From New York to an island paradise, the sky is the limit when you are willing to travel
Story by Linda Long Submitted photos
Planning on
attending a wedding anytime soon? Then, you might want to don some traveling
duds and pack a suitcase. Destination weddings are a hot item these days,
according to Joanie Mardis owner of Seasons of Adventure Travel in Moody.
From Half Moon
Bay, Calif., to Tucson, Ariz., adventurous couples are hitting the road for hot
places to get hitched. Among the top 10 in the U.S., says Mardis is, “anywhere
in Florida – from San Destin to the Keys. “The closest to us for a wonderful
wedding is San Destin with beautiful green waters and sugar white sand
beaches.”
Other can’t
miss destinations include Cape Cod, Napa Valley, Newport, New York City, Aspen
and even as far north as the state of Maine. “And, of course, Las Vegas, where
almost anything goes,” says Mardis. “Although, I can honestly say, I’ve never
booked the Elvis Presley Wedding Chapel for anybody,” she laughed.
According to
Mardis, the Caribbean is also a popular place to go where an all-inclusive
resort is a favorite choice. At some venues, the wedding package is actually
free of charge. The most familiar is Sandals Resort with options in Jamaica,
Antigua, Saint Lucia, Bahamas, Grenada and Barbados.
“They have a
basic wedding package that includes the ceremony (on the beach, in a garden, in
a gazebo, day or night),” said Mardis. Add a bouquet and boutonnière of
orchids, reception, decor and wedding cake, all in a standard color scheme of
fuchsia and yellow, and you’ve got all you need.”
Mardis says
the bride and groom can customize these weddings with different styles, ideas,
colors, flowers and decor. The couple can have a larger, more elaborate
reception for as many guests as they choose to bring. The more guests to stay
at the resort with them, the more perks the couple gets, such as a welcome
celebration, spa themes bridal party and a room category upgrade.
Another great
resort for the free wedding offer, according to Mardis, is the Couples Resort
in Jamaica. “A couple can choose from three locations for a dream wedding, free
for the bride, groom and four guests staying in the resort for three days or
more. These weddings can be customized for only the bride and groom, called the
Runaway Bride Package for $350 all the way up to a Private Island wedding for
up to 40 guests for $4,750.
Another
popular wedding destination – a ship – from a private yacht to a cruise
ship. According to Mardis, cruise ship
weddings take place, usually, before the ship sails. The wedding party boards
the ship as soon as the ship is ready for passengers. A venue is already set
up. The ceremony and reception take place. Then, those not sailing depart the
ship before sailing time, and the bride and groom go on a honeymoon cruise.
But why are
brides and grooms choosing destination weddings instead of traditional church
wedding at home among family and friends?
There could be any number of reasons, says Mardis.
“It might be a
second marriage for the bride and groom, or the couple may have families in
different places. Instead of one family traveling, everyone travels. You get a
great family vacation along with the wedding. Many times, the family only stays
about 3 days (before, day of and day after the ceremony), then the bride and
groom remain for several days for the honeymoon. Sometimes the bride and groom
do not necessarily want a huge wedding, so they only invite a few people to
join them in the destination of their choice. Or maybe, it’s just the thing to
do these days.”
Mardis has one
bit of caution, however, for couples planning a wedding outside the country.
Requirements can vary from location to location. As Mardis explained, “Some
places require you to be on the island for a select number of days before you
can apply for your marriage license, anywhere from one to seven days. Some
islands charge you fees to get married or to obtain your license, which can be
up to $450 or maybe less than $100 depending on the island you choose.”
Couples also will have to have proof of ID, divorce decrees or a spouse’s death certificate if previously married, or parental consent, if under age
For more of Discover St. Clair’s special wedding coverage, read the full magazine in print or online at ISSUU
Retired policeman turns on “blue light” for business
Story by JackieRomine Walburn Photos by Graham Hadley
Retired police officer Ed Brasher has found his ideal
after-retirement avocation.
Brasher – a former police chief and regional drug task force
officer – combined an innate mechanical ability and career-honed knowledge
about emergency equipment with a passion for the adrenaline boost of fast, cool
vehicles to create a growing electronics, lighting and warning equipment and
installation business in Odenville.
BEI Lighting and Warning (BEILW), previously Brasher
Electronics, outfits police, fire and emergency vehicles with lights and
security features, produces graphics and detailing for business and public
vehicles and, most recently, is marketing its own line of LED lighting and
sirens.
Today, the business Brasher and son Trey started in 2003 in
the family’s two-car garage is the largest supplier of emergency equipment in
Alabama with 5,000 square feet of custom work space and three employees.
And, as they expand the business with a new line of lighting
and sirens and a growing list of services and clients, the father and son are
continuing a family tradition of owning a business – begun by Ed Brasher’s
businessman father.
Law enforcement career
After a very short tenure training as a butcher apprentice
(too cold and messy, he recalls), Brasher began his three-decade career in law
enforcement as a policeman in the small St. Clair town of Whites Chapel, a
community that’s now part of the town of Moody. Next, he moved to the Odenville
police department and served as police chief for Odenville from 1987 to 1990.
Joining the Pell City police force in 1990, Brasher served as
night shift patrolman, then sergeant. He spent the mid-90s as part of the 30th
Judicial Circuit’s Drug Task Force. Eventually promoted to captain then
assistant police chief with Pell City Police, Brasher officially retired in
2014.
While a police officer, Brasher continued to drive trucks for
his father’s business. “Some days I’d park the patrol car at the end of a shift
and get in the 18-wheeler for a long haul, then return to start over again,”
says Brasher, who noted that many police officers and firefighters supplement
their incomes with additional work. “You do what you have to do when you are
raising a family.”
Family tradition
Born in Birmingham, Brasher moved with his family to
California and spent his childhood on the west coast where his father operated
one of his businesses. Returning to Alabama with his family when he was 16,
Brasher attended Hueytown High School for six months, then settled in at St.
Clair High School, where he would meet his future wife on his first day.
“I sat down behind her in homeroom. I saw this beautiful girl
and fell in love,” he says of his wife of 38 years, Kathy Foreman Brasher. “I
told my best friend then that I was going to marry Kathy one day.”
And, he did marry Kathy Foreman, who it turns out shares
Brasher’s mechanical bend and “adrenaline junkie” passion. They raised two
sons, Trey, 33, and Shannon, 30.
Before becoming a police officer and as a sideline income
since, Brasher drove long haul trucks for his father’s business, including
delivering natural gas in 18-wheel rigs.
While Brasher worked as a police officer and sometimes truck
driver, Kathy worked for the St. Clair sheriff’s department as a 911 dispatcher
for 10 years and today manages the county’s pistol permit program.
Fast cars, motorcycles and an airplane
Always an “adrenaline junkie,” Brasher first flirted with
speed and daring as a drag racer in California as a teen. He’s since had fast
cars – a favorite being a 1969 AMX hot rod – and motorcycles, enjoying both the
rides and the tinkering with engines and anything mechanical.
When their sons were young, Ed and Kathy Brasher loaded the
boys up on their his-and-her big motorcycles and traveled on vacations to the
west coast and Canada. Trey recalls these trips with fondness and admits to
inheriting the mechanical adventure spirit from his parents.
Brasher recalls with
Trey, who is co-owner of BEILW and the company’s graphic expert, the time his
parents had a 350 Chevy V-8 engine up on blocks in the living room, rebuilding
it.
Since then, there have been other fast cars, a Piper 235
airplane that he and Trey are both licensed to fly and a new Gold Wing
motorcycle, purchased as Brasher’s retirement present to himself.
Try this
The catalyst for what became BEILW was a friend who was
selling police equipment but didn’t install the equipment. “He knew I had a
background in electronics and asked if I was interested in the installation
side of the business,” Brasher says. The friend knew the products would sell
better if installation was part of the deal.
One day, Brasher came home to find a Crown Victoria in the
driveway with equipment in the seat and a note, “Try this.”
Brasher and Trey installed the equipment on the Crown Vic.
Then there were two or three more police cars in the driveway. They soon set up
shop in the family garage.
Four years later, in 2007, they built the lobby and first
workspace at the current location on Oakley Avenue in Odenville. In 2015, a
graphic workspace was added. Then, in 2017, the company added its giant
warehouse addition designed to accommodate fire trucks and ladder trucks, even
18-wheelers, with a 12- by 16-foot door. Upstairs is a break room and Brasher’s
office. There’s also a parts room. The most recent workspace addition is a
converted garage outfitted for painting and powder coating equipment.
Lights, sirens, graphics
Brasher’s company serves a specialty market, installing
lights, sirens and other equipment on police, fire and emergency vehicles. The
services and products include prisoner partitions, equipment consoles, radar,
gun racks, laptop connections and push bumpers for police vehicles. They add
towing bars and safety lifts on wreckers. The company creates graphics for the
exteriors of emergency vehicles and for Realtors and others businesses. The
graphics side of the business also produces signs and banners for the general
public as well.
As each job on a vehicle begins, the business digitally
records the VIN number and image of each vehicle they work on, before and
after. This video databank helps with quality control, warranties and being
able to reproduce exactly what the customer wants again.
In addition, video security cameras – and screens in
Brasher’s office – work 24/7 patrolling the areas around the business to
protect the expensive equipment and the customer’s vehicles.
Smart start
Another service offered by the company is installation,
testing and removal of “Smart Start” ignition interlock systems in vehicles as
part of court-ordered alcohol monitoring of drivers convicted of driving under
the influence. The company is one of the state’s certified installers of the
system that analyzes the driver’s breath and locks up if alcohol is detected.
The Smart Start program is operated by Alabama’s Department of Forensic
Sciences.
LED lights a game changer
LED lights that last longer and shine brighter have changed
the world of emergency lighting, Brasher says. “They are compact and more
reliable and use less power.”
The company’s new line of lighting and siren products, called
BEILW and for sale online at BEILW.com, include products designed by Brasher
and son with installation and use in mind. “They are more installer friendly,
more functional and more aesthetically pleasing,” Brasher says. The line
includes siren speakers, beacon lights, light bars and dash lights.
Emergency lighting on vehicles is color coded. Red is for
firefighting vehicles; blue is for police, and amber is for emergency vehicles.
“It’s always been against the law to have colored lights on civilian vehicles.
The type of lights might change, but the color code is consistent, at least
regionally. But, it’s the opposite “up north,” Brasher says, with fire being
blue and police red.
Investing back in the business
When Brasher still worked with the police department as the
company ramped up, he made sure he met all ethics requirements to not do
business with police department he’d work for, and he made sure to funnel
company proceeds back into the young business. Today, he says, the company is
debt free as it continues to grow and add services. Before he retired and went
to work there full time, “we invested everything back into the business,” he
says, noting there were many what seemed like “43-hour days and 23-day weeks.”
But now the retired police officer tries to hold his work
days to five-day weeks, leaving him time for adrenaline-inducing fast cars,
motorcycles and airplane rides.
Organizer extraordinaire puts skills, compassion to work for good causes
Story by Elaine Hobson Miller Photos by Michael Callahan Submitted Photos
Doris
Munkus likes to organize. When she’s not organizing line dancers, senior
citizens and fundraisers, she turns to her own household.
“I
color-code everything,” she confesses, not the least bit sheepishly. “I have
five grandchildren, and I color-code their towels, their bedding, their chairs,
even their toothbrushes and drink cups. They can’t change them, either. I don’t
have to buy name tags at Christmas, I just wrap their gifts in their colors.”
Freud
might call her anal about organizing, but folks around Pell City call her
genius. Over the past six years, her organizational skills have helped raise
more than $150,000 for various charities and first responders in her community.
Her main claim to fame is Dancing With Our Stars. This annual
competition mimics television’s Dancing With The Stars, pairing
experienced dancers with local bankers, professionals, business owners, elected
and school officials, firefighters, police officers and others.
But
Doris’ organizational skills go back much further than the 2014 debut of DWOS,
however. “I organized a float to represent Dallas County for former Gov. Guy
Hunt’s inauguration
parade,” says Doris, who taught art in that county’s school system when she
lived in Selma. “I staged an Invention Convention for the school children, too.
I like to organize big things.”
In
2001 former Pell City Councilwoman and fellow church member Betty Turner picked
up on Doris’ organizational abilities and asked her to start an exercise class
at their church, Cropwell Baptist. “I couldn’t then because my mom lived with
me and I was taking care of her,” Doris recounts. “She died in 2002, so in 2003
I started that class. It was free and open to anyone.”
After seven or eight years, the exercising
hour got a little too long. Doris had taught line dancing as activities
director at the Pell City Senior Citizen Center in the late 1990s, so she
suggested adding that to the mix. Everyone involved agreed.
“We
did a half hour of exercise, half hour of line dancing for several years, then
we dropped the exercise portion and just did line dancing,” Doris explains. In
2009, the classmoved to Celebrations, and Doris added a$4
charge per class to cover the expenses of renting Celebrations, buying the
music, the signage, the DVD player and other incidentals. The rolls show 50
people, but the average attendance is about 30.
While
the class was still at Cropwell, the late Kathy Patterson was on the board of
the St. Clair County Relay for Life and asked whether Doris’ line dancers might
want to raise money for cancer research. “That first year we raised $2,000, and
dancing wasn’t even involved,” Doris says. True to form, shestarted
thinking bigger, and the class held sock hops the next year. People responded
well, so Melinda Williams, the American Cancer Society representative for St.
Clair and several other counties, suggested the dancers hold a Dancing With
Our Stars as another fundraiser.
“Our
first was February 14, 2014,” Doris says. “February seems to be best month, but
we have done it in March and April. In February of this year, we raised $23,111
and those numbers are still climbing because we’re selling DVDs from the show.”
Deserved rave reviews
Tim
Kurzejeski is a battalion
chief and one of four members of the Pell City Fire Department who line-danced
to the 1977 Bee Gees hit, Stayin’ Alive, at the first DWOS – in
full protective gear. He has nothing but praise for Doris and the DWOS
event.
“Thefire department here in Pell City has had a dance team at Dancing With
Our Stars every year since that first year,” Kurzejeski says. “Doris is
great. She’s very energetic, she just tries to do the best and most she can to
give back to the community. She’s very easy to work with, and it’s actually
fun.”
Dancing With Our Stars
no longer raises funds for Relay for Life. Instead, the money goes to a
different organization each year. In 2016 it benefitted Children’s Hospital of
Alabama, in 2017, it was the Pell City Fire Department, in 2018 the Pell City
Police Department, and this year, it was for the St. Clair County Sheriff’s
Department. Next year, DWOS will raise money for the St. Clair County
Children’s Advocacy Center. “The dancers and people who buy tickets respond
well to local charities,” Doris says. “People call us and ask us to raise money
for their charity, and we put them on a list. We check them out, and the entire
committee must agree on them. We’ll never do it for an individual, though.”
She
has a committee of eight line dancers who do much of the planning for the
event. “We already have the menu for next year,” she says. “Vickie Potter,
who’s in charge of the food, already has next year’s food court and theme. It
will be a hobo theme in 2020.”
Other
committee members include Donna McAlister, photo and technical coordinator;
Kathie Dunn; Kathy Hunter; Lavelle Willingham, treasurer; Martha Hill; Paulette
Israel and Sue Nickens, Silent Auction coordinators. Jeremy Gossett has been emcee, and Jamison Taylor has been the disc
jockey for the event since its inception. Griffin Harris is the tech guru who
sets up the text line the audience uses to vote for favorites. “It’s all run by
volunteers,” Doris says.
Recruiting
dancers was hard the first year, but it’s much easier now. In fact, people
often call Doris asking to participate. “It’s amazing how much talent we have
in this area,” she says. This year, 600 people paid $25 each to eat dinner and
watch the show at Celebrations, where all but one DWOS has been held.
Next year, it will move to the CEPA building, on the gym side, which holds
2,000 people. “There’s more parking space there, too,” Doris says.
St.
Clair County Sheriff Billy J.Murray readily admits that Doris is one of
two people he just can’t say “no” to. (The other is his wife.) “Doris has a
tremendous work ethic, and she’s very organized,” he says. “There’s always a
lot of stuff that comes up that someone has to handle in preparing for the
show, and she steps up to the role of managing the chaos.”
Although
dancing is out of his comfort zone, he has already signed up for next year
because Doris makes it so much fun. “I know how to be sheriff, but I don’t know
how to dance,” Murray says. “We (the sheriff’s department) had nearly 30 people
helping in some capacity this year, dancing, building props, helping with
costumes and makeup. I wouldn’t hesitate to partner with Doris and her line
dancers again.”
Joanna
Murphree, the executive assistant to the administrator of St.
Vincent’s St. Clair, has worked with Doris on DWOS for the past three
years, and she, too, has high praise for this wonder woman. “The hospital has
had a team in the group division,
the Dance Fevers
team,” she says. “Doris’s organizational skills are phenomenal. She’s pleasant to work
with, too, and very thorough.”
Destination: Worthy cause
When
she’s not working on DWOS, Dorisorganizes short, one day or
overnight trips for the St. Clair County Baptist Association as a volunteer, as
well as cruises and one- and two-week bus trips under the banner of her Pell City Cruisers. This sideline began in
1998, when she worked at the senior center. She charters the buses, plans the
itineraries and the meals, books the hotels, the whole shebang. “I did one
14-day bus trip where we flew into Las Vegas and toured 12-14 national parks in
nine states,” she says. She has done tours to Canada, Colorado, Montana, Utah, the Ark in Kentucky and the
Panama Canal Zone. She makes photo books of each trip, just like she does with
each DWOS event. “All of these trips and cruises are open to anyone of
any age or denomination,” she says.
In
addition, she and the Pell City Line Dancers perform at community events, such
as the Halloween Festival at Old Baker’s Farm in Shelby County, Homestead Hollow
in Springville and the Pell City Block Party. They dance monthly at the Colonel
Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home in Pell City, at the Village at Cook
Springs, and at Danbury in Inverness in Shelby County.
When
she isn’t traveling or organizing something, she helps her husband, Victor, who
is retired from National Cement in Ragland, with Munk’s Renovations. They
remodel apartments, refurbish the cabinets they remove and resell them. The
couple has been married for 22 years, and yes, she organizes his life, too. But
he doesn’t mind at all.
“She’s
a wonderful lady, she’s sweet, lovable, real thoughtful,” he gushes. Victor
says she organizes his closet, too. “I have a section for work shirts, for
dress shirts, for shoes, socks, pants and underwear,” he says. “She has tags,
so I’ll know where everything’s supposed to go. She doesn’t like for me to
leave my shoes or clothes lying around, and she’ll come behind me and pick them
up. I’ve been living with her for almost 23 years, and I guess neither of us is
going to change.”
Editor’s Note: For a video or DVD
of still pictures of the 2019 Dancing With Our Stars, call Doris at
205-473-4063. They are $10 each.
You may also call her for more information about her
trips.
Line
dancing classes meet at 9 a.m. on Wednesdays and Fridays, with beginner classes
following at 10 a.m. on the same days. Payment is on the honor system, with a
box set out to collect the $4 per person charge. l
Story by Scottie Vickery Photos by Wallace Bromberg Jr.
Every morning, Jackie Gleason sits on her back porch at Legacy
Farms in Steele, gazes across the rolling pasture, takes in the spectacular
view of Chandler Mountain, and just breathes.
The day, no matter which one it is, promises to be a full one.
There are animals to feed and water, hay to bale, two full-time careers to
juggle and the usual whirlwind of ball games, practices and school events that
come with raising two teenage sons. For most, it would be overwhelming. For
Jackie and her husband, Philip, it’s just another day in paradise.
“It’s time consuming and there’s a lot of sacrifices, but it’s
worth it,” Philip said. “I don’t see myself doing anything else.”
Voted Best Farm by the readers of Discover, The Essence of St.
Clair magazine, Legacy Farms has a little bit of everything. The Gleasons
breed quarter horses, cattle, border collies and red heelers while also raising
a menagerie that includes chickens, ducks, turkeys, a goat, a Great Pyrenees,
an ever-growing collection of cats including one with six toes, and a pig named
Trump who was born on Inauguration Day.
While running a working farm is a full-time commitment for most,
the Gleasons aren’t the type to put their feet up. Philip is a veterinarian at
Argo Animal Clinic and a member of the Steele City Council while Jackie works
full-time as a pharmacist at CVS in Jacksonville. Just to make things really
interesting, she recently started hosting weddings at Dayspring, her family’s
farm in Springville, and has 21 events already booked for this year.
“I don’t think there’s a day we can just sit around and relax,” Jackie
said. “It’s a lot of work, and at the end of the day you’re exhausted, but you
feel like you got something accomplished.”
A way of life
Farm life was an important part of both Philip’s and Jackie’s
childhoods. Philip grew up on 25 acres across the street from where the
couple’s home now stands. Although Jackie lived in Gadsden as a child, she
spent most weekends at her grandparents’ Dayspring Farm and grew up showing
horses and Simmental cattle. The couple, who married in 2002, tried living in a
subdivision while their boys were young, life on the farm kept beckoning. They
eventually bought Philip’s family farm and some additional acreage and made
themselves a home.
“It’s such a calming place,” Jackie said. “We tell the kids,
‘learn how to slow down.’ On your worst day, if you can’t go out in that
pasture and walk around and feel a little bit better, I don’t know what else
could help you.”
Today, the Gleasons work about 250 acres of land between the two
farms. Philip breeds Angus cattle while Jackie’s domain is the quarter horses
and dogs. Rece, 16, is leaning toward a career in poultry science while
13-year-old Cade can most often be found on a tractor. “Everybody has their
role out here,” Jackie said.
Her first love is the horses. “I started showing horses when I was
3 and started breeding them when I was 13,” said Jackie, adding that she has
two stallions, 11 mares and 10 to 12 foals on the ground each year. These days,
her pride and joy is Top Side Secret, the 17-year-old grandson of Triple Crown
winner Secretariat. “He is one of three grandsons left in the U.S., and his dad
is the last living son,” she said. “He’s got the best temperament, which is
rare for a stallion. He’s been such a great boy, and he’ll always have a home
here.”
Philip said his focus is on breeding the best Angus cattle. “We
want to produce that great taste,” he said, adding that 50-60 calves are born
each year. “We’re a seedstock producer; we’re producing the genetics. All of
the animals have a DNA profile and everything is done by artificial
insemination or embryo transfer.” While some are sold locally, Philip sends
most of his bull calves – usually 25-30 at a time – to Gardiner Angus Ranch in
Kansas, which markets them.
“I start at 5 a.m., then go to work and sometimes I’ve been
breeding cows at midnight,” he said. “It’s a lot of work and at times it’s
frustrating, but I wouldn’t change it for anything.”
Saying “I do” to weddings
Late last year, Jackie decided to add another business venture to
the mix. Although she and her father still raise cattle at Dayspring Farm and
many of her horses are there, she knows the farm will be hers one day and
she’ll need another source of income for it. Since its wide-open pastures
nestled between two mountain ranges make for some spectacular scenery, she
decided it would be the perfect place for a wedding venue.
She held her first wedding last November and hasn’t stopped since.
“There’s no way I could ever sell this place, so I decided to figure out some
way to make it pay for itself. I didn’t think it would take off as fast as it
did. Most barn venues are barns built for weddings, but here the animals wander
up to the fence and guests get to pet them. I think that’s what the draw is. We
take it for granted because that’s how we grew up, but not everyone gets to
enjoy that.”
Creating a Legacy
That’s what the Gleasons wanted for Rece and Cade, and it’s the
main reason they decided to move back to the farm. “It’s the best thing we
could have done for the boys,” Jackie said. “They may never want to raise
cattle and that’s one thing, but they’ve learned to appreciate the land, the
scenery and animals.”
Not
long after the move, the Gleasons were in church when the sermon focus was on
creating a legacy. “We looked at each other and said, ‘That’s what we’re going
to name the farm,’ ” Jackie said. “Our hope is that each of the kids will get
one of the farms one day. If we are going to leave a legacy for them, we wanted
it to be a different lifestyle, a peaceful lifestyle.”
Economic Development Council marks 20 years of collaboration and success
Story by Paul South Photos by Graham Hadley and Jamie Collier
In a
sense, economic development is like growing a garden. Everything comes in
season – tilling, planting, watering and fertilizing, waiting for the effort to
blossom. For the past 20 years in St. Clair County, government, industry, small
business and the citizenry, have come together like seed, soil, sun and rain to
grow one of Alabama’s fastest-growing counties.
With a
basketful of projects in progress or in prospect, plus a recent capital
campaign meeting its fundraising goals, the St. Clair County Economic
Development Council appears poised for another bountiful harvest.
The
EDC has just completed raising its $500,000 goal in its annual capital
campaign, Partnership for Tomorrow. The fundraising effort not only
fuels the EDC’s regional, national and international recruitment reach that
extends from Europe to the Pacific Rim, but also foots the bill for things as
mundane as paying salaries for the EDC’s small staff and keeping the lights
burning.
“We’ve
always been very fortunate to have community support in these endeavors. We
have a 20-year track record of being both good stewards of the funds given to
us and being very productive in utilizing those funds,” said EDC Executive
Director Don Smith.
The
EDC is also about to embark on a new five-year plan, crafted after feedback
from business, government and St. Clair County citizens. Education and
workforce development, job recruitment and retention, marketing and leadership
development remain as goals from previous plans.
The
new plan includes a focus on developing tourism, an effort to trumpet the
county’s rich history, attractions and natural resources. A slice of the
capital campaign includes raising an extra $100,000 to hire an individual to
promote and market tourism.
The
practice of crafting and executing five-year plans began under former EDC
Executive Director Ed Gardner Jr., who succeeded his father, Ed Gardner Sr., in
the role. Gardner Sr. was the EDC’s first executive director. He laid the
foundation for the EDC’s history of success.
And
the five-year plans begun under Gardner Jr. have helped build the EDC into the
success it is today. This will be the second five-year plan on Smith’s watch.
It’s hoped the tourism push will, like a stone skipping across one of the
county’s cherished waterways, have a ripple effect in all sectors of the
county’s economy. The Coosa River, Neely Henry and Logan Martin lakes, Little
and Big Canoe creeks, Chandler Mountain and Horse Pens 40 are the surface of
the county’s tourism treasures. Through the efforts of the EDC’s push, the
county has embraced the Forever Wild initiative, aimed at preserving the environment
for future generations.
An
important note, tourism-driven initiatives spark high return on investment
“Tourism
really does feed into the other areas on which we have previously been focused,
Smith said. “This will help bring new residents into the area, which will
increase our workforce pool. It will also bring in new sales tax and tourism
dollars, which will be beneficial to the funding of the municipalities, schools
and also bring more sales to our small business owners in the county.”
In
this, Alabama’s bicentennial year, the county’s history is also something to be
celebrated through festivals around the county.
“I
believe that what we want to do is really market our strengths. We are blessed
in this county with beautiful lakes and streams, mountains and valleys, a
variety of wildlife and foliage. We want to make sure we have opportunities for
people who are here to spend time outside and enjoy what we have here. We want
to pull people from the urban areas, to be able to enjoy outdoors activities as
well.”
Tourism
can also spark the county as attractive for retirees or for families seeking a
second home.
“Our
philosophy is the more people that come and visit St. Clair County will only
create more believers that this is one of the best counties in the state,”
Smith says.
Along
with the tourism push, the county will continue its efforts in manufacturing
and retail recruitment, workforce development, education and building future
generations of leaders through Leadership St. Clair.
The
EDC works closely with Jefferson State Community College and the St. Clair
County, Leeds and Pell City Schools to train workers and connect them with
recruiters.
“I
believe with things like creating a new apprenticeship program, developing a
site-ready pad in the Cogswell Industrial Park in Pell City, and really
engaging the public school systems in the importance of career readiness,
allowed us to have success on a grander scale than we had initially thought
possible,” Smith says.
Jason
Goodgame, vice president of the Goodgame Company, has been involved in the
construction and expansion of a number of local industries, including Eissmann.
The long relationship has expanded business and created jobs. He has pitched
the county’s assets to firms around the globe.
“We
have a great source of employment. We have great people that are here. We have
a great quality of life with the lakes and the school system and we work to
make firms around the world a part of things here. … Relationship is what we
do. … We always try to cultivate what we have in common.”
“Currently,
our project and prospect level is extremely high,” Smith noted. “We have some
20 projects or prospects we’re managing right now. We’re trying to get a lot of
the prospects into an announced project status and a lot of the projects into a
‘completed’ status.” The expansion in Steele at Unipres, Charity Steel’s new
location in Riverside, TCI of Alabama, Impact Metals, and Allied Minerals’ new
investment in Pell City as well as unannounced retail projects throughout the
county are a testament to the economic vitality of all of our communities.”
On top
of the new investments, Charity Steel pours a portion of its profits back into
the community, Trinity Highway Safety Products was honored with one of Gov. Kay
Ivey’s Trade Excellence Awards, and WKW was just named Supplier of the Year for
the second straight year by the Alabama Automotive Manufacturers Association.
The
recent large expansion at Eissmann is another reason for optimism. All of this
success highlights a high level of collaboration between the county, its
municipalities and the business community with the EDC.
“The
leadership component is so important. One of the things that we stress is the
ability to do great things when we’re all working together, Smith says. One
city, partnering with another city to share sewer and water, or police and fire
protection is really not possible unless you have good cooperation.”
Joe
Kelly, chairman of the EDC board of directors for the past three years, and a
member of the board since its inception, credits local governments for allowing
the EDC to do its job, sparking strong growth.
“One
of the great things about our county and our county leadership is that they not
only have allowed the EDC to do its work, they have been a tremendous source of
encouragement as our staff goes out and slays the dragon, so to speak.
The
future of that working relationship is bright, as St. Clair works with its
northern neighbors to grow the Interstate 59 Corridor.
“We’re
going to continue to focus on wealth creation, which is the continued
recruitment of employers and making sure we have good quality companies coming
into our community. We’re going to have population growth that’s going to take
place,” Smith said.
“We’re
going to continue to educate elected officials on the importance of community
planning so we can eliminate the hodgepodge of development that takes place a
lot of times, where you have incompatible neighbors. We’re going to continue to
plan to address congestion and traffic issues. Those are things we’re going to
try to have as part of our plan going forward.”
“Each
time, we have exceeded the goals that were put forth for us,” Smith said. “This
just adds on to the previous 10 years that the EDC has been in operation. The
EDC has been active for 20 years and has an incredible track record of being
fiscally responsible, very effective in achieving our goals and growing our
county.”
No one
could have foreseen the success of the EDC when it began its work 20 years ago,
Kelly said. The initial focus was on industrial recruitment and job creation
but blossomed into much more.
“That
was done, but it has transformed into many other aspects of improving the
quality of life in St. Clair County,” Kelly said.
The
secret to the EDC’s success in its 20 years? “One of the things that we’ve done
best is not talking a lot but listening a lot,” he explained. “We actually
solicit that kind of advice from our business community.”
As the
EDC wraps up this capital campaign and embarks on the new five-year plan, Kelly
reflected on the EDC and its history, seasoned with a basketball analogy. And
he praised the staff and the board over the two decades of toil.
“I
don’t think when we started, we had the vision that in 20 years we were going
to be going and growing, but I do know . . . when we brought in Ed Gardner Sr.,
it was like when Auburn hired Bruce Pearl. We set a standard when we brought
(Gardner Sr.) in, and so we couldn’t back away. And we haven’t,” he said.
“Everybody
on the board – past and present – have focused on what’s best for St. Clair
County. We’re often asked, ‘How do you do it?’, and it’s the quality of the
people.”
Story by Carol Pappas Photos by Michael Callahan Submitted photos
When Jack Fincher and sister, Linda Wood, were growing up in
Roebuck, John Donalson’s family lived across the street. Donalson was the first
director of aviation for Alabama and after settling into the suburban
Birmingham neighborhood, the family lived at the nearby airport in an apartment
above his office.
That was before World War II. After the war, he commanded the Air
National Guard for the state, was among the inaugural inductees to Alabama’s
Aviation Hall of Fame, patented a steel casting process and became a steel
company executive.
But what happened in between is the real story, said Fincher and Wood, both of whom now live in Pell City.
Fincher refers to the decorated war hero simply as “Papa.” In
later years, Donalson’s wife and Fincher and Wood’s father passed away, and
three years after Donalson’s wife died, “he came out here and proposed” to
their mother, Almeda “Boots” Hines Fincher.
She had been a nurse and took care of Mrs. Donalson in her final
days. Their spouses died a few months apart in the same year.
Humble hero
Fincher and Woods’ story about ‘Papa’ is deeply rooted in those
in-between years when Lt. Col. John Donalson led the main airborne invasion of
Normandy – D-Day – 75 years ago. More than 800 C-47s dropped over 13,000
paratroopers into the epic battle that would change the course of World War II
and history. And Donalson was the commander.
A photo in his hometown newspaper in Birmingham captured the
moment back home, his wife, Blanche, his three children, Beverly, 16, and John
Jr. and Eugenia – just toddlers – listening to the broadcast of the invasion on
radio in the early morning hours of June 6, 1944. The youngest, John Jr., is
seen clutching a photograph of his father.
They may not have been able to understand the events as they
unfolded in real time, but Daddy would come home with a chest full of medals
and would rise to the rank of Major General.
That’s All,
Brother
In the years that followed, the plane that took the lead in the
invasion, That’s All, Brother, had gone from its pivotal role in D-Day
to a post-war commercial stint to a scrap metal yard when it was salvaged,
restored and began its journey anew to Normandy for the 75th
Anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 2019.
As part of the Commemorative Air Force Central Texas Wing, That’s
All Brother joined 15 other C-47/DC-3 airplanes to retrace the ferry path –
United States to Canada to Greenland to Iceland to Scotland to England. In
Duxford, England, That’s All Brother and three other planes headed to
Normandy to commemorate the anniversary. Then it was on to Germany to
commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift.
In 1945, the historic aircraft was sold to the civilian market and
over the next few decades and through multiple owners, it finally was sold to
be scrapped in what the Commemorative Air Force described as “a boneyard in
Wisconsin.”
As fate has a way of intervening, two historians from the United
States Air Force discovered its whereabouts, the CAF acquired it, and through a
Kickstarter program, donors and volunteers, That’s All Brother is flying
once again.
Fincher was one of those donors and when That’s All Brother
landed in Birmingham in May, Fincher and members of his family boarded for a
trip of a lifetime. “I was stoked,” said Fincher. “Everybody sat on little tin
seats and buckled up with the original equipment.”
He and members of his family were able to experience a step back
into time when Papa flew the skies over Normandy. Members of Donalson’s family
did as well, aboard a later flight.
After takeoff, passengers could wander around the airplane and
cockpit, which had been fully restored to its 1944 look and condition. “It was
like brand new,” Fincher said, noting that not a detail was missed. The
original paint scheme, even surplus parts from 1944 were used in the
restoration project.
“Papa was the command pilot,” he noted. “There were 82 airplanes
in his command.” He selected the name, That’s All Brother, “as a message
to Hitler.” The actual pilot that day was David Daniels, also from Birmingham,
with Donalson aboard in command of the entire operation. Also aboard that day
was a Scottie dog, the pilot’s pet. A stuffed dog to commemorate him is on the
present-day flights.
“Papa’s plane was Belle of Birmingham,” Fincher said, “but
because a radar beacon was required to be installed underneath the lead aircraft,
Papa was loathe to cut a hole in the belly of his beloved ‘Belle,’ so he made
the switch.”
Looking back
Wood and Fincher pore over old newspaper clippings and a scrapbook
as tall as a three-layer cake. The sense of history and heroism, intertwined,
is ever present as they turn each page.
They talk of Donalson’s flight with 80 more planes over the
English Channel that fateful night with no lights, no radio.
Wood recently discovered his memoirs – 100 pages handwritten in
pencil. In typical form of what has been called the Greatest Generation, “there
was very little about D-Day,” she said.
In his own
words
But in the family scrapbook is the copy of an official report Col.
Donalson filed on June 6, 1944, where he had this to say about the day’s
mission:
Our second mission consisted of fifty Gliders, thirty-six English
Horsa and fourteen American CG-4A gliders.
All were marshalled, that is placed in a double row with tugs
attached, so that they were able to take off starting from the front, one tug
and glider every 25 to 30 seconds. We put the CG-4A in front because they could
get off better. They were led by Maj. Gates who was to form over the field at
1800 feet and wait until all the Horsas were off and formed at 1200. Lt. Col.
Daniel and myself were in the first tug with Horsa. Cawthon was all over the
sky trying to keep it trailing. We formed up and got on course a little early
in order to make our departure point on time. When we passed Cherbourg on our
way in, it was quiet as a church-mouse. Guess they used up all their ammunition
the night before. Off to our left, the surface convoy was stretched as far as
you could see with boats going to the beaches.
There were a line of battleships and cruisers laying off the
shore, all quiet at the moment, but waiting to silence any shore battery that
was there and headed for our DZ. I had given all the preparatory light signals
and was just ready to give the signal for cutting loose when Capt. Cawthon, the
Glider Pilot, recognized his field and cut.
We pulled ahead, dropped our tow rope, and turned to head for our
base when some Krauts with tommy guns started hitting us. One explosive shell
came through and wounded our Radio Operator and Crew Chief. We hit the deck and
started home. On the way back, I was checking to see how many planes we had
lost. I could account for all but two. One of those had to re-service before he
could make it in. The other made a crash landing in France and the crew got
back in a couple of days.
My hat is off to the Glider pilots for they did a marvelous job
under fire. They landed right on top of the front line with snipers all over
the place. As soon as they got on the ground, they were in crossfire from
machine guns and the Krauts had their mortar zeroed on the fields. The Glider
pilots started returning the following day and are still coming in. So far we
have definite proof that three have been killed and feel sure that three more
were killed but cannot confirm it yet. Half of our airplanes were hit with
small arms fire with the majority of hits in the engine and gas tanks. They are
not leak-proof either.
This was our second mission and they were both 100 percent
perfect. Considering the number of people involved in the operation, it is
almost beyond belief that everyone would do exactly as he should.
There is not much of a report to make on these missions except all
went according to plan.
We were the third group in and when we got back to the DP we were
still meeting groups on their way in.
The boys are all on the peg awaiting a chance to go back on
another mission and getting ants in their pants.
The memoir
Donalson’s memoir comes from a unique vantage point of the days
leading up to the invasion as only he could tell it.
When I got to our field in central England, it frightened me that
I would be responsible for everything on the field. They had fields all over
England and if you became lost, you got on the radio and said Darkey, and a
field would give you a course to fly to the field that you wanted to go to.
These were low output radios that you had to be near the field
broadcasting to hear them. The first time the airplanes were out on
familiarization flight, about twelve got lost over the North Sea.
Maj. Gen. Ridgeway, in command of the 82nd Airborne
Division, was pressing me for a practice jump for his men. Brig. Gen. Gavin,
his executive officer, was very impatient I made them wait 3 or 4 days while
the pilots became familiar with flying at night over England…
I went with Gen. Ridgeway in his car to the drop zone about 10
miles from the point of take off, and the formation arrived at the prescribed
time. Just after daylight we stood on the drop zone and had to dodge helmets
and equipment falling. One man broke his leg landing on a frozen river. This
drop pleased Gen Ridgeway since the old units returned from North Africa had
dropped his outfit in a bombing practice area. I believe that was when he
picked the 438th to lead the invasion on France.
The night
before
In his memoir, Donalson writes about the night before when a
Baptist minister gave a pep talk. …he evidently thought everyone was afraid
they would be killed…
I followed with my talk and told the men that they were going to
attend the greatest show on earth, and they had earned their ring side seat.
D-Day arrives
D-Day was scheduled for the 5th of June and had to be
postponed on account of high wind over the channel. We painted three broad
white stripes on each wing with three stripes around the fuselage on the night
of June 4th. This was done to prevent a repeat of the invasion of
Sicily, where the Navy shot some of the Allied airplanes down.
When Gen. Eisenhower cancelled the invasion on the 5th,
no one thought to advise the men and women in the office. Someone notified the
American press that the invasion had started and with the difference in time,
it hit the headlines in the U.S.A. on the 4th.
We had beefed up until we had 18 airplanes in each squadron…which
gave us 81 airplanes. Actually two groups.
We had enough brass to line up along the runway for half its
length. Gen Eisenhower had been shaking hands with all the paratroops. Lt. Gen.
Brereton was in the lead airplane talking to the paratroops. When I was ready
to taxi into position for takeoff, I had to ask him to get out as it was time
to move out.
We took off and formed over the field waiting for the second half
to get into position for takeoff. This was a little before dark. I had split
the group in two. I guess you could say 438th A and 438th
B…We flew over the channel over a boat off the coast of Normandy. He flashed us
an O.K. with his light in the shape of a cross. Also they had rolls of aluminum
tape that could be picked up by the German radar to confuse into thinking the
landing was to be made at some other place…
Our two sections dropped their paratroops about ½ mile from each
other. Gen. Gavin wrote us up for not dropping his units in the same place. We
cut our throttles and glided down to 400 ft. to let the paratroopers jump. As
soon as the paratroops were all out, we gave the engines full throttle and
climbed to 3000 ft. flying over incoming planes.
Coming home
Donalson came home to Birmingham, returning to a life in the steel
industry, Air National Guard and with his family, not talking much about the
war except in interviews with media wanting to know more about this hometown
hero.
In a television interview after returning to Birmingham, Wood said
the colonel described the unprecedented air power that filled the sky that day
in simple, but vivid terms: “You could damned near walk from one airplane wing
to another.”
A newspaper account from Birmingham when he was home on leave
paints a picture of Donalson, the man.
“Calm in manner and voice, the Birmingham colonel has eyes that penetrate.
Their grayness have the flash, the sharpness of tempered steel…
“He wears the distinguished flying cross with two oak leaf
clusters, also the Presidential group citation. Three battle stars are on his
ETO ribbon.”
“Your family were pretty glad to see you weren’t they?,” he was asked.
“And the colonel—who made history on D-Day—answered as you or anyone else might
have answered, ‘Yeah.’ ”
About the man
An engineering graduate from Georgia Tech in the 1920s, he was an
engineer for Connors Steel before and after the war. His diploma, Fincher said,
“is on a real sheepskin.”
He later formed his own steel company, and he patented his
continuous steel casting formula. He and “Boots” lived happily 10 years in
Trussville and two years in Pell City until his death in 1987. “They were well
suited for each other,” said Fincher.
“Papa was very close to us,” added Wood. “He loved us dearly, and
we loved him. He was the only grandfather my kids ever knew.”
“I
think Papa’s modesty prevented our knowing more about his historic actions,”
added Fincher. “A natural leader: courageous, capable. It makes me wish we had
more like him around today. It’s my privilege to have known him and called him,
Papa.”
