February 2022 | Volume 15 | Issue 6
280LIVING.COM
THE 280 CORRIDOR’S COMMUNITY NEWS SOURCE
BACK TO THE START
Doug Adair holds a great horned owl in September 2020 at the Alabama Wildlife Center at Oak Mountain State Park. Adair died Dec. 6. Photo by Erin Nelson.
AWC Director Doug Adair remembered as a true public servant By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE Doug Adair spent his life in service to others. From a young age in Boy Scouts, to serving as class president in high school and being named a Truman Scholar, to his work in the federal government and as a lawyer, he lived an extraordinary, but humble, life. Adair, the executive director of the Alabama Wildlife Center for the past eight years, passed away Dec. 6. An avid runner since high school, he called his sister, Linda Kyle, following a run the day before Thanksgiving and told her he was having chest pains. “He walked home and waited a while and thought it would get better,” Kyle said. “He thought it was indigestion but decided it wasn’t, so he left to go to the hospital.” As he was en route to the hospital, Adair suffered a massive heart attack and went into cardiac arrest, all while his sister was still on the phone. Kyle said the paramedics were able to revive him, but his brain had gone too long without oxygen. Adair spent over a week in Shelby Baptist Medical Center before passing. “It was a blessing we were on the phone with
Guy Dill looks over Pearl Harbor, where he served during World War II as a Navy pilot. He went back for the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor in December. Photos courtesy of Butch Dill.
99-year-old veteran Guy Dill returns to Pearl Harbor for 80th anniversary of attack By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE
G
uy Dill describes himself as a 1942 Tom Cruise in “Top Gun.” He enlisted in the military as a U.S. Navy fighter pilot Jan. 1, 1942, less than a month after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor during World War II. He was only 19 years old. In December, Dill made the trip back to Hawaii for the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and shared his story with 280 Living.
JOINING THE NAVY
Dill graduated from high school just seven months before
See DILL | page A22
A group of World War II veterans salute during the Dec. 7 commemorative ceremony in Pearl Harbor.
See ADAIR | page A23
INSIDE
Sponsors............... A4 280 News.............. A6
Chamber..............A10 Business................ A11
Schoolhouse........A14 Community.......... A17
Opinion................A20 Sports.................... B4
Spring Medical Guide................. B9 facebook.com/280living
Lifesaving Ministry
Jags’ Big Finish
Megan’s Fund awards its first grants to The Crisis Center and Restoration Academy.
As basketball season reaches the final stretch, Chris Laatsch believes his team will keep improving.
See page A19
See page B4