2011 Progress

Progress 2011

40 Forty UNDER

The Future of Franklin County

A special publication of The Franklin County Times

A city that’s proud of the past‌. and building for the future

Contact Russellville City Hall at 256-332-6060

Progress 2011 Making Progress When we gathered as a staff several months ago to begin developing a theme for this year’s Progress edition, we felt this would be a good opportunity to celebrate our county’s future.

When you look around our community, there are many people stepping into new leadership roles whether it be in education, local government, law, healthcare or in business.

It also provided us with an opportunity to spotlight a male and female senior from each of our county high schools.

The theme of this edition became “40 under 40: The future of Franklin County.”

While working on this, however, we quickly realized that there are many more people in our community that deserved to be recognized, but unfortunately could not be in this particular edition.

It is exciting to know that a new generation is willing and capable of stepping into the large shoes left by those before us.

The future is bright and there is reason for optimism in Franklin County.

We would like to thank all of the schools for choosing a boy and girl that they felt would be making significant contributions to our community in the future. We also want to thank all of our neighbors here who were so willing to share their stories with us.

We hope our Progress edition will encourage each of you and reinforce the idea that good things are in store for us as we move forward.

Table of Contents 4 5 7 8 12 13 14 15 16 18 20 22 23 24 26 28 30 31 32 34

Melissa Welch Janna Jackson Bo Culver Carrie DeArman, Jeremy Lane, Jody Kiel Matt Cooper Dr. Jeremy Campbell Wesley Borden Wade Wallace Alissa Moore David Grissom Josh Miller Bryna Lawler Hannah Aycock Jordan Benford Adam Seahorn Kevin Stone Shannon Oliver Claudia Townsend Kelly Little, LeAnn Little Audrey Herring

36 37 39 40 42 43 44 46 47 49 51 52 53 54 55 57 58 59 60 62

Laken Elliot Chad Sears Dr. Stuart Greenberg Joe Mansell Jamie Kiel Kendra Moses Brad Bolton Darit Riddle Bret Malone Kelli Gilbert Brian Hamilton Eric George Nicolas Blevins Chris James Will Hester Shane James Art Richey Mitch Mays Jeff Barksdale Maddie Lane

Editor and Publisher Jonathan Willis Editorial staff Scot Beard and Kellie Singleton Sales Peggy Hyde, Angie Williams and Nicole Pell Composing Karen McAfee Circulation Terri Pounders and Thomas Douglas P.O. Box 1088 • Russellville, AL 35653 Press Room Tommy Nichols, Alton Zills, Betty Jo Bray, Courtney Honey 256-332-1881 • fax: 256-332-1883 www.franklincountytimes.com

PROGRESS 2011

3

By Scot Beard scot.beard@franklincountytimes.com Many high school students are advised to participate in extracurricular activities to help their college applications stand out from the thousands of others sitting in admissions offices across the nation.

Some students choose to participate in athletics while others pick a club or two.

For Belgreen’s Melissa Welch, who will be the valedictorian of her class, the choice was simple – a little bit of everything.

“That’s how I kept my grades up,” Welch said. “I stayed busy and active and did not give myself time to slack.”

Welch is the editor of the school yearbook, president of Students Against Destructive Decisions, a leader in Faith Followers, a member of the scholars bowl team, participates in Beautification, Beta and Upward Bound. With her impressive scholastic record and hefty level of activities, it is no wonder Welch was voted Most Likely to Succeed.

Welch has had the drive to be good at all she attempts for as long as she can remember.

“Getting a college education has been ground into my head since I was a kid,” Welch said.

“The only way of me doing that is through grants and scholarships.”

She said when she becomes involved in an activity she devotes herself to it, often by assuming leadership roles.

“If I do something, I put 100 percent into it,” Welch said. “It just comes naturally to me. If I’m a member, I feel it is my duty to give my all.”

Welch applies that philosophy to activities outside of school as well. She is a member of a youth group at Belgreen United Methodist Church and has also assumed a leadership role in that group.

There is no doubt Welch is dedicated to school activities, but her devotion to her faith is stronger. Welch has begun a morning devotional in the halls of Belgreen so students can share their faith with one another.

“I try to carry it into school,” Welch said. “There are a lot of members of my church group at Belgreen.”

Of all the activities that command Welch’s time, one has 4

Melissa Welch stood out to her so much it has influenced her choice of careers — Upward Bound.

Welch wants to earn a master’s degree in community counseling and help high school students with career planning.

“I’ve been in Upward Bound since ninth grade and it’s been a God send,” Welch said. “It has helped prepare me so much, and I appreciate it. I want to give future students the experience I’ve had.”

Welch knows that pursuing

her career goals will take her away from Belgreen for a while and she will miss the smallschool atmosphere. She said she enjoys how close the students are and how the teachers are almost family. The best thing about the teachers, according to Welch, is how they go out of their way to help students, even if that means staying after school.

Of course not everything at Belgreen is great in Welch’s view. She said there is only one

thing she would change if she could — give the students more choices when it comes to electives.

That is an interesting viewpoint for a student who seems to be involved with everything already.

“I want to experience as much as I can. I’m afraid I’ll miss out on something,” Welch said. “Activities help keep me off the streets and from making bad decisions. Besides, it builds character.”

PROGRESS 2011

Janna Jackson

By Kellie Singleton kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com Some 60 or 70 years ago, many women chose to stay at home instead of having a career. They would punch their time cards around 5 a.m. beginning breakfast for their family and would punch out long after that same family was sleeping soundly in their beds.

But some women chose to pursue careers and, back then, women who entered the workforce were most likely seen in one of two careers: school teachers or nurses.

This is no longer true today thanks to strides by many different individuals who fought for equality in the workplace.

Women are now doctors, lawyers, mechanics, musicians and CEOs. While it’s common to see women in positions that have traditionally been held by men, it can still garner some surprise, especially in a career like law enforcement.

Female police officers are still a rarity in small areas like Franklin County, but Red Bay Police Chief Janna Jackson did-

PROGRESS 2011

n’t let that fact stand in her way when she was choosing her career path.

Her hard work, dedication and leadership during her near 13 years in law enforcement caught the eye of the town’s officials and led to Jackson being named the first female police chief in Red Bay’s history just a little over a year ago.

“I was beyond honored when I found out the mayor and council looked at me to fill such an important position,” Jackson said. “I was touched they would have that amount of confidence in my abilities.”

Jackson said she loves her job, but she didn’t always dream of fighting crime and keeping the bad guys off the street. It was actually an idea she had after she graduated from Red Bay High School and started attending college.

“When I was in college, I took a criminal justice class and found it interesting,” Jackson said. “I wanted to be sure it was something I would want to do for years to come so I started working as an intern with the Russellville

Police Department and ended up making the decision to have a career in law enforcement.”

Jackson said she was able to get hired at the Red Bay Police Department as a part-time dispatcher and was fortunate to be hired as a full-time patrol officer right out of college.

“You might think being a woman in law enforcement is difficult, but everyone has always been respectful and treated me as an equal,” she said. “It can be hard on some occasions, but here in Red Bay where people know me, they know I’ll do my job.”

Jackson has lived in Red Bay her entire life and said she was glad her career situation worked out to where she could work and live close to her friends and her family, which includes her parents, Lloyd and Phoelicia Jackson.

“I’m glad to have found a law enforcement job in Red Bay because you won’t find any nicer people than the citizens here,” Jackson said.

“We have a great mayor and council, the officers are dedicated to what they do, and the citizens

really support the police department. It’s just a good community.”

In her line of work, Jackson sees the good along with the bad, but even when she has to deal with difficult situations, there are always situations that reinforce her career choice as a law enforcement officer.

“As a police officer, you see people when they’re at their worst and you never know what each minute is going to bring,” she said. “But we do what we’re trained to do and try our best to turn a bad situation into a good situation, and it’s so rewarding to see when something you’ve done has made a difference.

“You’re able to take the bad along with the good when you can help a domestic violence victim or a child out of a bad situation and make their life a little bit better.”

Jackson also tries to make peoples’ lives a little bit better through her activities and community service she participates in outside of the police department.

Jackson is a member of the Red Bay Civitan Club and is an active member of her church.

“Being involved in community activities is important because it makes the town better for everyone,” she said. “When the community is strong, there is a better chance people will want to come back here to live once they’re out of school because everyone wants to live in a strong, happy, healthy place.”

Jackson said growing up in Red Bay gives her a greater sense of responsibility as the police chief to care for and protect the town’s citizens, and it’s a responsibility she does not take lightly.

“As the chief it is my job to look out for the best interests of the community and my fellow officers,” she said. “I have to worry over things like budgets, new equipment and making sure everyone is working together.

And I also have to worry about whether or not my officers have everything they need to be safe and to keep the people of the community safe.

“In the future, I hope to increase my education as technology increases, continue to train and make sure the officers are welltrained, and help the department continue to grow and work together.

“I just want the best for this town and the people who live here, and as long as I am the chief, that’s what I’ll strive for.”

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PROGRESS 2011

Bo Culver

By Scot Beard scot.beard@franklincountytimes.com When Phil Campbell was looking for a new football coach two years ago, many fans were probably hoping for a seasoned veteran coach with a few trips to the playoffs under his belt. What the Bobcat faithful got was Bo Culver – a young, first-time head coach.

Culver, now 26, has helped turned the squad around and missed making the playoffs by one win last season.

“I think it was humbling,” said Culver whose previous

PROGRESS 2011

coaching experience was four years as an assistant coach at Shoals Christian. ‘The best way to learn is to dive right in.”

But Culver is more than just a football coach. While he admits he would like to coach some state championship teams in the future, he knows focusing on the students in his classroom and teaching life lessons to his players are the most important parts of his job.

“Football is fun, but I am here to build young men,” Culver said. “My goal is to see every student going through my

classroom go to college.”

Perhaps the best indication of Culver’s dedication to education is the quote hanging on the door of his classroom. He bypassed the numerous motivational quotes from many legendary football coaches and opted for a quote from ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle: It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.

Some of the ideas Culver is trying to get his students to accept are the scientific laws and theories he teaches in his chemistry and physical science

classes. Culver said he decided to teach science because of the job security, but he knew he wanted to teach and coach before deciding what concentration to study while taking his education classes at the University of North Alabama.

“Athletics has played a large role in my life, but I had fantastic teachers in high school,” Culver said. “They mutually fed each other.”

While it is obvious athletics led him into coaching, there is one influence in Culver’s life that dwarfs his passion for sports – his faith. Culver has shared his passion with the Phil Campbell chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

He said he views his obligation to spread his testimony about his faith much like a recent lesson he taught in his classes, the diffusion of spreading particles.

“That’s how it should be. It should spread into every aspect of life,” Culver said. “Christ died for us, why can’t we live for him? I’m in a profession where people take Christ from that.”

Some of the pillars of his faith can be seen in an acronym he teaches to both his players and students – PCIO, which stands for pride, commitment, integrity and ownership. He said everyone should take pride in what they are doing, be committed to achieving their goals, conduct themselves with integrity and take ownership of their actions.

It is a personal code Culver hopes his players and students will take with them for the rest of their lives. It is one way he is trying to build a good foundation for the future of his students.

“As a coach, all we do is preparation,” Culver said. “We can make a call or put a player on the field, but in the end they have to make the plays.”

The drive to prepare his students for life beyond the halls of Phil Campbell with more than just a solid education is perhaps one of the best qualities Culver possesses. He enjoys coaching, but realizes there is more to coaching football than wins and losses.

“There are kids who need football more than football needs them,” Culver said. “I want to help them become a better human being.”

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By Kellie Singleton kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com Carrie DeArman, Jody Kiel and Jeremy Lane had no idea when they were growing up together in Franklin County that they would one day be business partners in their hometown community.

Each of these three local entrepreneurs decided to become pharmacists after being around the profession in different ways.

DeArman gained her pharmaceutical experience through a Health Occupational Students of America class she took while attending Russellville High School.

“In HOSA you’re able to go out into the community to explore different health-related fields, and I chose to do my clinicals at a pharmacy,” she said. “While I was there, I decided being a pharmacist was a good service-filled job where I could serve the community and others, so that’s the career path I chose.”

Both Kiel and Lane made their decision to be pharmacists after working with Lane’s father, Greg Lane, who owned Family Pharmacy in Russellville for 30 years before retiring.

“When I was younger, I worked a little for Greg and was able to see what he did on a daily basis at his pharmacy,” Kiel said.

“After being around it for awhile, I decided it was a career I would enjoy having.”

Lane was obviously exposed to the pharmaceutical world more than Kiel and DeArman thanks to his father’s business, so he had plenty of time to decide that working in a pharmacy was the right career choice for him.

“Growing up working with my dad I was able to see how he helped people through his job as a pharmacist, and that was something I wanted to be able to do someday,” Lane said. “Really, there was never any career choice for me. It was always pharmacy.”

To receive their formal schooling for the profession, all three Russellville High School graduates decided to attend Auburn University’s Harrison School of Pharmacy.

After they graduated from pharmacy school, each of them decided Franklin County would be the best place to live and run their business.

For Lane, the decision was tied to family; for DeArman, the decision was based on familiarity;

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Jeremy Carrie Jody Lane DeArman Kiel for Kiel, the decision found root in contributing to a community he cared about.

“For me, it just made sense to come back here and help the same people my dad helped for so many years,” Lane said. “This is where I first learned about pharmacy and this is where I wanted to work and have my career.”

“Growing up here, I knew I enjoyed the small-town feel of the area where everyone knows one another,” DeArman said. “I lived and worked in Huntsville for awhile, and it was so different to live in a place where people didn’t know you. After that, I knew I wanted to work in an area where I would know my customers and be able to help them with their specific needs.”

“This is where my family and friends are, so I knew I would like to work in a place where I could be close to them,” Kiel said. “I also wanted to be able to give back to my hometown community by having a business in that could help contribute to the local economy.”

And contributing to the area is something all three pharmacists set out to do when they created the Family Pharmacy Group,

which is a multi-location pharmacy company with three locations in Russellville and one location in Littleville.

“The three of us all shared the common goal of wanting to open pharmacies in our hometown,” Kiel said, “so we decided the best way to do this would be to team up with each other instead of competing against one another.”

DeArman runs the show at Hometown Pharmacy behind KFC on Gandy Street in Russellville; Kiel owns Family Pharmacy of Russellville on U.S. 43 near Burger King; and Lane heads up The Drug Shop located next to Big Star in Russellville.

Lane’s father, Greg, came out of retirement to help the three busy business owners run the fairly new Family Pharmacy of Littleville.

“We pride ourselves on having pharmacies that really put the customer first,” Lane said. “We really treat people like people instead of just a prescription number.”

“We establish relationships with our customers and get to know them if we don’t know them already,” DeArman added.

“The people are the most inter-

esting and important part of this job.”

To stay true to this vision, all the pharmacies in the Family Pharmacy Group offer certain services that make sure the customers needs are coming first.

“All of our stores have a drivethru service for people who can’t get out of their cars to come in,” Kiel said. “We also package medicine and make deliveries for the customers’ convenience.”

In addition to contributing to the community by providing important services and stimulating the local economy, all three pharmacists said they plan for their business to be an active part of the community itself.

“We take on students from time to time who are interested in becoming pharmacists and we participate in programs at the high school like HOSA and job shadowing,” Lane said. “In the future we want to have more projects that help out the schools and make sure kids realize the potential in this county.

“We all three believe that this area is worth coming back to and being a part of, and we hope to be a part of the area for a long time to come.”

PROGRESS 2011

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Babies of 2010

2010 Welcomed Several New Additions to Franklin County

Macy Adeline Hall

Shaler Lane Stone

Elijah Baker

Birth date: October 1, 2010 Parents: Stephen & Heather Hall Grandparents: Stanley & Diane Hall, Greg & Donna Hood

Birth date: November 19, 2010 Parents: Kevin & Tia Stone Grandparents: William & Sandra Stone, Susie Raney, Harry & Shelia Raney

Birth date: December 14, 2010 Parents: Tyler & Jessica Baker Grandparents: Rickie & Pam Baker, Jay Musgrove & Mimi Manda

Ellie Shae Pounders

Madison Ann Baker

Cade Nathaniel Willis

Birth date: November 1, 2010 Parents: Brad & Angie Pounders Grandparents: Steve & Teresa Pounders, Hilda Stidham

Birth date: May 9, 2010 Parents: Jason & Brigitte Baker Grandparents: Charles & Rhonda Baker, Hugh & Peggy Hyde

Birth date: May 28 ,2010 Parents: Jonathan & Mandi Willis Grandparents: Greg & Sarah Willis, George & Julia Malone

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Jackson Lane Hightower Birth date: December 28, 2010

Ty Spencer Hamilton Birth date: September 1, 2010 Parents: Greg & Jessica Hamilton Grandparents: Brenda & Gene Hamilton, Barry Thrasher & Nina Thrasher Parents: Chris & Amanda Hightower Grandparents: Phyllis Jack, Haleyville; Steven & Tina Smith, Phil Campbell; Chuck & Rose Davis, Red Bay; Steve Hightower, Bear Creek Great Grandparents: Elton & Margaret Jack, Haleyville; Bobby & Sue Smith, Phil Campbell; Cuethal & Yvonne Hightower, Bear Creek Great-Great Grandparents: Starland & Elsie Newell, Phil Campbell

PROGRESS 2011

PROGRESS 2011

11

Matt Cooper

By Jonathan Willis jonathan.willis@franklincountytimes.com Matt Cooper’s rise up the banking ladder has been a quick one.

Cooper began working as a courier at Citizens Bank while still in high school as part of Russellville High School’s co-op program that allowed students to spend afternoons working.

The 1993 RHS graduate later worked in bookkeeping and as a teller at the bank.

12

He left for a few years while he was attending the University of North Alabama but returned in 1997 after obtaining a double major in Accounting and Finance.

He spent about six months in a management trainee program and then began loaning money in 1998.

Now, at the age of 35, he is one of four vice-presidents of CB&S Bank, which has 42 branches in three states.

He is responsible for facilitating the services and products for all the branches, but is still highly involved as a lender.

“I manage a $100 million loan portfolio and my goal is to maintain that and maybe grow it some,” he said.

“When you have that much money out you have to be producing some.”

He is also responsible for maintaining relationships with the bank’s largest customers

and is a liaison between subsidiaries.

When Cooper joined the bank in 1992 they had assets of $80 million, he estimated, and only had branches in Franklin County.

Less than 20 years later, CB&S has assets of more than $1.2 billion and 42 branches.

“I have been fortunate to be part of the bank’s growth,” he said. “We have great leadership with (CEO) Mr. (Cecil) Batchelor and (president) Dennis (Upchurch). They allowed me to learn and grow and have always given me opportunities.”

He believes the opportunities he was afforded are essential in developing a strong future in the county.

“We, as business leaders, always need to look for the talents of young people,” he said.

“Most all of your truly successful business leaders love young people. They are usually hard working and progressive. Young people also need to know that there are opportunities for them and they need to be encouraged to work hard and seek these opportunities so we can build a stronger future here.

“My ultimate goal would be to see my children raise their families here in Franklin County and we need to all work together to build a better quality of life.”

Cooper has worked though nine years on the chamber of commerce board of directors and as a member of the Franklin County Economic Development Authority to push for progress in the county.

“I think the biggest thing people need to understand is that growth in any part of the county is good for all of the county,” he said.

“Our leadership needs to champion that idea and be proactive because we have to operate with the mindset that we are just one of thousands of communities seeking new opportunities in job creation.

We need to work with the idea that we are part of northwest Alabama and northeast Mississippi so any jobs in this area helps us. We can’t compete against each other, we have to work together.”

In their spare time, Cooper and his wife, Greta, spend most of their time with their seven yearold daughter, Madeline, and their three year-old son, Bryson, or on the back of their HarleyDavidson motorcycle.

PROGRESS 2011

By Scot Beard scot.beard@franklincountytimes.com The first pay check Dr. Jeremy Campbell earned was from a doctor’s office. He had trouble finding a job with flexible enough scheduling to allow him to continue playing sports so his mother put in a good word for him at her place of employment.

The general practitioner she worked for decided to give Campbell a chance and hired him part time to file charts and type letters. While it is not the most glamorous job in any doctor’s office, it was enough to convince Campbell to pursue a career in the medical field.

“I’ve been wearing glasses since I was four-years old,” Campbell said. “Optometry is more family oriented than other fields and I like having the opportunity to spend time with my family.”

When he graduated from Russellville High School in 1996 he enrolled at Northwest Shoals Community College for a year before transferring to Samford.

After earning his undergraduate degree in biology, Campbell began studying optometry at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

He graduated in 2004 and had the opportunity to practice anywhere he wanted. He considered staying in Birmingham or moving to Nashville, but he and his wife decided to return to Russellville because they both liked the small-town atmosphere.

“Going through the school system, the community pushed me along,” Campbell said. “Now it is good to give back to the community.”

Campbell said there are many advantages to practicing in a town the size of Russellville. He can set his own office hours, which gives him the time with his family that he values. Patients in a smaller town tend to be more laid back than patients in cities like Birmingham.

Most importantly he gets to have time to help each patient instead of rushing to the next appointment.

“I can control the schedule, which allows me to sit in the exam room and talk to patients instead of feeling rushed,” Campbell said. “It gives me the opportunity to have one-on-one time with patients.”

People might not think an optometrist needs to spend a whole lot of time with patients, but there is more to the job than

PROGRESS 2011

Dr. Jeremy Campbell

figuring out what prescription lens needs to go into the glasses.

In addition to helping people see better optometrists also look for signs of various diseases such as diabetes, which can present their first symptoms in the eyes.

“It is a good medical field for seeing a lot of different things,” Campbell said. “Being in a small town there is a lot more I might see than in other places.”

To help him monitor for the signs of various diseases, Campbell has up to date optometry equipment to give his patients the best care he can provide. One of his favorite tools is a camera

that takes photos of the back of the eye. The camera then sends the photo to a computer screen so he can show the patient what he is talking about.

“The newer technology makes things easier,” Campbell said. “It streamlines the process and helps the patient understand.”

Campbell is a member of the Alabama Optometric Association as well as the American Optometric Association.

He enjoys his profession and encourages people interested in becoming optometrists to pursue that dream.

“It’s a great profession and it’s

very attainable,” Campbell said.

“I made up my mind, stayed dedicated and did it. It wasn’t easy, but it is worth it in the end.”

Now that he has reached his goal of becoming an optometrist Campbell is glad to be back in Russellville helping keep the people of the community healthy. He said he likes it when he sees his patients outside of the office and they can chat.

“It’s nice to go to Wal-Mart and see patients and ask them how they are doing,” Campbell said.

Thanks to his efforts they are happy to see him too – with crystal-clear vision.

13

Wesley Borden

By Kellie Singleton kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com Wesley Borden may seem laid back at first, but this 17-year-old senior at Tharptown High School has lots of potential and ambition bubbling just underneath the surface.

Sure, Borden enjoys the typical free-time activities most any guy in a rural county would enjoy: He loves to hunt deer, squirrels and rabbits; he enjoys grabbing a rod and reel and heading out to catch a few fish; he loves watching a good Auburn football game with his buddies and his family; and he enjoys most anything outdoors.

But Borden also has specific plans for his future, and his involvement in high school is just the beginning of those plans.

While in high school, Borden 14

has been a part of the school’s National Honor Society, the Future Business Leaders of America organization and the student council.

However, Borden is probably best known, for his time spent on the basketball court. Borden has played basketball since the third grade, and he has been a member of the THS varsity basketball team since his freshman year of high school where he received the “Highest 3-Point Percentage” and “Highest GPA” awards on the team.

Borden did not realize it at the time, but now he sees that the memories he made playing on that team made such an impression on him that he wants to incorporate basketball into his future.

To begin, Borden said he plans to attend Northwest-Shoals

Community College for the first two years of his college career and then transfer to the University of North Alabama to receive his degree in secondary education, which he will use to pursue a career as a history or science teacher.

“I’m probably leaning a little more towards history because I’ve always enjoyed the subject, especially local and state history,” he said.

This is the point in Borden’s future where he sees his days on the basketball court coming to good use.

“After I have a teaching job, I would love to be able to be a basketball coach, so that I could help kids have the kind of experience I had on the basketball team at Tharptown,” Borden said.

“It’s something I really think I would enjoy because, growing

up, all of our male teachers were coaches and us guys could really relate to them on a sports level. I want to be able to be that person for someone one day, too.”

And Franklin County residents can rest assured there will be a teacher in the area who will be completely invested in his job of coaching and mentoring students in the community – at least there will be if Borden has anything to say about it.

“I would really like to come back to the area to get a teaching job, especially if the job was at Tharptown,” Borden said. “I would really like to see Tharptown grow as a school and I want to be part of that someday.”

The fact that Borden’s parents, Faron and Kim Borden, and his sister, Leah, all live in the area is a major factor in his decision to return to the county, but Borden said he also wants the best for the area he grew up in all of his life.

“I think Franklin County would be a great place to work, education-wise,” Borden said. “Also, if more good-quality people would choose to come back to the county, it would help preserve that small-town atmosphere that makes everyone feel so comfortable and welcome.”

In the future, Borden doesn’t just plan to give back to the community by educating the local children. He said he has plans to help the county’s youth in other ways as well.

“I would like to start an afterschool or summer basketball program for some of the younger children to get them involved at an earlier age,” Borden said.

“I think it would be good for kids to have something constructive to do during their spare time instead of just sitting around watching TV. Being a part of a basketball program would get them up exercising and would get them interacting with other kids their own age.”

Even though he’s just getting started down that road to the pivotal “next chapter” of his life, Borden already understands the importance of being a good example in his day-to-day life.

“In my opinion, it’s always good to help and teach others, especially those coming along behind us, so they can come up better in life,” he said.

“Little kids are always looking up to the older ones and to adults, so it’s always important to be a good role model and leave them with a positive influence.”

PROGRESS 2011

Dr.Wade Wallace

By Jonathan Willis jonathan.willis@franklincountytimes.com The closest thing Dr. Wade Wallace gets to living his childhood dream these days is when he finds enough time to slip away and do some fishing on the Tennessee River.

Wallace’s childhood dream of becoming a professional fisherman or marine biologist changed when he was 18 years old.

It was during his last semester at Cherokee High School in 1991 that he was called to the min-

PROGRESS 2011

istry.

“God had a different plan for me,” said Wallace, who has been pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Russellville since December 2004.

After graduation, Wallace attended The Baptist College of Florida and graduated from there in 1994. He was hired as Calvary’s youth pastor in 1995 and served there until being named pastor of First Baptist Church, Hackleburg, in 1997.

Wallace later received his Bachelor’s of Theology degree

and a Doctorate of Education in Leadership.

Wallace began preaching at the age of 18 and knows that was his calling.

“I knew that I was being called to be a pastor,” he said. “I felt that was what God gifted me to do and I knew that I loved it.”

He really didn’t know what to expect when he became a fulltime pastor at the age of 24.

“Nothing can really prepare you like personal experience,” he said. “I always pray for guidance.

The preaching part is not the

hard part. The hard part is the administrative things and handling those duties with grace.”

Experiences as a young pastor have prepared him for the future.

“I think that allowed me to mature pretty quickly and I feel like the Lord allowed me to experience things so that I would be ready for what’s ahead. I have been blessed to be pastor of two good churches that supported me and allowed me to grow.”

Over the years, Wallace has been able to use the doctoral degree he received in leadership.

He has become a community leader and helped lead the charge to stop the sale of alcohol in the city.

“To be a pastor you have to love people and lead them,” he said.

“People want to be led. You have to set goals and work towards them. You have to be able to motivate people.

“As pastor of one of the larger churches here, I feel like I have a voice and I am glad to be seen as a leader.”

One of the leadership roles he’s taken recently has been Calvary’s re-opening of the Faith Mission Outreach, which provides food, clothing and other essential items to those in need.

Faith Mission is just part of Wallace’s vision for Calvary.

“I want our church to be one that works to serve and reach the community for Christ,” he said.

“This church has always had a desire to grow and welcome new people. They want to move forward and that makes a pastor’s job easier.”

Though the mission field begins here at home, Wallace has also led Calvary to a new area that is much less familiar.

“One of the great things I have had the opportunity to do was to go to Uganda and see over 300 people saved,” he said.

“I had the opportunity to baptize 47 people there. I think the Lord blesses people and churches that are missions-minded and I think Calvary is a place that is very missions-minded.”

Though he pastors one of the county’s largest churches, there are a few things Wallace enjoys when he finds a little free time.

He and his wife, Courtney, have two boys, Jacob and Gabe, who play football, baseball and basketball.

“We spend a lot of time at the ball field and we try to fish when we can,” Wallace said.

“I don’t fish like I thought I would, but I still enjoy it.”

15

Alissa Moore

By Scot Beard scot.beard@franklincountytimes.com These days many students face many problems and decisions that can affect the rest of their lives. Dealing with bullying or peer pressure while trying to take their studies seriously can be a daunting task for children.

Alissa Moore at East Franklin Junior High School

16

helps her students navigate the difficult waters of life as a student. She is the guidance councilor who helps the students at East Franklin handle the stress of life and prepare them for high school.

At East Franklin she has the opportunity to get to know each of the students and tailor a plan for their goals.

“I like the smallness of the school, the closeness of the

school and the faculty,” Moore said. “I feel like I have a relationship with each of the students. It is a great community and everybody is involved.”

Since East Franklin serves students from kindergarten through the ninth grade, Moore has many responsibilities. She said she has gone into classrooms to discuss bullying, drug use and many other issues facing school kids these

days. She also administers career search inventories to help students find prospective career paths.

When students reach eighth grade she begins preparing them for high school by helping them develop four-year plans that include what electives they might want to take in high school. When those students move to the ninth grade she helps them with service projects and since March and April are testing months, she provides them with tips for passing those exams.

Another topic she discusses with the ninth graders is their decision of where to attend high school. East Franklin’s students have the option of going to either Phil Campbell or Tharptown.

The student’s address usually dictates which of those two schools the students attend, but it is not unusual for a student to opt to go to the other school. Usually that is not a problem, unless the student is an athlete.

If they decided to attend the school not in their home district they have to sit out a year because of Alabama High School Athletic Association rules. Moore informs the students of these issues so they and their family can make an informed decision.

Moore also said the key to being a good guidance councilor is patience. She said some students take longer to show progress than other students.

It is a skill she hasn’t even mastered yet.

“It’s something I need to improve on as well,” Moore said.

While Moore’s job description seems pretty straight forward, she said there is no shortage of new experiences. She said she has helped students cope with the loss of loved ones, helped them through difficult times at home and lent their families a helping hand when needed.

Moore said it can be rewarding work, but there are some challenges. She said some students have rough home lives or come from poverty stricken families and their stories can be saddening, but being able to help them feels good.

“You just never know what a day is going to be like,” Moore said. “Something we do may seem small to us, but not to the child.”

PROGRESS 2011

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17

By Jonathan Willis jonathan.willis@franklincountytimes.com David Grissom has been involved with some type of family-owned business for as long as he can remember.

The 38 year-old business owner and Russellville city councilman watched as his father, Bob Grissom, operated multiple businesses, including a jewelry store, at different points early in his life.

It was that entrepreneurial example that propelled Grissom into owning his own businesses as well.

Fourteen years after opening Alabama Gun and Pawn in Russellville, the 1990 Russellville High School graduate has six stores across the area, including two in Russellville and one each in Red Bay, Moulton, Sheffield and Haleyville.

“My family had been in business all my life, so I grew up in it and that’s all I wanted to do,” said Grissom, whose wife, Melissa, serves as an art teacher at RHS. Their daughter, Kate, is in kindergarten at West Elementary School.

Juggling ownership of several businesses would seem to be more than enough for most, but Grissom is also in the middle of his first term on the Russellville City Council.

“You have to manage your time at work, your time with the city and the time you have with your family,” Grissom said.

“I just try to give it my best and produce the best I can.”

Running for the city council was something he had thought about in the past, but the timing seemed right in 2008.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do,” he said. “I have always been interested in politics and have been involved at all levels. It’s a way that I could give back and help my city.”

Helping the city has not come as easily as he thought it would, but he believes brighter days are ahead.

“It’s been a tough time with the budget situation that we’ve faced,” Grissom said.

“But, if we had the resources it would be a great job. I really appreciate the opportunity that the citizens of Russellville gave me.”

Looking to the future, Grissom said the key to solving most all of the county’s challenges could be fixed with one thing – jobs.

“I really believe that job cre-

18

David Grissom ation would help all the other problems we have,” he said.

“It would create tax revenue with more people buying everything from groceries to homes. It would solve what crime problems we might have if more people were working.

“The problem though is that all cities and municipalities are competing for the same thing.

Job creation is the answer for every community because it means more people living in your area and more people shopping there so it creates more rev-

enue for schools and city departments.”

Grissom said the key to landing the one big employer that could help turn the economy is teamwork.

“In order for us to land a big opportunity, it will take us all working together. Even if it doesn’t land in the city of Russellville, it helps the city because it would provide jobs for our people.”

Aside from running six businesses and serving on the city council, Grissom is also a mem-

ber of Rockwood Baptist Church, a lifetime member of Russellville Masonic Lodge 371 and an avid car enthusiast.

“I like to fool around with old cars and tractors,” he said. “And Kate likes to ride the tractor with daddy, so that’s always fun.”

One thrill he recently enjoyed was being able to see the Auburn Tigers win their first football national championship since 1957.

“That was the thrill of a lifetime.”

PROGRESS 2011

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19

By Kellie Singleton kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com Tharptown Baptist Church pastor Josh Miller had no idea when he was growing up in the small Georgia town of Baxley that he would one day wind up in Franklin County, Ala. In fact, Miller had no idea when he was growing up that he would even become a pastor until his senior year of college at the University of Georgia where he was actually studying finance.

“At that time, I was involved with the Baptist Campus Ministries and I was leading a small group bible study in my apartment,” Miller said. “There were several guys who were a part of that group, including this big football player and this exchange student from Norway.

“I got to looking around at those guys and just realized that ministering to people was something I knew I wanted to do.”

After Miller graduated from UGA, he attended Mid-America Baptist Seminary in Memphis, Tenn., and worked part-time at a church while he studied through seminary.

Once he graduated from seminary in 2006, Miller said he got a job with a marketing company to make ends meet.

“I didn’t have a church to pastor full-time when I graduated from seminary, so a man I met through another church offered me a job working in Memphis at his marketing company, which I did fulltime.”

Miller held this job for a little over a year before he and his wife, Kacie, entered into the mission field and relocated to Pune, India, where they would spend the next two years sharing the Gospel with the people in that region.

“The experience in India was exciting and frustrating all at the same time,” he said. “The people there are predominantly Hindu, so the country is very spiritually dark. But getting together with Indians who were believers and sincerely loved the Lord was refreshing, and we made some of our best friends there.”

Miller said life in India is fastpaced and laid back all at the same time, which was a sharp contrast to living in the South.

“You wouldn’t believe the sheer number of people all in one place at one time,” Miller said. “That’s where the fast pace and the hectic atmosphere comes in.

“But India also has a very relational society. The people there

20

Josh Miller make time for conversations and for building relationships, and we enjoyed ministering with the people there.”

When their two-year commitment to the mission field was coming to an end, Miller was contacted by Steve McAlister who knew Tharptown Baptist Church was in need of a pastor.

“Steve McAlister connected us with the church here, and we began to communicate back and forth during the last few months of our time in India,” he said.

With this being his first time to be a full-time pastor, Miller said he was anxious to see how it would all work out.

“When you first step into a position like that, it’s kind of like, ‘What do you do?’ because there isn’t a certain formula to pastoring a church,” he said. “If I was inputting data, there would be set things I would know to do, but it’s not like that here.”

In the year Miller has been at the church he said things have gone well, and he attributes a lot of that to the members of the

church.

“I’m still learning, but the people here have been great,” he said. “We have people here who are genuinely good and who care about the community they live in.

“Our congregation has spent many man hours to show the people in the area that they are loved, and there are very few houses here that haven’t been visited by a member of our church in the last six to eight months.”

Miller said Tharptown Baptist Church is a Southern Baptist congregational evangelical Christian church where they believe the Bible is the inspired word of God and believe in the exclusivity of saving faith through Jesus Christ.

“We prioritize the exegetical preaching of God’s word, and place a strong focus on the building up of the family: on fathers being fathers and leading their families and on mothers being mothers and fulfilling their role as wives and mothers,” Miller said.

Miller said family is everything to him, and there is nothing he would rather do in his spare time than be with his wife, Kacie, his two-year-old daughter, Lyla Joy, and his near five-month-old son, Evan.

“We are trying to institute a quarterly big event to get people and families in the community involved, like when we have our community picnic in October or November at the high school or the wild game cook-out we’ll be having soon,” he said. “Anytime you focus on building up the family, it will inevitably help the community in a positive way.”

While Miller enjoyed the time he spent growing up in Georgia and the time he spent in the mission field in India, he said he has thoroughly enjoyed his time in Franklin County.

“The area is beautiful and Russellville has a small-town feel while still being within an hour of just about anything you would need,” he said. “We love it here and plan to be here as long as we can.”

PROGRESS 2011

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PROGRESS 2011

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21

By Scot Beard scot.beard@franklincountytimes.com Bryna Lawler had earned her associate’s degree but was working in a factory when her first child was born. She watched her child’s learning process and following the birth of her second child decided she needed to change jobs.

Lawler enrolled at the University of North Alabama to pursue a career as an educator.

“I love watching students learn. Most of them pick up on things easily,” Lawler said.

“When the light bulb goes on – that is my favorite moment.”

Lawler earned her certification for teaching kindergarten through sixth grade in December of 2009, but when she began working at Vina she quickly found herself working with students in all grades.

She currently helps with several subjects including reading, foreign language, health, and distance learning programs such as creative writing, physical science and chemistry. As if that were not enough, Lawler also helps remediate students that did not pass the graduation exam.

Having so many duties might overwhelm some people, but Lawler has no complaints.

“I was very lucky to get a job so quickly. Mr. Pharr was kind enough to offer me this position,” Lawler said. “I am highly appreciative of this opportunity.”

Vina principal James Pharr was able to see Lawler’s potential when she began substitute teaching in the spring of 2010.

When it was time to hire a new teacher he decided Lawler was a good fit and he has not regretted his choice.

“She has done an excellent job at Vina,” Pharr said. “I appreciate what she has done.”

Of course Lawler has had to make some adjustments. Since she initially attended UNA to become a K-6 teacher her student teaching assignments were in those grades.

Lawler said the teachers she worked with were great. She was in a fifth-grade class at Russellville and the teacher allowed her to take charge and was very helpful when she had questions. Her other internship was with a first-grade class in Tuscumbia.

When she found out she would be teaching high school stu-

22

Bryna Lawler dents Lawler became a little nervous.

“When I was told it was for 712 I was intimidated, but it’s all the same,” Lawler said. “I was intimidated in August, September got better and by October I was in the groove of

things.”

She said she is glad she took the position because it allowed her to help students she would not have met otherwise.

Lawler said people told her that if she could survive her first couple of years as a

teacher she would be fine. She said the job is not easy, but any problems are quickly forgotten.

“It can be a tough job at times, but it can be rewarding at the end of the day,” Lawler said. “I don’t know if I would change a thing.”

PROGRESS 2011

Hannah Aycock

By Kellie Singleton kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com Franklin County native and Russellville High School senior Hannah Aycock is a prime example of someone who has taken full advantage of her high school experience.

Hannah’s long list of social and academic achievements shows her willingness to do whatever necessary to succeed and be a better person, but she wasn’t always so involved.

“In the 9th grade I wasn’t really concerned with joining clubs or getting involved with school functions,” Hannah said, “but by my junior year I was tired of just sitting back. I wanted to be part of making decisions at the school and doing behind-the-scenes work.”

And that is exactly what she did.

This year Hannah serves as president of Future Business Leaders of America, Christian

PROGRESS 2011

Students United, the Student Booster Club and the Chemistry Club. She is a member of the Drama Club and the National Honor Society and was also chosen as the RHS representative for the American Legion Alabama Girls State.

Being a leader in these different student organizations has not only allowed Hannah to be part of the decision-making that takes place at RHS, it allows her to gain important skills she will need in the future.

“As the president of FBLA, I have to read and talk in front of a group of people at each meeting,” Hannah said. “At Girls State, we had to work together as a group to accomplish the things we had to do.

“Both of these experiences have taught me how to be prepared and how to get over being nervous when speaking to a group.”

In May, Hannah will speak in front of her classmates and all

who come to watch them graduate because she has earned the title of valedictorian for the Class of 2011.

“I’m not really nervous because I have experience in speaking thanks to my involvement in these different clubs,” Hannah said. “It just goes to show you that being involved can help you in many different ways.”

Hannah also said that getting involved at school has allowed her to make contacts that have helped her prepare for life after high school.

“Teachers like Mrs. Holland, Mrs. Moore, Mrs. Watts and Mrs. Franklin have encouraged me to be more assertive and to go after what I want,” Hannah said.

“They have been mentors for me and I appreciate all their advice.”

Being a mentor is something Hannah is familiar with. She said that she’s learned how important having a mentor can be because of all the help and advice she’s

given her younger brother and other students at RHS. “I help him with homework and things like that, but I also try to give him advice that I think would have been helpful to me when I was his age,” Hannah said. “I also try to help some of the younger students at school and give them advice about classes, organizations and getting prepared for college.”

For her own college career, Hannah has her sights set on Samford University in Birmingham. She chose Samford because it is a Christian-based college and she likes the school’s proximity to Russellville.

“Samford is far enough away so I feel like I’ll be getting the experience of living on my own,” Hannah said, “but it’s also close enough that I can come home if I want or need to. And it’s also a smaller school, which I think I would enjoy more.”

While in college, Hannah plans to major in chemistry and she said she’ll use that degree to pursue a career in chemical engineering or a career teaching chemistry.

“I took chemistry in the eleventh grade and found out that I really enjoyed it and that I was actually good at it, too,” Hannah said. “I decided then that a chemistry-related career would be something I would enjoy and something that might help other people at the same time.”

Hannah also plans to get involved while in school and she said that she thinks that being involved and making a difference will always be high on her priority list.

“Through National Honor Society, I’ve volunteered at the public library and Russellville Health Care and through the business department, I’ve volunteered at the District Attorney’s office,” Hannah said. “All these experiences allowed me to help others while getting a chance to see what it’s like in the business world.

“In the future, I want to continue to do volunteer work, find a local church and participate in community events wherever I live.”

Hannah said that where she lives once she graduates from college will depend on where she is able to get a job but if she isn’t able to come back to this area, she at least hopes to stay in the South.

Hannah is the daughter of Randall and Ester Aycock and Brian and Theresa Brock. She has one brother, James, who is 15.

23

By Scot Beard scot.beard@franklincountytimes.com During his time at Phil Campbell Jordan Benford has established a reputation as a good athlete.

Benford has put in clutch performances for the Bobcats on the football field, basketball court and baseball field, but it would be a mistake to think he as developed a superstar sized ego.

“I’m not an individual guy, I’m a role player,” Benford said.

“It’s not about me, it’s about the team.”

While Benford does concentrate on athletics, he is also involved with the Junior Leadership Program at Pleasant Hill Church. Benford said he enjoys being associated with his church and that the time he has spent there has been an influence on his life.

“It helps me find my inner self,” Benford said. “It’s the only thing I do other than school and sports.”

His faith has helped him navigate one of the most difficult times in life — high school.

Benford likes attending Phil Campbell because he says it is a small school and the students do not try to be better than one another.

Even though there might not be an effort to establish a hierarchy, peer pressure is still a reality in the hall of Phil Campbell. Benford credits his faith with helping him deal with tough decisions but admits he made a few errors in judgment.

“Peer pressure didn’t hit me until I was about 16,” Benford said. “Everybody slips up. I was able to mingle out of crowds I didn’t need to be a part of.”

He said one of the times his faith helped him the most was when he injured his knee in the ninth grade. He pulled his Anterior Cruciate Ligament and was sidelined for several months.

That knee injury also helped Benford narrow his career path. He plans on becoming a physical therapist.

“While I was rehabbing I realized I liked to help others,” Benford said. “I love the human body and the way it works.”

Benford plans on attending Northwest Shoals Community College to get his basics out of the way before transferring to

24

Jordan Benford

Wallace State to earn his course of study.

He knows reaching his career goals will take quite a bit of hard work, but Benford is used to challenges.

When he injured his knee he went from being a key component on athletic teams to watching games from the bench. He said that experience made him a better leader because he could see what was happening on the court in a different way and relaying that

information to his teammates.

Benford has also had to handle some coaching changes during his time with the Bobcats. He has had two different football coaches and three basketball coaches.

“The main thing I’ve taken from the coaching changes is to learn something different from different people,” Benford said.

One thing that stands out about Benford is his drive to succeed. Whether he learned that through the tough physi-

cal rehabilitation of his knee or through the many coaching changes is unclear.

Whatever its source, Benford has a good outlook on pursuing his goals and the experience of adversity to draw on as he attempts to make his dreams come true.

“Not everything is going to be put on a plate and handed to you perfect,” Benford said.

“Having to deal with things while you are young helps you later on.”

PROGRESS 2011

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Adam Seahorn

By Kellie Singleton kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com If Franklin County is looking for a future leader, people in the area won’t have to look much farther than west end of the county.

Red Bay High School senior Adam Seahorn has been a leader in the school as well as in the community.

During his high school career, Seahorn has been a member of Students Against Destructive Decisions, the Science, Spanish, English and Beta clubs, and he has served as an officer in Health Occupation Students of America.

To help in the community, Seahorn has been an active participant in the Leo Club, which is the student branch of the Red Bay Lion’s Club. In this organization, Seahorn was able to help with both a clothing and a food drive for needy families in the area.

Seahorn was also a member of the Franklin County Junior Leadership program sponsored by the Franklin County

26

Chamber of Commerce. While serving in this program, he was able to help with the Franklin County Watermelon Festival, the Red Bay Founder’s Fest, and he helped make stockings for residents at the Sara Dinsmore Center at Christmas.

“I really enjoyed being a part of Junior Leadership because I was able to interact with other students from other schools, and we came together to help other people and do things that would help the community and held us become better leaders,” he said.

“I also enjoyed the volunteer work itself.”

Seahorn said the community service he has participated in has been rewarding and he hopes it is something more people his age will want to become a part of.

“Serving other people through these organizations gives you leadership skills and also gives you a way to be nice to people and help them out when they need it,” Seahorn said.

“People in the younger generation should get more involved

with community service because it would help others and it would get them out of the house and out doing things most teens wouldn’t think about doing.”

Seahorn said he has enjoyed the time he has spent at Red Bay High School and the opportunities he has been given there.

“As far as classes go, I’ve loved my math class with Coach Cash because he makes math a lot of fun,” he said. “History is my favorite subject, so I’ve enjoyed all those classes, too.”

One of the things he said he’d probably miss the most was the time spent with his friends playing for Red Bay’s golf team.

“I started playing golf in the fifth grade and I’ve just stuck with it ever since because I love the sport,” Seahorn said. “One of my favorite memories from high school is playing in the 2008 Class 2A golf state championship, and we’re hoping to get back there this year. It would be a good way to go out.”

When Seahorn dons his cap and gown in May and graduates with the rest of the RBHS Class of

2011, he has his sights set on the University of North Alabama.

“I’m going to miss things about high school like the Friday night football games and seeing my friends I’ve known since I was 5 years old every day, but I’m also really looking forward to college and going to UNA,” he said.

Seahorn is planning to move to Florence and live with one of his friends who is also planning on attending UNA in the fall.

“I’m a little nervous but I’m excited about being out on my own,” he said. “I’m ready to experience college life and how different it will be from high school.”

Seahorn said he was hoping to receive a golf scholarship at UNA because he would love to continue to play the sport in college.

“I could play golf the rest of my life because I love it so much, so getting to play in college would be great,” he said.

Seahorn said he is still undecided as to what his major will be, but he isn’t going in with no ideas in mind. He’s been tossing around a few career options and said he’ll make a decision when the time comes.

“I might go into some form of engineering because I enjoy designing different things and I’m all the time drawing,” he said.

“I’ve also been thinking about a career in the media through journalism or broadcast journalism.

I would love to know what’s going on at all times.

“Finally, it’s a possibility that I might get a degree in business management so I could run my own business here in the area. I don’t know what kind of business it would be, but I think I would enjoy owning a business myself.”

Seahorn said that no matter what he decided to do, he wouldn’t wander too far from his hometown and from his parents, Keith and Sarah Seahorn, and his sister, Anna.

“I think it’s important for young people with goals and ambitions to come back to the area and contribute because if no one comes back, the area has no future,” he said. “Last year in Junior Leadership we talked about how it was essential for young people to give back to the community through their leadership skills because the older adults won’t be here forever.

“The younger generation has to step up and lead, and that’s exactly what I want to do.”

PROGRESS 2011

We appreciate your business!

Phil Campbell Drugs

976 Ronnie McDowell Ave., Russellville, AL 35654 “Servicing Franklin County since 1995”

• We Accept All Insurance Drug Plans • Refills By Phone • In-town Delivery • Fast, Easy Prescription Transfers • We Accept Visa & Mastercard

◆Home Oxygen ◆CPAP/BIPAP and Supplies ◆Diabetic Supplies and Shoes ◆Power Mobility Devices ◆Wheelchairs ◆Total Parenteral Nutrition ◆Beds ◆Commodes ◆Walking Aides ◆Nebulizers ◆Orthopedic Soft Goods

(205) 993-4123 2936 Hwy. 237 • Phil Campbell L-R Tish Benford, Tamara Yancey Owner/R.Ph. & Dana Copeland (next door to Phil Campbell Medical Clinic)

We accept Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross, and most private pay insurances. Our goal is 100% customer satisfaction.

Office (256)332-3222

Toll Free (800)396-6229

Fax (256)332-0055

M & N Towing and Service

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Floral Design for all occasions Weddings • Tuxedo Rental • Variety of Gifts & More 256-332-1991 • 304 S. Jackson Ave. • Russellville 256-356-8313 • 112 4th Ave. SE • Red Bay

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Owner & Event Designer

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Terrace Manor Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, Inc. … The Difference is the Care… Trusted, Quality Care… Let us be your Caregiver…

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Programs consist of intense skilled nursing as well as physical, occupation, and speech therapy as required by the patients needs in conformance with their physician’s orders.

Quality Care from a staff who respects your health care needs.

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Beauty/Barber Shop Medicare or private insurance may cover these stays.

Please call or come by our facility for a tour of our rehab rooms, and an explanation of our services and how they can benefit you and your family.

We Take Pride in making our home your home Away from Home…..

PROGRESS 2011

27

Kevin Stone

By Scot Beard scot.beard@franklincountytimes.com Just about everybody owns a car. Many people dream of owning their own home someday. Having either can be expensive and many of the people pursuing those dreams need to borrow money to make those desires become a reality.

Kevin Stone, a loan officer at Valley State Bank, helps people purchase those big-ticket items.

“It’s a very good feeling to put someone in their first home or vehicle,” Stone said.

28

Stone began working in the banking industry after graduating from Russellville High School when we took a part time job with CB&S Bank. He decided it was the career path he wanted to take so he enrolled at Auburn University and earned his business degree. He has spent the last 18 years helping the residents of Franklin County with their financial needs.

With a business degree Stone could have gone anywhere in the nation to pursue his banking career. Stone passed up the opportunity to head to a big

city and work his way up to an office on the top floor of a skyscraper, because he wanted to return home and help people here.

“We don’t have the big offices with three-inch thick plush carpeting,” Stone said. “We are your next door neighbor. I might make a big loan one minute then changing a light bulb the next.”

Stone said he enjoys banking not only because of good feeling he gets by assisting someone seeking their first home, but also because of the challenge it presents. He said bank-

ing is an art form and a good banker not only has to serve customers, but also keep the business profitable.

Many banks have struggled with that since the economy weakened a few years ago, but Stone said that is not a problem for institutions like Valley State Bank, which uses conservative lending philosophies.

He said the biggest problem he has encountered the past few years are the increase in government regulations.

“Making a loan is the easy part,” he said. “The tough part is dealing with the regulations.”

In addition to his responsibilities at the bank, Stone has taken on several obligations in civic organizations in Franklin County. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the Franklin County Yes Foundation and the NALCOG Revolving Loan Fund. He also served on the Board of Directors and is a former president of the Kiwanis Club.

He said being a banker has its advantages as a member of those organizations and his membership has advantages for him as a banker.

“It is the networking. I pretty much know everyone in the community and I get to interact with them on a one-on-one basis,” Stone said. “Interacting with community leaders it lets them know I can help them if they need it.”

When he is not lending money or helping the community through civic involvement, Stone likes to unwind by hunting, fishing and taking day trips with his family. That is another advantage to living in Russellville.

“I have all the activities I enjoy – there are four lakes and the Tennessee River – within 20 minutes of my house,” he said.

Stone said the best advice he can give anybody considering a career in banking is to get a job where you have to work with the public. If you enjoy that experience then community banking might be the right career for you.

He said being a community banker requires you to work with people and their problems.

Stone said the ability to help a person who is having financial difficulties is a gratifying experience.

“Helping them through rough times is a good feeling,” he said.

PROGRESS 2011

Front L-R; Tracie, Dr. Morissette, Vicky Back L-R; Kathy, Rhonda, Durinda,

Bonnie, Patty & Bengie

816 Franklin St. N.E. Russellville, AL

(256) 332-7137

Main Office • 256-332-3600 Littleville Branch • 256-332-7100 Downtown Branch • 256-332-3600 Wal-Mart Branch • 256-332-3600 Red Bay Branch • 256-356-9990

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The Franklin County Development Authority Supporting Existing Industry Enjoy a Vacation right here at Home!!

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PROGRESS 2011

OPEN YEAR ROUND POPULAR WITH STUDENT GROUPS, SCOUTS, CHURCH & CIVIC ORGANIZATIONS AND OF INTEREST FOR BUSINESS RETREATS AND FAMILY REUNIONS. CALL TODAY TO SCHEDULE YOUR NEXT EXCITING OUTDOOR ADVENTURE!

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29

Shannon Oliver

By Jonathan Willis jonathan.willis@franklincountytimes.com Shannon Oliver knew he had big shoes to fill when he took office as Franklin County’s new sheriff in January.

After all, his new office resides in a building named in honor of the man he replaced.

Franklin County voters chose the 36 year-old Oliver as former

30

Sheriff Larry Plott’s successor in November 2010.

Oliver sought the office when his former boss chose not to seek an eighth term in office.

“Running for sheriff is something I always had interest in, but it’s not something I thought I would have done in my mid30s,” said Oliver, who worked in the sheriff ’s office for 12 years before moving to the

Russellville Police Department in 2005.

He became a reserve officer as an 18 year-old high school student and was hired full time in 1993, shortly after graduating from Russellville High School.

“I worked in the jail, dispatch, pretty much anywhere that they needed somebody,” Oliver said.

He became a patrol officer

after graduating from the police academy at 21.

“I think having worked in different areas will help me because I know where my employees are at,” he said. “I can relate to the job they are doing because I have been there.”

The path to becoming Franklin County’s sheriff was set early on.

“I always knew I wanted to go into law enforcement. That’s pretty much the only thing I ever wanted to do,” he said.

Oliver left the sheriff ’s department in 2005 when he became an officer in the Russellville Police Department. He was promoted to captain in 2007.

Though he worked for the Russellville department previously, Oliver said he hopes people will realize that he is working for all Franklin Countians now.

“I was elected as the sheriff of Franklin County, not just sheriff of any particular area or group,” he said. “I took the oath to serve everyone, no matter where they live.”

Oliver sees many challenges ahead in the county, but they are no different than the challenges facing other parts of the country, he said.

“Meth is a big problem that brings on even more problems.

It cuts across all races and socio-economic groups. We have to tackle it head on and it’s not going to be easy.

“It will take every department, every community, working together. Something I campaigned on, and something I want to implement, is a drug task force. To fight our drug problems, we are going to have to have more manpower and funding through grants.

“On a day-to-day basis we can’t effectively work it as it should be. My philosophy is that the only way to have an effective sheriff ’s department is to have the support of the people so that we are all working to fix the same problems.”

In his time away from the office, Oliver raises cattle and horses. He also manages to make time for his wife, Tange, and three children, Johnna, 11, Sterlyn, 7, and four year-old Brannon.

“We always have a ball game or something going on that keeps us busy,” he said.

“But, I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

PROGRESS 2011

By Scot Beard scot.beard@franklincountytimes.com Claudia Townsend is all business when it comes to athletics, but she lets her hair down during the day and isn’t afraid of having a little fun during school.

Townsend isn’t necessarily the class clown at Vina, but she does find joy with mischievous activities.

“I skip out on class and do some mean stuff to the teachers,” Townsend said. “And hide from (principal James) Pharr.”

That is not to say Townsend does not take her studies seriously. She was selected for the National Honor Society last year and says she has worked hard in the classroom and looks forward to graduating.

She said she plans on going to college, but she is not sure where.

“I’ll go to a junior college first,” Townsend said. “I’m not sure what I want to do.”

Math is the subject she enjoys most, because she says it comes naturally to her.

Townsend is a member of several of the Lady Red Devil athletic teams and is one of the top athletes at Vina. She competed in her first season of cross country in the fall, just completed the basketball season and will be on both the softball and track teams this spring.

In addition to sports, Townsend is a member of several organizations at Vina. She participates in Students Against Destructive Decisions, Envirothon, Fellowship of Christian Students and LEO Club.

She enjoys the fact Vina is a small school because you get to know everybody and the teachers are not only able, but also willing to help students succeed.

Of course, being small has its disadvantages too. Townsend said the school’s small enrollment means there are not as many teachers, which means fewer options when it comes to electives.

Overall though, she seems to enjoy her high school experience, and is ready to graduate…sort of.

“You always want to graduate, but I’m not sure I want to now,” Townsend said. “I’m not saying you shouldn’t work hard, I just wish I had more fun.”

PROGRESS 2011

Claudia Townsend 31

LeAnn Little

By Kellie Singleton kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com Russellville natives Kelly Little and LeAnn McReynolds Little have recently discovered what it takes to turn a dream into a reality.

In December, the two sisters-inlaw became the proud owners of Russellville’s newest clothing and accessory store: Southern Bliss Boutique.

Owning a clothing store specializing in trendy and unique items is something that both women have wanted to do since they were young.

“I have always loved clothes and dressing up, even when I was young,” Kelly said, “and throughout high school, I actually wanted to have a career in fashion. It’s just something that I’ve always enjoyed.”

Kelly said when she first met LeAnn, she couldn’t believe how much they had in common. She said she was lucky to have a sister-in-law she could share so much with.

“LeAnn loves to shop and try on clothes and accessorize,” Kelly said. “It wasn’t long before we both started dreaming of opening a store together.”

32

Kelly said she and LeAnn talked about owning their own store for a year or so before they actually decided to take the plunge and make it happen.

“My dad finally said, ‘You two can just keep talking about this or you can actually do it,’ and it really made us think,” Kelly said.

“We just decided, basically overnight, that this was something we really cared about doing so we started making our plans.”

Kelly said they made their decision to move forward at the first of October and they went to their first market a couple of weeks later.

“We went to market in Atlanta at the end of October and we had no clue what to expect,” she said.

“When we walked in, there were 11 floors of vendors and we didn’t even know where to start.”

“We were pretty overwhelmed at first, but the vendors were so helpful,” LeAnn added. “After we had been there for a while we started to get more comfortable with the process and we ended up having a lot of fun.”

Kelly and LeAnn said they both could remember the first piece of clothing they bought that weekend for their store – a sweater dress they have already sold out

Kelly Little of.

“That was just a special moment when we found that first dress we wanted to sell in the store,” Kelly said. “It just made it so real for us, that we were really doing this.”

LeAnn said having a partnership and someone to go through the experience with was much better than jumping into the experience alone.

“We have definitely had fun with each other, but there have been certain aspects of opening this business that have been scary,” LeAnn said. “Our partnership has made this less stressful and has allowed us to lean on one another when one of us started to panic about something.”

One of the first decisions the pair had to make was where their business would be located – a decision that was made easier thanks to Kelly’s dad, Jerry, who owns the building on U.S. 43 where Southern Bliss Boutique is now located.

“My dad already had this building and was willing to let us use it, so financially it just worked out better for us to start our business here,” Kelly said, “but that wasn’t the only reason we chose Franklin County.

“I can remember growing up here and having a special occasion come up unexpectedly. I was thankful for the few clothing stores we had, but it was always discouraging to have so few choices.

“We wanted to open a store that sold trendy, unique and affordable clothing and accessories so girls in this area could have choices that are a little different than what they would normally see.”

To stay true to this unique and vintage feel that Kelly and LeAnn have created, Southern Bliss Boutique stocks items that are fairly rare and one-of-a-kind.

“When we order a certain dress or skirt or top, we don’t reorder those things when we sell out of them – when they’re gone, they’re gone,” Kelly said. “Women who shop in our store can know that they’ll have something other women may not be wearing.”

And to support the local economy, Southern Bliss Boutique also carries many items made by local vendors.

“We carry a line of bracelets made by a lady in Gadsden,” LeAnn said. “She makes them out of different recycled materials and they have gone over really well.

“We also sell jewelry made by Franklin County native Alana Posey. Her jewelry is very unique and we’re excited to be selling jewelry that was made by someone right here in the area.”

Right now, Southern Bliss Boutique caters to a somewhat younger clientele, but Kelly and LeAnn said they were looking to expand that range to include women from teenagers on up.

“We want to start stocking items that women of all ages would enjoy wearing,” Kelly said.

Kelly and LeAnn both have fulltime jobs as teachers, so their mothers hold down the fort at the store during the day – a job Kelly and LeAnn are thankful their mothers wanted to have.

“When you’ve just started a business, it can be hard to trust just anyone with taking care of things while you’re not there, but our moms have stepped in and helped us out so much,” Kelly said.

“I don’t know what we’d do without them,” LeAnn added. “It’s just nice to know we can depend on them when we’re not there.”

Kelly and LeAnn said business has been good the past two months and they hope to be part of the local business community for a long time to come.

PROGRESS 2011

Years In Business 1976

1975

RUSSELLVILLE TRANSMISSION SERVICE

256-332-6660

509 North Jackson Ave., Russellville, AL

Sandra Oliver, Owner 25 years

205-993-5224 1144 Pike St. • Phil Campbell, AL

1961

When you say it with flowers, say it with ours.

Telephone (256)332-2004 • Fax (256)332-8254

email: joemtuckercpa@charter.net

1920

Serving you for 85 years

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Certified Public Accountant, P.C. Income Tax Preparation • 42 Years Exp. Free E-File • Business & Payroll Services

1926

Oliver Corner

Joe M. Tucker

Serving Russellville For Over 30 Years

208 Carroll Ave. SE

1986

1908

256-332-2332

403 E Lawrence St. Russellville, AL 35653

GRANT & BEVERLY ATKINS atkinsmarble@bellsouth.net

One of the oldest sign shops in the state!

Red Bay Russellville • Vina

Member FDIC

FAMILY

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Hwy. 43 • Russellville • 256-332-3380

Open 7 days a week 11 am to 10 pm

Thank you for your support for the past 8 years

EL PATRON Daily Lunch & Dinner Specials

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13655 Hwy. 43 • Russellville

256-332-2138

(next to Wal-Mart)

15376 Hwy 43 • Russellville PROGRESS 2011

Next Door To CVS • Hwy 43 • Russellville 33

By Kellie Singleton kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com Russellville businesswoman Audrey Herring has exactly the kind of career she always thought she would have.

The 26-year-old owner of Audrey’s Gifts and Décor in Russellville knew in high school that owning her own business would be the right career move for her.

“I knew that I wanted to have some kind of a retail business that I owned myself, but I didn’t know what kinds of things I would specialize in selling. That was something I would figure out later.”

With this career in mind, Herring set her sights on earning a college degree after she graduated from Russellville High School in 2002.

She attended the University of North Alabama where she received a degree in fashion merchandising with a minor in entrepreneurship, two fields that would prove very handy when she was running a store on her own.

Herring wasted no time in making her dream career a reality.

When she was 20 years old and still a student at UNA, Herring opened her business on Court Street in Florence and exclusively sold home décor items.

Herring said business was good in Florence, but when she graduated from UNA, she decided to move the business back to her hometown.

“All of my family and my friends lived in Franklin County, so that definitely factored into my decision to move the business here,” Herring said. “But from a business standpoint, running a gift and home décor business would be a little easier in Russellville because I wouldn’t have to compete with the mall like I would if the business was in Florence.”

Herring said she also factored in the area’s need for a store like hers.

“I knew people would like to have a place to shop for gift or décor items without having to drive 30 minutes to get over to the Shoals,” she said. “I wanted to be able to offer citizens here that option.”

Herring first opened her business on top of the hill near Campbell’s Vision Center on U.S. 43 in Russellville. Her goal was to expand the business from selling exclusively home décor to selling 34

Audrey Herring gift items as well.

“I just kept reinvesting in the business so I could build it back up and branch out to selling other things,” she said.

She began adding gift items to the store’s inventory and soon became a favorite place for local brides to create a bridal registry.

“I started checking with my top companies to see what new items they were selling well,” Herring said. “I also checked with my sales representatives and went to markets to see what items people were really interested in at the time.”

A little over a year ago, Herring had the opportunity to purchase a building she would own as opposed to having to rent her business’s space.

She took advantage of the opportunity and moved her business to its current location on St. Clair Street behind Foodland in Russellville.

“That was another perk about owning a business here in Russellville,” Herring said. “I had the opportunity to purchase my own building where I might

not have had that same opportunity if I still had the business in Florence. Even though Franklin County is a smaller, rural area, there are still plenty of opportunities for business owners here.”

Herring said her love for retail is something that runs in the family. Her grandmother sewed and sold different items, her grandfather had his own grocery store, and her great-great uncle was a high-ranking employee in the Woolworth’s company.

“Selling things and being in retail is just something my family has done for years,” she said. “My parents, Lester and Carolyn, have helped me a lot with my business and my mother even helps out at the store in the afternoons, so my family has played an important role in my business.”

Since becoming a business owner in every sense of the word, Herring has continued to morph her business into the vision she had since being in high school.

She said her business is now geared more towards gifts, but there are still plenty of décor items to choose from for someone

who needed to add that special touch to their home.

“We offer a full bridal and baby registry as well as jewelry, purses, candles, and many other items to suit anyone’s gift-giving needs,” she said.

Herring also has a Facebook page for her business and a website, which can be found at www.courtstreethomegifts.com.

“I just want to make the business the best it can be,” Herring said. “It’s been great so far and I hope to be a part of Russellville’s business community for many years in the future.”

Herring’s high praise of the Franklin County business community isn’t the only thing she enjoys about working in the area.

Apparently the local people make the job enjoyable, too.

“All the customers who come in my store are very friendly, and it’s nice to see people I know on a daily basis who come in to shop,” she said. “I’m proud of the fact that I can contribute to the local economy of my hometown and provide a service for people in the area.”

PROGRESS 2011

L

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1110 Hwy. 20 E • Tuscumbia, AL • 256-381-0021

Sales • Service • Parts • Rentals We specialize in material handling equipment and the full support of this type of machinery. We offer sales, service, parts, and rentals from six major equipment manufactures. We also provide parts and service of any nature for any brand of lift truck: preventive maintenance, field repairs, and major repair work in our shop. We have a large rental fleet that includes forklifts, golf carts, sweepers, scrubbers, and a 70 HP dozer.

Service to our customers is our speciality. We will not disappoint you.

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I toss and turn a lot in my sleep.

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Located at the intersection of Hwy. 24 & Hwy. 43 inside the Russellville Wellness Center.

42024 Hwy. 195 Haleyville, AL 35565

Building for a Better Future...

Town of Vina C O M PA N Y,

I N C .

PALLETS • PRE-CUT LUMBER • HEAT TREATING

Pallet Manufacturing Plant Building New Pallets & Skids Pine Shavings for poultry & horse barns 8827 LaGrange Road • Leighton, AL 256-446-8375 www.amoslumber.com D.W. Franklin Mayor

Marshall Rogers

PROGRESS 2011

Mary Hammock

Lula Abston

Billy Moomaw

Robert Moomaw

Owner: Donny Amos 35

By Kellie Singleton kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com Laken Elliott has figured out the meaning of leadership during her time as a student at Red Bay High School.

The 18-year-old senior has been a part of most every organization at the school.

She has been the president of Students Against Destructive Decisions, captain of Health Occupation Students of America, historian of the Science Club, and a member of the Beta, English and Spanish clubs.

Elliott has enjoyed her time spent participating in these various clubs and organizations, but the extracurricular activity that has meant the most to her over the years is cheerleading, which is something she has participated in since the seventh grade.

Looking back on her decision to be a cheerleader, Elliott said the activity could very well be the reason she enjoys being a leader so much.

“When you’re a cheerleader, you’re automatically a leader,” Elliott said. “Your job is to lead the crowd and get them excited about cheering on the team, so I’m sure I started learning to set a good example for people to follow through cheerleading.”

Elliott said she has enjoyed cheering at ballgames, going to practices and attending her gymnastics classes three times per week, but being a cheerleader is so much more than all that.

“When you walk through the school in your cheerleading uniform and hear little girls say ‘I want to be like her,’ it really makes you realize that there are constantly people watching you,” Elliott said. “It makes it that much more important to always be a good role model and set a good example for these younger children to follow. You want to point them in the right direction by the way you act.”

Elliott said her love for cheerleading has led her to the decision to pursue cheering at the college level at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa.

“I’ve recently made up my mind to attend Shelton State for my first year or two of college because they have an excellent cheerleading program,” Elliott said. “I would really like to cheer in college, and I’m hoping I will have the opportunity to do that there.”

In addition to the school’s cheer-

36

Laken Elliott

leading squad, Elliott said she believed the smaller size of Shelton State would be an easier adjustment than just jumping headfirst into a large four-year college like the University of Alabama.

“I think Shelton will be a better transition coming from a smaller school like Red Bay,” she said.

“I’m afraid I would be too overwhelmed at first if I went straight into a big school like Alabama.”

Elliott plans to move to Tuscaloosa in the fall with a fellow cheerleading friend who she will room with. She said she’s looking forward to the experience, but she’s also nervous about leaving home and living on her own.

“I have gotten so used to my daily routine here – getting up, going to school, seeing the same people and the same teachers,” she said. “College will be such a different environment, and it will be strange at first to get used to a different routine.”

Elliott said she would love to attend the University of Alabama when she finishes up at Shelton State because she loves the campus, the atmosphere, and of

course, the football team.

“I’m a big Alabama fan, so I’ve always wanted to go to school there,” she said. “It’s also a dream of mine to be a cheerleader there as well, so that’s something I’m looking forward to trying out for.”

When in college, Elliott said she wants to pursue a degree in nursing so she can one day have a career as a pediatric nurse or a nurse anesthetist.

“I played doctor when I was little because I liked making people feel better,” she said. “I helped my grandmother when she has been sick before and I just know I’ll enjoy taking care of people and making other people happy. It will be exciting to know I can make a difference.”

Elliot said she thinks she will end up at a big hospital, probably in Tuscaloosa, to fulfill her dream of caring for others.

“I can see myself working at a hospital down there when I get out of college, and I think I would like working at the women and children’s hospital,” Elliott said.

“Just as long as I’m helping someone, I know I’ll be happy.”

Elliott also has plans to travel, hopefully to Italy, and have many

different experiences before she finally settles down.

“I want to be well-rounded and know that I can help support my family when I have one someday,” she said. “But most of all, I just want to be happy with whatever I do.”

Even though she thinks she might like to travel the world and work in a bigger city, Elliott said she wouldn’t forget about the place she grew up in her entire life.

Her parents, Tracy and Melanie Elliott, and her 15-year-old brother, Tra, have all grown up in the area, too, so Red Bay has a special place in Elliott’s heart.

“I would definitely like to help the city of Red Bay out in any way I could, whether it was through my profession or just me personally,” Elliott said. “I have volunteered my time at the Sara Dinsmore Center before when I was in the Junior Leadership program and I can definitely see myself doing that again in the future. I’d also like to help with our schools in some way.

“Red Bay has helped me so much over the years and I think I should give back to the community.”

PROGRESS 2011

Chad Sears

By Scot Beard scot.beard@franklincountytimes.com When Chad Sears began working with the Russellville Parks and Recreation Department while he was

PROGRESS 2011

attending the University of North Alabama he realized he found his calling.

A few years later Sears worked his way up and is now the director of the department and is responsible for making

sure the citizens of Russellville have access to the types of programs in which they want to participate.

“Russellville gave me the opportunity to get a scholarship and a degree,” Sears said.

“I wanted to come back and give to the community.”

One of the keys to having a successful parks and recreation department is to have the community support it. To do that Sears offers a wide variety of programs for residents of all ages.

There are youth-league sports for younger children and a chapter of Weight Watchers that meets at the recreation center for adults just to name a few.

It is not always easy trying to decide which new programs to offer. Sears said the key is meeting with people from other recreation departments from other cities of similar size and seeing what has worked or failed in those towns.

Another influence on the enrollment in various programs is the economy. When the economy is strong there having enough interest is not a problem, but in a recession participation can dwindle.

“We always try to improve and maintain, even when the economy is bad,” Sears said.

“But we won’t turn a child away.”

Helping children is one of the things Sears likes best about his job. With several youth sports programs available — Sears said his favorites are flag football and indoor soccer — he gets to interact with Russellville’s youth daily.

He wants to be a positive influence in their lives.

“I enjoy being around the kids, I hope I can be a role model for some of them,” Sears said.

The after-school program at the Chucky Mullins Center – and the Summer Feeding Program are two more ways Sears and the Russellville Parks and Recreation Department are serving Russellville’s youth. He said he has gotten good feedback from parents about both programs.

Sears said there are some local high school students becoming involved in the department by working there during the summer and a few UNA students who work there as well. He said it is a rewarding career and encourages people who like being involved with the community to consider it as a career possibility.

“God blessed me with this position,” Sears said.

37

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PROGRESS 2011

Dr. Stuart Greenberg

By Kellie Singleton kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com While many people labor of the career choice they want to make, Russellville optometrist Dr. Stuart Greenberg said choosing his profession was a “no brainer.”

Many would think the reason this decision was so easy for him to make is because his parents and grandfather have all served as optometrists, so it literally runs in his family.

But that is only part of the reason.

Greenberg no doubt received much praise and support from his family when he made the choice to follow in their footsteps, but he had a couple of other reasons why he felt optometry was the right choice for him.

“I excelled in math and science, and I had a passion for helping people, so those factors definitely made my path crystal clear,” he said.

Greenberg grew up in the area after his parents moved to the community 35 years ago and opened their optometry business in Russellville – a choice

PROGRESS 2011

that was based on advice given

by Greenberg’s grandfather.

“My granddad always said to go to an area where you were needed the most, so my parents chose Russellville,” he said. “At the time there was only one other eye doctor and he was getting pretty close to retirement, so my parents figured they would be needed here.”

After graduating from Russellville High School, Greenberg headed for college at the University of South Florida in Tampa where he studied for four years and then transferred to Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tenn., where he studied for four more years.

Eight years of schooling just to prepare for a career takes a tremendous amount of dedication and determination even for a smart and ambitious person like Greenberg.

“The amount of education was quite substantial,” Greenberg said, “but while the process was long and stressful, the rewards have far exceeded any hardships acquired along the way.”

After graduating from optometry school and officially becom-

ing a doctor, Greenberg joined the family business, EyeCare Professionals, located on U.S. 43 in Russellville where he has been able to provide the community with quality eye care services.

“Over the last five years, I have examined patients with EyeCare Professionals in Russellville, Moulton, and Red Bay,” Greenberg said.

“Franklin County is a great place to work and it’s mainly because of the people. The people are just the heart of this community, and so many of them are just genuine folks who have the same kind of background.

“Working here makes it easier to relate to my patients because you’re just one of them. That’s how quaint, small towns like this work.”

Greenberg said he has lived in bigger cities and, while they have their perks, you just can’t beat the small town.

“I’ve lived in Tampa, Memphis and Miami and I can tell you, bigger isn’t always better,” he said. “Big cities seem so exciting but there really is a lot of vitality in smaller towns.

‘Southern Hospitality’ is such a valid phrase and it’s part of what makes small towns like Russellville so warm and appealing.

“If you want night life, big restaurants and shopping, bigger towns are great to visit, but this is where home is.”

Out of devotion to the community he grew up in, Greenberg has had a strong desire to help and serve the community through his profession, which is exactly what he has done for several years now.

During my time working at EyeCare Professionals, we developed and helped organize a complimentary annual school screening for the children of Franklin County,” Greenberg said. “The purpose is to help detect early ocular complication so they may be identified and treated sooner rather than later.”

While Greenberg continues to give back to the local community, he is also giving back in other areas through a branch of his practice that keeps him on the road quite a bit these days.

“Although there are many different aspects of optometry, the geriatric field was the most logical area that I have personally found to be the most rewarding,” he said. “Through this field, I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to develop, with a fantastic staff, the largest privately owned optometric nursing home practice in the Southeast United States.

“We currently examine 5,000 patients throughout Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi. We have preformed free eye exams on many of these patients and to date have donated over 500 pairs of glasses to many elderly nursing home residents who do not have the financial means to acquire adequate eye care.”

Even though Greenberg is taking care of many people in many different areas, his heart is still with the people of Franklin County and with bolstering the local economy through his business.

“For me, helping the generations of people who have come before us is the greatest reward about this job that I could imagine,” he said. “After all, these are the people who have developed this great county into the place we all call home, and I’m glad I can be part of working and serving here.”

39

By Jonathan Willis jonathan.willis@franklincountytimes.com Many people never have the opportunity to begin a second career, but if Russellville Fire Chief Joe Mansell decided that he wanted to, he could probably do just that.

The 19-year firefighter has spent half of his life working with the Russellville Fire Department in one capacity or another.

He began volunteering with the department in 1991, just one year after graduating from Russellville High School, then worked on a temporary basis for a time before becoming a permanent employee.

He became a lieutenant in 1998 and was later named fire chief in 2002 while just 29 years old.

It was a quick rise up the fire pole for someone who graduated high school without any thoughts of becoming a firefighter.

“As a kid, I always wanted to go into wildlife, I wanted to be a game warden,” Mansell said.

“I have always loved hunting and fishing and being outdoors, so becoming a game warden is something I always wanted to do.”

That all began to change after a friend convinced him to start volunteering with the fire department.

“After I started volunteering, I realized how much I loved helping people,” he said.

“That’s a big part of this job – you have got to love helping people. I used to drive right past the fire department and never thought one thing about it, but once I started down here and got my foot in the door, it just got in my blood.”

Mansell said one thing that sets public service jobs apart from most is that each day is different from another.

“You might get called to a heart attack or some other medical call and a little while later you are cutting someone out of a car or fighting a fire or getting a cat out of a tree, you just never know.”

Mansell, who has three children – Connor, Caleb and Sarah - with his wife, Shae, has seen many changes within the department in his 19 years of service.

“We had three guys at the one station and we ran calls inside and out of the city,” he said.

40

Joe Mansell The Russellville Fire Department now has two stations, a ladder truck and many more employees.

Mansell worked closely with former Fire Chief Harland Hutcheson and always respected him and the job he did, but his appreciation grew even more once he was named as his replacement.

“There was a big difference sitting back and watching Harland because you always wonder, ‘what if I had that job,” Mansell said.

“Harland is a great person and he did a lot for the department and I learned a lot from him.”

With the help of firefighters Steve Thornton and Bobby Malone, Mansell said the department has been able to

receive grants that enabled them to grow even more through the years.

“One thing I can say about all of the mayors and city council members we have had and all the guys that have worked at this department, is that everyone has always wanted to do what was needed to benefit the city of Russellville,” Mansell said.

Helping the people of Russellville is what makes his job special, he said.

“I have had opportunities to take other jobs in other cities, but this is where I want to be. I want to help the people in the city I grew up in. You appreciate a place more when it is where you live and where you were raised.”

Mansell said his love for home has grown even more through working with other departments in the county.

“I love the fact that if Tharptown or Red Bay or Blue Springs or anyone else needs help, we can be there for them and that if we need help, they are all here for us,” he said.

“The cooperation and teamwork that everyone in the fire association in Franklin County has is great. That’s made this special.”

And though he could retire pretty soon, that may not be in the picture.

“Really, this is something that I can see myself doing for a long time,” Mansell said.

“Once you start doing this it is always with you.”

PROGRESS 2011

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By Jonathan Willis jonathan.willis@franklincountytimes.com Jamie Kiel became one of Franklin County’s youngest business owners when he opened Kiel Equipment Rental in 1996.

At the time, the 20 year-old was just three years removed from Russellville High School and was in college at the University of North Alabama.

The equipment rental business was the only one of its kind in the county.

“The rental business evolved into sales over the years,” he said.

Today, Kiel Equipment sales John Deere and Gravely lawnmowers as well as Stihl chainsaws and trimmers among other items.

“My dad had the business in Tharptown but it wasn’t in a high traffic area. When my dad decided to get out of the business I took it and moved to town.”

The entrepreneurial spirit he carried at an early age came from his father, he said.

“Watching my dad be able to buy and sell things for a profit was a benefit to me. I knew pretty early on that I wanted to go into business on my own.”

While working on his business degree at UNA, Kiel began working his class schedule so that he could work at his store full time.

“I worked my college schedule where I had class two days a week and if I had to have other classes I would take them at night.”

Competing against large chain stores is always a challenge, but Kiel found his own niche that seems to work well.

“We service everything we sell,” Kiel said. “We have to set ourselves apart from the big box stores so we take care of all the products right here.”

Though his business is now in town, he is never too far removed from his home community of Tharptown.

He attended Tharptown School through the ninth grade and is as closely involved with the school now as he ever was.

His wife, Melissa, is a kindergarten teacher there and he serves on the school’s SACS accreditation committee. He also does the PA announcing for the Wildcats’ football and basketball games.

“I really enjoy that,” he said.

42

Jamie Kiel “I think that adds a little fun and excitement to the game for the players.”

He has lived in Tharptown all his life and has been the music minister at Tharptown Baptist Church since 1996.

“The community has grown a lot, especially since the high school opened,” he said. “When

I was in the ninth grade, there were nine people in my class and now I think there are about 700 students in grades K through 12. We have added football, baseball, softball and volleyball. It just keeps growing.”

Not only are his business and the community he lives in growing, but his family contin-

ues to grow as well.

His four year-old daughter, Sarah Kate, and 10 month-old, Audrey, will welcome a new addition to the family this summer.

“It’s exciting at our house,” he said. “We always have something going on, but we love it that way.”

PROGRESS 2011

Kendra Moses

PROGRESS 2011

By Scot Beard scot.beard@franklincountytimes.com There are many different things fighting for the attention of high school students these days. It is easy for them to become distracted from their studies.

Between extracurricular activities, friends, television, video games and cell phones that can do almost anything it is easy for students to allow their grades to slip.

When that happens students can jeopardize their chances of getting into the college they want to attend or cost them valuable scholarship dollars.

It is enough to drive many to the brink of insanity.

“Being a high school student is hectic, especially if you have a job,” said Phil Campbell senior Kendra Moses.

Moses juggles her studies with membership in three school activities – FCCLA, Junior Civitan and Students Against Destructive Decisions – and a part time job at Oliver’s Corner. She works so she can have money for another one of her favorite activities, hanging out with her friends.

The key to surviving all of the responsibility is to prioritize your activities.

“I try to be organized, but sometimes it doesn’t work out,” Moses said. “I go to school, then go to work. When I get home I do my school work then go out with my friends.”

She said working while in school has its disadvantages – she was not able to attend senior night during the basketball season where many of her friends were recognized for their dedication to Phil Campbell athletics – but she does get to have fun. She enjoys going to sporting events with her friends, going bowling and eating out.

She plans on making up for the time she lost while working this summer before starting college in the fall.

“I don’t know what I want to be,” Moses said.

If her current tastes in classes continues odds are here career will not rely on math or science, which are her least favorite classes. She enjoys history, government, economics and literature.

There are plenty of careers to choose from in those concentrations, but right now Moses is not too worried about figuring out what she wants to study at NWSCC. “I’ll get the basics out of the way and then figure it out,” she said.

43

By Kellie Singleton kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com Red Bay resident Brad Bolton is a leader in every sense of the word.

To Red Bay’s business community, Bolton is the president, chief executive officer and senior lending officer at Community Spirit Bank’s main branch in Red Bay. With his father, Billy, being a 45year veteran in the banking business, Bolton said banking was just in his blood.

He began working part-time at the bank when he was still in high school and said he has slowly worked his way up the company food chain since that time.

“I’ve changed bulbs, mopped floors, worked as a teller, worked in bookkeeping; you name it, I’ve probably done it,” Bolton said.

“This is a family business and I’ve learned from my father the importance of hard work, being good to our customers and being good to our community.”

When Bolton graduated from Red Bay High School in 1995, he attended Northwest-Shoals Community College before transferring to the University of West Alabama to receive his bachelor’s degree in business administration.

With banking on his mind, Bolton went on to attend the Alabama Bankers School at Samford University in Birmingham and the Barret Graduate School of Banking at the University of Memphis.

Bolton started working at the bank full-time as a loan officer in 1998 and since served as a branch manager and vice president before being named president at the beginning of February.

“I enjoy the fact that I can play a role in advancing the community in my role here at Community Spirit Bank,” Bolton said.

“Our goal here is to make sure we always remain an independent bank serving our customers needs right here in the community.”

To the citizens of Red Bay, Bolton is a city councilman serving the needs of the community and his constituents in district five.

Bolton was elected to the position in November of 2008 after he decided he wanted to be an active part of steering the city toward a better future.

“The direction I saw Red Bay moving in at the time was not one I felt was good for economic growth and development,”

44

Brad Bolton

Bolton said, “ and I wanted to use my business background to help the city move in a more productive direction.”

In the two short years since being elected, the Red Bay City Council has seen sales tax revenue increase by living out the “shop at home” policy, implemented a successful budget that actually allowed for a surplus in 2010, and reworked the city’s debt to get better interest rates that helped the city’s bottom line.

“When we took over as a council, we wanted to leave the city in better shape than when we found it,” Bolton said. “We have made a tremendous amount of progress these past two years and we plan to continue to work for the citizens of this town.”

To the community of Red Bay, Bolton serves in many different capacities.

Bolton is a deacon at the First Baptist Church of Red Bay, a position he accepted to live out the principle of 1 Corinthians 13:11.

“I want to be an example in the church and take a stand for the church, especially in light of the

direction of our nation,” he said.

Bolton serves as a member of the Red Bay Lion’s Club and said he enjoys the opportunity to give back to the community through that organization.

“Even though I don’t get to go to the meetings very often, I enjoy the club’s projects like the clothing drive to raise money for needy children,” Bolton said. “In my opinion, the Lions Club is the most worthy cause in Red Bay.” Bolton also serves as a coach for Red Bay’s Youth Basketball Association, a role that allows him to spend more time with his three children while being a mentor and role model to other children in the city.

“I take my coaching role just as seriously as I take any other role I am a part of,” Bolton said.

“When I am coaching these kids, they are learning character and life lessons that they will take with the forever.”

Bolton is also Sen. Roger Bedford’s appointment to the Franklin County Community Development Commission where he is able to help distribute tax money back to the people and

organizations of Franklin County. And Bolton previously served on the Franklin County Water Board before being elected to the city council.

“I attribute a lot of life lessons to the work I did as part of that board,” Bolton said. “It’s also what got me interested in politics and running for office.

“I used to sit around and think that more people ought to get involved in the community, but then I realized that if I didn’t like things the way they were, I should step forward and be willing to lead the way to a better future.”

And that is exactly what Bolton plans to do through his many roles in the Red Bay community.

“I have a vested interest in Red Bay because I live here and work here,” he said. “I plan to follow the example of men like Dr. Weatherford, Dr. Dempsey, Pat Nelson and my father and, when they retire, I will do my part to pick up that torch and lead just like they have.”

Bolton and his wife, Julie, have three children: Brooklyn, 13, Bailey, 8, and Brady, 5.

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PROGRESS 2011

45

By Scot Beard scot.beard@franklincountytimes.com Darit Riddle had a good idea of what he wanted to do for a living when he graduated high school and it did not include working for the Franklin County School System.

Riddle planned on being an Xray technician, but he did not like the classes so he reevaluated his career ambitions. Upon further reflection he decided education was the right path for him to take.

“I enjoyed sports and thought I could do a good job teaching,” Riddle said. “I always enjoyed history, but social science opened more doors for teaching.”

The ability to change paths has highlighted Riddle’s career.

After teaching and coaching at Tharptown for a few years, the community found out the school would expand to include a high school. Riddle took the expansion as an opportunity to branch out to the administrative side of education and became the principal at Tharptown.

The transition took some adjustment for Riddle and his coworkers.

“I was a teacher there for five or six years,” Riddle said. “I went from being a colleague to being the person in charge.”

Riddle rolled with the ups and downs of his new position and enjoyed the support the community had for the new school, but admitted there were a few bumps including not having phones for a week and the football field not having sod until three weeks before the first game.

He embraced the opportunity to be an administrator, but after a few years he was ready to get back to basics.

“It was different,” Riddle said. “After three years as principal, I missed the interaction with kids and missed coaching.”

Two years ago Riddle made another change by leaving Tharptown and taking a position as Phil Campbell’s assistant principal as well as becoming the head coach of the boys basketball program and head coach of the softball team. He also helped the football team by serving as an assistant coach.

Moving across the county required a little adjustment for Riddle.

46

Darit Riddle

“It was like the first day as a new teacher all over,” he said.

Riddle found some success on the basketball court – he guided the Bobcats to the Franklin County Tournament title – and found joy getting back into the classroom. With role as an administrator and coach Riddle sees a responsibility to help students prepare not only to succeed in school, but also in life.

“Coaching wise, lessons learned are not about Xs and Os, they are life lessons,” Riddle said. “It’s the same thing in the classroom.”

Of course teaching those life lessons can be difficult at times. Riddle said one of the toughest obstacles to overcome is the mentality some students have that they already know

everything. Trying to offer advice to kids when they feel they know all they need to know can be challenging.

“You want kids to be successful. You want to say ‘I’ve been where you’re sitting,’” Riddle said. “You try to do things that allow you to do that.”

Riddle faces other challenges in his profession, especially with coaching. After a year of coaching the boys team he took over as the girls coach.

The experience of coaching boys is different from coaching girls. Members of the girls teams tend to have less of an ego than their male counterparts, work hard and are less likely to question coaches.

Riddle said not all boys have that problem, but you do occasionally get a player who

thinks he is a star.

But the biggest challenge Riddle has faced in his coaching career is the amount of time required to complete the job. He said he was blessed with a wife who supports his decision to return to coaching even though it consumes time he could be spending with his family.

“It’s important to have someone who supports you and doesn’t gripe,” Riddle said.

Despite all the changes and challenges of his career, it is obvious Riddle loves what he does and takes his responsibilities seriously – especially when it comes to preparing players and students for life after high school.

“My goal is to make each person successful,” Riddle said.

PROGRESS 2011

Bret Malone

By Kellie Singleton kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com Seventeen-year-old Russellville High School senior Bret Malone lived in Albertville before his family moved to Russellville in time for him to start kindergarten.

During his 12 years in the Russellville school system, Bret has been involved in numerous activities and organizations and has found many ways to get involved.

This year, Bret has served as treasurer of the Students Against Destructive Decisions organization, served on the leadership committee for National Honor Society and served as the vice president of the Christian Students United organization.

Bret has also been a member of the RHS tennis team since he was a freshman.

Last year Bret was a Franklin County Junior Leadership member, earning 50 hours of community service by helping with events like the Watermelon Festival and the Russellville

PROGRESS 2011

Christmas Mission.

“I think that it’s important to help in the community because it gives you a chance to see what other people may not have and it makes you realize how fortunate you are,” Bret said.

He also said that experiences like helping with the Russellville Christmas Mission and participating in mission trips with his church, First Baptist in Russellville, help him understand people a little better.

“For one whole week, my church takes a mission trip to New York and we just show God’s love to some underprivileged people there,” Bret said.

“It’s something that I’m very glad to have been a part of and something I think is important for younger people like me to do.

“Younger people can get so wrapped up with their own lives that they sometimes forget that there are many people out there that aren’t very fortunate that could use some help or encouragement.”

While Bret has participated in service projects that will benefit

the community, he’s discovered that some of the projects, along with his classes at RHS, have actually benefitted him in more ways than one.

“I really didn’t know what career I wanted to have, but after I went to job shadow at CB&S Bank with Junior Leadership and I took an accounting class here at school, it helped me make up my mind,” Bret said.

“I figured out that accounting was something that I’m good at and it’s something I liked to do.

I’m just glad I had the opportunity to see firsthand what kind of career it would be so that I could get on the right path now.”

And Bret is actively following that path and making preparations for his future.

This past summer, Bret attended the Capstone Business Leadership Academy held at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The residential summer program is held over a 10day period for high school students who are interested in an education and career in business.

“I found out about the business

leadership class from someone who had already graduated and knew about it,” Bret said. “I decided to apply because it would give me the opportunity to be better prepared for my career.

“We went to visit a few successful Alabama companies and we were exposed to marketing, accounting and management during our visits and during the classes.

“They really help you figure out what it takes to be on top, which is important to me, not because of the status but because it’s important for me to always do my best.”

Bret concluded that the experience was something that will help him in the future and he said that he encourages kids his age and younger to take similar classes.

“It’s never too early to be prepared,” Bret said. “Whatever you have a passion for, research it and figure out how to go out and get it.”

Another way Bret got involved this past summer is by attending the Alabama American Legion Boys’ State program that was also held at the University of Alabama.

Bret was chosen by school faculty to represent RHS because the faculty felt he was a leader among his peers. The program focuses on educating high school students about American government at the local, state and national levels.

“Something I learned at Boys’ State is that we can all have a positive impact on the government just by voting,” Bret said. “Even though I haven’t been old enough to vote in an election yet, I still get very interested in politics because some of the issues pertain to people my age, like healthcare and jobs.

“To be a good citizen of the community you live in, you have to stay aware of what’s going on.”

Bret enjoyed both programs held at the University of Alabama because it helped him prepare for the future, but he also enjoyed the atmosphere: Bret is a long-time Crimson Tide fan and he plans to attend UA after he graduates in May. “I enjoy all the Bama sporting events and I’m really looking forward to going to school there,” he said. “I’m also looking forward to getting involved there and continuing to help out in the community.”

Bret is the son of Richie and Angela Malone and he has two younger brothers, Drew and Brock.

47

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PROGRESS 2011

Kelli Gilbert

By Kellie Singleton kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com Thanks to previous teachers and leaders in the community, Spruce Pine resident Kelli Gilbert is now teaching and leading a whole new generation of students.

Gilbert serves as the physical education teacher at Tharptown Elementary School and is also the coach for the school’s junior high girls basketball team – all choices she made based on her own personal experiences.

“I always enjoyed my P.E. classes and playing basketball when I went to school at Belgreen,” Gilbert said. “I just knew I wanted to be a P.E. teacher and coach so I could help other kids have the same kind of memories.”

After Gilbert graduated from Belgreen High School in 2002, she headed for the University of North Alabama where she played women’s basketball all four years of college while receiving her bachelor’s degree in physical education.

“Basketball is something I have always loved because I love the competition and I love being part of a team,” Gilbert said. “The sport has also really done a lot for me because I was able to receive a basketball scholarship that paid for my college educa-

PROGRESS 2011

tion. It was just great to be able to do something I love that helped me pay for school.”

When Gilbert graduated from UNA in 2006, she had her sights set on the area where her parents, Greg and Dina Parrish, raised her.

“I always planned to come back to the area to teach once I finished college,” Gilbert said. “I’m a country girl at heart, so I like living in a small town and I like the small school atmosphere. The county has two good school systems, so I knew I would have a good job whether I was working in the county or in the city.”

Gilbert also said her family played a large role in her decision to come back to the area.

“Most of my family lives here, so I wanted to be close to them,” she said.

Gilbert is currently in her fourth year as the elementary P.E. teacher at Tharptown and said she is very thankful to have a job working at such a good school.

“There are a lot of good people in the Tharptown community and that makes the community strong,” she said. “I have good kids in the classroom and on the court and I have a great faculty to work with. All these things make your job easier and better in the long run.”

In addition to her duties as a P.E. teacher and a junior high girls basketball coach, Gilbert is also the Jobs for Alabama Graduates (JAG) specialist at Tharptown High School in the afternoons – a position she acquired halfway through her first year of teaching.

“I was excited to be given this opportunity, but I didn’t really know a whole lot about the program at the time,” she said. “But the more I’ve taught the class the more I love it. It’s just something every kid needs.”

JAG is a state program set up for the purpose of fostering leadership development, career preparation, citizenship and social awareness skills in ninth through twelfth grade students.

“JAG is such an important program because it fills the gap that many high school students sometimes slip through,” she said.

“When you’re in high school, usually all you hear about is graduating and going to college, but college isn’t for everyone.

“JAG helps explore those different options that are available to kids who don’t want to go to college when they graduate. We’re here to show them that they don’t always have to go to a four-year school to have a successful and meaningful career.”

Gilbert said the reason why

many students drop out of high school before graduating is because they don’t know what options are available to them after high school besides a college career.

“I set up speakers with the different branches of the military to talk about those options and speakers with technical careers to show these kids that there are plenty of careers out there that will meet their future needs or goals,” she said. “If a student figures out in the tenth grade that there is a future worth having out there for him or her, that student is more likely to stick around and graduate high school, which is our goal for every student.”

Gilbert also said that she has a follow-up program where she keeps in touch with her JAG students during their first year out of high school to make sure things are going good for them.

“I just call them and check in with them to see if they need any help finding employment or filling out college applications,” Gilbert said. “Whatever it is they are trying to accomplish, I just try to lend a helping had and help them reach their goal.”

Gilbert said she is happy to be providing a service like this to the kids at Tharptown High School because she knows how much it can impact their lives.

“I was blessed to have a support system at home of people who supported what I did and helped me explore my options and ambitions,” Gilbert said, “but not all of these kids have support like that, so I want to fulfill that position.

“I have had kids come back and tell me how much the program helps and it feels good to know you’ve made a difference.

“I’m just glad to have a part in helping these kids go on to be productive members of our society.”

When Gilbert is not at Tharptown helping students plan their futures, she likes to spend time with her husband of almost four years, Lucas, participate in activities at Quinn Memorial Church of Christ in Frog Pond and volunteer with fundraising efforts for the Frog Pond Volunteer Fire Department.

“It’s so important to give back to the community and to make a difference in the lives of the people all around us,” she said.

“Whether it’s through my personal community service or through my job serving the kids at school, I plan to continue serving this area for a long time to come.”

49

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Brian Hamilton

By Kellie Singleton kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com Russellville resident Brian Hamilton would have ended up in the major leagues if he had stuck with his original career path, but he decided in high school he might be better suited for a different career path.

The 1993 Russellville High School graduate decided while he was a freshman in high school that he wanted to be an attorney, which was an idea he received from his father.

“My dad was a county commissioner and he worked with several of the lawyers in the area and it got me interested in law and in politics,” Hamilton said. “I also like to help people, so I decided then that being a lawyer would be a good fit for me.”

Even though he had his heart set on being an attorney, Hamilton said he had heard many horror stories about how terrible law school would be. So, being the responsible person he still is today, Hamilton decided he needed a back-up plan.

“After going to NorthwestShoals Community College for two years, I transferred to the University of North Alabama where I received my degree in education,” Hamilton said. “I planned on teaching history or social science if law school didn’t work out and I actually did my

PROGRESS 2011

student teaching at Russellville.”

When Hamilton graduated from UNA, he passed his LSAT and was accepted into the Jones School of Law in Montgomery – a decision he made so he could be close to his high school sweetheart and future wife, Amy, who was attending Auburn University to become a school teacher.

“That first year of law school was tough, and I didn’t know if I would make it through it with a passing grade or not,” he said. “I came home and decided I had two options: go back to school and get my master’s in education or go straight to work as a teacher. I just didn’t think I would make it.”

Hamilton kept working hard and said he began to enjoy law school a little more once he made it past that first year. He said one of the perks was being fortunate enough to gain some experience during law school by being able to work in different legal atmospheres.

“One of the reasons I chose to go to Jones Law School is because they allowed you to work while you went,” Hamilton said.

“This allowed you to get some experience working in the real world and to make money to pay off your student loans quicker.”

While in law school, Hamilton worked at the Montgomery law firm of Rushton, Stakely,

Johnston & Garrett and also worked in the constitutional law division of the Alabama Attorney General’s office where he wrote briefs, helped prepare oral arguments and did research.

After Hamilton graduated from law school and after his and Amy’s marriage, the couple decided they wanted to be closer to home.

Hamilton was not a licensed attorney at this point, so he was hoping to get a clerking position at a judge’s office.

That hope turned to reality when he received a call offering him a clerking position with Morgan County Circuit Judge Glenn Thompson. Amy was able to secure a job with the Lawrence County Board of Education, so the Hamiltons headed for Decatur.

After clerking for Judge Thompson for a year, Hamilton was finally able to get back to the town he grew up in when he was offered a job in July of 2001 at what is now his current law firm: McDowell, Beason & Hamilton.

The way he was hired truly goes to show that opportunity can present itself anywhere and at anytime.

“I saw Danny [McDowell] at a baseball game and asked him if he had anything available,” Hamilton said. “Danny knew me through his representation of the county when my dad was a

commissioner and he told me he would be interested in hiring me when I passed the bar, so as soon as I passed, I called Danny and he hired me.”

Hamilton said being an attorney can be stressful, especially when receiving calls from clients at 4 a.m., but he said overall he has enjoyed his time working as an attorney because he enjoys being able to help people.

“It’s very rewarding to feel like I’ve made a difference in somebody’s life,” he said.

Hamilton has been a part of serving the members of the community through his profession because McDowell, Beason & Hamilton have represented several local businesses and governmental entities as well as providing pro bono work on occasion.

Hamilton also serves the community through his role as chairman of the Franklin County Democratic Party’s Executive Committee, his previous role on the Chamber of Commerce board, his previous membership in Rotary International, and his active membership at North Highlands Church of Christ.

Currently, however, Hamilton is focusing on serving the community by coaching t-ball so he can spend more time with his three sons: Tal, 6, Reed, 4, and Sam, 2.

“I love being part of this community,” Hamilton said. “Even in college, I would always be looking north. It’s just home, and it always will be.”

Hamilton said the people of the county play a major role in his love for the area.

“The people here are good people and this truly is a tight-knit community,” he said. “This is somewhere I am proud to raise my kids, and I want to make sure that I do my part to make this a place they would want to come back to someday if that’s what they choose to do.”

While he has been a long-time Russellville resident, Hamilton was actually born in Red Bay where his mother’s sister served as a nurse.

He has had ties to Phil Campbell through his job as an attorney and his brother serves as the baseball coach at Vina.

“I have truly been impacted by every area of this county, so I don’t know if I can ever give back to this place what it has given to me,” Hamilton said, “but I will continue to be involved and try my best to help this county continue to be the same great place I grew up in.”

51

By Scot Beard scot.beard@franklincountytimes.com If you have seen the Vina High School band perform you have witnessed Eric George giving the band a sound not commonly heard at football games — an electric guitar.

While George is handy with the six-string, his classmates at the technical school know he is also handy with a welding torch.

He enjoys welding so much that he attended classes at Northwest Shoals Community College last summer and by the time he graduates high school in the spring he will have his short-term certificate. His instructors have told him he, and one of his friends that also attended NWSCC last summer, will be the first in the state to graduate with that certificate.

“It makes me feel good to have my future started on the right path instead of staying around here,” George said.

George became involved with welding his sophomore year when he was taking a carpentry class and the teacher left.

He decided to try welding and found his passion.

He said he has a job offer after he graduates, but is not sure he if he wants to take it or see what other opportunities are out there. He hopes to eventually become a pipe fitter or a boilermaker.

George enjoys going to the technical school not only because he likes his classes there, but also because he likes the variety it puts in his day.

“I’m not in one place all day.

It’s nice to get away and have a break,” George said. “Plus, English is only 20 minutes over there.”

The other thing he likes about the technical school is the chance he has to make friends with students from other schools in Franklin County. He said when Vina plays against one of the other county schools there is a little bit of trash talking between the students, but it is all about showing school spirit and done in a goodnatured way.

Showing his school pride is one reason he joined the band.

He said band director Marion Beasley asked him to help give the band a unique sound and he jumped at the opportunity.

Of course being at a small school means the band is small.

52

Eric George

With only a handful of members it is not difficult to figure out when somebody hits the wrong note and since there are not too many members playing the same instrument the crowd can identify the culprit.

Playing guitar draws quite a bit of attention, but George isn’t worried about hitting a

sour note.

“Everybody has to go out and do our part in a little band,” George said. “I enjoy going out and having fun.”

He has been playing the guitar since he was eight-years-old and learned from his father. He said it is a hobby he expects to continue throughout his life.

George also enjoys working on cars and does some mechanical work from time to time.

All three of the activities he participates in help him relax and make each day an enjoyable experience.

“All of them help me calm down,” George said. “I enjoy doing everything.”

PROGRESS 2011

Nicolas Blevins

By Kellie Singleton kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com Spruce Pine native and Belgreen High School graduate Nicholas Blevins has always had his sights set on being a leader.

This 22-year-old went above and beyond the call of duty when it came to helping other people in his school and in his community.

While in high school, Nicolas served in the key leadership roles of vice-president and president of the BHS student council. He was a team captain three times over for the Envirothon team, the Envirobowl team and the Scholars Bowl team.

He was also very involved with Boy Scouts of America where he worked his way up through the years to eventually earn the rank of Eagle Scout, a rank only two percent of boys who enter scouting ever obtain.

To help him earn his Eagle

PROGRESS 2011

Scout rank, Blevins had to complete a project that would benefit the community. Taking his love for his fellow classmates into consideration, Blevins established a clothes closet, which provided clothing to needy students in the Franklin County School system.

“If someone needed a coat, pants, or anything else, they could get it from the clothes closet,” Blevins said, “and we were able to help two families whose houses burned by providing the children with clothes for school.”

When Blevins was nearing his high school graduation, he made the decision that he wanted to be a leader by serving his country – a brave decision for a person who was only 17 at the time.

True to his character, Blevins set his sights high and chose to apply to the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. “I feel like I owe our nation a debt of service, and I thought that

going to Annapolis and then serving as a naval officer would be the best way to pay that debt,” Blevins said.

Once the decision was made, Blevins began the grueling process that goes along with applying to a prestigious military institution like Annapolis.

“The process for applying to Annapolis was fairly long and very in-depth,” Blevins said. “It involved interviews, submission of test scores, a test of physical abilities, and a lot of letter-writing.

“The members of my family, church, school, and the community in general helped me get through the entire process. I wouldn’t be here without their support, both at the beginning and all the way through.”

Blevins set off for Maryland after he graduated from BHS in May of 2007 and decided on a course of study that includes a

major in history with a focus on European and American military history, as well as the colonial history of the British and French empires.

And if that doesn’t sound like enough, Blevins has received several honors during his time at the Academy including being named Yard Patrol Squadron Commanding Officer, Yard Patrol Squadron Executive Officer and a finalist in the 2009 Vice Admiral Stockdale Center for Ethical Leadership Essay Contest.

“My time at Annapolis has been challenging and difficult in ways that I never expected, but it will ultimately be rewarding,” Blevins said.

“I’m about to graduate and start seriously working for the navy, which, after four years of waiting, is exciting.”

When he graduates, Blevins will serve for five years as a Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) stationed on a frigate off the coast of Norfolk, VA, before he decides to head back to the South where he was born and raised.

“When I’m done with my time in the navy, I would like to come back to live in Franklin County,” he said. “It’s hard to say exactly what I’ll do, since it’s so far in the future, but I would like to get involved in the community again as a member of my church.

“I would also like to build houses in the area for Habitat for Humanity, or something along those lines.”

Once Blevins is back in the area serving the community yet again, he said he would also like to go back to school to earn a doctorate in history so he can pursue a career as a college professor and perhaps author “a book or two – maybe more.”

Ultimately, Blevins said he will enjoy living in the community where he grew up and hopes to one day raise a family with children who will attend one of the local schools.

And living in Franklin County will also afford Blevins the opportunity to be close to his parents, Noel and Karen Blevins; his sister, Lauren; his brother, Tyler; and several other relatives who live in the county.

“I’ve never been among a kinder, more thoughtful, or more Christian group of people than when I lived in Franklin County before I left for college,” he said.

“I’ve seen what Franklin County is as well as what it has to offer, and I think these are good things.”

53

By Jonathan Willis jonathan.willis@franklincountytimes.com Chris James is a perfect example of why teachers should treat all students with courtesy and respect.

They might be your boss one day.

James, who is in his first year as principal of Russellville’s West Elementary School, has the rare opportunity of working with his own kindergarten teacher, Terri Swaim.

When he was hired as the school’s assistant principal in 2003, his second grade teacher, Martha Pace, was also still working there.

“That was kind of neat when I came back here,” said James, who worked as a math teacher at Belgreen and in Limestone County before being named assistant principal at WES in 2003 at the age of 29.

“I had a very good opportunity in Limestone County teaching math, which is something that I really enjoyed. I wouldn’t have left that at that time for any other position except in this system.”

James is a Russellville native and graduated from Russellville High School in 1991.

While in college at NorthwestShoals Community College, a part-time tutoring job changed the direction of his life.

“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do,” he said. “They were short of math tutors so I signed up and found that was something I really enjoyed because I was getting to help people.”

Prior to that tutoring job, James looked at other fields such as engineering that required high levels of math.

“But tutoring kind of sent me towards education.”

He received his undergraduate degree at Athens State University and a masters from the University of North Alabama. He later obtained his PhD from the University of Alabama.

One of the things he always wanted to do as a classroom teacher was to teach Calculus.

While teaching at Elkmont High School in Limestone County, he had that opportunity.

“I was able to have kids in Algebra 1 all the way through the math program and I really liked being able to do that,” said. “I had to have the right 54

Chris James

opportunity to leave that job.”

That opportunity came in Russellville.

“It would have been hard to leave for anywhere else, but I felt led back home,” said James, whose wife, Leanne, is a librarian at Russellville Elementary School.

Leaving the classroom for administration was not the only adjustment he had to make. The change from middle school and high school age students to elementary kids was also new.

“I really love working with kids this age,” he said. “At this level, we are creating a foundation and it’s not just academics. The biggest difference is that you deal with the parents a lot more. In the secondary classroom you may not ever meet some of the parents.”

He also said there are many rewards that come with working with younger children.

“No matter how bad of a day I am having or what may be going on, I can walk around the school and be around some of these kids and I can forget about whatever is going on. It’s funny that you can have a child in the office for something one day and then the next day they are running up to hug you in the hallway. It’s a lot of fun.”

One of the real joys he said has been the ability to see his five year-old daughter, Lydia, each day. The couple also has a three year-old son named Landon.

“It’s a blessing knowing what kind of education she is getting and what kind of teachers are working with her.”

Moving forward, James said

he hopes to see parents staying involved with their children’s education and supporting the school system.

“I hope to see people moving into this community that feel pride in the school system like we all do,” he said. “Things are different than when I was in school here, but the teachers work as hard as they can and they are giving our children a great education. Everyone right now has to do more with less and that’s what we are doing.

“We need our workforce here to be as educated as possible if we want them to be productive members of the community.

Part of the reason I wanted to come home was because of the experiences I had growing up here. I want my family to experience the same thing.”

PROGRESS 2011

Will Hester

By Scot Beard scot.beard@franklincountytimes.com Will Hester has made the most of his time at Belgreen High School, participating in Future Business Leaders of America, Students Against Destructive Decisions, Beta, Beautification, track, cross country and helping to return the varsity boys basketball team to a powerhouse program in northwest Alabama.

Somewhere along the way he found time to keep his grades

PROGRESS 2011

good enough to earn salutatorian honors when he graduates in May. “I try to stay on top of it,” Hester said. “I’m terrible to procrastinate.”

One thing Hester has not procrastinated on is choosing a college – he will be attending Auburn University in the fall and although he has not decided on a major yet, he is leaning towards a career in the medical field.

He said his mother has pushed him in that direction

and has a cousin who works in the medical field and speaks highly of it.

“For the longest time I thought about becoming an anesthesiologist or cardiologist, but now I’m thinking about becoming a pharmacist,” Hester said.

His love of math and science will help as he pursues his career. He said he likes math because it doesn’t change and if you don’t know the process for solving the problem you can tinker with it until you figure

out the solution. His least favorite class is English. He said he doesn’t have a problem with the class, he just can’t remember all the rules.

He said he really loves Belgreen and will be sad when he leaves for college because he will have to leave behind so many good friends.

“It’s a small school.

Everybody knows everybody,” Hester said. “If you need help the teachers are available.

Being small, you get tight with people.”

Hester said he is happy about helping the basketball team get back on the right track. After struggling for several seasons, the Bulldogs have been ranked for most of the season and hosted the area tournament.

He said he does not pay attention to the rankings and once the area tournament begins records do not matter – it only matters which team wants to win more. Just because he doesn’t pay attention to the rankings does not mean the fans have ignored them.

Hester said there is so much pride in the community for the basketball team that it has been nice to give the fans a great season.

“It’s an honor to wear that jersey. The whole community wants you to do well, the fans are great,” Hester said. “After winning the county tournament we were in the locker room for 10 or 15 minutes.

When we came out nobody had left.”

During the seasons the team was struggling, there was not much consistency with the coaching staff. In the six years Hester has been playing basketball, the Bulldogs have had five different head coaches. The current coach, Greg Watson, is the first coach Hester has had for back-to-back seasons.

“Having the same coach is big,” Hester said. “He is tough on us, but only because he expects better of us.”

While having to adjust to so many coaches might drive some people crazy, Hester viewed it as an opportunity to learn how to be flexible.

It is a lesson he feels he will be able to use as he transitions into life after high school.

“I learned how to be coachable and knowing my role,” Hester said. “I do what is expected of me and doing what I need to do for the team.”

55

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PROGRESS 2011

By Jonathan Willis jonathan.willis@franklincountytimes.com Shane James can’t really describe the moment when he knew he was meant to be an attorney.

It was just something that always seemed to come back to him.

“People always mentioned law to me and that’s one thing that I always seemed to come back to when I was trying to decide what to do,” said James, who received a business management degree from Jacksonville State University, where he played basketball for the Gamecocks.

The 35 year-old opened a law office in Russellville in June 2009 with former Franklin County Circuit Judge Sharon Hindman-Hester.

The move was a homecoming for the 1993 Russellville High School graduate.

He had worked at a law firm in Florence for six years after graduating from Cumberland School of Law and decided that he was ready for a change.

“I was looking to come back home,” he said. “I enjoyed my time in Florence but I was ready to do something different and to work for myself.

Family is very important to me so I thought I would like to work for myself and hopefully have more time to spend with my family.”

James is the son of Thomas and Patricia James and is married to the former Stephanie Drake, of Russellville, and they have three children – Drake, 7, Bryant, 4, and Kate, who is one.

During his time at Moore & Trousdale, PC, James spent most of his time working with insurance companies and on personal injury cases.

In his current role, he works with a variety of legal cases ranging from probate issues to domestic and civil disputes.

“You have to do that in small towns,” he said. “In my old firm, we were so specialized that I felt like I was missing out. I really enjoy the wider array of representation. I am dealing with clients face-toface more than I did before. It has helped me develop a lot of compassion for people and the situations they are going through.”

He is currently on the Franklin County Chamber of

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Shane James Commerce Board of Directors and has been a point of contact for state Republicans.

“I am at a point where I really want to see Russellville and Franklin County become a better place,” he said.

“I see the same things that a lot of people see and I wish I had the answers to make it better. I think we all need to be on the same page and working

towards the same goals to reach the potential we have here. I grew up here and I am going to raise my family here, so I want to see it be the place that we all want it to be.”

His career as an attorney provides a way to help county residents, he said.

“Injustices really bother me and I think that has a lot to do with why I decided to go into

law. I want to try to help people and make a difference where I can.”

While doing so, he continues to stay busy with three small children and still finds time to play a little basketball and follow his favorite team – the Alabama Crimson Tide.

“I love sports and that’s something I think I will always enjoy.”

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By Kellie Singleton kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com One Russellville native has taken his love for leading all the way to the nation’s capitol in Washington, D.C. Twenty-three-year-old Art Richey has spent the past year and a half applying the leadership skills he learned in Franklin County to his role as a legislative correspondent for former Democratic Rep. Bobby Bright, who represented Alabama’s District 2 in D.C. until January of this year.

Richey’s rise to leadership in the nation’s capital involved years of hard work, dedication and determination to get to a place he had dreamed of being since he was just a boy.

Growing up in Russellville, Richey decided at a young age he wanted to be a lawyer and make a difference somehow.

But for the time being, he settled for being a leader amongst his peers, especially through the Boy Scouts of America organization where he worked his way up to becoming an Eagle Scout, a prestigious rank involving so much dedication that only a fraction of boys entering scouting every obtain that rank.

Richey was also a leader in school where he was a member of the Franklin County Junior Leadership program, the Russellville High School student council, and the RHS golf team.

Once he graduated from RHS in May of 2005, Richey set off to attend Birmingham-Southern College where he majored in political science and became involved in campus leadership through his fraternity, Sigma Chi, and in state leadership through his role as the president of the Alabama College Democrats organization.

During his junior year at BSC, Richey applied for the prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship, which is a federal scholarship established in the 1970s to encourage young people to have a career path in public service. The scholarship provides up to $30,000 in funds for students pursuing graduate degrees in public service-related fields, and since that was exactly where Richey was heading, he decided to apply.

“I knew getting the scholarship would be a long shot because around 3,000 college students from across the nation apply for it and the criteria to get it is very

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Art Richey

strict,” Richey said. “But I knew if I didn’t at least try, I’d never know if I was capable of receiving the scholarship or not.”

Applicants for the Truman Scholarship are judged based on academics, leadership and public service. They must be able to articulate a vision of how they want to change the world through their future career, so Richey chose to focus on clean energy and jobs in Alabama.

“My position was that there were no jobs coming into Alabama, which created a growing need to explore clean energy policies to create jobs that could be given to people in America and not people overseas,” Richey said. “You would be creating jobs and a better environment in the same process.”

Out of the 64 recipients from across the country who were chosen to receive the prestigious scholarship, Richey was the only one from Alabama who became a recipient.

As part of receiving this award, Richey would have to spend three of the next seven years after his graduation from college working for the government or for a nonprofit organization, which was fine by him.

“This was something I wanted to do anyway because I want to

give back and be a leader any way that I can,” he said.

After graduating from BSC in May of 2009, Richey headed to D.C. to spend the summer with his fellow Truman scholars. He didn’t know it at the time, but he would soon be calling D.C. his home once he landed the job with Congressman Bright.

“Through working with some of the Democratic staffers in D.C., I knew some people who were able to get me an interview with Congressman Bright, and I was able to get the job,” Richey said.

Richey began working with Bright in June of 2009 and served as a legislative correspondent until December of 2010. This position put him working directly for the regular folks back in his home state of Alabama, which Richey said he was proud to do.

“I wanted to understand how Washington worked so I could truly appreciate what I had back home,” Richey said.

“Congressman Bright worked hard because he was concerned about his district back home and their economical situation, and I feel like we helped a lot of people in District 2 during his time in office.”

Once Richey received the word that Bright had been defeated in the November general election,

he immediately began to explore other options.

During his senior year at BSC, he and three of his fraternity brothers embarked on an interim independent study they called "Southern Barbecue 360': A Survey of Southern Barbecue through Food and Travel Writing." During this study they sampled barbecue throughout five southern states and blogged about it as they went.

Because of this experience and a few staffers he knew in the Senate, Richey got a part-time job working as the new Media and ‘Cue-mmunications Coordinator for the fledgling barbecue company Pork Barrel BBQ. He is also working a full-time temporary position as a legislative summit coordinator with the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association, which is a trade association that represents the companies who sell parts to places like AutoZone.

“I plan on coming back to Alabama in the near future to attend law school at the University of Alabama because I believe that is the best path to achieve my goal of helping the people of Alabama – specifically Franklin County – have better schools, jobs, government and ultimately a better life,” he said.

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Mitch Mays

By Jonathan Willis jonathan.willis@franklincountytimes.com Mitch Mays may have one of the toughest jobs imaginable.

He also may have one of the most rewarding jobs you can think of.

He can spend months working on one project, but to the outside, it may look like nothing was accomplished. However, when his work is complete, the accomplishments could poten-

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tially change Franklin County forever.

That’s the world of industrial recruiting.

Mays has been executive director of the Franklin County Development Authority since August 2005. During that time, he has been working to attract potential industries to Franklin County.

With a slumping economy and few resources at hand, that job has not been an easy one.

Mays arrived in Franklin County following a successful stint on the team that attracted a major auto manufacturer to Talladega.

Since coming to Franklin County, he has worked to promote the importance of having industrial spec buildings and shovel ready sites available for potential suitors.

“If you want companies to come and take a look at you, you’ve got to have a product

they are interested in, if not, they won’t come,” Mays said.

Preparations for potential growth have been ongoing across the county with progress being made on an industrial park in Vina, one in Phil Campbell and another on Alabama 243 just outside of Russellville.

The city of Russellville has also built one spec building that is yet to be occupied.

“The days of showing a cotton field to an investor are over,” Mays said. “You have to be ready for them. If you have it they will look.”

Before Mays could turn his attention to attracting industries with local resources that were in place, he had to build an office from the ground up.

“We were in the get up and going stage,” said Mays, who was born in Franklin County but grew up in nearby Carbon Hill.

“We had to do things as simple as getting a computer and office furniture. We had to work with the board to literally build the organization.”

For a job as important as industrial recruiting, it is a career that many people just fall into. That was not really the case for Mays.

He served 8 1/2 years active duty with the Air Force and used that time to obtain his undergraduate degree from Wesley College in Dover, Del., and his Masters in Business Administration from William Carey College in Mississippi.

“I was working on my MBA while I was stationed in Biloxi and I had an elective course called economic development,” Mays said.

“I had heard the term but I didn’t really know people did that.

Several weeks into that class I told my wife ‘I know what I want to do.”

The opportunity to help a community through economic development attracted Mays to the field and played a large role in his move back to northwest Alabama.

“I always compare it to selling cars,” he said. “You can’t go into the car business without cars to sell. Well, this is the same thing.

You have to build a product before you can sell it. This office plays an important role because you have to build the product.”

Mays and his wife, Melissa, have two children – Caleb, 10, and Ashlyn, 5.

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By Kellie Singleton kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com Red Bay attorney Jeff Barksdale is a prime example of a Franklin County native who decided to come back to his hometown to start a business and contribute to the community.

Barksdale grew up in Red Bay where he came to know and befriend many of the town’s citizens. His parents, Wade and Carolyn, were well-known in the community and through their example, he was able to form roots in the area that would pull him right back when it was time to settle down.

Barksdale graduated from Red Bay High School in 1998 and set off to pursue a career he knew he wanted since he was in junior high.

“There were a few different reasons I chose to become a lawyer,” Barksdale said. “I thought I would enjoy the research aspect of the career; I wanted to be able to be in a position to do things that might not otherwise get done; and I knew I would enjoy the variety that is inherent in the profession, especially in a smaller area: I could pursue criminal defense cases, personal injury cases and custody suits all at the same time.”

Barksdale went to the University of Alabama for his undergraduate degree before working his way through Alabama’s law school program.

Unlike many people who come out of law school with horror stories about mounds of class work, teachers who live to humiliate you, and cut-throat classmates who will walk right over you to get to the top, Barksdale said he enjoyed his law school experience more than he thought he would.

“I enjoyed the interaction you were able to have in the classes,” he said. “The law school experience for me was close-knit, with most people having the same classes in the same buildings.

“I was able to make a lot of lifetime friendships during my years there, and those friendships and connections are important because many of those people are people I work with or could possibly work with later on.”

Barksdale said the horror stories about law school typically come from people who are very competitive and place extra stress on themselves by gunning for positions at the top of the class.

“Law school is definitely very

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Jeff Barksdale competitive because the job offers with the bigger firms usually go to the people in the top 10 percent of the class,” he said.

“I knew that I wanted to come back to the area and open my own business as opposed to being part of a big firm, so I was able to take some of that stress off myself by not taking part in the competition for those top few spots.”

Barksdale said he felt he had a better chance of opening his own business in a smaller community like Franklin County than he would have in a bigger city like Birmingham or Huntsville.

“Besides the desire to open my own practice, I also liked the idea of being close to my family and to my friends,” Barksdale said. “I enjoy working in Red Bay and seeing people I grew up with and being able to help people I know.”

During law school, Barksdale clerked with Red Bay resident and Shoals-area attorney John

Benn at his office in Sheffield – an experience Barksdale said was as educational as law school itself.

“I learned things while I was clerking for John Benn that I never learned in law school,” he said. “I was able to gain some experience before I was actually out there practicing law for real.”

When he graduated from law school, Barksdale began working in the same building as Benn at his office in Red Bay. He was able to work with Benn from 2006 until 2008 when Benn’s health issues prevented him from working anymore, and ever since 2008, Barksdale has maintained his own practice.

“Being the only attorney located in Red Bay, I feel like I provide the residents a service,” he said. “I am able to help the folks in Red Bay who need basic legal assistance and keep them from having to make a trip to Russellville or the Shoals to receive the same

service.”

Barksdale and his new wife Mandy have recently moved to Russellville, a decision they made to split the difference between her accounting job in Florence and his law office in Red Bay. “So far we have enjoyed living in Russellville and meeting people on this end of the county,” Barksdale said. “I think we will enjoy living here in Franklin County because the cost of living is less expensive here, the people are friendly and welcoming, and there are several lakes and other outdoor pursuits for recreation.”

While bigger cities may have more lights, bell and whistles, Barksdale said his future is in Franklin County.

“Red Bay is a friendly town and I truly enjoy working there,” he said. “It has a lot of industry and commerce for a town of its size, and I plan to serve the residents there for a very long time.”

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61

By Kellie Singleton kellie.singleton@franklincountytimes.com Tharptown High School senior Maddie Lane is what you would call an “all-American girl.”

The bubbly, talkative and outgoing seventeen-year-old has been an exemplary student during her high school career, so it’s no wonder the faculty and staff at THS think she will have a promising future as a leader in the Franklin County community.

Lane has attended Tharptown schools since kindergarten and has lived in the area her whole life, and her love for her school and her community prompted her to get involved in several different ways.

Lane has been seen at many a sporting event decked out in blue and white, pom-poms in hand, cheering on her fellow schoolmates and exemplifying school spirit.

And when this varsity cheerleader – who was named an “AllAmerican” cheerleader at the National Cheerleaders Association’s cheer camp – isn’t leading the crowd in cheers, she’s receiving those cheers as a member of the varsity volleyball team.

Out of the arena, Lane leads her classmates as the president of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), the secretary of Future Business Leaders of America and she represented THS in Franklin County’s Junior Miss scholarship program.

During her eleventh-grade year, Lane was a member of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce’s Junior Leadership program where she was able to take her leadership skills off the THS campus and into the Franklin County community.

Through Junior Leadership, Lane was part of a coat drive for needy children in the area and she helped with the Franklin County Watermelon Festival; and of her own free will, Lane participated in the Will’s Willing Walker’s Fashion Show to raise money for the American Cancer Society.

Some might think this impressive list of activities and accomplishments would only serve as filler on a college resume, but Lane said her involvement has been meaningful to her as a person.

“You make a difference when you participate in events for charities and other organizations, not only by the work you do

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Maddie Lane but by setting a good example and encouraging other people to help out more, too,” Lane said.

“It feels good to know I was able to be part of a good cause.”

Young people like Lane are exactly the kinds of people current leaders in the community want to see sticking around to take their place someday.

Luckily for Franklin County, Lane plans to do just that.

After attending NorthwestShoals Community College to take her basic classes, Lane plans to transfer to the University of North Alabama or Athens State University to receive her bachelor’s degree in business education so she can become a computer teacher at a Franklin County school.

“I want to teach a computer class because I love computers, and having computer skills is so important today with all the new technology,” Lane said. “There aren’t a lot of kids who have access to programs like PowerPoint and Excel at home, and they’ll probably need those skills for college or for their jobs,

so computer classes are important.”

From her list of activities, it’s obvious that Lane enjoys helping other people, which is another reason she chose teaching as her future career.

“I’m the type of person who likes to learn and be taught, so I would like to be the person to teach someone something that will help them in the future,” she said.

“I’d also like to be a cheerleading coach so I could help and encourage girls like the people who have done the same for me.”

Franklin County’s small-town feel has appealed to Lane her whole life, and she said she could see herself moving back to the area to teach.

“Everybody knows everybody here, and I know from growing up in this area that it’s a good place to raise a family and have a job,” Lane said. “I also think it’s important for people to come back here after college because Franklin County is growing and getting bigger and it would be good to have some familiar faces

still around in the years to come.”

While contributing to the community through education is a full-time job in and of itself, Lane said she wants to contribute to the area in other ways as well.

“I really think that it’s important in a county as small as ours to have more family-owned businesses,” she said.

“One of my favorite things to do is to cook and I love to watch ‘Cake Boss’ on TLC. “I think it would be so fun to open my own bakery here and make homemade sweets for the people of the area. It would be a great way to do something I enjoy on the side and be able to bring money back to the county at the same time through tax money.”

Lane said that, ultimately, she just wants to help out any way she can by being an educator and a business owner who gives back to the community.

“Franklin County has a lot of potential and I just want to be a part of that,” she said.

Lane is the daughter of Mark and Libby Lane and she has one sister, Beth.

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