Tag: Other Stories

Dam to Dam

It’s not an easy trip, but you can do it. Many have. And the adventure of it is a memory they won’t soon forget.

By boat, you can travel from Logan Martin Dam to Neely Henry Dam or vice versa. The lakes are easily recognizable. They’re the ones with the traffic. But between Riverside on Logan Martin and Ragland on Neely Henry, it’s seems like it’s just you and the Coosa River.

The wildlife, the pristine waters, the wooded landscape – it is all a sight to behold. Pell City’s Randy Royster calls it “the survival trip,” a trek he and a group of friends used to take annually in the fall.

But it’s worth it, he says. “The scenery is spectacular, and it just gives you a feeling of the great outdoors. We always went in late September or early October while the water is still up, and it is just so beautiful that time of year.”

By road, it’s more than 30 miles from one dam to the other through St. Clair County. That’s about a 30-minute drive. By water? Better pack a lunch … and a depth-finder. Alabama Outdoor News reports it as a 50-mile stretch, and there are plenty of shallow spots along the way. Come May 1 or before mid-October, when Logan Martin is full pool of 465 feet above sea level, the trip is a lot easier than a time of winter pool.

It’s not an easy trip in terms of time. “It takes us all day to get to Neely Henry, turn around and come back to our home in Pine Harbor,” which is about 20 minutes from Logan Martin Dam,” Royster said. “We have had a great time along the way with good friends, beautiful scenery and a boat load of memories.”

You can find a handy guide of the river between the two dams in the Maps and Guides section of loganmartinlakelife.com.

Neely Henry by the numbers

Neely Henry Dam was the first Alabama Power Co. dam on the Coosa River, which also saw the construction of Weiss, Logan Martin and Bouldin and the redevelopment of Lay Dam.

It was put into service June 2, 1966, and its concrete is 605 feet long and 104 feet at its highest point.

The lake’s elevation is 508 feet above sea level. It has 11,200 acres of water. The shoreline is 339 miles, and its maximum depth of water is 53 feet. It is 77.6 miles long, heading toward Weiss Lake.

Logan Martin by the numbers

Logan Martin Dam was the second dam built along the Coosa River. During its planning stages, its name was Kelly Creek, a familiar name around these parts.

Logan Martin went into service Aug. 10, 1964. Measured in concrete, its length is 612 feet. Its maximum height is 97 feet.

The lake’s elevation at summer pool is 465 feet above seas level. It has 15,263 acres of water. Winter level is 460 feet, although the US Corps of Engineers granted a variance Winter 2017 to keep the level two feet higher because of effects from the drought. It is 48.5 miles long heading to Neely Henry Dam.

Points of interest along the way

Starting out at Logan Martin Dam, heading north, don’t miss the public park just to your right of the dam. Built by Alabama Power on the Talladega County side of the lake, Logan Martin Dam Picnic Area offers a covered pavilion and places to swim and fish.

Birmingham Sailing Club

Up next is Birmingham Sailing Club. Founded in 1963, the year before the lake opened, it sits atop a hillside with a panoramic view of the lake on nine acres of land. On Sunday afternoons, you’ll find boaters and porch dwellers alike watching as the main channel fills with sails for regular regattas all year long. Monthly, one-day regattas are held during spring and summer, and invitational regattas attract sail clubs from all over the southeast.

Pell City Lakeside Park

Lakeside Park is a destination point for residents and tourists alike and is a recreational bonanza, whether your come by boat or by vehicle. It is located on 65 acres next to the Pell City Civic Center and Sports Complex. Picnic areas under the trees are available at not charge, and a pved 1.1 mile non-motorized nature trail is a walkers and runners’ favorite.

Kids Kastle is a playground the community built in a single weekend. The newest addition is a massive splash pad, which opened in 2016 and drew thousands of squealing kids during the season.

While at Lakeside Park, don’t forget to check out the Wetlands observation platform to get an up close view of dozens of indigenous species botanical experts have identified in Logan Martin’s wetlands. And the native plant walking trail nearby is a real outdoor classroom courtesy of the Pell City Garden Club.

Come back July 4 just after dark and enjoy one of the most spectacular fireworks displays in the state. Come by boat, by car or by foot to the park or to the channel leading to it to get the best views of fireworks lighting up the nighttime sky over the water.

Did you see what I saw?

Goat Island is a boating favorite for landmarks and usually gets double takes from new boaters passing by. The island sits near the main channel in an inlet with a semicircle of homes in the Riviere Estates area of Pell City. Years ago, owners of the homes placed goats on the island to keep things nice and trim and open up the view. It’s worked! And it is an enjoyable stop-off to see the goats on a day out on the lake.

Ahoy, Mate!

But, of course, the most coveted spot on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, is anchored near Pirate Island. With a chest full of coins, beads and other ‘treasures’ for the kids, Pirate’s Island – complete with towering pirate flag – is a must see, must stop, must stay kind of place. The shallow waters around it make it perfect for standing in the water on hot summer days, taking to newfound friends while your kids swim and play on the specially placed ‘lily pad.’ Owned by private citizens, they open the island up for boaters to enjoy.

Splish, Splash

The Rocks, or The Quarry, is a hundred foot rock formation, and the deep waters below make it a great place to gather in boats and on personal watercrafts to enjoy the sun and an impromptu show. It is not unusual to see people jumping off the rocks as they would a diving board or demonstrating their Tarzan-like moves with a swing from a rope and a drop into the water, drawing a round of applause from those gathered below.

Lakelife icon

You may not be able to see the building from the water, but the historic Ark Restaurant, known virtually around the world for its catfish and Gulf Shrimp sits atop US 78 near the bridge. You can access it by boat from a small pier located on the main channel.

Open during prohibition, The Ark has a storied history on how it got its name. Its original home was on a barge, anchored some 30 feet from shore, making it neither Talladega County nor St. Clair County’s jurisdiction. Patrons accessed it by boat or long gangplank, and coincidentally, it was immune from prohibition because of its locale. It still sells libations today … legally.

Riverside Landing

On the other side of the bridge, Riverside Landing is a fairly new addition to the lake. The city built it a few years back in a slough that fronts the main street running through town and widens to the main channel on the other side. You can get gas on the water 24/7, launch your boat and pick up some supplies there.

Bridge over beloved water

As you come out of Riverside Landing, look to your right and spot the old railroad bridge. You can still see the hinges where it used to lift for barge traffic. Just across the way, check out what remains of Lock 4, when the Coosa River was a series of locks and dams and open to ferry traffic.

Skiing, anyone?

Riverside has a slalom water ski course that is a permitted ski course by City of Riverside, Alabama Power and Alabama Marine Police. It is removed in the fall and returns in the spring.

What’s biting?

Don’t forget some of the creeks running through that area, like Broken Arrow and Blue Eye. They are some of the best fishing around because of freshwater springs.

‘Twixt and ‘tween’

As the lake begins to narrow, it’s like entering a new dimension. Racing bass boats, large homes and plenty of traffic give way to a peaceful ride through woods, occasional wildlife and beautiful scenery, especially in the spring and fall.

When it opens up, you can see an imposing Neely Henry Dam, but there’s plenty more to see around this lake.

Civil War roots

Ten Islands Park has been called one of the most historic sites in St. Clair County. Discover Magazine once wrote: “The intriguing name is that of an Indian village that existed before the settlers moved in. It was called Otipalin, a Creek word meaning Ten Islands. The islands may no longer be visible, but the location and the story of the 1864 (Civil War) battle live on.” You can read all about it here: discoverstclair.com/traveling-the-backroads/ten-islands/

No planes, just birds

Today, Ten Islands is listed on Alabama Birding Trails as a top site for bird watching. In the winter, you may find “gulls and rafts of diving ducks, some loons (look for Pacific), grebes (watch for Eared or Red-necked), geese, and the occasional soaring Bald Eagle. Swallows, Chimney Swifts, and Purple Martins zip over the water in the warmer months,” according to alabamabirdingtrails.com.

Spotted on or near the islands are: Field Sparrows, Eastern Towhees, White-eyed Vireos, Gray Catbirds, Prairie Warblers, Yellowbreasted Chats, Indigo Buntings, Common Yellowthroats, Orange-crowned, Chuck-will’s-widows, Whip-poor-wills. Eastern Screech-Owls, Blue-winged Warblers, Prairie Warblers, White-eyed Vireos, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Pine Warblers, Worm-eating Warblers, Eastern Bluebirds, American Goldfinches, Cedar Waxwings, Barred and Great Horned Owls.

If birding isn’t your thing, the park offers parking, trail, picnic area, boat launch and fishing.

Greensport Marina

Opened in 1967, and it holds many a story and childhood memories just at the mention of its name.

It is open all year long for fishing and boating, and it is open May 1 – Oct. 1 for swimming, picnicking and island parties.

It has a marina with launching, covered boat storage, swimming, picnicking and a covered pavilion on the island for large parties.

Next big thing

Canoe Creek Park is ‘the next big thing’ on Neely Henry. Located in the Ashville area, it is being built by the St. Clair County Commission at the old Canoe Creek Park site. Engineer Kelley Keeton Taft of the Kelley Group outlined what will be in the park when it opens this summer.

The site will have spacious make ready lanes, four lane boat launch, parking for 100 rigs, two 100 foot floating piers, fixed shore perimeter boardwalk piers and lighting. These amenities will provide a targeted venue for large fishing tournaments and events.

Catch of the day … or night … or weekend

Logan Martin and Neely Henry boast some of the best fishing around. On St. Clair County’s lakes, you can cast for Bluegill Bream, Largemouth Bass, Striped Bass, Crappie and Catfish.

Dave McKinney of Dave’s Guide Service knows fishing. He rattles off Logan Martin and Neely Henry’s creek names like others might list the alphabet.

You’ll find crappie and bass at Canoe Creek and crappie, bass and bream at Palmetto Creek on Neely Henry. Shoal Creek on Neely Henry is a good spot all year long as is Greensport.

Choccolocco Creek on Logan Martin is a favorite fishing hole any time of year for bass and crappie.

And catfish? They’re in deep water most of the time. You can find them in the creeks, McKinney said, but usually, they’re in deeper waters. These can be monster fish. Just how big? McKinney’s largest was about 75 pounds.

If you don’t want to try it on your own, just ask Dave. He has trips of four, six and eight hours, guaranteed to get you some action.

His trips include pushing, shooting docks, tight lining and short pole. Don’t know the lingo? Here’s the abbreviated version:

Pushing and Pulling—pushing minnows and jigs against ledges or trolling by pulling jigs in deep water.

Shooting Docks—technique used for crappie fishing where you use a short pole, pull it back and let it go and shoot up under the dock.

Tight Lining—Throw your line out and then reel it as if it is a pendulum swinging back and forth back toward the boat.

What’s that up ahead?

Last stop on this trek is Neely Henry Dam. Fishing is good below and above it. Its mere presence has meant much to many.

Alabama Power says it, like Logan Martin, began as a story of energy. “It continues today as a story of flood control, recreation and economic opportunity, irrigation and drinking water, and fish and wildlife habitats. Power was just the beginning.”

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Praised Colors

From Sweden to Ragland, artist’s life takes many a turn

Story by Leigh Pritchett
Photos by Michael Callahan

Marie Barber shooed chickens and a guinea to welcome a visitor one bitterly cold day.

Once inside her woodsy home with warm Gulf Coast decor, she smiled and said, “It does feel like Sweden out there.”

Living near Ragland and the Coosa River, this Swedish native quietly creates designs and artwork that are nationally known and have been featured in many books, magazines and retail outlets.

Her resume is extensive: she has been an illustrator for the magazines Paula Deen, Victoria, Tea Time and Southern Lady; a designer for Chapelle Ltd. of Ogden, Utah, and creator of cross-stitch designs that filled six or more books for Sterling Publishing Co. of New York. In addition, she illustrated leisure, etiquette and decor books.

During her 15 years as designer with Hoffman Media, she did “hundreds and hundreds of cross-stitch leaflets and cross-stitch designs for magazines,” and all cross-stitch chart conversions from the Disney movie, Pocahontas. Also through Hoffman Media, she fashioned fabric designs for the former Hancock Fabrics and worked on Hancock’s Paula Deen Collection.

A count even commissioned Mrs. Barber to replicate in his mansion some paintings of the Sistine Chapel.

Mrs. Barber spent three weeks on eight-foot scaffolds in Count Albert von Oldenburg’s living room to paint the scenes on a 37-foot tray ceiling. The palatial estate in Eastaboga in Talladega County was like a museum and a history book, Mrs. Barber said.

“When you went to his home, it was like you were in a fairy tale. You were not in Alabama,” she continued.

During those weeks, the count taught her etiquette in the presence of nobility and gave her keepsakes from all over the world.

That, Mrs. Barber said, “was probably the most memorable experience” she has had with her art.

Now working in the decorative art of needlepoint, Mrs. Barber produces “fun” designs and projects. She designs belts, pillows, eyeglass cases, phone cases, lampshade covers, jewelry, purses and bags, rugs and tapestries, and has done custom orders for dining room chairs.

The formative years

Marie Olsson spent her early years in Skåne (pronounced skone-neh) on the southern tip of Sweden. Skåne is about 20 minutes from the Baltic Sea. The region is flat and experiences snow four months a year.

“Sometimes, your eyelashes iced up,” she recalled.

Marie and her parents lived with grandparents in the countryside in a home without indoor plumbing.

When she was six years old, she and her parents moved to Tollarp to what she described as an elaborate home with an indoor sauna.

Each Christmas, she wanted art paper and markers. By second grade, she was an acclaimed artist, at least to her classmates who would ask her to draw Donald Duck, Goofy and Mickey Mouse for them.

Her father passed when Marie was 10, and her mother, three years ago.

Although Marie has no siblings, she does have 40 first cousins living around the world. One of them — Anna Steed — lives in St. Clair County not very far at all from Marie.

As a teenager, Marie applied to the American Scandinavian Student Exchange program to become an exchange student.

Interestingly, while in a music class in ninth grade in Sweden, she had sung the lyrics, “I come from Alabama with a banjo on my knee.” But, Marie confessed, “I had no idea Alabama was a state.”

Nonetheless, that is exactly where she was placed as an exchange student. The girl from the southern tip of Sweden with a southern Swedish dialect found herself in the southern region of the United States.

Even though she was to be in Alabama only for Pell City High School’s 1983-1984 school year, Marie found she just could not stay away. One reason was Kinsman Barber, a Pell City native and Jacksonville State University student she met four months into her sojourn in the United States.

After completing the exchange program, Marie returned to Sweden, finished junior college and worked for a while in Stockholm. Then, at 19, she decided to attend art school either in Australia or the U.S. She chose the U.S., going first to California and then to Alabama by bus.

Marie traveled to Auburn University to stay with friend Wendy Bradshaw Weathers (who now lives in Ozark). Through an outreach ministry to foreign students, Marie heard about Jesus Christ, His love and the forgiveness He gives to all who will receive it.

“I utterly broke down and couldn’t believe anyone would love me in spite of all my unrighteousness,” said Marie. She asked Jesus Christ to save her.

A “long, winding road” brought her and Kinsman back into contact.

She enrolled in the Art Institute of Atlanta to study visual communication and, a week after earning her associate’s degree, she and Kinsman wed.

Marie, the artist, and Kinsman, the teacher and coach at Victory Christian School, have been married 27 years and have four children — Malin, 21; Peyton, 19; Daniel, 17, and Magdalena, 16.

They also have 18 chickens, three dogs, two cats, one guinea and an herb garden.

“I enjoy the simplicity of life,” said Mrs. Barber. To her, it is reminiscent of the childhood experiences she cherishes most. The years of living in the Swedish countryside as a child were simple and meager. But, “my best memories were in the country.”

In her Alabama country home nestled in the woods, she creates her art while listening to sermons by David Platt, president of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention and best-selling author.

“God has allowed me to work at home,” Mrs. Barber said.

A diverse talent

Mrs. Barber’s art spans many genres.

“I used to do Christian art — cards and prints,” she said. “I did that for a little while.”

One of her pieces hangs in her church, which is Hardin Chapel in Ragland.

From the large floral acrylic on canvas that accents her dining room to the vibrant needlepoint pillow she had just finished, all her pieces show her penchant and flare for color.

“I’m all about pink leopard with some fur,” she said with a laugh. “… I like color. I’m not traditional.”

When she formed her own art design company, it was appropriately named Colors of Praise.

“Most designers use their name for their design,” she said. She chose, however, to use the name Colors of Praise because its gives her opportunity to tell others who Jesus Christ is. She said all her accomplishments are small in comparison to what Jesus has done for her.

Getting to where she is now in her art was the result of another “winding road” in life that started with an economic recession.

In February 2009, downsizing at Hoffman Media claimed her position as illustrator and cross-stitch designer. Because of that, she sought a new direction for her art.

Mrs. Barber had seen Kaffe Fassett’s color schemes in his decorative arts designs and noticed that they resemble her own use of color. When her love of color was paired with her appreciation for the tapestries of Europe, Mrs. Barber found a new direction for her art – needlepoint designs.

That April, she sent her application to The National NeedleArts Association and was accepted to a trade show in Columbus, Ohio. Her first show was in June, during which she received $15,000 in orders.

Since then, she has shown her wares in trade shows in Los Angeles and San Diego, Calif.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Dallas, Texas, and many other cities. The majority of her creations are marketed in Florida, California and the northeastern states. Locally, they can be found at Needleworks LLC in Birmingham.

Kinsman said his wife frequently gets ideas for needlepoint designs from sources like magazines and record covers.

And the designs are not “your grandmother’s needlepoint,” Mrs. Barber said.

“Her work truly is an original style,” said Judith Carter, owner of Needleworks LLC. “To me, she has captured the essence of a younger generation of needlepoint stitchers…She has been an exciting addition to our industry.”

One of the needlepoint belts Mrs. Barber recently completed boasts a spectrum of colors, flosses, textures, patterns and accents. Retail is estimated between $160 and $200.

She develops 200-250 designs for each January’s needle arts trade show and another 100 for the summer show.

“I like to design a lot of new patterns every year,” she said. “… I want it to be more of what they would have fun with.”

Plus, she has monthly trunk shows. “I sell to a lot of stores in California,” she said.

Her venture into needlepoint designs followed a different path from the norm, she explained.

“I am an illustrator coming in as a designer (who had to learn needlepoint),” she said. “Most are needlepointers becoming designers.”

To be able to do what she does, she had to become accomplished in the various needlepoint stitches and learn the difference in flosses and other aspects of the art.

Actually, her needlepoint enterprise has grown into a family endeavor.

“The girls are very creative,” Mrs. Barber said. “There are times I ask them for advice. Malin could run my business. She has done trade shows without me.”

The family sometimes travels to shows with her and, together, they see sights and tour landmarks. “That has been a fun, fun part of it,” she said.

Mrs. Barber is in an almost constant state of creativity, whether painting a canvas, stitching a needlepoint project or using seashells washed ashore by Hurricane Wilma to turn an accent mirror into a conversation piece.

“Taking away paint from me would be devastating.” She said it would be like telling her husband — who happened to be playing guitar in the background — to give up his music.

“… It’s my crazy world!”

For more about Marie Barber and Colors of Praise,

visit www.colorsofpraiseart.com

Other Stories

Argo, Alabama

Blossoming town grows but never forgets its people

Story Paul South
Photos by Michael Callahan

Sometimes a dream – even a city – can begin with a story first told long ago and far away.

That’s how Argo started more than two centuries ago, before there was a St. Clair County, or for that matter, a State of Alabama. Survivors of the battles against the Native peoples of the Creek tribe in the War of 1812, returned home to Virginia and the Carolinas from the then-Mississippi Territory, with tales of bountiful land, crystal waters and plentiful game, the recipe for successful settlement.

Today, 200 years later, the descendants of those original settlers, are part of a still-flourishing community that, like the rest of St. Clair County, is growing. New families, moving from the Birmingham metro area now mingle with the families that have been here for generations, sharing a common work ethic, deep faith and shared values, grounded in that original dream.

If it continues on its current pace, according to the St. Clair County Economic Development Council, Argo could become the county’s second-largest city on the Interstate 59 corridor. It’s already the gateway to the burgeoning corridor, and with 106,000 people living within a 10-mile radius of the city, Argo’s possibilities appear boundless.

Argo Mayor Betty Bradley is one of the many folks who returned to St. Clair County after living in Birmingham. Neighbors helping neighbors, taking time for each other, was what drew her home. She was elected to the city council for one term, then last year, she was chosen as Argo’s mayor.

“I like the friendliness, neighbors talking to neighbors,” she said. “In the bigger cities, it’s a fast pace.” Here in Argo, “people take time for you.”

And she expects others will recognize the value and follow her lead. “I really look for people to start moving into St. Clair County in the next five years. I really look for more people to be migrating this way,” she said.

But before gazing into the future, it’s important to glimpse the past. Claude Earl Massey, a descendant of one of Argo’s first families, displays a treasured historical artifact of the city’s past in his home, an 1820 letter, signed by Alabama Gov. Wyatt Bibb, commissioning Samuel Massey as Justice of the Peace.

Samuel Massey, one of the county’s original settlers, first came to the area as part of Col. Reuben Nash’s regiment of the South Carolina Volunteer Militia. Samuel’s son, William Duke Massey, married Ruth Reed, the first white child born in Jefferson County.

No one seems to know for certain the basis for Argo’s name. However, Claude Massey author of the book, Argo Through the Years, offers some fodder for speculation. On Nov.4, 1869, Sarah Elizabeth Hefner became the postmistress of the area’s second post office, which she named Argo. After numerous interviews and exhaustive research, three theories exist.

Earl Massey wrote: “Whether she had been reading Greek mythology, (in which appears the name Argo), named the post office after a friend, as some have said, or possibly named it after some ancestor on her father’s side is not known.”

Heart of a city

Like small cities throughout St. Clair County, railroads played a major role in growth.

The name’s origin notwithstanding, one of the pillars of Argo’s early economy remains today. The heart of the city’s economy remains home-owned, often family-run businesses, although more and more regional and national chains – like Dollar General and Southern fast-food mainstay, Jack’s, are coming with growth.

“If you drive through (Argo), there are a number of wonderful small businesses,” said Don Smith, executive director of the St. Clair County Economic Development Council. He pointed to Buckeye Grocery, which has served locals for nearly a half-century, Argo Hardware and The Crazy Horse restaurant, a white tablecloth eatery diners might expect to find in tony neighborhoods like Birmingham’s neighbor Mountain Brook or Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood. There is the father and son-owned Old South Firearms, a dealer in antique firearms and muzzle loaders, and Matthews Manor is also a popular spot for weddings and other special occasions. William’s Orchard draws visitors from neighboring counties for its produce and homemade jams, jellies and fried pies.

“We have things that are unique that you don’t find in a big city,” Bradley said. “We like to be unique.”

What’s made a difference for Argo in commercial and residential growth is improved sewerage infrastructure, Smith said.

“One of the drawbacks that Argo had was they didn’t have commercial grade sewer capability,” Smith said. “Argo partnered with another public entity to get sewer, not only to the residential areas, but to potential commercial areas. Once that took place, Jack’s opened up, Subway opened up. The Argo leadership has really been focusing on trying to solve the things that were limiting (the city’s) growth.”

The city has also renewed its focus on improving the overall appearance of Argo, Smith said. What was once a mosaic on plywood of flyers alerting residents to missing pets or upcoming events is now an inviting welcome sign. Money was raised locally to build the new sign.

“There’s really a focus on bringing local business owners together and on improving the appearance of the community,” he said. “They’re working to try to bring in larger national brand names to fill in areas that the locally-owned businesses weren’t able to do.”

Argo, which finds its footprint planted in both Jefferson and St. Clair counties, with only a small part in Jefferson, has a strong sense of “community buy-in” because of the locally-owned businesses, Smith noted.

“If you need volunteers, you don’t need to go to an absentee owner or some outside group. The folks that work there own the place,” he added. “They own the businesses. They live there. Their kids are there. It’s a really fantastic community because of that. You talk about why it’s one of the fastest-growing cities in the county over the past 10 years, and that’s why.”

Local real estate developer Lyman Lovejoy has witnessed the growth firsthand. He’s been in business in St. Clair County for more than 40 years. Proximity to Interstate 59 is a boost, he said.

“You can be on the interstate from anywhere in Argo in two to three minutes,” Lovejoy said. “That’s a big plus for them. Several houses are going up in Argo today.”

In a business where location is vital, Argo is in a prime spot. But the challenge is in finding available land, a priority for city leaders, Lovejoy said. However, two new subdivisions are developing. “They’re on the go for growth,” he pointed out. “You can be in Birmingham in 15 minutes.”

The future vision for the city includes better roads, investment in public safety and continuing efforts to enhance the quality of life. Bradley will travel with other county mayors to try to push for federal help to boost the I-59 corridor.

Argo sits adjacent to Margaret another community blossoming in St. Clair County. Bradley would like to see steps taken to ease traffic congestion from I-59, U.S. 11 and Argo-Margaret Road.

“We’re unique because we have an interstate right here in Argo,” Bradley said.

A city in its infancy

Gordon Massey became Argo’s first mayor when the city incorporated in the late 1980s. The Massey family arrived in what is now St. Clair County in 1815. And in 1987, Gordon Massey became the first mayor of the newly-incorporated city. He helped spearhead the construction of Argo’s first city hall and fire department. His business, Massey Paving, has been operating for 50 years, and has split into three businesses run by three generations. They’ve also invested in commercial real estate along U.S. 11.

“It’s our home” he said. “It’s a special place for us. We’re proud to be in St. Clair County.”

Talk to enough people about Argo, and it becomes clear that the city’s people care for each other from the time someone arrives until the time they leave. It’s a cradle to the grave sort of city. Consider Mr. Earl Massey, who’s tended to the family cemetery on the Old Georgia Road since the 1940s.

That’s even the case for temporary visitors. Camp Munger, a Young Women’s Christian Association camp, left generations of campers with wonderful summer memories.

But in this city that began with soldiers’ stories two centuries ago, Mayor Bradley has a modern-day story that tells more about the goodness of Argo and its citizenry than any statistic or historic date ever could. It’s part of what Bradley calls “a spirit of fairness, trustworthiness, respect and teamwork” among all the stakeholders in the city.

It seems a widower was walking along an Argo road, picking up aluminum cans. Bradley’s husband offered the man a lift home. The can collector was trying to generate enough money from the cans to pay for needed medicine.

The man lived in a small plywood home, a place of which he was proud.

“He thought he had a fine home. He didn’t think he was disadvantaged. He didn’t want to take anything from anybody,” Bradley recalled.

But the encounter with the man indirectly ended up impacting the lives of many hurting people in Argo, through the creation of a local food pantry. Bradley serves as co-director of the pantry, after many years as director, both volunteer positions.

“He (the can collector) had a big impact on this community,” Bradley said. And to this day, the pantry has never failed to help its own.

“Every time we start to run low, a local church or a business steps up to help. To this day, we’ve never run out of food to help our clients.”

Bradley defined Argo simply: “Argo is a community of small-city charm, a safe, family oriented community that is a great place to live, work and play. It’s a place where community isn’t just a word, but a way of life.”

Other Stories

Shall We Dance?

Dale Owen shares music around the world

Story by Paul South
Submitted Photos

As a journalism student at Troy State (now Troy University), Dale Owen landed a job at an AM radio station near campus.

“They had a show on Saturday morning that played crooner music,” Owen said. “The station manager just wanted someone to keep the seat warm while the program aired. But I found out it was an incredible genre of music.”

His time “keeping the seat warm” sparked something more.

“It really lit a fire in me,” Owen said. “I decided that if I ever had control over my own show, I’d play that kind of music.”

Almost 30 years later, Owen’s love for the music of Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Louis Armstrong, Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald and countless other contributors to the great American songbook still burns.

And each week from a home studio in Pell City, he shares that love with the world. Owen records The Crooners with Dale Owen for Alabama Public Radio. The show airs from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. Sunday evenings on the APR, but thanks to technology, is available to be heard ‘round the globe. Commercial radio may have forgotten the music of our parents, grandparents and beyond, but for Owen and APR over the past 21 years, the music and memories linger like the taste of timeless fine wine.

Owen’s post college path didn’t start as a stroll down a musical memory lane. The Marietta, Ga., native began his professional life as a producer at CNN, first in Atlanta, then at the network’s Detroit Bureau.

But after six years, Michigan winters drove him back South. Owen went to work at the University of Alabama’s Center for Public Radio and Television in Tuscaloosa as operations director for the Alabama Public Radio network of stations, which reaches not only across Alabama, but into Tennessee, Georgia, Mississippi and Florida. He also worked for National Public Radio as a local anchor for the network’s signature news programs, Morning Edition and All Things Considered.

In Tuscaloosa, he pitched the idea for The Crooners to then program director Roger Duvall. “I loved Sinatra and the crooners, of course, and fortunately, he went for it,” Owen recalled.

After 11 years at the Capstone, Owen would eventually relocate to Pell City, his wife’s hometown. And from Pell City, Owen crafts what APR music director David Duff calls, Owen’s “labor of love.”

“One of the missions of public radio is to serve underserved audiences,” Duff said. “Certainly, we do that with classical music, but we do that with specialty shows on the weekend like The Crooners. You’d be hard pressed to find that on most radio stations. We felt like it was a market we could serve and it’s proved to be very successful. It serves a niche that might not be served otherwise.”

Brittany Young, program director and content manager for APR, put it simply. “People love the show,” she said. “They just love the fact that he plays the classics. . .the music that lasts forever. You can play it today. You can play it 20 years from now, and it’s still amazing. It takes you back to a place where you first heard it. People love that.”

The Crooners has a devout following, Young said. “If you were to take it away from them, then there would be an uproar,” she said. “Those loyal listeners, they’ll let you know. . .They expect to hear it every Sunday from 6 to 8 and as long as it’s there, they’re good. But if you took it away, I’m sure we’d get a lot of backlash.”

The success of the program came quickly. What began as a one-hour broadcast was expanded to two hours after only a year. And listeners span the generations. Owen learned that quickly during a pledge drive for the listener-supported network while he was still broadcasting from Tuscaloosa.

“When I was still in Tuscaloosa in 2001, we would get calls from college kids, some in Auburn, some in Tuscaloosa and other parts of the state,” Owen said. “(They’d say) ‘I only have about $5 to contribute. I’m a college student on a fixed income, but I really love your show.’ The show has done well.”

What’s the attraction of the music that resonates even today, not just in the classic singers of yesteryear, but also in modern rock and pop stars, from Rod Stewart and Linda Ronstadt, to Annie Lennox of the Eurhythmics and Brian Setzer of The Stray Cats?

“It’s something different for every person that listens. But I think if you’re talking about standards and even torch songs, there’s a certain longing for love,” Owen said. “The songs that are written by the great composers – Rodgers and Hart, George and Ira Gershwin – they just found a way to reach down into that hole and just pull out the feelings and emotions so many people have about love and about loss.”

The recipe for timeless music combines a great voice, with great music and lyrics and a great arranger. Owen points to the classic Sinatra album, In the Wee Small Hours, arranged by Nelson Riddle, as an example.

“I think that music just created a bond with something that all people have to be loved and a feeling of loss,” Owen said. “When you’ve got great writers and lyricists and great singers like Andy Williams and Sinatra and Tony Bennett that can present that, it just all melts together. It’s like a perfect storm.”

There’s a set formula for a timeless classic.

“Most of your standard music has two elements that are crucial to great music and that is, a great vocalist and a great lyricist/composer. Those are the two elements you’ve got to have to make the perfect song,” Owen said. “Crooner music exhibits that time and time again. It comes together for that perfect storm that people say, “Yeah, that’s exactly how I feel about it.”

Lots of people love Owen’s Sunday night perfect storm of great songs. Some reach out on social media. Others send in requests for Sunday night dinner parties. For Owen, those are precious encouragements.

“That’s huge for me. It’s a real affirmation that (the show) makes an impact on people’s lives,” Owen said.

He said he feels a strong connection to his listeners. For Owen, the fire for the music and for pleasing his listeners still burns. And audiences around the world can access the show any time. “I don’t know what people’s perceptions are of people on the radio,” he said. “But I hope they know I’m a real guy who loves this real music and wants them to have an experience when they listen. I want them to know they’re listening to a friend that has something very much in common with them.” l

Editor’s Note: You can tune in to The Crooners with Dale Owen on Alabama Public Radio at 90.3 FM every Sunday from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

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Steel Magnolia

Ashville’s Mattie Lou Teague Crow

Story and photos by Jerry Smith
Submitted photos

Those of us who work with history sometimes stand on broad shoulders as we search for every pertinent detail, no matter how obscure, to ensure the veracity of our offerings.

Accurate, comprehensive input is as vital to us as a blueprint is to a construction foreman. Occasionally, we encounter a single book by an author who writes as if they were actually there. Such a work is History of St. Clair County, Alabama by Ashville’s Mattie Lou Teague Crow, the one go-to book for most beginning researchers.

While other writers such as Rubye Hall Edge Sisson (From Trout Creek To Ragland) and Vivian Buffington Qualls (History of Steele, Alabama) have expanded our knowledge of their communities, Mrs. Crow’s book is the single, definitive work that covers the whole county.

Writer and historian Joe Whitten fondly characterized his colleague as “… a Southern lady through and through, with an iron fist inside a velvet glove. When necessary, she would not hesitate to remove the glove.”

She’s reputed to have arranged a business meeting with a very important official from Montgomery. When he walked in the door of the restaurant and sat down, she immediately chastised him for not removing his hat in the presence of a lady.

Her penchant for history began in early childhood while living in her mother’s hotel and boarding house. In those days, Ashville was a bustling city with lots of opportunity for her to pester guests and travelers for every detail of their adventures and knowledge of the outside world.

Life at the Teague Hotel

Mattie Lou was born near Ashville in 1903, the same year the Wright Brothers first flew. She was the seventh and youngest child of Talulah (Nunneley) and John Rowan Teague. Her father, a farmer, died when she was only 2.

Quoting an entry in Heritage of St. Clair County by Mary McClendon Fouts, “… Lula Teague could not support her family on the farm, so she moved to Ashville and took in sewing for a time.

“There was a large two-storied house built by Curtiss Grubb Beason, about the time that Ashville was incorporated, where the Union State Bank stands today. Lula Teague’s brother, Robert Nunneley, and his wife Emma had operated it (as the Village Inn) for many years.

“Robert decided to retire, and Lula then operated it until her death in 1942. Her daughter, Annie, operated it for 10 or more years after that. This … is where their seven children grew up. It was a sad day in 1960 when the old hotel was demolished.”

Also in Heritage, Mattie Lou’s sister, Annie (Teague) McClendon recalls: “I remember how our mother bought this old house in the year of 1909 and moved us there: Grandmother Nunneley, Uncle Rufus, my four brothers, my little sister (Mattie Lou) and myself.

“After she made a small down payment on the place, we had no money, so we all worked, helping as best we could. The boys helped, not only with the chores, but at any little job they could find, in order to buy their clothes and shoes and help with the expenses. I stopped school to help with the housework. Our baby sister did her part, too.

“I remember the big kitchen and dining room where so much food was prepared and served.” Mattie Lou’s daughter, Ellen (Crow) Smith, adds that a lot of that food came from the family garden, chicken coop and smokehouse. She also says her mother’s job was ironing linen napkins for the dinner table, a job she hated and prophetically swore that when she grew up she would invent paper napkins that could be used once then thrown away.

Annie continues, “We had a black mammy whom we loved very much. She was Josephine Smith, often called Mammy Jo. She was with us about 30 years.

“I remember how Mama got up long before daylight and worked long after dark. I remember the cheerful living room with open fire and piano, where we all gathered to sing. Our mother loved this part of the day most.

“I remember the big front room where the ‘drummers’ slept and where they showed their samples on tables or wooden planks laid across the foots of beds. I remember the doctors and their families who lived in this house and called it home, … and the teachers who boarded here (during school terms).

“I remember when our little sister (Mattie Lou) went away to school … and how we looked forward to Christmas and Thanksgiving, when she would be home.”

An obsessively inquisitive young Mattie Lou found a gold mine of knowledge among guests who lived at the hotel, many of whom were much educated and experienced in life.

In a 1999 News-Aegis story, Joe Whitten writes, “Born when this county was still in swaddling clothes, Mattie Lou lived in St Clair County for nearly a hundred years. As a girl and young woman, she heard Civil War battle stories from the old veterans themselves.

“She learned of Reconstruction hardships from the men and women who lived in Ashville in those days. It is no mystery why history was a life-long passion with her.”

Every one Mattie Lou met knew things that she yearned to discover and understand. She often eavesdropped to hear uncensored war stories as old soldiers chatted on the front porch after supper.

As a child, she loved to sneak into courtrooms during trials, sitting in the back row to avoid attention, but the judge would order his bailiff to remove her and her friends when a particularly heinous matter was before the bench,

She diligently collected and annotated an unrivaled historical database. It’s said that her hope chest was full of historical documents instead of linens and personal items. In a sense, she was the history Wikipedia of her day.

Mattie Lou becomes Mrs. Crow

Ellen tells that her future father, 25-year-old Abner (Ab) Hodges Crow, spent much of his leisure time at a wooden bench on the town square, chatting with his buddies as young men are wont to do. Naturally, this talk often included the opposite sex, which probably hasn’t changed since the days of the Pyramids.

Mattie Lou, some 11 years younger than Ab, sometimes walked by with a group of friends. He had his own way of expressing admiration and, once the girls were out of earshot, was known to say, “One day I’m going to be compelled to marry that girl.”

Ab was not known for being straitlaced and, given the age difference, her mother was not really fond of them getting married. Mattie Lou said in a Birmingham News story, “Momma told the man I married that I had to have at least two years of college education before I could settle down.”

Like any obedient but strong-minded young woman of that post-Victorian era, Mattie Lou accepted this condition, and immediately after graduating high school in 1921, she went to Alabama College for Women, which is now the University of Montevallo. She and Ab were married a few years later.

He’d learned a little about the pharmacy business while working for Dewberry Drugs in Birmingham and established a drugstore on the square in Ashville. Ab had no formal teaching in drugs, so had to employ a full-time pharmacist.

In 1932, the local sheriff was killed in action. Ab was appointed by the governor to complete the late sheriff’s term and was re-elected, serving a total of about eight years. Ellen recalls going with her father to homes out in the countryside, to inform families of the loss of one of their own. These trips were part of the sheriff’s duties, since there were no telephones.

Ellen said they usually went after her father had closed the drugstore for the day and, with no rural electricity, most of these grim visits were in pitch dark, where they often encountered snarling dogs in the middle of the night.

She adds that her father was a compassionate man who never turned away a hobo or transient during the Depression. They were not allowed in the house, but Mattie Lou would tell them to wait on the front steps of the Methodist church, and Sheriff Ab would allow them to eat and sleep in the jail overnight.

Heritage hoarder

A well-educated woman, Mattie Lou also attended Jacksonville State Teachers’ College and University of Alabama, with degrees in elementary and secondary education and library science. Teaching was in her genes. Her grandfather, E.B. Teague, was a superintendent of education. Her father was principal of Springville School.

One of her first official assignments was a school for farmers’ and migrant workers’ children on Chandler Mountain. Rather than commute every day, she stayed in the homes of farm families and shared their lifestyle.

Mattie Lou taught at several St. Clair and Jefferson County schools, directed libraries at Judson College, Samford University and Homewood High School, and taught library science at night at UAB. But all the while she was stockpiling documents and information that would fuel her true avocation, preserving heritage.

By the early 1960s she had published a short history of Ashville Baptist Church, followed in 1973 by her most important single work, The History of St. Clair County, Alabama, the first book of its kind for our county. It endures to this day as a superbly written, comprehensive resource for all who would follow her lead.

Four years later, she produced Diary of a Confederate Soldier—John Washington Inzer 1834-1928, which edited and preserved the Civil War memoirs of one of Ashville’s premier citizens. It’s a treasure for Civil War buffs, as it factually portrays lesser-known factors, events and emotions as written by a highly literate man who served in a losing battle, then became a working part of Alabama’s re-entry into the United States after Appomattox.

Joe Whitten adds, “Perhaps her crowning achievement was the Ashville Museum and Archives. Dedicated in 1989, the Archive was originally in a room at the Ashville Library. Mrs. Crow believed it was important for us to know who we are and where we came from.

“She once commented, ‘Give me a name and I can take it back six generations.’ After listening to her recount names, dates and places, some of us wondered if she couldn’t take one or two families all the way back to Adam and Eve!”

Joe affirms that recently-retired archivist Charlene Simpson has virtually equaled her mentor’s level of expertise in ancestral name-dropping. Both will be sorely missed.

Every public document, official record, land deed, obsolete file, minutes of meetings, every scrap of yesteryear was sacred to Mattie Lou. She prevented several hundred pounds of courthouse documents from being burned, as evidenced by charred edges on some which were snatched from a roaring bonfire by Mattie Lou herself.

In a Birmingham News story by Melanie Jones, Mrs. Crow is quoted in her later years, “Why I’m just an old country lady that does as she pleases. My husband died 30 years ago and my children were both at the university. I sold the drug store and went back to school. I had a feeling Ashville would be very drab if I sat still.”

According to another News writer, Mike Easterling, Mattie Lou got an elementary education degree from Jacksonville State Teachers College (now Jacksonville State University) in 1949, then got a secondary degree in 1950, not long after Ab’s death. She later joined her children, Ellen and Pete, at the University of Alabama, getting a master’s degree in library science.

And she was true to her word about not sitting still. She managed, delegated, arm-twisted, conspired and charmed her way through a bewildering list of historical quests and civil projects, most of which would not have succeeded without her dynamic spirit.

In the same News story, she is quoted, “You don’t get to my age unless you stir up some trouble now and then. I’ve fought with some folks like a tiger to get something done. But it gets done, and then we’re friends. You just gotta shake ‘em up a bit.”

Relocating history

While some strive to move mountains, Mrs. Crow was content to move a huge, historic, 132-year-old, two-story building across town to save it from the wrecking ball. It had been moved before to a location beside the Ashville City Jail, but once again was in the way of progress.

A lover of all things historic, she could not bear to see this fine old structure demolished. Reluctant to put themselves at odds with the indomitable Mrs. Crow, the County Commission agreed that she could have the old building provided she moved it somewhere else, and soon.

Her crusade resulted in a new action group called Save The Ashville Masonic Lodge Council. In a mighty effort that’s still legendary among Ashville natives, Mrs. Crow spearheaded an effort to raise some $12,000 to cover expenses.

It took only two months to secure these funds as well as a nearby piece of property donated by Jack Inzer in memory of his grandfathers, both of whom were Masons and lay at rest in nearby City Cemetery.

It’s been said there was no door upon which she would not knock, no favor left uncalled, no politician immune to her bullyragging until the job was done and, with Mrs. Crow in the catbird seat, the 132-year-old Masonic Lodge soon found itself being moved to a third location.

The Masonic Lodge has been placed on the prestigious Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage. It now sits peacefully about a block from Ashville’s town square, serving as a monument to Ashville’s history and to its matron saint.

The Mattie Lou Teague Crow Museum upstairs contains many of her mementos. It’s presently open only by appointment. Call Ashville Archives for more information if you wish to visit. It’s a nice place to savor genuine antiquity.

In a 1990 Birmingham News story by Elma Bell, Council Member Hope Burger said, “As a result of Mattie Lou’s hysterics, all this is taking place. … This whole thing has been a team effort.”

Such was the stuff of which St. Clair’s own Steel Magnolia was made.

A ‘legendarian’ passes

Some years before retirement, the widowed Mattie Lou and her sister-in-law, Gladys Teague, operated a small antiques shop in a little gingerbread-trimmed white house beside Roses & Lace Bed & Breakfast. It was the former Ashville Academy, so she named it Academy Antiques.

She spent several of her last years quietly reminiscing about her prodigious life in a book-lined apartment adjacent to daughter Ellen’s former home in Irondale. Mattie Lou donated most of her vast collections to be shared by one and all at Ashville Archives.

She delighted in telling ghost stories to groups of children at Irondale Library. A 1982 Birmingham News article by Garland Reeves relates that one of her favorites was the sad saga of Old Tawassee, an Indian who stayed behind after his brothers were expelled from Alabama on the Trail of Tears.

Tawassee was hanged for civil mischief and is reputed to have haunted the town on that same day every year afterward by making his skeleton rattle in a local doctor’s closet and shaking the limb from which he was hanged.

Joe Whitten wrote in the News-Aegis, “On the day the archives was dedicated, she said ‘I haven’t done anything. I’ve twisted a few arms to get stuff done, but it was others who did all the work.’ But it was her love for a county and a place called home that inspired her.”

In the same article, Joe eulogizes his friend and colleague, “On a sun-washed, blue-sky day last week, Mattie Lou Teague Crow was brought back to the county and the town she loved, and was laid to rest in Ashville Cemetery.

“It was a fitting day to say farewell to a lady who left us an impressive legacy of books, biographical sketches and human interest articles about St. Clair County.

“She’s found a new place to call home now. I wonder if she’s taking notes for her next book?”

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Emory Cox

Anatomy of a rising political star

Story by Leigh Pritchett
Photos by Mike Callahan
Submitted photos

Emory Cox sat on the lakeside patio of his Pell City home, laughing and talking with a stranger as if with a long-time friend.

He discussed politics, society, government and the state of domestic and foreign affairs. With the certainty that comes from first-hand knowledge, he assessed the work of sundry politicians.

This was a brief moment of respite after a summer in the company of newsmakers.

During his summer break from Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., the 21-year-old junior served internships in the Capitol Hill office of U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-AL; with the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs (the chairman of which is U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-AL), and in the office of Alabama Attorney General Luther Strange.

Once during Cox’s time in Washington, there was an “armed shooter” alert in his building. “That was wild,” Cox said. Thankfully, it was a false alarm.

At least twice during his internship in Alabama, Cox saw history unfold:

– He attended former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore’s first hearing before the Judicial Inquiry Commission.

– He went to a parole hearing for Thomas Blanton, who was convicted in the 1963 bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham that claimed the lives of four African-American girls.

Cox has long been interested in law and politics. In college, he is studying economics and American history, intending to pursue a master’s degree in business administration and ultimately a law degree.

His choice for graduate school is likely to be the University of Alabama. His father, Ray, was a golfer there and his grandfather, long-time Pell City dentist and former mayor Dr. Bam Cox (deceased), played on the 1941 National Championship football team.

This past summer was actually Cox’s fourth for serving internships in government offices.

Before his senior year in high school, Cox was an intern in Congressman Mike Rogers’ office in Washington, D.C.

“That was definitely a good, growing-up experience,” Cox said. Living alone and taking care of finances, laundry, meals, and everything else “definitely gives you more respect for your parents. … You remember to say, ‘Thank you,’ (to them) more often.”

His mother, Annette, never doubted that he was ready for the venture. “I had every confidence that he was mature enough to behave responsibly away from home,” she said. “… I knew that living and interning in Washington would be a wonderful learning experience for Emory. From age 11 forward, he planned our family vacations and was always at ease when traveling. We have close friends in the D.C. area who I knew would be there for him if any issues arose.”

The summer between high school and college, Cox assisted Bill Armistead, chairman of the Alabama Republican Party. Then, during summer break 2015, Cox worked in the office of Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley and with Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill.

Preparing for politics

Cox’s interests are many. He enjoys kayaking, swimming, traveling, playing golf and tennis, and visiting family, friends and neighbors. Following politics is definitely one of his hobbies.

And yes, he does have political aspirations. He quickly added, however, that he does not want to be a career politician. Instead, he wants his public service to be in the truest sense — only for a short time and only with prior private sector experience.

“I’m a huge supporter of term limits,” said Cox, who participates in the St. Clair County Republican Party when he is home. “That’s the way the Founders wanted it.”

In the various internships, Cox believes he has observed the traits of effective leadership.

He admires what he saw in Armistead, whom Cox describes as a moral, ethical, spiritual person.

Through that internship, Cox met Dr. Ben Carson, who later would become a GOP contender in the 2016 Presidential race. “Dr. Carson is a brilliant man of sincere conviction whose life story proves that, with hard work, anyone can succeed in America,” Cox said. “I admire his thoughtful approach to complex problems and believe that he would be an excellent secretary of health or education in a Presidential cabinet.”

As for Sessions, Cox said, “He is attuned to the people of Alabama and deeply grounded in faith.” Even during a busy time of advising then-GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump, attending to Senate business, and meeting with constituents, Sessions still spent time with Cox. “(He) took time to talk to and mentor and encourage a young person.”

Cox found Strange to be a mountain of a man … literally. Though Cox stands six feet tall, he was dwarfed by Strange’s stature. Even so, Cox said Strange is “approachable” and “down to earth.”

Each of the internships left an impression on Cox, who left an impression as well.

“Emory brought an unwavering passion for hard work and an enthusiasm for tackling any assignment,” said Mike Lewis, communications director in Strange’s office. “We wish his internship had not ended so soon.”

College life

Cox’s busy summer is an extension of his busy college life.

In addition to his course load, he is chairman of the College Republican Club at Washington and Lee University and was appointed by the university’s president to serve on the student financial aid committee. Also, he was elected to a Student Government body that formulates a course of action in student disciplinary matters.

In the Lexington, Va., community, he is involved in the Rockbridge County Republican Party, as well as Robert E. Lee Memorial Episcopal Church. He said he and friends go to church together as a way to keep each other accountable.

More importantly, though, they attend church because faith has an all-encompassing importance in a person’s life.

At home, Cox is a member of Pell City First United Methodist Church.

Being with other followers of Christ Jesus is an essential ingredient in Cox’s recipe for success in college. The recipe reads like this: “go to class (of course); study hard and find a church home to stay grounded in faith.”

In church, “you meet people in the community. It keeps you grounded,” Cox said. “It keeps faith in the forefront. … I know how important faith is in my life.”

Faith, Cox explained, instills moral and ethical values. It leads a person to treat everyone with respect, and affirms the presence of the all-powerful God, who is far greater than we are and is in control of everything.

When individuals who make policies, laws and decisions are people of faith, they serve with integrity the voters they represent, Cox said. “We need more people like that in public office.”

Early life

Cox shares a common experience with so many of the historical figures who shaped our nation: he lived his early years in a cabin. Until age 2, his family lived in a 500-square-foot, A-frame cabin at Seddon Shores before moving to their current home.

Through eighth grade, Cox attended Pell City schools and then went to The Altamont School in Birmingham for high school.

Cox said his parents — both entrepreneurs — instilled in him values, perseverance and determination.

“No matter the task, no matter what you might be doing in life, do it 100 percent,” Cox said, recalling what his father taught him. “Find your passion and devote yourself to it.”

Before Cox was born, his father, Ray, founded Metro Bank by going door to door to sell stock in it. The first location opened in Pell City. Now, the bank operates nine sites in St. Clair, Etowah, Talladega and Cleburne counties.

Annette Cox ran her own Pell City business, called Potpourri Gifts & Antiques. Emory Cox said his mother passed to him the legacy of hard work she learned growing up on a farm in South Alabama.

Ray Cox was driven, passionate and diligent, Emory Cox continued. “He was very good at treating people with respect, no matter what walk of life. That’s a goal that I set for myself.”

Ray Cox was also adept at balancing responsibilities and, as a result, was a great father, his son said.

When Emory Cox was quite young, his dad was diagnosed with cancer and given only six months to live. For 18 months, Ray Cox continued to work and to create special family memories. After a two-year battle with the disease, Ray Cox succumbed to cancer in 2005.

Emory Cox was nine years old.

Cox said his mother “handled (Dad’s) passing with such strength and grace and determination. … She was determined to raise me in a way she thought he would be proud of. She was always strong, always supportive, always there for me. … I love her dearly.”

Losing a parent, Cox said, brings the realization that relationships are important and each day with those we love is to be cherished.

Annette Cox said her son “stepped up as an adult overnight. We had to learn to depend on each other and, as a result, have a great relationship. It has been amazing to watch Emory grow into a young man that I know his Dad would be so proud of. I feel honored to be his mother.”

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