Profile Magazine 2020 by Hartselle Newspapers

Profile 2020

A special publication of

Hartselle Enquirer

Community champions Hartselleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unrecognized servants

Amanda G. Scott, CPA

Revenue Commi ssionerof Morgan County, AL I

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The Revenue Commissioner is elected by the people of Morgan County for a six year term and is responsible for the mapping, appraising, assessing, and collecting of ad valorem taxes as levied by the government. The office collects approximately 62 million dollars annually. Since my election in 1996, I have endeavoured to bring the Revenue Commissioner's office to the people of Morgan County. We now have sateIIiteofficesin Hartselleand Lacey'sSpringforyourconvenience. You may now research your property tax data online, view GIS (Geographic Information System) data, and pay your property taxes online. I hope the information on this website is beneficial to you.

It is an honor to serve you.

If you are 65 years of age or disabled, you may qualify for an exemption which will result in a decrease of your property tax. Please call our office for further information.

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Each May, tax delinquent property is auctioned off to the highest bidder in front of the Morgan County Courthouse in Decatur, Alabama. Tax sale property is advertised during the month of April. T he tax sale will be in May. Go to our website, www.morgancounty revenue.com, to view a list of properties.

How To Contact Us Appraisal Division - 256-351-4694 • Assessment Division - 256-351-4691 Collection Division - 256-351-4690 • Mapping Division - 256-351-4698 Business Personal Property - 256-351-4862 • Board of Equalization - 256-351-4674

Mailing Address Amanda G. Scott, CPA Revenue Commissioner P.O. Box 696 Decatur, AL 35602

Morgan County Courthouse

Hartselle Satellite Office

Lacey's Spring Satellite Office

302 Lee Street, NE Second Floor Decatur, AL 35601

241 Highway 31, SW Cr estwood Shopping Center Suite 10, Har tselle, AL 35640

423 Union Hill Road Somer ville, AL 35670 Mon.-Thur s. 6 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

www. mo r g a nco u n tyre v e n u e.co m

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Phone: 256-351-4690 - Fax: 256-351-4699 • Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

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1. We are a trusted information source. People turn to us for more than just local news. They turn to us to find out what’s on sale, where to shop and dine, and who to call. 2. We are local, serving this community. As a trusted partner in the community, we are invested in helping local businesses succeed. After all, we live and work here too!

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Profile

Community champions FEATURES 5

BETTYE ENGLISH

10 STACI WELLS 12 RITA LEE 14 JUSTIN BARLEY 22 KASSI HILL 24 CHRIS ORR 27 MARGARET STINSON 30 JOYCE BRYANT 34 AMY GARNETT 38 JAN BYRD 42 MYRA GARRETT

46 JONATHAN BRAGWELL

FROM THE EDITOR EDITORIAL

hen our staff began planning Profile 2020, we had one thing in mind: our community. We decided to feature those in Hartselle who work behind the scenes to make it what it is today. We found people who love where they live and who believe in The City of Southern Hospitality. They care for their neighbors and give of their time. The community champions, as they so rightly have been named, range from people who work in the school system to civic and social servants of all kinds. We feature Chris Orr, who has worked for the city for more than two decades; Kassi Hill who works hard planning and coordinating events that are put on by the Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce; and Margaret Stinson who wears many different hats at the Hartselle Police Department. This publication also features community champions in the private sector who are working hard to promote Hartselle and all it has to offer. The community bond many people have in Hartselle wouldn’t exist without these and other community champions. We hope you enjoy reading their stories.

REBEKAH MARTIN ALISON JAMES

CONTRIBUTORS LAUREN JACKSON CALVIN COOLEY RACHEL HOWARD JENNIFER L. WILLIAMS CLIF KNIGHT

MARKETING ANNA BAKER EDDIE JOHNS SHEILA SMITH KEVIN MORRIS

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR BARETTA TAYLOR

ADMINISTRATION BETH JACKSON

DON’T MISS AN ISSUE! Hartselle Living - March/April Hartselle Living - May/June Visitors + Newcomers Guide - June Hartselle Living - July/August Depot Days Guide - September Hartselle Living - September/October Hartselle Living - November/December

Hartselle Enquirer P.O. Box 929, Hartselle, AL 35640 Advertising Inquiries 256-773-6566 Profile 2020 is published annually by Hartselle Newspapers, LLC.

Receive Hartselle Living in your mailbox six times a year. Call 256-773-6566 to subscribe! COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

Profile 2020

Like A Big Family.

COME GROW WITH US!

TOWN OF FALKVILLE Profile 2020

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A SMALL TOWN IS

BETTYE

ENGLISH COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

Profile 2020

Sharing the stories that intertwine her family with Hartselle STORY BY JENNIFER L. WILLIAMS PHOTOS BY RACHEL HOWARD AND CONTRIBUTED

ith roots in Hartselle’s founding family, Bettye English remains entrenched in the community and shows no sign of slowing down – but doubts anyone cares to hear her many stories. “I feel others have a more interesting life to share than mine,” said the 84-year-old, who is still going strong, volunteering and serving on various boards and committees throughout the city. Born in Hartselle in the middle of the Great Depression, Bettye Ann Sanders grew up in the community her great-great-grandfather, George Hartsell, founded in the 19th century. Her life has been intertwined with Hartselle ever since. English attended Hartselle Elementary School – now F.E. Burleson – and graduated from Morgan County High School – now Hartselle High in 1953. From working on Main Street as a teenager and later at a local bank, to volunteering in various aspects to help better her hometown, she has had a front row seat for all the changes over the past eight-plus decades. English notes the great advances in everything from transportation to communication but insists the fundamentals of the Hartselle community have remained consistent. “The friendliness of the people, our ability to accept newcomers with open arms – that has stayed the same.”

HARTSELLE ROOTS

Born to Foster and Purnie Stephenson Sanders in 1935, English and her parents lived with her grandparents, Charlie Stephenson and Fannie Hartselle Stephenson, in a farmhouse next to Bethel Baptist Church on Bethel Road. In fact, Bethel Church was established in 1872 on land from the estate of George Hartsell. “I lived at the same location for 26 years,” 6

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she said. She has lived outside of Hartselle for two of her 84 years, “and even then, I still lived in Morgan County,” she added. English said she has fond memories of growing up surrounded by family in the white farmhouse her grandfather built in 1913. “It had everything – a woodshed, smokehouse, wash shed, chicken house, a potato house ... even a two-seater outhouse that was used until city water came to the farm in the 1970s.” Back then, she said, “we grew or raised just about everything we ate and only went to town to get sugar, flour and, occasionally, bread.” One could say English’s civic involvement started in high school. “I was the class secretary, in the National Honor Society and named alumni secretary-treasurer,” she said.

“We were a very close-knit class and just celebrated our 65th reunion. For the past 15 years, we have met for breakfast every month – and we still chat and talk like we haven’t seen each other in years and sometimes act like first-graders.” English’s first working days were at Kuhn’s 5 & 10 Cent Store in the toy department on the corner of Sparkman and Main streets. Bentleys at the Outhouse is now in that location. “I would be sent across the street to Citizens Bank of Hartselle to get change during the day on Saturday,” English remembers. “My pay for a day’s work was usually $1.50 to $2. I worked there on Saturdays for the last year or two while in high school then moved over to Citizens Bank of Hartselle in February 1953.” English went full time at the bank after she graduated from high school, and in 1960, the bank moved to a new building, where the William Bradford Huie Library is now located. The larger building – with a drive-thru and safedeposit boxes – was a blessing, said English, who had moved to a teller position and later moved to the new accounts desk. English also acquired a new last name that year when she married J.C. White, a Baptist minister and Redstone Arsenal employee, in August 1960. The couple met on a blind date at Dairy Delight after a church revival. They had one daughter, Bettye Marne White, who lives in Franklin, Tennessee, with her husband Marshall David Price. The Prices have two children, Kathryn Ann Price and Christopher Marshall Price and wife Anna. English became a single mother when J.C. passed away in 1973, but she stayed busy with her job at the bank. “In 1976 the bank moved to a new, million-dollar, three-story building on West Chestnut Street,” she said.

She remained single for 14 years until she married James Fred English Jr., a devoted Gideon and friend of the family. “I then became stepmother to three additional daughters and now four step-grandchildren and four stepgreat-grandchildren.” Her second husband passed away in 2004, but English still travels to visit her English family members.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

She spent a total of 40 years with the bank, which later became SouthTrust and then Wells Fargo. It was during her time with the bank she first became involved with community activities. “I was first asked by (bank president) Marvin Broom to become involved in a service called Matters of Importance,” she said. “This became one of the most rewarding and special parts of my banking service.” Bettye helped people get their affairs in order and assisted people after they experienced the death of a family member. “This all started the year after I lost my first husband,” she said, “so I understood to a certain extent what they were experiencing.” She put together a program and booklet for those who needed the service. She often went above and beyond her bank duties.

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#ExperienceHartselle

“(One customer) in particular had never done anything but tell her husband when she wrote a check. After I taught her how to record checks and deposit and how to balance her checkbook, if she was out of balance a dime, she would call me to stop at her house as I went home from work and find it. I enjoyed every minute of being able to serve people.” Later, bank president Horace Broom invited English to join the Civitan Club. “I was the third female to become a member,” she said. “I served in all positions, from committee member to president.” During her 30 years with Civitan, English helped raise money to install the first swing set for what became the SNAP playground for children with special needs in the community. She has been recognized as Civitan of the Year and Citizen of the Year and was given a plaque for enlisting the most new members. English also has served as a director for the Red Cross, has served on the Morgan County Mental Health Board and became involved with the Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce more than 30 years ago, starting with serving as chair of The Taste of Hartselle during Christmas Open House. She went on to co-chair the Chamber’s annual meeting with

Established in 1870, Hartselle, Alabama is a beautiful city in the center of Morgan County, just two miles off of 1-65. Hartselle is known for its historic shopping district, vibrant quality of life, and award winning school system. Hartselle City Schools was ranked as the #8 Best School District in Alabama by niche.com and they have been recognized as National Blue Ribbon Schools. Hartselle has a strong focus on economic development and they have established a vigorous commercial district. Hartselle was recognized as one of the Top 20 Safest Places to Live in Alabama by the National Council for Home Safety and Security in 2017. We invite you to experience Hartselle, a great place to LIVE, WORK, PLAY. 7 COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS | Profile 2020

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hours. This has become one of my favorite volunteer jobs.” The history of Hartselle has special meaning to English, given her family connections, and she has served as president of the society for more than 20 years. During her time with the historical society, Down Memory Lane was established during Depot Days, and the recent Lunch and Learn series has brought the history of the community to many. “Bettye is an energetic force behind the Hartselle Historical Society,” said Lee Y. Greene Jr., vice president of the group. “Her determination makes it all go forward. She works tirelessly on hosting events and planning for displays. Her knowledge of Hartselle is almost boundless, and we rely on her for her contacts with the many Hartselle families that make up our city’s heritage.” The Burleson Center Committee was once a part of the Hartselle Historical Society, which worked on the preservation and restoration of the building. It later became its own entity. “I am still a director on that board and arrange for volunteers who help to keep the doors open Monday through Thursday,” Bettye said. “It has certainly been an interesting journey,

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her close friend, Faye Walker, and is still active as a Chamber ambassador today. English has been recognized with the Chamber’s Dr. Thomas Guyton Humanitarian Award, as the 2003 Ambassador of the Year, and she received the Hartselle Beautification Good Neighbor Award. Other community awards she has received over the years include the 2008 Rotary Club Citizen of the Year award and the Clara Barton Red Cross Award. Hartselle Mayor Randy Garrison said English is truly one of a kind. “I think of the old country song by George Jones, ‘Who is Gonna Fill their Shoes?’” he said. “Very few folks now are willing to step out and volunteer and get involved in helping to preserve our history and work to make our city a better place. She sets the bar high for community involvement and volunteerism.” In 1989 English helped organize the Hartselle Historical Society after an editor with the Hartselle Enquirer became interested in the history of Hartselle and asked her to help get a group together. Her then-boss, Horace Broom, was also interested and knew so much about Hartselle’s history, “so he permitted me to work on this project even during banking

thank Him enough for all the blessings and opportunities me has given me and for the mentors that have been a part of my life. He has also given me a wonderful family that I dearly love and enjoy being with so much. “I am grateful for all the special people I have been privileged to associate with

– who have set examples of courage and wisdom, who have given me the opportunity to learn new ways to serve people and who have shown me so much about how to live, serve others and share with others,” English added. “I am blessed beyond words and thank God for letting me live so

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and a lot of hard work has been put into this beautiful and historic building. I am so pleased the community has been cooperative in supporting us and now is using it for so many different functions.” Mary Yarbrough serves with English on the Hartselle Historical Society Board of Directors and said she is “constantly amazed” at English’s energy and how much she accomplishes. “Bettye works tirelessly for Hartselle and challenges others to do likewise. She is an inspiration and works harder than most people half her age.” Involvement with church has long been a large part of English’s life – from ringing the bell for services and to celebrate the end of World War II at neighboring Bethel Baptist Church, to her service as the minister’s wife at Pines Baptist Church, Pine Ridge Baptist Church, Pleasant Grove Baptist Church in Wren and East Highland, where she is still an active member and Sunday School teacher. “I think I have been involved in everything except serving as a deacon and a member of the Brotherhood or Men’s Ministry, as it is called today,” she said with a laugh. “The Lord has really blessed me with health, vision and a love for serving others. I cannot

(256) 773-3340 • (256) 773-2588 afterhours www.hartselleutilities.org COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

Profile 2020

STACI

WELLS

Profile 2020

COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

was a need for the program, and we had great community support.” From the pageant and softball, the program has grown to include basketball, bowling and special events throughout the year. “We are constantly looking for new things, and we always have great community support, which we are very fortunate for,” Wells said. With more than 100 people on the mailing list, the program has grown to include individuals not just from Hartselle but from Ardmore, Decatur, Cullman, Athens, Muscle Shoals and more. Wells’ work with the Shining Stars program has also earned her a place on the state committee for therapeutic recreation. The group helps organize Camp ASCAA – a recreational camp for individuals with physical and mental disabilities – and is working to create a standard for parks and recreation departments throughout the state to be able to offer similar programs. “We are working on a statewide rules and regulations, so that way they can compete against each other in a state tournament,” Wells said.

Wells has also been asked to help train other departments on creating similar programs for their communities. “It was really a lot easier to pull together than I anticipated simply because the need was there and they were just waiting,” Wells said. “I will tell them how to reach out to the population and where to go, how to get sponsors and just a basic guideline,” Having grown up in Hartselle, Wells has spent the majority of her life in the community. She said one of her favorite parts about her position is all the connections she is able to make and being able to help bring new ideas to the city. “I have met a lot of great people and have been able to do a lot of great things that I would not have been able to do if I didn’t have this job,” Wells said. “Hartselle is my home. I was born here, and I have lived in Hartselle my entire life. Anything I can do to help Hartselle helps me in turn – as selfish as that might be – but my big goal is that when I retire from here, I want to know that I have made it a better place.”

Shining in the community STORY BY LAUREN JACKSON PHOTO BY RACHEL HOWARD

hen Staci Wells started her job at Parks and Recreation 26 years ago, she never imagined she would be where she is now. A Hartselle native, she has worked as the Parks and Recreation program coordinator for 10 years. Wells has been able to plan and help coordinate several events and programs for the community, but the one she is most passionate about is the Shining Stars program for individuals with special needs. For her, the program has a personal element, as well. “My son has autism, and there aren’t a lot of opportunities for him to become involved with his peers. So I talked to our director, and he was on board for us starting a program,” Wells explained. “When we started the program three years ago, we started with a pageant. Then we approached the director, and we thought, ‘Hey, let’s do softball.’ We were doing softball at Sparkman School in the spring and thought we could do a fall league. Really that is what we intended to do – just softball – but then when we finished, we had 60 players that year, so obviously there was a need for the program, and we had great community support.” From the pageant and softball, the program has grown to include basketball, bowling and special events throughout the year. “We are constantly looking for new things, and we always have great community support, which we are very fortunate for,” Wells said. With more than 100 people on the mailing list, the program has grown to include individuals not just from Hartselle but from Ardmore, Decatur, Cullman, Athens, Muscle Shoals and more. Wells’ work with the Shining Stars program has also earned her a place on the state committee for therapeutic recreation.

“My big goal is that when I retire from here, I want to know that I have made it a better place.”

– STACI WELLS

The group helps organize Camp ASCAA – a recreational camp for individuals with physical and mental disabilities – and is working to create a standard for parks and recreation departments throughout the state to be able to offer similar programs. “We are working on a statewide rules and regulations, so that way they can compete against each other in a state tournament,” Wells said. Wells has also been asked to help train other departments on creating similar programs for their communities. “It was really a lot easier to pull together than I anticipated simply because the need was there and they were just waiting,” Wells said. “I will tell them how to reach out to the population and where to go, how to get sponsors and just a basic guideline,” Having grown up in Hartselle, Wells has spent the majority of her life in the community. She said one of her favorite parts about her position is all the connections she is able to make and being able to help bring new ideas to the city. “I have met a lot of great people and have been able to do a lot of great things that I would not have been able to do if I didn’t have this job,” Wells said. “Hartselle is my home. I was born here, and I have lived in Hartselle my entire life. Anything I can do to help Hartselle helps me in turn – as selfish as that might be – but my big goal is that when I retire from here, I want to know that I have made it a better place.” The Shining Stars program has had a positive impact on her life, as well. Her son is a junior at Hartselle High School and is

involved in the IRC program. Wells said she loves having an opportunity for her son to interact with his peers and for her to interact with other parents of children with special needs. “We should have started this program earlier because we missed a lot of opportunities for people,” she said. “The program not only helps the kids; it helps the parents. They get together and talk about their struggles, and they talk about different programs that are available to them that some of them don’t even know about. “For us, the other program my son is involved with now, that’s how I found out about it,” Wells added. “You don’t get a handbook when you get a diagnosis.” Wells said one of the things she has enjoyed the most in the Shining Stars program is the power in the friendships that have formed among the participants. “I love how much fun they have participating in everything. The world would be so much better of a place if everybody got along as well as our individuals do,” she sadi. “When we had camp, and we played bingo, and somebody else won a prize, everyone else cheered for them. They were happy someone else won a prize; they weren’t disappointed because they didn’t win – they were excited because their friend did. “We need a little more of that – a little more love.” COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

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RITA

LEE Profile 2020

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Keeping a steady hand on city government STORY BY CLIF KNIGHT PHOTO BY RACHEL HOWARD

hen Rita Lee assumed the position of Hartselle city clerk in 2001, she knew little about the day-to-day responsibilities of the job. “I was a beginner serving under a newcomer mayor and city council,” she recalled. “I needed all the help I could get. That’s when I decided the training program offered by the Alabama Association of Municipal Clerks and Administrators was for me.” The emphasis on continuing career education became even more important a short time later when the city administrator’s position was vacated, and Lee’s position was upgraded to city clerk-controller. Lee attained certified municipal clerk status in 2004 and master municipal clerk status in 2008. She served as District X1 director for five years and on committees for Education and Clerk of the Year in 2011. She was nominated for Clerk of the Year Award in 2014 and was awarded the designation AAMCA Clerk of the Year in 2018. “None of this would have been possible without the help and mentoring of my fellow clerks,” Lee said. “Alone you can be a good city clerk, but working together as part of the district, state and international municipal clerks’ associations, we can be the best.” Lee has had “the honor and privilege of working with five different mayors and city councils and a wonderful team of department heads and professionals that call Hartselle home and strive to make it one of the best communities in which to live, work and play,” she added. “I can’t imagine doing anything different.”

“Alone you can be a good city clerk, but working together as part of the district, state and international municipal clerks’ associations, we can be the best.”

– RITA LEE

A Blount County native, Lee graduated from Susan Moore High School and earned her bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Alabama in 1982. She has a daughter, Kelsey Lee, 30, who graduated from UAH in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in history. In her role as city clerk-controller, Lee supervises all employees in the city’s administration department, including the HR administrator, municipal court clerk and magistrates, revenue officer, accounting technician, IT systems

administrator and all library personnel. She also secures and allocates all funds received by the city; makes daily bank deposits; invests city funds; coordinates banking services; approves all requisitions, purchase orders and invoices prior to payment; disburses funds as appropriate; approves and signs all checks; prepares and issues monthly financial reports to the mayor, city council and department heads; prepares and oversees the annual budget; and prepares information and documents for auditors. COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

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JUSTIN

BARLEY Profile 2020

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Marking whirlwind first year as Hartselle’s top cop STORY BY REBEKAH MARTIN RACHEL HOWARD AND CONTRIBUTED

SUNDAY SERVICES

filled and add six new positions along the way, with five of those being part time.” Barley said his department is blessed with plenty of talent. “Spirits have been very high – we’ve had a lot of people buy in to what we have been trying to do here,” he said. “Hartselle has a lot of talented officers, and beyond what they’re able to do on patrol, we’ve had several projects we’ve been able to task people with that have been very important to improving our department. “With all the hiring we’ve done,” he added, “we’ve been able to evaluate our hiring process and make it more efficient

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and streamlined.” The introduction of a lateral transfer program that allows HPD to start incoming officers at more competitive pay ranges has been beneficial to that hiring process, Barley explained. “That program has been very successful, and we’ve been able bring in some very experienced officers who have been able to hit the ground running,” he said. A 20-year-veteran of the department, Barley said bringing in experienced officers is important now more than ever because of what the next few years will hold for HPD.

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019 was a life-changing year for Hartselle Police Chief Justin Barley – and he has big goals for 2020. The husband, father and fishing enthusiast said a career in law enforcement has been his goal since his early high school years. He was appointed as the chief in January of this past year, and he said it’s been a wild ride. “It has been an absolute whirlwind of a first year,” Barley said. “I feel good about it. We’ve made a lot of progress with just getting back up to being fully staffed. When I took over, we were short four people, and we’ve been able to get those positions

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“Much of our command staff now are eligible to retire in the next one to three years, so our biggest challenge in 2020 will be filling those positions left by retirees,” he said. “We’ll have to get the new generation of leadership prepared so we can pass the torch. We want the police department to continue to be successful, and we want to continue to serve Hartselle and help keep it safe and provide a high level of service.” Barley said he became interested in working in law enforcement in his teenage years, but it wasn’t until he was dating his now wife that he had the opportunity to join the ranks of the men and women in blue.

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Profile 2020 17

“It has been an absolute whirlwind of a first year. I feel good about it. ” – JUSTIN BARLEY

His wife’s grandfather was the Lawrence County sheriff at the time, and he offered Barley a job as a deputy. That was in 1997, and the following year, Barley graduated from the police academy and joined the Hartselle Police Department in 1999. Barley quickly rose through the ranks, being promoted to sergeant and then lieutenant. Making chief has been a longterm goal for Barley – one he said he’s been working toward for most of his career. 18

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“That’s what I tried to focus my education on,” he said. “From the FBI National Academy to special training to become certified, I tried to seek every opportunity I could to get myself in position for the job. “When I first started, it was just the excitement of the job,” he added. “I barely made any money – I think I made $8 an hour in ‘97, and I had to spend a fortune to become a police officer. I think they issued

me a badge and a couple uniforms, and I had to supply everything else myself. “At the time, though, it was just so fun. I couldn’t believe I was getting paid for it.” Barley said he still has fun on the job, even two decades later. Before being appointed as chief, he went back to patrol for a year and half in 2017 – a move he said sharpened his skills as a police officer. “Everybody tells you they want to serve, give back and make a difference, and those things are all very true. I absolutely love living in Hartselle and being able to serve our community in this way. There’s a lot of fulfillment in that,” he said. “It’s something I’m very proud that I’m able to do. I count it as an extreme honor to get to do this job every day.”

The excitement factor in the day-to-day duties is something Barley said keeps him on his toes. “It’s not the same thing every day – you don’t know what to expect when you come in,” he said. “You never know what the radio is going to bring, and with the exception of training and court, we really don’t have much scheduled for us; it’s really just come in and see what the day holds. “I like that. I like the freedom of being able to get out and about and interact with people,” he added. “I’ve always just enjoyed the work, and the added benefit of being able to do that work in Hartselle makes it that much better. “It’s still a community that really appreciates their law enforcement. They

“You never know what the radio is going to bring, and with the exception of training and court, we really don’t have much scheduled for us; it’s really just come in and see what the day holds.”

– JUSTIN BARLEY

make us feel very special. Often law enforcement is thankless job, but that’s not the case in Hartselle.” In recruiting new talent for the department, Barley said the community pride and

appreciation, along with all Hartselle offers its residents, are a selling point. “That’s a huge recruitment tool for us, especially when a potential officer is not from this area,” he said. “We can sell this COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

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community and all it offers. From the school system to the level of care and appreciation we receive from the people we serve, Hartselle is just a total package.” Barley said Hartselle is “still a busy town with plenty of calls for service and plenty of challenges, but on the flip side of that, it’s not so inundated with so much violent crime that we feel like we can never scratch the surface of the trouble.” “So, it’s a perfect balance. You also have a community that is highly invested in itself, and I’ve found that is the formula for success.” Barley has been married to his wife, Mandy, for nearly 20 years. The couple has two children – Claire, 17, and Aaron, 16 – who are both students at Hartselle High School.

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T C a s S s H C P

KASSI

HILL Profile 2020

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Coordinating behind the scenes at the Hartselle Chamber STORY BY REBEKAH MARTIN PHOTOS BY RACHEL HOWARD AND CONTRIBUTED

he Hartselle Area Chamber of Commerce holds numerous events throughout the year – some as small as celebrating a new business with a ribbon cutting and others with thousands of attendees. Kassi Hill is one of the people behind the scenes coordinating those events from the ground up. Hill works as the HACC’s administration and events coordinator, and in her second year in that position, she said she loves the community aspects of her job. “My favorite part is getting to be in the community all the time – it’s a unique opportunity to serve in this capacity,” she said. “It’s always changing, it’s always something different, and I’m always getting to meet new people and tell them about our Chamber and our city.” Hill has her hands full: From the Chamber’s Total Resource Campaign and the annual Cotton Pickin’ BBQ to networking events and Depot Days, she’s involved in every step of the planning and execution process. She also attends meetings for the various subcommittees that are overseen by the HACC, including the nonprofit committee, Chamber Ambassadors and Hartselle Young Professionals. Hil was the one who came up with an idea for an addition to Depot Days last year that she said she hopes continues in years to come. Glow Night was held at J.P. Cain Stadium during the week leading up to the 39th Depot Days festival. Area youth groups were invited to wear neon colors and participate in a devotional time once the sun had set. “Depot Days is a lot of fun. It’s a lot of work, and it was my first year doing it, so I didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “I think we

“Depot Days is a lot of fun. It’s a lot of work, and it was my first year doing it, so I didn’t know what to expect.” – KASSI HILL

had close to 200 vendors last year, and we’re already planning for the 40th annual festival that will happen this September.” Hill is as Hartselle as they come; this is where she grew up and, except for a year spent in Priceville, where she has lived her entire life. “I graduated from the high school, and I knew I wanted to raise a family here,” the

mother of two said. Hill said she is glad she’s been able to raise her kids in her hometown. Kealeigh, 14, is a freshman at Hartselle High and Lawcyn, 12, is in sixth grade at Hartselle Intermediate. Outside of her job at the HACC, Hill is also involved in various organizations on a personal level. She’s part of The Prayers for Kayleigh Foundation and is a member of the Hartselle Kiwanis Club, and she and her family attend Life Church. “I just like the smalltown feel here. I grew up here and always liked it, so it’s where I wanted to raise my kids,” she said. “When I was in school, I remember a lot of my classmates wanting to graduate and move off to big cities – I never had that thought. I think that plays a role in why I enjoy my job. “I want Hartselle to be somewhere people want to come and stay – raise their families. We do have a lot to offer, even though we’re a small town. You know everyone, and you always have someone to help you when you need it – I wouldn’t trade that.” COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

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CHRIS

ORR

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Stepping up when signs go down STORY BY CLIF KNIGHT PHOTO BY RACHEL HOWARD

hris Orr is the man about town when a stop sign goes down within Hartselle’s city limits. “My job is all about pubic safety,” explained traffic technician Orr, a 21-year public works employee. “When I get a call from the police department about a stop sign being down, I’m on my way to fix it, no matter the day or time.” The same urgency applies to putting up barriers and warning cones on flooded roads and streets. His responsibilities include the installation of new street signs and the replacement of those whose names are faded and hard to read, as well as those that have been stolen or defaced with pictures or paint marks. Orr also works on “other jobs as required.” “Any time I’m not working with signs,” Orr said, “you’ll find me working with public works crews on other projects. It might be we’re patching pot holes in streets one time and putting out flags in the downtown area another time.” Orr credits his career as a city employee with being in the right place at the right time. “I was out of work and hunting a job in September 1988,” he recalled. “I stopped at public works and asked Hershel Clemons if the city was hiring. He directed me to go to city hall and pick up an application. When they hired me, I knew the grace of God led me there.” At the time, “I didn’t know a thing about painting signs,” he added. “I was fortunate Melvin Hunter was there and taught me how to do the job.”

“Any time I’m not working with signs you’ll find me working with public works crews on other projects. It might be we’re patching pot holes in streets one time and putting out flags in the downtown area another time.”

– CHRIS ORR

Being a native of Hartselle helped a lot, Orr pointed out. “I knew my way around town. I don’t think there’s a street I wasn’t familiar with.” Orr said an ice storm in December 1998 taught him public workers have to be prepared to work in any kind of weather. “The entire city was out of power for several days,” he recalled. “The crew I was with worked all night and most of the next day running chain saws to clear tree limbs from power lines and streets. When we finally got a break, I was questioning what I had gotten myself into.” Orr said one of the best parts of his job are his fellow public works employees. “I work with a good bunch of people,” he said. “I consider the friendship I share with them to be the most important part of my career with the city.” Orr, like several of his co-workers, enjoys deer hunting as a hobby. He belongs to a hunting club with a brother-in-law and several nephews, and they hunt in the Lacon area. “I hunt from October to February and usually kill three deer with bow and gun,”

he said. “I have them processed and share the meat with senior citizens and others who are unable to hunt.” Orr and his wife Angie, an employee of OBGYN Associates in Decatur, have been married for 34 years. Their daughter, Emily, died in an automobile accident at the age of 16. “She was a daddy’s girl,” Orr said. “Losing her was a devastating loss. You don’t get over it, even though we’ve gotten used to not having her with us.” The Orrs are active members of First Methodist Church in Hartselle. They credit their faith in God and the support of friends with getting them through their personal tragedy. Orr is retired from the Alabama Army National Guard with 22 years of service. He served with companies in Hartselle and Double Springs and retired with the rank of sergeant. The Orrs are looking forward to retiring at the same time. They plan to spend a couple of years traveling around the country in a motorhome. COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

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Serving under five police chiefs STORY BY CALVIN COOLEY PHOTOS BY RACHEL HOWARD AND CONTRIBUTED

ay 1, 2020, will mark the beginning of the next stage of Margaret Stinson’s life. A long-time employee of the Hartselle Police Department, Stinson will retire after more than 22 years as the department’s administrative assistant. “It’s been a very hard decision to make,” Stinson said. “I’m going to miss all of the people, and I’m going to miss being around everything. My husband and I have been planning for it for a while now, though, and we are now at the point where it’s possible. I’m going to be sad to go, but I’m excited about being able to spend more time with my family.” Stinson, who has served under five chiefs, is essentially the department’s first-line liaison with the public. “I’m the first person you see when you come through the door, sitting behind the glass,” she said. “I help filter what comes into the office.” The story of how that bulletproof glass partition came to be is one Stinson will remember long after her days at the department. “I was sitting at my desk one day – this was when Ferrell Vest was the chief,” she said. “We were talking, and a guy with a gun walked right in. They put up the bulletproof glass after that.” Stinson came to the police department after the construction of the new police building. “I was selling real estate at the time,” she said. “That is a 24/7 job, and I was a single mom with two young children. I knew I needed insurance and stability. So, when I heard about this job, I interviewed and was lucky to get it.” The police department has been equally lucky. “Margaret has been here the whole time I’ve worked in the department,” said Hartselle Police Chief Justin Barley. “She’s always taken care of the department. Her retirement will be a big loss for the department, but it is certainly well-earned.” Barley said Stinson was instrumental during his transition to the chief position. “With Chief Puckett and our captain leaving at the same time, I was essentially learning two jobs at once,” he said. “She was always there to make sure everything went smoothly. During the transition, she was a real lifesaver.” 28

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Helping in that transition was by no means a new experience for Stinson. She said she regularly joked with new chiefs during the transition periods. “I was always kidding with them, telling them I was the one who was training them,” she said. She also jokes with officers about being the mother of the police department. “Almost every shift, someone is telling me about how I’m the mother of the police department,” she said. “I don’t feel as old as they think I am, though.” Barley said the relationship between Stinson and department officers is a special one. “She is certainly the police department mom,” he said. “Not only is she good for things around the office, she’s just a good person to talk to about life. She’s much more than just a good coworker.” Stinson agreed. “I’ve worked here long enough, with enough people, that I’m seeing their children with children,” she said. “We get Christmas cards and notes and reminders from the families all the time. That’s really something special.” She has also worked closely with the Alabama

Women in Law Enforcement Conference, which has been held the past three years in Guntersville, and the Hartselle Citizens Police Academy. “Being a part of both of those, especially the Alabama Women in Law Enforcement Conference, has been special,” she said. “We had more than 75 women at last year’s conference.” Stinson said she doesn’t have set plans for retirement, but she is looking forward to spending more time with her family. She moved to Falkville from Cullman when she was 6 and has lived there since, and she is a Falkville High graduate. Her husband, Steve, works at Hartselle Utilities, and she has two sons, Blake and Dustin, and five grandchildren. “My oldest son has one boy and one girl, and my youngest has a daughter and then identical twin girls,” she said. “They are all under the age of 8. I’m really looking forward to spending a lot more time with them – maybe going to the lake or beach or working around the house … We don’t have any big trips planned or anything – just more time with the family.” Stinson said she’ll miss the people she’s worked with, but she’ll always have good police department stories. “I remember when dispatch was in the back of the building,” she said. “We had a girl get a call for a bank robbery, and she just started screaming about needing help. I’ve also looked out the window when the jail was still here and seen an inmate walking down the street. “This is such a small town that if you don’t work here, you don’t really have an idea of what goes on,” she added. “The people in this department have been professional and always handled things with ease and class because that’s what they are trained to do. I will miss them when I’m retired.” It’s a retirement, Barley reiterated, that is well-deserved. “It’s a blow to the department because she has so much knowledge and experience,” he said. “She’s worked hard for this, though, and she deserves it. She will certainly be missed.”

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Serving the community at Life Church STORY BY REBEKAH MARTIN PHOTOS BY RACHEL HOWARD AND CONTRIBUTED

oyce Bryant wears a lot of hats in her job at Life Church. She’s been the office manager there since January 2016, and it’s a job for which she said the Lord has been preparing her for her entire life. The wife, mother and grandmother said she loves her job, in which she gets to show the love to Christ to her church family and community daily. Her office is located in the back of Warehouse Coffee – the coffee shop on Main Street that was opened as a ministry of Life Church almost four years ago. She can often be found sharing a smile and a cup of joe with the shop’s customers. “It’s opened a lot of ministry opportunities for us with people who we might not have come in contact with otherwise – people who might be afraid to walk through the doors of a church,” Bryant said. “Maybe they’ve been hurt in the past by the church somehow. This just makes it a super comfortable setting for us to invite people in for a conversation and a cup of coffee. It’s a non-confrontational place where we can meet people where they are on their spiritual journey.” Bryant said the team she’s surrounded with is one reason she enjoys her job so much. “We have a great team, and we all work so well together,” she said. “It’s a really good mix of personalities, and we all have one goal, and that’s to further the kingdom – to see people come to know Christ and know firsthand the difference He can make. We also want Him to use us to make a difference in our community.” That is the goal of Life Church, Bryant said: to unite the community in love for one another and seeing the Gospel spread. “If we all put our hands to the plow and work together, we will see unity in our community, and that’s our goal at Life Church,” she said. “We want to build and cultivate relationships with believers and reach those who aren’t believers yet.”

That goal is one Bryant said is attainable in Hartselle because of the people and the size of the community. “One thing I find so unique about our community is that people seem to really love where they live here, and it shows in many aspects of life,” she said. A few years ago, Bryant said she had no idea she would be where she is now. “Back when I was in my mid-20s, I always thought I would like to work at a church. I didn’t think

then that I would ever have the opportunity to do that, but I can see now that each season in my life has led me to this one,” she said. Before joining the staff at Life Church, she worked on the family farm she owned with her husband. The farm, located in Danville, had been in her family for more than a century. With no plans on changing her career trajectory, Bryant said she was handling the finances of COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

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“If we all put our hands to the plow and work together, we will see unity in our community, and that’s our goal at Life Church.”

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– JOYCE BRYANT

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the farm, where they had poultry houses and beef cattle. In 2015, though, the opportunity to sell the farm and the house became available, and after much prayer, the couple decided to set out on another path. They sold the farm in July 2015 and built another house off Indian Hills Road. “None of the kids wanted the farm, so we thought it was the perfect opportunity to get out if we wanted to,” she said. Looking back on the past few years, Bryant said she is amazed by the path God has led her family on. “It is amazing how His hand is always there, guiding and directing our path … to see what the result will be if you’re willing to submit in obedience,” she said. Bryant is the mother of Lacey, Quinn and Ethan. She has a son-inlaw, Caleb, and a 6-month-old grandson, Ezra. “My life is my church, my community and my family,” she said. “What’s great, though, is that they’re all tied together.”

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GARNETT Profile 2020

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Taking a leap of faith STORY BY LAUREN JACKSON PHOTOS BY RACHEL HOWARD AND CONTRIBUTED

fter owning a medical transcription business for more than 20 years, Amy Garnett took a leap of faith, choosing to open her heart to children and families in need. She will be celebrating 30 years with her high school sweetheart this year, and she is a mother to seven children. Garnett was a foster parent for 10 years and adopted four children. Through her work as a Court Appointed Special Advocate and her experience as a foster mother, Garnett said she decided to help meet the needs of DHR by opening LifeLinks. “I had a medical transcription business for years, and the industry is just changing because technology is changing. In the back of my mind, I knew I wanted to do something with children, something with foster care, whenever my business got to the point where I needed something else,” Garnett said. “A door opened in October 2018, and I just saw the opportunity to open LifeLinks.” What began in Morgan County quickly spread into three counties, then five, and continued to grow. It currently serves nine counties. “We do supervised visitation for foster kids who are separated from their parents. Parents get an hour or two – or whatever it is – in a week,” Garnett explained. “We also make an arrangement to pick up the kids from their foster homes, and we meet the parents or take them to visit in our office in Hartselle. I also have an office in Double Springs. We do counseling, we do drug screenings, we teach parenting classes, we have an outpatient substance abuse class; each county is a little different because they each have different needs.” Prior to opening LifeLinks, Garnett and her husband served as foster parents for 10 years. Through her experience working with DHR and her time as a CASA, she said she realized the need for support services and approached

DHR to see where the largest need was. After speaking with various workers, she had a long list of services needed in the county. “When I went in that morning, I really didn’t know what LifeLinks was going to look like. I didn’t even have a name yet,” she said. “I have been able to custom build it to what different counties need. Some counties don’t have uses for drug screens because they already have people who do that, but they use us for inhome parenting classes or in-home behavioral aides.” Despite the long list of services the organization offers, Garnett said she regularly receives requests for new classes or programs, and she always tries to be open to expanding to better serve the community. “At least once a week I get an email from somebody that says something like, ‘Hey, do

you offer domestic violence classes?’ – and I have a thing where I hate to say no,” Garnett said. “So even if we don’t offer domestic violence classes, then I say ‘Well, we don’t, but let me check on it,’ and within two weeks, we have formulated a curriculum, and we are offering domestic violence counseling. “It’s really growing fast because unfortunately there is such a need to try to build families back together,” Garnett said. In her time working with the foster care system, Garnett said she has only seen the need for support grow. “As long as our area is so affected by drug abuse, the need for foster parents and the need for CASA advocates is going to snowball and increase,” she said. “If I could say one thing, I would say to anybody that has even considered becoming a foster parent to COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

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“I would say take that leap. Go to foster classes, sign up to be a foster family – and if adoption is not for you, don’t adopt, but consider being a foster parent” – AMY GARNETT

please sign up. Every single week DHR spends I don’t know how many hours on the phone trying to find homes for these kids they have picked up because of broken homes. They are out of homes; they don’t have anywhere to put them. I would say take that leap. Go to foster classes, sign up to be a foster family – and if adoption is not for you, don’t adopt, but consider being a foster parent,” Garnett said. Garnett said she has always had a desire to help children in the foster care system, and she didn’t open LifeLinks until October 2019, until after her family decided that had finished their journey as foster and adoptive parents. “We had adopted, and we knew we weren’t going to adopt anymore, and I just felt like we were

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ready to move onto the next thing,” Garnett said. “I knew it needed to be something with that world – the adoptive/foster family world.” Throughout her time serving families in the community, Garnett said she has encountered her fair share of heartbreaking stories. Despite the struggles, she said LifeLinks tries to keep things light and fun for the families. The office has recently taken up a tradition of decorating a Christmas tree for different holidays, including Thanksgiving, New Year’s and Valentine’s Day. She said the staff plans to continue to decorate with the changing seasons and holidays. They have also worked to make the LifeLinks office as welcoming as possible.

“We have a playroom set up that has every kind of toy you can imagine: a doll house, a kitchen, blocks, Jenga for the older kids,” she said. “It’s very, very homey; it’s in an old house, and I think it makes everybody so much more comfortable than visiting in a facility. We have an outdoor space, and in the spring and fall, they can be outside if they want to be. “Now, they are supervised, but they don’t feel like they are supervised. This is maybe not the most pleasant days of their lives, but we try to make it better for them.” Although LifeLinks offers services in nine counties, Garnett said Morgan County is especially important to her mission. As someone who grew up in the area, she said she wants to give back to her home. “This is my hometown. This is where I have always lived, and I am very loyal to my county. My main goal is to take care of the families in Morgan County,” Garnett said. Garnett said if she could tell her younger self one thing, it would be to open her heart to the families in need. “I wanted to foster years before I did. I realize everything works out in God’s timing, and that’s why it didn’t work out until 2008,”

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“Anybody that wants to help can find a way to help. There are all kinds of needs.” – AMY GARNETT

tshe said. “I went through 15 years of not really knowing what my purpose was. I knew I had a desire to do something to help families and kids, but I edidn’t know what my purpose was, and it just took that one step of ‘I am going to do this to figure out my purpose.’ I wish I had done it sooner.” e In her time working with local DHR social workers, Garnett said she has come to see how hard the staff works and how large the need remains in Morgan County. She said she would like to encourage others dto consider becoming foster parents or volunteer in some of the supporting agencies. “They could volunteer to be a CASA or they could help Families .and Children Experiencing Separation. FACES is an organization in Morgan County that helps foster families with back-to-school supplies and summer camps and things like that,” Garnett explained. “They are falways looking for volunteers and people to shop for school supplies and similar tasks. There is an organization called Clothe our Kids, and they take donations of nice used clothing, and they help clothe the foster Ikids in Morgan County. , “Anybody that wants to help can find a way to help. There are all kinds of needs.”

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JAN

BYRD

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Choosing joy and working for the glory of God BY LAUREN JACKSON PHOTO BY RACHEL HOWARD

“M

y life verse is whatever I do in word or deed, I do to the glory of God. So if I am at work, I try not to find my identity in my job or at church. I try to do what I do every day as if I am working for the Lord.” Jan Byrd holds a variety of important positions around the community and the state – someone who stays busy serving others. She is the administrative assistant to the superintendent at Hartselle City Schools and serves as the contemporary worship leader at the First Baptist Church. She also helped start and plays an active role in the Alabama Association of Administrative Assistants, a group for other superintendent assistants to network and take part in professional development. She has lived in Morgan County for more than 30 years. She married a Hartselle City Schools graduate, and she is a mother to two boys and, most recently, a grandmother to a new grandson. Byrd has been married to her husband for 35 years, having met him while she and her family traveled throughout the Southeast singing Christian music. “His best friend brought him to one of our singings, and I met him that night. A month later, he came to another singing that we had, and we have been together ever since,” Byrd said. Byrd’s love of music is something she continues to use in her community today as the contemporary worship leader at the First Baptist Church. She has recorded several albums and videos and plays various instruments – including the keyboard, organ, bass guitar and drums.

Prior to serving in the worship leader position, she played bass guitar at another church. She said she was trying to assist First Baptist in finding a worship leader but was offered the position instead. “I have been on a worship team I feel like for all of my life,” she said. “I was one of the base players at Church of the Highlands in the Huntsville campus and learned a lot there, and it stretched me a lot. That is where the interest came for First Baptist to talk to me.

“I was asking them questions about their vision and why they wanted to start a contemporary service and that kind of thing, so I would know someone to recommend to them. I had a couple of names in my head, but they kept asking me questions about what I had done. Then they called and said, ‘Jan, we want you,’ and it has worked well,” Byrd said. Similarly, Byrd found herself in her current position as administrative assistant to the superintendent after volunteering in the COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

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schools for many years and working her way up through various positions. She started by volunteering in the schools while her boys were younger. She soon began substitute teaching, and then she was hired as an aide. She next worked as bookkeeper at the junior high before landing at her current position at the central office. She said working in this role is something she had never imagined. “I thought when I got the job as bookkeeper that that was where I would retire,” she said. I loved the people. I worked with Mr. Pouncey. He was the one that hired me, and we got along great, and I absolutely loved working there. I really thought I would retire there. Instead, “here I am, just about to start my 13th year in this position.” Byrd takes on a variety of tasks each day with Hartselle City Schools. She said her

main goal is to try to help others as much as possible. “I wear many hats at the school; it depends what month it is,” she said. “Of course I am the superintendent’s assistant, and I do the scheduling. I am also the board secretary, so I do the board postings. I also do HR, and I do the files and help teachers with recert renewals. We start all the student enrollment at the central office, so I help with that and out-of-district students. I just try to just be there for whoever needs something.” To Byrd, Hartselle is a special community made up of incredible neighbors. “Hartselle is full of servants. They serve their community, their families, their schools and the places they work with 110 percent,” Byrd said. “The majority of the people love their families, but they also want to help

their neighbors and make life better for their neighbors. It really is a city of hospitality.” In her free time, Byrd said she enjoys sewing, cooking and music. She said cooking is especially sentimental for her, having catered for weddings with her mother for several years. “After she passed away, it’s just not quite as fun, but I still love to cook – and of course music; I have always loved music,” Byrd said. On any given day, Byrd said she tries to live her life to build up those around her. She said she looks at it as a big decision that can be made each day. “Happiness depends on what is happening around you, but you have to choose to be joyful. I try to be joyful and I try to encourage,” she said. I tell my team all the time that you have to choose joy.” COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

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MYRA

GARRETT Profile 2020

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Continuing long history with city school system BY CALVIN COOLEY PHOTOS BY RACHEL HOWARD AND CONTRIBUTED

t’s hard to imagine that, in a building with more than 1,000 students and nearly 100 faculty and staff members, one person is responsible for the smooth day-to-day operations of Hartselle High School. At 1000 Bethel Road NE, Myra Garrett is that person. Now in her 25th year as a full-time employee with Hartselle City Schools, Garrett serves as administrative assistant at the high school. “Mrs. Garrett is a wealth of knowledge,” Hartselle High principal Brad Cooper said. “Because she has so much knowledge of the school and the community, she is always a sounding board for me before making decisions. She understands how to do her job and does it well. She understands the processes that must be in place to ensure the day-to-day operations of the school flow smoothly. She is invaluable to me as an administrator.” Garrett has spent practically her entire life in the City of Hartselle. “I moved to Hartselle at age 3, and I’ve been here pretty much since then,” she said. Her husband’s construction company took them to places like Jackson, Tennessee; Fort Worth, Texas; and Trenton, New Jersey, over the years. Hartselle, though, was always home. “We had moved away for an entire year one time,” she said. “It was basically kindergarten for one of my children, and after that, I decided to come home. I wanted my kids to go through the Hartselle City Schools system. It’s just a great place to raise a family and to see your grandchildren grow up.”

Both of her children, and two of her grandchildren, have attended Hartselle City Schools. After working as a substitute teacher for seven years, Garrett was hired into the system full time in 1995. Her career began in the health room in the basement of the old F.E. Burleson school. “When I applied for that job, I wasn’t sure I would be qualified,” she said. “I was just a pharmacy tech, and they had some other people applying for the job. As it turns out I

did get hired, and it’s worked out pretty well since then.” Garrett eventually transitioned into the role of kindergarten aide before being approached to fill a spot she wasn’t sure she was suited for. “We had a teacher at the high school who had a son with autism,” she said. “Jim Grammer wanted to put me in a position where I would work closely with him. I told him he was making a mistake. I just didn’t think I could do it.” COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

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Garrett ended up working with the student from first grade through his graduation from Hartselle High. Afterward, she transitioned into the administrative role she currently holds at the high school. “That opportunity changed everything,” Garrett said. “Building that relationship was so amazing for me. When you love someone’s child like that, it makes you part of the family. If my boss hadn’t thought I could do that job, I never would have met this amazing child, and I don’t know if I’d be here right now.” Cooper said that ability to build relationships is part of what makes Garrett such a special employee. 44

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“Mrs. Garrett has spent years building and gaining the trust of everyone around her,” he said. “Everything in life revolves around relationships. Whether it is parents, community members, teachers, staff or students, Mrs. Garrett excels in gaining trust and building relationships. The faculty, parents and students trust her, and that makes a tremendous difference in our school.” Garrett has experienced a lot during her 33 years working within the system. “It’s hard to say I have one favorite memory because when I think about it, so many things come to mind,” she said. “When you’re working with elementary school kids, you get to see and hear so many things. What

pops into their minds is exactly what comes out of their mouths. They’re just so young ... and you see them holding hands and walking toward you, and all they need is a little love. By the time the elementary year ends, you have such a changed little person.” She also remembers when the high school moved into the new building on Bethel Road. “We went for half days at the old school and moved stuff in the afternoon,” she said. “Prom ended up being on the second day of that move, so looking back, I can’t believe that we did that.” Garrett said she reflects every day on her life and career in Hartselle. “I live maybe three minutes from the school,

and each day I have to ask myself how I got so lucky to work in this great facility,” she said. “I have such great Christian co-workers, and everyone shows up excited to do their work. I’m blessed.” Garrett said she doesn’t know how long she’ll stay in the school system, but she knows she’s going to enjoy every moment she is there. “My daughter wanted me to stay until my grandson (Hartselle football standout Jackson Boyer) graduates,” she said. “Now that his graduation is here, I have people asking me what I’m going to do.” When Garrett does decide to step away from the school system, she will be greatly missed. “She is great for advice, both professionally and personally,” Cooper said. “She has helped me determine what gifts to get for my wife and children for Christmas, in addition to giving me advice on how to handle controversial situations at school. We often joke about how she treats me like I am her own child, and I wouldn’t take anything for that. “I certainly love and appreciate her more than she will ever know.”

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JONATHAN

BRAGWELL Profile 2020

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Excelling in education career BY CLIF KNIGHT PHOTOS BY RACHEL HOWARD AND CONTRIBUTED

onathan Bragwell exchanged his classroom teacher’s hat for an administrator’s hat Oct. 1, 2019, when he gave up his job as a fifth-grade teacher at Hartselle Intermediate School to assume the position of assistant principal at Crestline Elementary School. “I like it here,” he said. “I feel very blessed to be where I am and give all the credit to the Lord. All the staff, parents and students have been very supportive.” Bragwell was a fifth-grade social studies teacher at HIS for six years and two months before his promotion. He previously taught fourth- and fifth-graders in all subjects at F.E. Burleson Elementary School for 15 years and was a fifth-grade teacher at Leon Sheffield Elementary School for two years before joining Hartselle’s school system. A 1992 graduate of Fultondale High School in Jefferson County, Bragwell said he didn’t have education as a career choice when he enrolled at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. “I was leaning toward business as a major,” he recalled, “but I changed to education my sophomore year after being encouraged by friends to become a teacher. One of my college professors suggested I consider elementary education since so few men were entering that career field at the time.” Bragwell graduated from UAB with a bachelor’s degree in education in 1996 and earned the Alabama AA master’s degree in elementary education in 1999. He earned a master’s in education from UAB in 2001. Looking back on the 22-plus years he was a classroom teacher, Bragwell said the highlight of his career was the relationships he developed with students and their parents. “One of the satisfying experiences I had was getting to teach the children of parents I taught before them,” he added. Bragwell and his wife Sarah have been married 22 years. She is the reading coach at

F.E. Burleson Elementary and a former librarian and classroom teacher. They have a son, Ty, and a daughter, Terra, a junior and a freshman respectively at Hartselle High School. Christian faith is an important part of the Bragwell family’s lifestyle. They are active members of Westview church of Christ in Hartselle, where he serves as a deacon. They also volunteer at Rustic Youth Camp in Franklin County, where Jonathan and Sarah serve as counselors and Bible teachers.

“The success of a teacher can be measured by how well the studentss relate to their teacher,” Bragwell stated. “Mutual trust is important. A good teacher knows what will motivate his or her students and help them be successful.” Bragwell said he doesn’t see his retirement happening anytime soon. “My ultimate goal is to become an elementary school principal and serve in that position for several years,” he added. COMMUNITY CHAMPIONS

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