotary Educational Assistance program. Congratulations to two very hard-working
ladies! If you’re into great garage sales
& antiques, you won’t want to miss the event to the held again this year at
Lincoln Antiques on Meridian Street.
It’ll be Saturday, Aug. 1 and starts sharply at 9am - no early sales! Then, when you’re ready for some
unique gift ideas and crafts, try the NEACA (Northeast Alabama Craftmen’s
Association) fall craft show that will be held at the Von Braun Center Sep.
18-20 - the whole family will love it! We met a really sweet guy
recently. Jim Long, owner of Clayton
Amusements, loves to spend time grilling and using his smokers, and he’s really
good at it. In addition to that, he loves to cook and his pretty wife Karen
doesn’t mind that a bit! Huntsville was the proud host of
Sports Week in July - State high school coaches were spotted at many places
around town and Auburn’s new Head Coach Gene Chezik was at the Furniture
Factory during the middle of the month. He was here with his football staff
along with the Alabama Football coaching staff. Everyone who was at the club
enjoyed hanging out with the coaches and listening to “JUICE”! The weather has been incredible
lately and get out and WALK! Come to the historic districts and just enjoy
August!
Our Photo of the Month winner for
the June issue was Angel Pennington.
Angel called with the first correct guess, that the picture was of
Lee Ann Lancaster, boss lady of Lee Ann’s Bar and Restaurant on Church
Street. Angel said she just knew when
she saw those eyes that it was Lee Ann!
She works as hairstylist and make-up artist at Salon Solutions, on Andrew Jackson
Way. Congratulations to you, Angel! Phyllis Rader let me know that she and her sweet husband, John,
celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on May 7. They went to Venice, Florida and had a great
time. John and Phyllis still act like kids in love and are just a joy to be
around. Their proud daughter and son-in-law are Renay and David Nunn.
Congratulations, you two! Ron McIntosh was only 67 when he died in early June, after a long
struggle with cancer. Ron is the beloved husband of Jean McIntosh, and
dad to Lynn Albritton and son Bruce McIntosh. We send our deepest
condolences to Jean and her family and their many friends. Hattie Gentle of Huntsville has seen alot of changes in the city.
She will be turning 94 years young on July 28, and just loves the history of
this area. Her sister is Mildred Helton, and is the grandmother of Margaret
Bondar who is so proud of both Hattie and Mildred. Mildred wants to send a
special June Happy birthday greeting to Margaret. Mr. Bill Miller, owner of Miller & Miller, was a man who touched
so many lives during his life. He died in June at the age of 86. Bill was the
“bridge builder” in North Alabama and words can’t describe what a kind, caring
and ethical person he was. He leaves many friends and family who will never
forget him and his gentle spirit. We’ll
miss you, Bill. John Bzdell organized a surprise birthday party for his beautiful
young lady friend Margaret Watson. The event took place at Gibson’s
BarBQue on South Parkway and she was SO surprised! Way to go, John and
Happy Birthday, Margaret! There are many older folks who
have no air conditioning, in these really hot days. CASA of Madison County
is a nonprofit agency that collects air conditioners from people willing to
donate them, or to donate money for them. It only takes $100 to buy an A/C for
an elderly person, and it could possibly save a life. They would even accept
used, working AC units. If this is something you might like to do, please call Larkin
Grant at 533-7777. I didn’t realize you could trim
monkey grass! The people who take care
of our front yard in Old Town, Perfect Turf, did that the other day and
it looks so good! Those are some really hardworking young guys. We met with Steve Scarbrough
of Gurley recently, at Lee Ann’s on Church Street. He was working in
construction and in the process of tearing down a home, found some really
good information about Huntsville in the
60’s and donated it to “Old Huntsville.” Thank you, Steve! At the end of June Redstone
Village celebrated the opening of their new addition, Grandview Gardens,
Memory Support Neighborhood, for those with Alzheimers and memory
challenges. Many were there to help
celebrate the growth of Redstone Village. Ellen McAnelly was a lady whom many people in Huntsville knew,
especially the Irish. She was the owner/operator of Finnegan’s Pub in
Huntsville since 1977, an Irish pub where dogs as well as humans were always
welcome. She operated it for 32 years, and died at the age of 77. She will
always be remembered as a generous, kind person who loved animals and made
great friends along the way. In July, Highlands Baptist
Church will celebrate its 50th anniversary. The church is asking all its
former members to call about the plans for the event - call Louise at
852-1661. Another very important event
happening in August is the Rison-Dallas Assoc. 37th Annual Reunion, to
be held Aug. 8 at the Jackson Way Baptist Church. This is hosted by the class of 1949 in
celebration of their 61st anniversary, and all U.S. Veterans are cordially
invited. Call Sue at 464-9432 for more info. Louise Avery celebrated her birthday in June and always has her
grandkids for a visit in the summer, called informally “Camp Moo-Moo.” You’ll often see Louise at the Concerts in
the Park on Monday nights with her friends, along with thousands of others! Marie Hewett hosted her annual birthday party for Cecil Ashburn
at her beautiful bluff home on Monte Sano.
Close friends toasted Cecil during the night, and Marie baked her famous
coconut cake for the event. Cecil turned 89, and celebrated with Elroy Clark,
Parris Dawkins, Joe and Connie Lougheed, Louie and Jane
Tippett, among many others. Happy Birthday Cecil! The 2009 Old Town Hidden
Gardens Tour was a fabulous success and the weather turned out perfectly -
for the thousands of visitors who walked around Walker Ave., Steele Street,
Clinton Ave., and White Street to peek behind the homes to view the beautiful
gardens. One home, belonging to Tom and Patti Pruitt on White
St., even had two gardens - one in front and one behind, with many of the
plants marked. There were delicious
refreshments served and each of the 11 gardens were breathtaking and gave many
visitors unique ideas for their own gardens. Recently while feeding the ducks
at Big Spring Park, we noticed a group of kids who were throwing rocks
at the geese. One child chased one of the geese and it flew into Church street,
where it was hit by an SUV. It was the
worst sound and though not killed, the bird was badly injured. When we
contacted the Mayor’s office they sent people over to help take care of
the goose. PLEASE help take care of the
birds and geese and ducks at Big Spring, and don’t allow your children to be
cruel to any animal. Have a safe and fun 4th of July
with your friends and family, and remember to check on your older neighbors who
may need your help during these sweltering summer days.
Jane Barr was the Photo of the Month, the little girl with
those beautiful eyes. Jane lives on Monte Sano and knows lots of history of
that area. The winner who called with
the first correct guess was Pamela Tippett/Henderson, who works for
United Fire, Smoke and Water Restoration.
William A. Heimann, Jr. loves the history of this area and thinks there’s no
better place to live than here. His
mother, Catherine Heimann, feels the same way. William is so proud of
his pretty daughter Samantha, who works at Starbucks Coffee on A very special man passed away
recently. Kenneth Biggs went to Many women are familiar with the Breast
Center at Huntsville Hospital. The
Center just earned a perfect score in a FDA inspection in early May, by meeting
Mammography Quality Standards set by the FDA. In addition, this is the 10th
year that they have earned a perfect score. We’re very proud of them! Congratulations to that sweet
couple in Hazel Green, owners of Ole Dad’s BarBQue there - Rosemary and Bill Leatherwood just
celebrated their 32nd wedding anniversary on June 1! Rosemary’s sisters are also having June
birthdays - Dot Branch’s day was on June 8, and Lynn Greene’s was
June 14! We will be seeing many more
visitors to the Curtis and Becky Parcus, owners of Dallas Mill Deli,
are brand new parents! Their first child
was born just a couple of weeks ago and is a baby girl whom they named Avery
Jennings Parcus. We hear that she is
alert and absolutely beautiful!
Congratulations to Curtis and Becky, your life will never be the same! It was very interesting to read
that ginger capsules, taken several days in advance to a chemo infusion,
can really subdue the nausea experienced when people have to undergo chemo
treatments for cancer. This breaking news was released recently by the American
Society of Clinical Oncology. Ginger has long been known to calm upset
stomachs, this new one used a specially formulated gelcap containing
concentrated, purified ginger root extract. Donna Hays, who owns the Furniture Factory, is so proud of her
sweet grandchildren! She was telling us
recently that there are some important birthdays coming up. Will Lanter will be 7 on June 1, and Hays
Lanter will turn 6 on June 3. Their
parents are Rena and Chris Lanter, they all live in We met a newcomer to Happy Birthday to that special lady Louise Avery! Among many other activities, Louise does so
much volunteer work for CASA and her church, Lathan United Methodist, and
absolutely loves her grandchildren!
She’s the best. There are some really beautiful
historic areas near downtown We were so sorry to hear that Bob
Langley had passed away, in late April. He was 89 years old, and was a
prisoner of war before he escaped from a German prison camp in 1945. Bob worked
at Thiokol for many years. He lived at Redstone Village Retirement Community
after his wife Janis’ death and always appreciated the love and support
that the Redstone community gave to him and his dog Lilly Belle. We send
our deepest condolences to Bob’s children, grandchildren and
great-grandchildren. He will be missed. The Historic Lowry House
hosted their 2nd Vintage Creations night recently at the home. You arrive with
your wine of choice, then be prepared to unleash the hidden artist inside you!
A local artist (on this day, it was Connie Lougheed) will display one of
her latest creations, then you follow the instructions of the artist in
creating your own version of her masterpiece.
The more wine, the better the paintings look! All of the paintings have their own
personality and may or may not look like the original, but it is definitely a
fun night! Happy Father’s Day to all you great Dads out there, and to those of you
who still have your Dads, let them know you love them.
Our winner for the Photo of the
Month for March is Darla Oliver,
of Madison. The photo of that adorable boy was of Ron Cooper, of
In Bloom on Pratt Avenue. Darla
remembered when her daughter married 8 years ago with a reception at the
Heritage Club, In Bloom took care of all the flowers and they were Gorgeous!
Congratulations Darla! We met a really interesting couple
recently. While having breakfast at
Dallas Mill Deli, we talked with Phil and Kleone Nelson. They
have only been in Huntsville since 1997, but love it here. They said that
Huntsville has the most interesting history, they love the stories of our city,
and that the people they’ve met here are the best. I have a feeling the Nelson’s will stay here! For you newcomers, if you haven’t
been to the Whistlestop Festival at the Train Depot on Church St.,
you’ve Got to go! There’s food,
entertainment (Charlie Daniels plays Saturday night) and lots of BBQr’s
competing for prizes. The dates are May
1 and 2, Friday and Saturday, and tickets range from $15 for one day to $25 for
a weekend pass. Congratulations to Melissa Kay
Foley and Ryan Hamilton on their recent wedding. They make the most
gorgeous couple, and Melissa is the daughter of proud parents Martha and
Michael Bryan of Athens and James Foley of Huntsville. Melissa’s
grandmother is Dr. June Foley, whom many people here remember. Ryan’s
parents are Kate and Richard Gildersleeve of Connecticutt. For those of you who have never
attended, the Art Strolls downtown are really fun. This year they will
be held the 3rd Thursday of each month starting in June. They will be held at
Constitution Village just south of the courthouse. While at LeeAnn’s on Church Street
recently, we met a super nice guy. Michael
Brazier is an agent for Liberty National Life Insurance Company, and we
loved getting to know him. Tom Moon has been in the papers lately, he was only 17 years
old when he joined the Navy. He will be 88 on his next birthday, and has tons
of memorabilia regarding his career in the Navy. He was even written up in a
newspaper in New York. Wife Annie is very proud of her husband. We are SO Proud of Huntsville’s
Green Team! Under the leadership of Joy
McKee, and staffed by some excellent, hard working folks, the Green Team won
a very prestigious e-cycling (electronic recycling) award. The recent
nationwide cell phone recycling contest sponsored by Sprint had cities over the
U.S. vying for 2 $5,000 prizes. One category was winner for city size, and the
other was overall # of phones recycled. Huntsville won BOTH awards! The $10K will be spent to create an
educational Green Team robot to educate children (and grown-ups) on recycling.
In addition, the money raised by collecting and selling the phones to Sprint
went to the American Cancer Asso., Relay for Life. Many organizations and individuals came
together for this effort. There will soon be a naming contest for the robot,
keep tuned in. You can still recycle your cell phones & ink cartridges by
turning them into the Green Team, with the money going to buy recycling bins
for Big Spring Park, as well as other projects. One of our local men has become
quite a renowned artist! Ken Gentle currently lives in Rome, GA. but has
a very unique art talent - you can check it out at www.blacktopfolkart.com. While at Chop House downtown a few
weeks ago we met Mark Sims, who works at AMRDEC as a mathematician and
Reliability Engineer. He is a pet lover
and is owned by 3 cats and Dylan the dog.
Mark is a really great guy and we
hope to see him again! Kathy Ogle works for Dr. DeJarnatte, and told us recently
that her middle sister was recognized for great work recently. Diane Jones
works as lunch room Manager at Walnut Grove Elementary school in Hazel Green.
She was picked as “Support Professional
of the Year” for Madison County.
Congratulations Diane! Where else but Huntsville do the
drivers come to a complete stop on a very busy road so that ducks & geese
can cross the street? That happens often
on Church Street, bordering the Eastern side of Big Spring Park. Now that we will be seeing baby ducks and
geese walking, please be careful when you’re in that area so you don’t hit
anyone! We have all heard about Taylor
Produce and Ayers Farms losing their leases at the Farmers Market on Cook Avenue. They were outbid by others. Not sure about
Ayers, but Taylors has been in that same spot for 50 years and have many, many
loyal customers. I sure hope the new owners will keep their prices as
reasonable as Taylors and Ayers used to. Late news is Taylors will be
relocating near Airport Road and So. Parkway, so keep an eye out for them for
the best tomatoes in Huntsville! Be sure & mark your calendars
for May 2 and 3. The Huntsville Pilgrimage Asso. is sponsoring the annual
Historic Homes Tour and Cemetery Stroll.
6 beautiful homes will be ready for you to tour from 10 am til 4 on
Saturday, May 2. Several gardens will be
ready, including the Historic Lowry House and Frank Nola’s home
at 601 Franklin. Then on Sunday, May 3, the cemetery will host thousands of
Huntsvillians from 2-4:30. We were so sorry to hear that Nancy
Holliman had died recently. She was the author of that great cookbook,
“Cooking with Nancy, Plain and Fancy” and was a really sweet lady. Our deepest sympathy to her family, we will
certainly miss her. Chris and Stephanie Waggett’s second child, a son
whom they named Christopher Braydon, was born in late March. The first
child, a big brother named Will, is not too happy with this new
situation at home and will have to get used to it! Very proud grandparents are Liz and Joe
Waggett, of Huntsville. We wanted to let Ron McIntosh of Huntsville know that we
are thinking about him and want him to feel better! Jean is his sweet
wife who is taking good care of him. Remember to support our local businesses, and have a wonderful Mother’s Day to all you Moms
out there!
Congratulations to Scott Hulgan,
of Owens Cross Roads, for being the first correct caller to identify the Photo
of the Month for March. That sweet boy
was Bobby DeNeefe of Madison, and we had several more correct calls after
Scott’s. Scott works as VP and Branch manager of Renasant Bank, and his pretty
wife Valerie is a labor and delivery nurse at Huntsville Hospital. They
are proud parents of 2 babies - 18 month old daughter Megan, and 4 month
old boy Ryan. Many people have eaten at Dallas
Mill Deli on Pratt Avenue, and really like the owner, Curtis Parcus, who
remembers everyone’s name! Anyway, Curtis and his gorgeous wife Becky are
expecting their first child in late April, and we are so happy for them. With
those two as parents, this baby will be a knockout! It’s hard to believe that Gibson’s
BBQ on South Parkway (and Whitesburg Drive) is celebrating it’s 53rd
anniversary in business! That’s not an
easy accomplishment in these days and times. Anyway, during the entire month of
April, if you go to eat there and order a plate lunch or dinner on Monday or
Tuesday, you get one of their awesome pieces of pie for free, as their way of
saying thanks! We were very happy to hear that Glenn
Watson is running for State Representative. Glenn is one of the most honest
men we know, and if he gives you his word, you can count on it. Glenn has a
record of long hours and hard work as Huntsville City Councilman for many
years. He is (and was) passionate about his concern for his city and just wants
to give it his all. We were very sorry to hear of the
death of Jim Yeager, of Huntsville. He was a very active member of the
Golden K Kiwanis, and we send our deepest condolences to his family and
friends. It’s still a couple of months
away, but be sure and mark your calendars for the Hidden Gardens Tour of Old
Town historic district, to be held on Sunday, June 7. Milton Keith, of St. Petersburg, Fl. died in early March. He
leaves Huntsville brothers Sam Keith and Neil Keith, as well as
wife Katherine and two daughters. We send our condolences to Milton’s
family and friends. Did you know that Monte Sano
was the site of a very rare and old growth of a tree called chittumwood? It is
thought to be one of the hardest woods in the world, and possibly was used in
the building of the Ark. Keep your eye out for an upcoming story! Robert “Bob” Brooks was a native of West Virginia and lived in Huntsville
for the past 60 years. He was retired from Thiokol Corp., and died recently at
83. He leaves many friends who remember him from the Thiokol days. We send our
deepest sympathy to his son, Robert J. II and wife Debbie Brooks,
brother Everett Brooks and sister, Gaye Shields. Many folks know Leroy
Cunningham and his pretty wife Betty Jo from their many years of business
selling wicker and rattan, but he is now in the bargain furniture
business. Stay tuned! Ruth Ellenburg was a resident at Redstone Village, and was born near
Boaz. She died in early March, at the age of 82. She and her husband Lewis
had lived in Huntsville since 1953, and loved going to church at Farley Church
of Christ. Ruth was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
We send our deepest sympathy to her family and many friends. Bruce Walker has been conducting walking tours of Old Town, one of
Huntsville’s historic districts, for many years. He is doing it again on May 9, and if you
haven’t been on one of Bruce’s tours, you are in for a treat. He is a great
speaker, and has some really interesting (sometimes amazing) information about
the homes & area in Old Town. Mark
your calendar to meet in front of 122 Walker Avenue on May 9th. Happy Birthday Lois Miller!!
Her sweet husband Malcolm Miller told us she is celebrating the 6th
anniversary of her 39th birthday!
Speaking of Malcolm, he is going on the Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.
scheduled for Apr. 25. He told me he’s
not riding in any wheelchair, but if he has to use one, he’ll put his guide in
it and wheel him around! We were sorry to hear that Dan
Turner had died last month, at the young age of 76. Dan played a key role
in obtaining funding for I565 in the ‘70’s under Governor George Wallace. He
had quite a career in road projects, and was even dispatched to New Orleans
after Hurricane Katrina to use his EMA background in the rebuilding effort. He
leaves wife Dallas Turner, family and many friends who will miss him
terribly. We wanted to wish a happy, happy
birthday to our dear friend Cheryl Tribble, who lives in Woodstock, GA.
They generally have the same kind of weather we have here and folks in that
part of Georgia are thrilled with the warm weather! Cheryl’s so proud of granddaughter Faith
Sutherlin, a high schooler who ranks tops in her class. Brandon Owens is a handsome guy who recently had a March birthday.
He is from Huntsville with parents Ken and Diane Owens, but currently
lives in Tucson, Az. with wife Susan Trentham-Owens. Happy
birthday to you Brandon! You know, when you think about it,
we still have to buy groceries, medicines, clothing, home furnishings, etc. I
know many of us have cut back on the larger, higher-priced items. But when you
get ready to go out shopping, please remember that our local small
businesses are really struggling now, and they could sure use your
support! Instead of spending your
hard-earned money at the large, national companies - why not make an effort to
go to the smaller, home-owned ones like Big Brother grocery, Chef’s Table,
Star Market, Propst, Rebecca’s, Lewters,
H. C. Blake, LeeAnn’s Bar & Restaurant, Dallas Mill Deli, Tenders, Furniture Factory, etc.? You still get great value for your money, and
you are helping our local folks stay successful! Have a wonderful Easter and get
out and walk! These days are beautiful, before the humidity sinks in. Take a stroll around some of the old
neighborhoods. Walk your dog - if you don’t have one, get one!
Congratulations to Pat
Martinson for being the first correct caller to identify the Photo of the
Month for February. The handsome young man is Don Jennings, of Economy
Floor Supports. Pat and his sweet wife Jane
are owners of A/C Heating & Cooling. Jane is also an artist and Pat is a
retired firefighter (he worked at the fire station from 1971-2002). You are the
winner, Pat! Michael Sylvester, owner of MS Masonry, is sure one proud uncle. His
beautiful neice, Jennie Brooke Stender, has a 9th birthday on March 26.
She’s a 2nd grader at Westminister Christian Academy, and takes ballet at the
North Alabama Dance Center. Her parents are John & Tammy Stender,
Michael is Tammy’s brother. Happy Birthday to Jennie! Marcheta Goodson Worley, of Altavista, died recently at 84. She was the
daughter of Roland H. Goodson & Leona Belle Bain Goodson. Marcheta
took up folk art painting as a young woman, and her motto was, “If it stands
still, paint it!” We send our deepest condolensces to her son, daughter,
grandchildren and other friends and family. They say that your life is a
successful one if you touch people along the way, if you impact or change the
lives of others. One man who did that was Charles “Chuck” Owens. The
people who were lucky to know him will never forget him. He was my Dad, and he
died Feb. 14 at the age of 92. He leaves
Annelie Owens, his wife of 62 years and my mom, a son Ken Owens,
my brother, and Steph Troup, granddaughter, as well as grandson Brandon
Owens, of Tucson, Az. We’ll
always love you, Dad. Paul Miller was 89 when he died at the Floyd E. “Tut” Fann
Veterans home in Huntsville. Malcolm Miller ws his beloved brother and
has written quite a bit about Paul. We send our deepest condolences to Paul’s
family and many friends. We found out something very
interesting recently. WLRH Public Radio here in Huntsville offers a Radio Reading Service to those
who can no longer read the Huntsville Times, “Old Huntsville.” and other periodicals.
Volunteer readers spend each day from 9-10am in reading selected stories to
listeners. Many who are unable to read
now will find this of much interest, and it is a service that is much needed. In order to take part in this, a
listener needs only to go by the Huntsville Public Library and pick up a
special FM receiver, that is free of charge.
Scott Passmore is the Volunteer Coordinator for the reading
service, and we very much appreciate what he and WLRH are doing for those who
can no longer read. We want to wish a very special birthday to Lisa DeJarnatte,
pretty wife of Dr. Ralph DeJarnatte.
The doctor always does something special for his wife’s birthday, so we
hope this year was no different! Speaking of important birthdays, Gale
Nichols is celebrating the 6th anniversary of her 39th birthday on March
13. We wish her the best birthday! We talked with a really sweet guy
recently. Jim Garner lives on
Monte Sano and has some great memories of life on the mountain. We may be
reading some stories from him soon! It was sad to read that Reid
Ace Hardware was closing its doors, after being in business on North
Parkway since 1962. Many remember Joe Reid and his wife, Mary Gene,
who ran the store for many years. Along with Terry’s Pizza, Eunice’s Kitchen
and several other landmarks, this one says good-bye as well. Kathy and Frank Ogle recently celebrated their 39th
anniversary. It’s hard to believe because Kathy looks not much older than
39! She works at the office of Dr.
Ralph DeJarnatte. Another March anniversary, of
their first year of marriage, was celebrated by Jen & Dave Willie,
who live in Nashville, Tn. but have friends here in Huntville. Happy
anniversary to you two! Jerri Smith recently celebrated a birthday. Jerri is the retired
lunch room manager at Ed White Middle School. Susie Bryant’s brother Steve Parton just became a
grandfather. Connor Lee Parton is the baby boy of parents Jacob
and Olivia Parton. When Connor gets a bit older he will hear many
stories of the family’s history. Mary Grimes, wife of Vic Grimes of the Golden K Kiwanis,
passed away in February. We send our deepest sympathy to Vic and their family.
Mary was one of those ladies who had a smile and a kind word for everyone. We met a couple of really
interesting guys lately, who have been friends ever since high school. Huntsville High is having an upcoming reunion
and Robert Staggs is one of the graduates - he left Huntsville in
1970. Robert’s son is Wes Staggs,
here in Huntsville, who owns Realty One.
Harris Sims (Mickey) Moore, Jr. graduated from Huntsville High the same year as
Robert and lives in Satellite Beach, Fl. He is originally from Huntsville and
his grandfather, Robert A. Moore, was the telephone manager in
Huntsville for 46 years, retiring in 1926. Ray Childers had been a resident at Skilled Nursing in Redstone
Village and was born in 1914. He died at the age of 95 very recently, and
leaves family and friends who will miss him so much. Our friend Kathy Cotney
emailed me to tell me that her daughter Jessica is a mom again! Jessica
and husband Brian Grotewiel live in Missouri and have one daughter, Payton,
who is 2 1/2. Kathy and Steve Cotney have another daughter, Tamra
who is married to John Holder and they live in Covington, Ga. with
daughter Noelle, who is 13. Carla Stephens Sims wrote to us recently and, at 45, says she remembers
many things in Huntsville that others of her age group may remember - like the
Super Slide near Parkway City, Jones Farm being filled with cows, Joe Davis as
mayor. We look forward to reading
Carla’s memories. Ed Trentham and his sweet wife Ann celebrated Ed’s
birthday recently - it was made even more fun because their daughter Susan
Trentham-Owens was able to visit from Tucson, Arizona. Happy Birthday to
you, Ed. Have a good March, and remember to watch out for your older
neighbors.
I know many of you remember
retired Sheriff Joe Patterson, who served several years ago. Well, he
was on the ball this month because Joe was the first caller to correctly
identify the Photo of the Month in January. The adorable boy was Louie
Tippett, owner of United Cleaning Service and the Historic Lowry House. Joe
said now that he’s retired he and wife Jane just do what they want to
do, and of course he has a long list of daily chores to do. Congratulations! We were really sorry to hear that Joe
Sloan, Sr. had died recently. Joe was a Southern gentleman who loved his
family and friends. He was a member of the Golden K Kiwanis and a Navy officer.
He leaves son Joe Jr., daughter Belinda, in addition to
grand/great grandchildren. He gave back to others all his life. He will be
missed. It was fun spending time with that
excellent bartender Britt Crossly recently. Britt works at Chop House on
Washington downtown, and in his spare time he works for Hunt Corp Properties.
His wife Stephanie is a full time student, and his beautiful young
daughter, Brynn, is just 20 months old.
Just ask him - he’ll show you a picture of Brynn! Sam Keith is sure proud of his daughter Leeanna. She
lives in New York with her husband Brian Plane and son Marshall and is a published author. But the most
exciting news is she just had another baby - a beautiful girl whom they named Anne-Louise
Renee Plane. Another set of
grandparents who can’t wait to see the baby are Buck Watson and wife Janet
- this is the first grand daughter for the gang and do you think they’ll spoil
her? Nah. We were so sorry to hear of the
death of John H. Martin, of Huntsville.
He was just 82 and a Navy vet, as well as a long-time Golden K Kiwanian.
We send our sympathy to wife Doris and their family and friends. Louis Clark, of Athens, Al. is sure a lucky man - his daughter Kim
Green thinks the world of him! Her
brother, Tim Clark, had a birthday Feb. 4 and her mother-in-law, Madeliene
Green, had a Feb. 1 birthday. Dr. Virgil M. Howie was a name that thousands of people will remember. He
was a Huntsville pediatrician who graduated from Vanderbilt. He was one of the
first doctors here to accept black and welfare children into his practice, who
couldn’t pay. Because he believed all children deserved love and medical care,
he started running independent research afterhours from his office regarding
children’s diseases. Dr. Howie died at 81, leaving wife Evelyn and sons Mitch,
David, and John; daughters Carol, Helen, Sarah and Tricia.
We know the family is so very proud of him. Many were saddened to learn of the
death of Boots Ellett, at only 74. He owned and operated the legendary Boots
Restaurant on Parkway near Governors drive for 34 years, starting in 1960.
He had the best steak and hamburgers in town. Boots was a kind, funny man who
worked really hard. We send our deepest sympathy to wife Joyce, son Boots,
Jr., daughter Lynne and the many friends and family he leaves. We met a really interesting guy
lately. Brad Cardwell works for Merrill Lynch, and moved here in 2004.
He and wife Allison (a dental hygienist for Dr. Douglas Hammond)
are very proud of son Jack, 4, who just started playing basketball at
the YMCA. He attends Hampton Cove Christian Academy, and the family enjoys attending
Willowbrook Baptist Church each week. I am so proud of my cousin. His
name is Rheinhard Mey, he is a very well-known and loved
singer/songwriter who performs and lives in Germany. His aunt is Annelie
Owens, of Huntsville. He had a birthday recently and celebrated with family
and friends. His concerts throughout the years are consistently sold out. Happy Birthday, Molla! Our neighbor and friend Dick
Maroon was interviewed in the Times recently for his work in providing
handmade wooden toys for children for Christmas. Since reading about him, many
people have sent donations, supplies and wood to use on this year’s toys. Dick is a kind, gentle man who
just wants to see smiles on the faces of these children who are sick and in
Huntsville Hospital, or at DHR. We are so proud of him - he goes to his
workshop every day of the year to make these toys, at his own expense, and last
year made over 300 toys to hand out. He’s been doing this now for 24 years. We
know wife Karen is proud of him too! We were so sorry to hear that Tim
Jose had died, at age 80. Tim was a WWII vet, retired executive from
Chrysler Corp., and a member of many civic organizations. We send condolences
to wife Rita, and his 3 sons Mitch, Kevin and Kurt, all of
Huntsville, as well as daughters Christine, Lisa, Brenda and Tammy. A rollicking party was held again
this year at Sam Keith’s garage, in 5 Points. Some of the guests were Buck
& Janet Watson, John & Rebekka McKinley, Jim Sieja, Jimmy Tolen,
Jim Caneer, Wyatt and Marilyn Poe, and Tom and Ann
Schulman of Athens. Food was great, and the ambiance perfect! We ate breakfast recently at
Edith’s Taste of Home and while there met Lynn & Philip Moore, with
daughter Haley who just turned 17 and attends Grissom High School. Talk
about a busy couple. Philip is a member of Rocket City Brass, 5 members who
play classic, rock and blues all over town and elsewhere. He plays the tuba and
teaches private music lessons for 25 years now. Philip also is one of the major
organizers of “Tuba Christmas” along with 43 tuba players, which thousands of
people enjoy each year. Lynn’s brother Robbie Robinson
just had a birthday Feb. 1. Lynn’s parents are Coach Robinson and wife Odessa
who live in Atlanta. Their great nephew Steve Penley is an artist who
has his artwork on exhibition in many cities.
A great family. I loved catching up with Meckel
Richardson recently at Carrabba’s for lunch. Meckel works there and also at
Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. He is a sweetheart and one busy man! Gladys Waggett, 86, died peacefully in her sleep recently. She was
dearly loved and cared for by son Joe Waggett, Jr.. We send our deepest
sympathy to Joe, his wife Liz and the other family and friends. That’s it for now - have a great
Valentine’s Day!
We had a winner for the December Photo of the Month! Lewis Rasmussen recognized the picture
of the little boy as that of Cecil Ashburn, whose road off Bailey Cove
is now legendary due to the conflict over Christmas trees. For you newcomers,
several years ago people began decorating the wild trees that grow along the
roadside before Christmas along Cecil Ashburn Drive, down to the Hampton Cove
area. It was all done in secret, and suddenly there were hundreds of decorated
trees! Huntsville residents loved it
(with a few exceptions) and each year the number of decorated trees grew. It
became a problem for the city in regards to cleanup after the holidays. So
several groups of citizens volunteered to clean up, but the city asked the
residents to stop decorating. Stay tuned
- we think it will continue! John Henegar’s annual Christmas party at Lee Ann’s Bar &
Restaurant was packed with people there to watch Tony Mason perform
along with a special guest, Jeff Cook of the legendary band
“Alabama.” Some of the folks we saw
there were Louie & Jane Tippett, Glenn Watson, Jim Vaughn, and Doris
Tucker. Marie Hewett was
there, Becky & Danny Loggins, Mr. & Mrs. Scott McClain and Robert
Patterson. Lynwood Smith and his
wife Missy were rocking out to the great music, along with hundreds of
others - it was the best party ever! City Councilman Bill Kling
and his pretty wife Tanji were there as well, and it’s always great to
catch up with them. Speaking of Tanji, she is so proud
of her beautiful Mom Elizabeth Lyon
who will be 81 in February. Elizabeth is a life-long resident of Madison County
and raised 4 kids! She’s the best. I met the sweetest young lady
recently at lunch at Weatherly Heights Elementary School. Her name is Isabel Okinedo, and she is
a third-grader in Mrs. Beard’s class.
I was there having lunch with my granddaughter Hannah Troup, who
is also a third-grader in Mrs. Bougher’s class. Anyway, Isabel knows exactly what she wants
to do when she gets older, she wants to be a dermatologist. When asked why, she
said she wanted to help people with their skin problems, but most of all she
wants to follow in the footsteps of her Dad, who is also a doctor. He is Dr.
Clement Okinedo, owner of Zoe Medical Care. His wife, Lisa, and Isabel’s
mom, works as manager at the office there. Isabel has a sister, Michelle,
and brother, Denzel. She was just a delightful young person to speak
with, and says that since she has a March 16 birthday, she is so looking
forward to spring! The Veterans Memorial Museum
is something everyone should go to visit. It’s located off Airport Road west of
Parkway, and is packed with military vehicles and other displays. Chuck
Owens (a WWII and Korean vet) recently visited with his great grandson Evan
Troup and they were fascinated by the displays. The day of the Channel 31
Christmas Parade downtown was cold and dreary, but that didn’t keep
hundreds of parade-watchers home. The bands were great (Love the A&M
band, I could listen to them all day), and one of the highlights was Bill
Miller in his 1929 yellow Ford auto! Cecil and Margaret Ashburn’s grandson Jeremy
Farber, son of Jennifer Gillespie, is getting married in the spring
and currently lives in Washington DC. Jeremy’s fiance is Michelle Powers,
a nutritionist from there. Pat Keefer and her son Levi will also be going for the
wedding which will be held in a historical plantation in the area called
Raspberry Plains in Virginia. Audra Wilson owns Salon Bella on Church St. & has the worst
possible day for a birthday. It was on December 27, but we hope it was a fun
day for you! The Winter Wine Event is
held annually to benefit the Huntsville Museum of Art. This year on Jan. 29
there will be a wine tasting as well as a Silent Auction with delicious food
offered. (starts at 6:30 pm) On Jan. 30 there will be a Wine Dinner and Live
Auction starting in the evening. This event is being presented by the Women’s
Guild of the Huntsville Museum of Art.
For more info call 535-4350 ext. 217. Happy Birthday to Heather
Bzdell. She is the sweet daughter of
proud Dad John Bzdell, who owns Marathon Painting. We keep hearing about people
leaving their valuables & purses in their cars, in full sight of anyone
looking in. It is too much of a temptation for some people if they see that in
view. The smartest thing to do, if you
HAVE to leave your purse in your car, is to put it in the trunk or hide it
somehow. Also, when you are leaving any store or mall, don’t be afraid to ask a
mall representative to escort you to your car if you feel uneasy. If someone
seems to be following you to your car, just turn around and go back into the
store. Be aware of everything going on around you, including people. Finally,
when you do get in your car, immediately lock your doors. Oftentimes crooks
will wait for a victim to get in the car, knowing it’s going to be a few
minutes before you leave. As much of this theft involves
injury, to say nothing of the mental trauma you’ll go through, it’s just smart
to protect yourself. Don’t be an easy target for anyone. You sure don’t hear “Happy 92nd
Birthday” too often, but I’m especially happy to wish my Dad, Chuck Owens,
a happy birthday January 15. He and mom,
Annelie Owens, have lived at Redstone Village for the past 5 years and
really like it there. Happy Birthday,
Dad, I’m so very proud of you. We keep hearing stories about the Historic
Lowry House and the spirits that may still be there! The home alarm goes
off for no reason at all, glasses come flying off the mantle at the fireplace,
faces are seen looking out of the windows.
Who knows - there may be a movie in the future about the events going on
here! February 6 is the date for the Divine
Performing Arts Chinese Spectacular, which last year was very memorable. It will be held at the Von
Braun Civic Center and is well worth the price of a ticket. Al & Rebecca Temple (owner of Rebecca’s in 5 Points) recently spent time
in San Antonio visiting their son Jason and his family. They are very
proud of their son, who is in the Navy. Joyce Russell, of New York Life, certainly has alot of gifts to buy
in December! Her daughter Megan Mack had a birthday Dec. 16, while
grandson Trenton Dyer-Keefer has a December 19 birthday. Grandson Nathan
Dyer-Keefer turned a year older on Dec. 4.
Mom and dad to the boys are Wendy and Wyatt Keefer. Much colder weather is soon coming up, so be sure and keep an eye on your older friends and neighbors. December 2008
Congratulations to Miriam Dendy
for being the first correct caller to guess last month’s Photo of the
Month. The picture featured Huntsville
artist Trice Hinds with his adorable sister, Gay Money. Miriam identified both of them! She has been a homemaker all her life, and
wants to send a special “hello” to her good friend Min Nash, in High
Point, N.C. We heard from Glenn Koch, Sr.
recently. Glenn works for the Huntsville Police Department and has a special
request. He said he wants to wish his
beautiful wife the happiest 34th wedding anniversary, on December 14th, and to
let her know how much he loves her. Paula Koch has been the Floor
manager and Membership Coordinator for over 13 years at Valley Hill Country
Club, and he is so proud of her. Glenn has been a police officer now for 36
years! I just love a romantic man! There have been many instances of
purse snatching and attacks on women at the malls and their parking lots. This
time of year is especially bad for that, just make sure that when you come out
of the store you are very aware of who is around you especially as you get near
your car. And don’t be embarrassed to ask for someone to walk you to your car
if you feel uneasy. We were really sorry to hear that Alan
Jenkin’s father had passed away. William
(Bill) Howard Jenkins was only 78 when he died. Bill worked for NASA here for nearly 30
years, was a private pilot for more than 40 years. He was a member of Southside
Baptist Church, was an active supporter of The Land Trust of Huntsville, and
was a founding member of Outreach, a halfway house for troubled teens. I know
his family is so proud of him. We send our deepest sympathy to Alan and his
wife Debra, and to Emma Jenkins, Bill’s wife of 53 years, as well
as the many friends and family who will miss him so much. We were very proud of our friend Bill
Poole (Bill Poole Real Estate) who was recently named Realtor of the Year
for this area, as well as State of Alabama Realtor of the Year! Congratulations, Bill, it is well deserved! For our newcomers to Huntsville,
one of the most beautiful events here is the Spirit of Christmas Past Homes
Tour & Luminaries. This year it will take place on Saturday, December
13, from 5-9pm on McClung Ave. in
the Twickenham Historic District. In case of rain, it’ll be moved to Sunday,
the 14th. Thousands of candles will line every street in the historic districts
including Old Town, and it is just breathtaking. Wear comfortable shoes and
warm clothing! Gladys Waggett was the loving
wife, mom and grandmother who died November 21 at the age of 86. Her
son, Joe Waggett, Jr., cared for her for years to make sure she was
always comfortable. We send our deepest condolences to Joe, his wife Liz,
their children and grandchildren. It was great meeting Nancy Lamb
recently, of New York Life. She is a sweet lady who works with Mack Vann,
agent of NYL Insurance Company, and is really looking forward to Christmas this
year! Dorothy Durham was born and raised in Huntsville but she currently
lives in Arab. She is having a birthday in February and is now 86! She has lots of great memories of early days
in Huntsville. It was great talking with her! Rosemary Leatherwood’s dear mother Mary Branche Richardson passed
away on November 12, 2008. She is survived by her wonderful husband, Billy
Richardson, 5 daughters, 5 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren. Mary
was a beautiful person, inside and out, and loved her family so much. She will
be greatly missed by the family and friends she leaves behind. Happy birthday to that sweet boy, Austin
Pinkerton, who will be 10 on December 28. Proud mama is Jamie
Leatherwood, who has another sweet boy, Chase, who is 8. With prices going up everyday and
all of us trying to eat healthier, the Farmer’s Market is the place to
go! The big one on Cook Avenue, just
south of Oakwood on No. Parkway, has a good supply of greens, apples, oranges,
etc. and just interesting stuff to look at.
Check them out - they’re open 7 days a week. John Henegar is having a December birthday again, and his party at
Lee Ann’s Restaurant is legend in these parts! What a great time everyone had
last year. He plans to do it again this year, same time, same place. The new Dog Park off Church
Street close to downtown Huntsville is very popular with dogs and owners
alike! The dogs get to run and get
exercise, while the dog owners get to know each other. On a nice day, the park
is very crowded. Now we hear that there
will be another dog park built off Drake Avenue, near the Senior Center, on the
north side of Drake, around Brahan Spring park.
Money is being collected for that purpose now. |
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