The Madison Record - May 29, 2024

Class

2024

By MARIA RAKOCZY maria@themadisonrecord.com

HUNTSVILLE - When you step into Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, you’re not stepping into an ordinary art gallery. You’re stepping into a full experience that, more than just hanging paintings on a wall, surrounds you in the moving and skillful pieces of Vincent Van Gogh. Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience opens Thursday at 6123 University Drive Unit 100 in Huntsville. You can get tickets and information concerning what days and hours it is open at www.vangoghexpo.com/huntsville

The exhibit is presented by Exhibition Hub, an international

exhibition distributor, curator, and producer. Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience was the group’s first ever digital art project. It was launched in 2017.

According to John Zaller, Executive Producer of Exhibition Hub, they chose Van Gogh’s art to be the subject of their first exhibition because of his renown and multidimensional life.

“We focused on Vincent Van Gogh because he really is the rockstar of the art world. He’s well-known. He has an incredible story. His work is recognizable but also very captivating in a very special way,” said Zaller.

The exhibit uses high-tech projection technology to display and animate more than 400 Of Van

Recent baby surrenders show Safe Haven Baby Box needed in Madison area

By MARIA RAKOCZY maria@themadisonrecord.com

MADISON - Last week, a third infant was surrendered at the Madison Safe Haven Baby Box. The child was anonymously surrendered at the Safe Haven Baby Box located at Madison Fire Station 1. This is the third since the box’s opening on Jan. 10. The box was quickly used for the first time on Jan. 21 and for a second time in February.

In a statement, the city said,

“The City of Maison recognizes the immense need for resources for mothers-in-crisis, and will continue to provide trusted emergency response to every infant placed in the Safe Haven Box. Further resources are available through the Safe Haven Organization with free confidential counseling via their hotline 1-866-998BABY1.”

Safe Haven Baby Boxes offer a safe and anonymous way for a parent to surrender their newborn child. Changes in Alabama law, led by Madison-based Kids to Love last year, increased the time in which a parent can legally surrender their child to 45 days old and allowed for Safe Haven Baby Boxes to enter the state. Madison was the first city in Alabama to have a Safe Haven Baby Box, and at least nine other cities across the state have already or are planning to follow suit.

“Three women in Madison have made the most difficult decision a mom can endure. Each of these mothers surrendered her child to the baby box,” said Kids to Love CEO and Founder Lee Marshall.

“I feel a deep sense of gratitude each time I get the call that a baby has been safely surrendered,” Marshall said. “I am adopted. My biological mom chose to give me life, and she wanted to give me a better life through adoption.

Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience opens Thursday at 6123 University Drive Unit 100 in Huntsville.

SALUTE TO THE CLASS OF 2024 - The Class of 2024 from James Clemens and Bob Jones high schools were all smiles as they celebrated the end of one journey, on their way to make their mark in the world Coming from all walks of life, and with each inspired towards their own unique goals, these graduates symbolize the excellence that the Class of 2024 embodies. Madison City Schools continues to produce the best as students achieve many impressive accomplishments as they exit this chapter of their education into whatever path they have chosen. We wish the Class of 2024 the very best and congratulate them on a job well done. Way to go! In this special edition of The Madison Record, we are featuring photos of this year’s graduation ceremonies from Madison City Schools’ two high schools. Next week we will feature Sparkman High School, St. John Paul II, and Madison Academy.

Photo of the Week

‘Sounds of Summer’ kicks this Thursday

By STAFF REPORTS staff@themadisonrecord.com

MADISON - On Thursday, Madison Arts Alliance will kick off their 2024 summer concert series, “Sounds of Summer”. The concert venue is Home Place Park, 100 Shorter St., two streets south of Main Street in downtown Madison. The concerts are free. Madison Arts Alliance sponsors this concert series and presents the event in partnership with Madison Visionary Partners. May 30 at 7 p.m., The Zooks – Series opener with the return of a crowd favorite. The band describes itself as people “all about having fun.” The Zooks

often welcome surprise guests.

The Zooks first organized in 2000 on Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands when band members met each other because of their jobs with a contractor for the U.S. Army, band spokesperson Randy Razook said.

The Zooks perform classic rock anthems, Motown tunes and rhythm-andblues standards. Their dance music hails from the well-known classics in pop and rock from the 1960s through 1980s. Band members pride themselves in putting smiles on the audience’s faces. For more information, email info@madisonartsalliance.org or visit madisonartsalliance.org.

call 256-340-2410.

CORRECTIONS

The Madison Record will be happy to correct any errors which appear in the newspaper or clarify any statements which are unclear. To request a correction or clarification, call 256-7631150 between 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday - Friday, or email news@ themadisonrecord.com.

Baby box

Continued from page 1A

That’s one reason Kids to Love worked so hard to amend Alabama’s Safe Haven Law, to give women

more time to decide if they are ready to parent and more places to surrender their babies safely.”

Event planned to honor local heroes on 80th anniversary of D-Day

HUNTSVILLE - June 6, 2024

marks the 80th anniversary of D-Day, the Allied invasion of Normandy, France. Two local Madison County residents made the ultimate sacrifice for their country on D-Day.

Twenty year old Private J. D. Luna, a sales clerk in Huntsville prior to the war, volunteered to be a paratrooper and jumped into Normandy with the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division in the early hours of June 6, 1944.

Twenty-seven year old Sergeant Charlie W. Grayson, who had been a construction worker for the government in New Hope, served in an anti-tank company in the U.S. Army 4th Infantry Division, which was in the first wave to go ashore at Utah Beach later that morning. Both of these young men were killed in action that day, and there are

Van Gogh

several other locals who took part in D-Day and were killed in the days that followed the initial landings.

The Hunt’s Spring Chapter of the National Daughters of the American Revolution will hold a memorial event at 10:00 a.m. on June 6, 2024 at the Church of the Nativity in Huntsville to honor and remember the sacrifice of these local heroes, and all those who paid the price of freedom on D-Day.

The stories of Pvt Luna and Sgt Grayson were written as part of the Stories Behind the Stars project, a nationwide non-profit founded in 2020. The project endeavors to ensure that each and every one of the 421,000 plus American service men and women who paid the ultimate price to preserve our freedoms in World War II are remembered as more than just a statistic in a book or a grave marker in a local cemetery. The project is named

Continued from page 1A

Gogh’s works including both sketches and completed pieces. It has traveled the country and is now arriving in Huntsville.

Zaller said Huntsville was a perfect place to take Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience next.

“Huntsville is a very smart market. It’s a market that really celebrates culture. It’s a market that really values these types of experiences just from the research that we did. We basically just decided that it was the place to come where people would really appreciate this work, and also from the technology perspective. With all the technology that’s in Huntsville being developed there, we thought that it would be a nice nod to all the technology that’s being created there as well.”

Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience goes beyond a typical art display by delving into the artist’s life. Walking through the exhibit is like walking through his life from his early years to the end of his life.

Starry Night is one of the paintings featured in the immersive gallery. Exhibition Hub’s high-tech pro-

after the gold star banner that families of an American service member lost in WWII displayed in their window.

Bob Fuerst, a NASA engineer in Huntsville, serves as the Alabama State Director for the Stories Behind the Stars project, and leads a small team of volunteers from across the state who have so far researched and writ-

jection system immerses you in this renowned painting, which because of the short brush strokes, inspired by Japanese art, used by Van Gogh make the painting appear crisp on the projections.

Zaller says they chose to make Starry Night a significant part of the exhibit because it’s one of Van Gogh’s most famous works and for its extraordinary technique and unique perspective on the night sky.

“It’s emblematic of Van Gogh’s entire style where he said, ‘I’m going to paint a different way. I’m going to paint not just what I’m seeing but what I’m feeling.’ And he felt the power of those stars in the sky in such a way that they became these glowing orbs, these swirling glowing orbs,” explained Zaller. “It, really, in a way, sums up his work so powerfully that we decided that it really needed to be featured and it really is featured right in the middle of the immersive experience.”

After exploring Van Gogh the artist, the galleries that follow the climactic display of Starry Night and other famous paintings explore Van

ten stories of more than 5,000 of the over 6,300 Alabamians who lost their lives during WWII. All stories written for the project are being saved to a common online database so they can be easily viewed by anyone. The stories are also being shared on a daily basis via a Facebook page named Remembering Alabama WWII Fallen.

Bob is just one of hundreds of Stories Behind the Stars volunteers, from all 50 states and a dozen other countries, researching and writing stories of WWII fallen. The volunteers come from all ages and backgrounds; some are as young as junior high school while others are retired. While some are amateur genealogists or seasoned researchers with years of experience, most are not. Stories Behind the Stars provides online training in how to research and write the stories, as well as free access to key online research sites. The project

Gogh the man by delving into his mental struggles. The final gallery places you up close and personal with Van Gogh the person with displays of his self-portraits.

“We give you a glimpse into some of the struggles he incurred as an artist and as a human being with a really beautiful wrap up of dozens of Van Gogh’s self-portraits surrounding you in the room. You feel very close to him at that point,” Zaller said.

The finale includes a virtual reality aspect that takes you through the French countryside but through the lens of Van Gogh’s paintings of provincial scenes.

“There’s a real power in digital art in terms of helping you get centered and focused and relieving anxiety and stress, and so, that’s it; it’s just a great getaway in that regard,” described Zaller. “We’re happy to bring Van Gogh’s works to a new audience in a new way, and we think that this type of digital art projection can introduce a lot of new audiences to art in very powerful ways that they’ll be able to carry with them for a long time.”

“Become completely immersed in the works of art around you, and feel the shift in reality as you dive deep into the world created by Van Gogh’s brush strokes.”

also has a Facebook group where volunteers interact to help each other with research and answer questions.

“Basically, if you can write an obituary, you can research and write one of these stories in as little as a couple of hours,” said project founder Don Milne of Louisville, Kentucky. “Be forewarned. This is a very addictive and enriching experience. Quite a few individuals have already written hundreds of stories”. So far, the project volunteers have completed almost 50,000 stories of American WWII fallen, including all who died at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941; all who died in Normandy on D-Day; and all buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Many more volunteers are needed to complete this historic project. Anyone interested in learning more about the project or to register as a volunteer can do so at www.storiesbehindthestars.org.

Grayson Luna

SCHOOLS

Heritage Elementary School votes for Thania Chacon as top staffer

By GREGG PARKER gregg@themadisonrecord.com

MADISON – When Thania Chacon is on the job, she strives to constantly improve the activities that she carries out...always seeking excellence. Her peers at Heritage Elementary School have honored Chacon as the “2024 Staff Member of the Year.”

She believes that by continuously working that she can achieve her goals and make a significant contribution to the school. The 2023-2024 school year “was a difficult one due to the lack of custodians. However, my commitment and responsibility to maintain the school facilities was the main driving force to continue working every day alongside the excellent teachers and staff that characterizes Heritage Elementary,” Chacon said.

Chacon joined the staff at Heritage when she started working at Madison City Schools in May 2020. Previously, she lived

in Miami, Fla. and worked in the areas of industrial maintenance and mechanical maintenance for Gatm Solutions from 2015 to 2019.

During her time with MCS, she worked as school custodian at James Clemens High School from 2020 to 2022. She then transferred to Heritage and has been on staff there for the last two years.

Chacon is originally from Venezuela. She graduated from the University of Tachira – Venezuela with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. “I have experience in mechanical maintenance, industrial service, budget management and general services for fuel plants,” she said.

Her husband, Melvin Rojas, works as a communication technician. Their son, Gabriel Rojas, is a student at Liberty Middle School.

When she is away from the Heritage campus, Chacon is a devoted fan of reading, planting flowers and listening to music.

World Records

At the age of 1 year 152 days, little Ace-Liam Nana Sam Ankrah from Ghana is the world’s youngest male artist. His mom Chantelle, also an artist, discovered Ace-Liam’s passion for painting when he was just 6 months old. “While learning to crawl, I spread out a piece of unstretched canvas on the floor and dropped some paint on it as a way to keep him busy while I worked on a commission painting,” she explained.

Snapshot

Bob Jones engineering interns report on real-life business intro

By GREGG PARKER gregg@themadisonrecord.com

MADISON –Engineering Academy students at Bob Jones High School disclosed their experiences while working for local companies at the Spring 2024 Engineering Internship Semester Showcase.

To participate, students enrolled in the course, “Engineering Internship: Research and Design,” in the Bob Jones Engineering Academy to experience the office environment first-hand about jobs in their career path. Jessye Gaines teaches the class, which is the final level and combines all skills that students acquired in prerequisite courses.

commercial access to space for small research payloads and plans to own/operate private space stations.

• Max McGee: Synapse Wireless Inc. Creates easy-to-implement, easy-to-use, easyto-expand solutions, like SimplySnap, that help companies reduce energy waste.

• Kylie Clark: STI Electronics Inc. Madison enterprise for training, consulting, laboratory analysis, microelectronics assembly and product distribution.

• Josh Bryce: JL Troupe Company Inc. An engineering service provider to original equipment manufacturers.

• Kenny Hall: Rotorcraft Systems Engineering and Simulation Center at UAH. Focuses on applied research to enhance success for government, industry and commercial partners.

“The students (have completed) their internships and senior design projects with local engineering companies, and we could not be more proud to share with you all they have learned and accomplished,” Gaines said.

For this semester, brand-new partnerships with local entities included Synapse Wireless and Rotorcraft Systems Engineering and Simulation Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville or UAH.

The interns who observed the workforce and workflow at local companies:

• John Allison: Additive Manufacturing & Engineering Inc. Works with aerospace, medical and automotives industries to produce models.

• Ari Dedeaux: Nextek Inc. Electronics Manufacturing Services or EMS company for electronic assembly, prototyping and lab services.

• Luke Garrison: Penta Research Inc. Supplies customers with timely analysis products that support milestones for major program decisions.

• Mitchell Okafor: Nanoracks. Develops

• Ann Thai: Corvid Technologies. Provides end-to-end solutions for concept development, design and optimization, prototype build, test and manufacture.

• Aaron Mays: Nola | VanPeursem Architects. Offers clients the highest quality of design and customer service as a collaborative design firm.

Thania Chacon, from left, poses with her son Gabriel Rojas and her husband Melvin Rojas. Thania is Staff Member of the Year at Heritage Elementary School.

Student interns in the Engineering Academy at Bob Jones High School reported on their ‘corporate’ experiences to an audience on May 9. The photo from 2023 shows interns Jasmine Wince, at left, and Phoenix Keck, who discussed their work at KTECH.

SCHOOL IS OUT FOR SUMMER! - Last Wednesday was the last day of school for Madison City Schools. It brought tears as well as cheers at schools across the city. At Midtown Elementary, like all schools throughout Madison, many emotions were on display from students, teachers, staffs and in parent car lines. SRO officer Wirtz strummed a few tunes during dismissal and Assistant Principal Quentin Turner greeted departing kids in a Wildcats suit (above). Here are some scenes to mark the last day. School starts back Aug. 1.

Elementary school students select Super Citizens in Liberty Legacy study

By GREGG PARKER

MADISON – The positive message of the Liberty Legacy Super Citizen program has been in the thoughts of Madison City Schools’ youngsters, especially as they selected their school’s Super Citizen.

An educational initiative, Liberty Legacy Super Citizen teaches students about important life skills, character development and civic responsibility. The aim is to inspire young learners to become outstanding citizens who contribute positively to their communities.

Students can accept the Super Citizen Pledge to uphold the values of good citizenship. The initiative encourages students to stay informed, actively participate in their communities, demonstrate kindness and contribute positively to society for future generations.

In one of Liberty Legacy’s important components, each elementary school nominated and voted to honor a Super Citizen, an individual in their school or community that shows positive qualities.

Columbia Elementary School students voted for their security guard, James Hannah, as Super Citizen, according to teacher contact Laura Pecor.

At Rainbow Elementary

School, the hero was Princeton Soh, nominated by student Lewis Washburn. Teacher contact, Jessica Keomany, said in assessing nomination essays “we were specifically looking for traits that reflected our Liberty Legacy curriculum and how they were articulated in a manner that demonstrated an understanding of ‘Super Citizen.’ Lewis went above and beyond when he explained the character traits of Mr. Soh and how he exemplifies a hero.”

Arleta McCall, teacher at Midtown Elementary School who coordinated Liberty Legacy activities, said fifth-graders selected India Chatmon. “Fifth-grader Olivia Reas said Ms. Chatmon is caring and always looking out for others. She doesn’t have superpowers, like mindreading or flying. She’s a great, fun-loving teacher with a huge heart, and she has loved her class.”

Mill Creek Elementary School voted for the late Jackie Smith as Super Citizen. Smith was the students’ “beloved late fifth-grade teacher. The legacy Ms. Smith leaves behind is immeasurable,” coordinator and fifth-grade teacher Susan Maynard said. On March 17, Smith died of cancer.

The students’ nomination letter for Jackie Smith was heartfelt:

“Our super citizen was amaz-

ing. Not only was she inspiring, but she always made us smile. She always helped her students understand any problems that they had.”

Jackie Smith “was also a phenomenal person, even just to have a conversation with . . . She was really determined to make surprises for her kids and take the time out of her day so us students can enjoy the projects that she made for us.”

“She was an amazing coach, teacher and house mom. I got to

know her best as a Greenpower team member, science student and her Green house family. She was the most selfless person I know.”

“She spent every Saturday at school leading the science clubs and even traveled for our Greenpower races. Most of all, she loved us. She was always there – in quiet ways and in loud ways . . . I hope we will all take the lessons she taught us and use them to make us better people,” the letter states.

Smith guided the fifth-graders through all difficulties they experienced. “She had perseverance and helped after school programs such as Greenpower.

Our Super Citizen cared for us and always put us before. She made a huge impact on us but especially with Greenpower, extended day and science class. Thank you, Ms. Jackie Smith,” the letter stated.

Jackie Smith’s sister, Pam Stanford, accepted the award in Smith’s honor.

2024 Madison Mayor’s Award for Scholastic Excellence honored

Journey Middle School, was selected for her accomplishments in math, high scores on the Math Counts team, and straight As.

BOB JONES HIGH SCHOOL HAS A NEW ATHLETIC DIRECTOR - The Madison City Board of Education last week approved Discovery Middle Assistant Principal Kurt Yancey to BJHS Athletic Director. He replaces Mr. Clay McCall, who is retiring. Yancey has been in education 22 years - 11 years as a classroom teacher and coach in various sports (9 of those at BJHS) and 11 in instructional and athletic leadership administration. He got his start at Homewood High School and also worked for Huntsville City Schools and Athens City Schools, then joined Madison City Schools in 2004 teaching history at Bob Jones HS. and coaching. He became Assistant Principal at Discovery Middle in 2018. Pictured above: Assistant Principal DeAnna Hanks; Principal Sylvia Lambert, new Athletic Director Kurt Yancey, Assistant Principal Lewis White, Assistant Principal Andre Reynolds.

Jeffrey Duan of Liberty Middle School was honored with the award for his accomplishments in Math. Gianna King from St. John’s Catholic School was chosen due to her all A honor roll, participation in National Junior Honor Society, and high scores in accelerated math.

Each awardee will be honored for all the present and future student body to see with a plaque in their respective schools.

Nikita Prabhakar with Madison Mayor Paul Finley. Riley Medders with Madison Mayor Paul Finley.

Gianna King with Madison Mayor Paul Finley.

LIVING

On This Day in History 1999 - Discovery became the first space shuttle to dock with the International Space Station.

The arrest of Dr. Richard Matthew Fletcher as a spy after the battle at Madison Station

By JOHN RANKIN Madison Historian

MADISON - There were only two battles of any size fought in Madison County during the Civil War, and they were both fought in and around the town of Madison. May 17 marks 160 years since the first of the battles were fought in 1864, taking place in the heart of what is now downtown Madison. Back then, it was not more than a simple train stop called Madison Station.

Madison’s location along the railroad halfway between Huntsville and Decatur was one of the primary reasons for its strategic importance at the time.

A driving rain helped obscure a dawn Confederate surprise attack against the occupying Union forces around the railroad depot in Madison. Southern troops had crossed the river at Triana during the night, taking out the Union sentries, and surrounded the town on all sides. With them, the Rebels had brought four small cannons or howitzers.

When the Union commanders made their reports (as excuses for their surprise rout by Confederate troops on May 17, 1864), their accounts indicated that the citizens of Madison must have alerted the Southern troops to the presence and positions of Union sentries during the night. There is some doubt about the likelihood of that excuse due to the driving rain throughout the night and the poor communication of the time for any Madison Station citizens to have known of the plan and timing of such an attack.

Furthermore, the Union troops stationed around and in Triana should have posted sentries to watch for rebel crossing of the river there, which is where the attack force came to the northern bank of the Tennessee River and where they escaped afterward to go back further south.

Apparently, nobody on the Union side wanted to admit that they had not been alertly watching at that time of the war in the middle of the night, especially during one of the torrential rains that often hit this area in mid-May.

In any event, the Union reports led to the arrest of three prominent citizens of the town’s area who lived in positions to know where sentries along the way from Triana would have been stationed. Of course, there was no evidence stated to indicate that the men who were arrested had left their homes in the darkness of the very early morning to meet the on-coming Confederate troops to provide information.

Still, excuses were needed to avoid consequences of inattention to duty. Therefore, Doctor Richard Matthew Fletcher, who lived immediately west of the town, was taken prisoner, as was James Harvey Pride, and attorney who lived in the town. Additionally, they also arrested Edward Betts, a son of plantation owner Charles Betts who owned lands north of the town’s old historical district. The Betts plantation was where Publix on Hughes Road is now located and ran northward almost to Gillespie Road and between Hughes Road and Balch Road. Since the Confederate forces had surrounded the town on all sides, it is obvious that some southern troops had at some point crossed the railroad tracks and moved north of the historical district undetected for some distance and time during the

night’s driving rain.

The three arrested citizens were not likely to have been outside during such a night, as they would need to be if they were supposed to be in order to meet the arriving Confederate force with latest information about the locations of sentries. Even if they had tried to do such a thing, the Union sentries should have stopped them along the roads, considering that there would have been no legitimate reason for night travel in those conditions.

Dr. Fletcher’s daughter Octavia Fletcher Frazier was not born until 1872, seven years after the Civil War ended, but she had heard the stories of her father’s experiences for many years prior to his death. She wrote from her memory that stories that she had heard of the Union occupation time in Madison, including the tribulation of Dr. Fletcher in her biography of his life as follows:

“I recall vividly of Father telling us he enlisted with his brother, my Uncle Syd, in April of 1861. Father served as a Captain in the Confederate Medical Corps. They were ordered later to Manassas and were both in the First Battle of Bull Run, which many historians prefer to call the Battle of Manassas. As there were only a few old doctors left in Huntsville and Athens, the need for physicians in Madison and Limestone Counties was so severe that several hundred citizens signed a petition which was forwarded to the Commanding Officer, urging him to release and return Father to his home to care for the sick and dying.

This was accomplished, and after his

return he was not satisfied until he had a substitute to report for duty in his place. He paid $1700.00 to a German-American to fight at Manasses and regretted deeply that man being fatally wounded in the Second Battle of Manassas. This was where wounded Union soldiers were carried to the hospital by Confederate soldiers and where Confederate doctors ministered to living and dying -- Union and Confederate alike. The family had many letters from Father while at Manassas, and he received letters often from Uncle Syd all during the war. Huntsville was occupied by the Federal Army under General O. M. Mitchell, who marched in on April 11, 1862 with no opposition as there were in Huntsville only a few Confederate soldiers who were wounded or ill. General Mitchell and his troops left Huntsville July 11, 1862. I do not remember who was in command at Athens, but Father told us that after his return here that there was an epidem-

By BRUCE WALKER Columnist

Jason’s 22-year-old GMC truck had finally chewed up the last bit of tread on the two front tires. He headed to the tire store, Roger, the manager, smiled as Jason walked through the door.

Roger and Jason had known each other since high school, “There’s one ahead of you, I have already pulled the tires, grab a coke, and have a seat.”

Jason sat down on an old, sagging, black-streaked sofa to wait his turn, after a twelve-hour shift at the lab, it felt good to get off his feet. A young lady with hair pulled back in a ponytail, in her Waffle House uniform, stepped up to the counter to inquire about tires for her Hyundai Sante Fe. She nervously twirled her key chain as Roger gave her prices. When he had finally reached the bottom range of pricing, Jessica blurted out,” I just have money for two, I know you told me a month ago I needed all four replaced, but which two are the absolute worst?”

Roger looked perplexed and said, “It will still be unsafe and with two small children, it is too dangerous to drive.

The young mother said, “Well, it would be dangerous if we did not have anywhere to live, I saved all month, cutting back on food, bundling the kids up, and turning the heat down to fifty. I cannot get to work if I can’t drive this car.”

Tears began to flow down her cheeks as she said, “I aged out of foster care have no family to call on, and I have not seen their deadbeat dad in two years. Just put the two tires on and I ‘ll pray nothing happens. It is two months before the car safety inspection, and I hope I won’t have any unexpected expenses”.

Jason overheard the conversation as he was, sitting on the couch, reading the Bible on his iPad, and it hit him, either coincidence or divine appointment, he had just read, “It is more blessed to give than receive.” (Acts 20:35)

He did not know if it was a God thing or an angel dropping by. What he did know was simple common sense, he had a little extra and he could pass it on to a fellow human being in need.

Pulling Roger over to the side, Jason said, “Install the other two tires and put it on my charge card, add road hazard insurance, and don’t tell her who did it.”

Roger stepped out to where she was sitting and told her,” I found an old coupon in the cash register drawer, it is your lucky day, no it is your Blessed day, the coupon is good for a two-for-one tire purchase.” Jessica’s eyes welled up, but this time it was tears of joy.

Bruce Walker speaks regularly to

wide variety of groups.

contact Bruce

An old postcard photo of the Madison Station Depot around 1898. This is the oldest known photo of Madison.

A view of downtown Madison today from the area where most of the fighting occurred on May 17, 1864.

Octavia Fletcher Frazier

An old postcard photo of Madison Station around 1900.

Continued from page 6A

ic of pneumonia, and many of the Yankee soldiers fell ill with it. The Union Commanding Officer requested Dr. Fletcher to treat them, not withstanding that there were many of Father’s own patients and friends who were also afflicted with it. At that time, his hours of sleep were few and far between. Nevertheless, Father did treat the Union soldiers, and he saved many an enemy’s life. For months Father was in and out of the Federal tents as a humanitarian, skilled physician, and devout Christian.

In 1864 the troops were ordered elsewhere, and a new Army of Officers and men were sent to replace them. Father and the former Commander had become friends, though enemies. There were several Yankee soldiers too ill to be moved, so Father continued to treat them. Consequently, he was arrested as a spy. It happened this way -- one night after midnight “Uncle Dick Mason,” my Mother’s trusted slave, devoted friend, and protector, was aroused by several noisy soldiers. When he inquired what they wanted, one answered, “We want that doctor -- the spy.” Uncle Dick told them, “The doctor is upstairs in his room. His wife has a week-old baby. He needs his rest and sleep. I don’t want to disturb him.” After more boisterous comments, Uncle Dick told them that he would tell the doctor that they were there -- and that he would be down. But, over his protests, they brushed him aside and rushed upstairs. Uncle Dick, ever alert, ran up the back stairs into Father’s room, adjoining Mother’s, to warn him, and Father stepped in the hall in his nightshirt to welcome the enemy. Uncle Dick knew that they meant business when heard the word “spy,” so he got Father’s watch and chain, his billfold, and all the change in his trousers’ pockets as they made their “Arrest.”

They would not listen to reason, or to Mother’s tears, or protests but handcuffed Father and led him away to jail in Huntsville. Uncle Dick had a slim chance while they were ordering Father to put on his clothes to whisper to him, “I got it.” Then he winked when he saw Father feeling for his watch in his vest pocket. Later, when Father found that he did not have a penny, he smiled knowingly as he realized that the faithful servant had taken the precaution of removing those things of value.

There were no telephones in those days, so Uncle Dick called in another trusted and loyal servant to take a note from Mother to Grandfather, about three miles away. In the diary of Huntsville resident Mrs. William Davidson Chadick (a Cumberland Presbyterian Minister who served as chaplain and Captain of the 4th Alabama Infantry), she wrote for May 18, 1864, “They have brought in Dr. Fletcher and Mr. Betts today from Madison Station, accused, it is said, of guiding the rebels yesterday to the station where the cotton was burned. If it is proved on them, they say that they will hang Dr. Fletcher.”

I remember hearing Father tell of this experience. He said that the new Union officer saw him in the lines of the Federals and thought he was a spy, though he had no proof. Mr. Betts was a neighbor, and I do not remember Father saying that he was arrested. Although Grandfather, Mr. {Charles} Betts {father of Edward Betts}, and all who had any influence in the two counties tried to have Father declared innocent and released, he was kept in jail for months. Mother visited him often, with Uncle Dick.

One day Father had been listening to the rhythm of hammers, when in the silence for a moment, he heard one man ask what they were building. Another man replied, “We are building this scaffold for that Doctor, the spy -- they are going to hang him.” Father said he did not feel very comfortable that day, but he never did really believe that he would be hanged. After months of seeking, the message finally got to the former Union Commanding Officer, who knew Father. The commander was infuriated by Father’s arrest and came to Huntsville. He had Father released, and all those who were billeted near Athens were sent elsewhere.

Since Col. William D. Chadick was mentioned in this excerpt of the story of Dr. Fletcher and the Civil War, the equally unusual story of Reverend Colonel Chadick of Huntsville is included herein. Confederate Colonel William Davidson Chadick is an enigma to those who believe Rebel forces fought simply to preserve the slavery system. In 1856, when slaves of a wealthy bachelor were freed and provided with money, the court selected Chadick to take them to Ohio. He got them successfully settled there after conferring with Ohio’s governor. Chadick himself was born 1817 in Tennessee. At age 12 his family moved to Jackson County, Alabama, where four years later he affiliated for life with the Cumberland Presbyterian Church at Mink’s Creek Campground. By age 19 he began to preach the gospel. He voraciously studied books and the techniques of famous preachers, such as Robert Donnell. He was too poor to attend college, so he began his ministry as a circuit rider, preaching in north Alabama and Tennessee for several years.

Chadick’s first pastorate was at Bellefonte, where he also taught school for a couple of years. Later he served in Fayetteville, Tennessee, and Warrenton, Alabama. In 1841 in Bolivar, Alabama, Chadick met and married Malinda Davis. She died in Fayetteville in 1849. Before Malinda’s death they had two sons, William and Edward, plus two daughters, Sue and Jennie. A “Jennie Davis” Chadick was reported to have married a Union officer in Huntsville, where Chadick’s second wife and his children lived during the war. In 1866, soon after the Civil War, Sue Chadick married Union Captain Samuel Fordyce and spent a honeymoon in the North, visiting his

relatives.

Before the war, in 1845, Chadick preached at Union Chapel in Madison County. Around 1848 he succeeded Robert Donnell as pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Lebanon, Tennessee. Leaving that pastorate after two years, he became editor of The Banner of Peace newspaper. He left that line of work by 1854, becoming an endowment agent of the Theological Department of Cumberland University in Lebanon and continuing to travel and preach.

While living in Lebanon, Chadick met a refined Christian woman, Mary Jane Cook, born in Massachusetts. She became his second wife around 1851 and bore him four more children, Clara (who married lawyer W. S. Gillespie) and Mary (who died in childhood) plus two sons, George and David. In 1856 Chadick became pastor of the Presbyterian Church at Huntsville. About 1858 while preaching the baccalaureate sermon at Lagrange College in Alabama, Chadick received the degree of Doctor of Divinity from that institution, at last receiving college credentials. When the Civil War began, Chadick became chaplain of the 4th Alabama Infantry regiment and went to Virginia. When Col. Egbert Jones was mortally wounded at Warrenton, Virginia, Dr. Chadick accompanied the body back to Huntsville. He returned to duty and fought with the regiment in the Battle of Manassas. Later, he was promoted to Colonel of the 50th Alabama Infantry. He also participated in the Battle of Shiloh, suffering stress trauma thereafter.

Mary Jane Chadick kept a detailed diary in Huntsville throughout the Civil War. See Incidents of the War: The Civil War Journal of Mary Jane Chadick by Nancy M. Rohr, published 2005. After Shiloh, Colonel Chadick was made Chief of Staff to Governor Shorter of Alabama, and given command of the North Alabama’s “home guard” forces. It is said that he raised for that duty the “bed-quilt regiment” who had no uniforms. As more men were needed, Colonel Chadick searched the North Alabama hills to raise them. He brought in the old and the young, mounted on old horses, colts, and mules. Due to the cold and scarcity of warm clothing, every recruit brought a bed-quilt wrap -- all of different colors, making this “bed-quilt regiment” brightly visible during the war.

In 1867, Dr. Chadick was called to the pastorate of a church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. He next went to the McMinnville Presbyterian church. From 1871 he served as minister of the First Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga until 1877. In September, 1878, when it became clear to him that the end was near after a year of illness, he said one evening to his wife, “Watch with me tonight. I am going to change my habitation.” “Where are you going?” asked his wife. “I am going to rest -to rest in the arms of Jesus.” In the morning, he was truly at rest. He was buried in McMinnville.

STAR WARS INVASION • June 1-2

EarlyWorks Children’s Museum • www.earlyworks.com

Get ready for the Star Wars Invasion weekend at EarlyWorks Children’s Museum in downtown Huntsville. It will be held Saturday, June 1 and Sunday, June 2. Activities and decorations throughout the museum will keep your little Jedi’s busy. Guests can have their pictures taken with costumed

MCS graduates largest senior class in school district’s history

By STAFF REPORTS

MADISON - The James Clemens High School and Bob Jones High Schools graduations were held last Monday at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville. Thousands of families and friends packed the VBC to celebrate the Class of 2024. At 1027 graduates (551 from James Clemens and 476 from Bob Jones), this year’s class is the largest senior class ever from Madison City Schools. It edges out last year’s record-breaking class by 20 graduates.

Madison City Schools released some

impressive statistics:

In just 25 years, Madison’s senior class grew from 333 in 1998-99 to a little more than 1,000 this year..

Some 63 percent (647) were offered $$72.24 million in scholarships, worth an average of $111,822 each. Approximately $30.2 million-worth of scholarships had been accepted near the end of the school year so far - an average of $46,751.

An impressive 18 percent of graduating seniors scored a 30 or higher on their ACT. Thirty-eight percent (389) graduated with a 4.0 GPA or higher, including a sizeable number of those with a 5.0 or higher

GPA.

Madison City Schools produced 28 National Merit Finalists, a pair of U.S. Presidential Scholar candidates split nearly evenly between BJ and JC, and one U.S. Presidential Scholar finalist.

Both schools racked up countless awards in academics, athletics and the arts. And several students received military academy appointments.

Plans from end-of-the-school-year surveys show:

• 65 percent plan to attend a four-year institution.

• 18.5 percent a two-year institution.

• 7.7 percent workforce/gap year.

• 5 percent undecided.

• 2.8 percent military.

Of college bound students, Bob Jones graduates are bound for 72 colleges spread across 20 states and two foreign countries. James Clemens graduates are bound for 84 colleges across 25 states and one country outside the United States.

Many are going directly into the workforce, aided by strong career tech, intern/ apprenticeship opportunities, NCCER and OSHA credentials, and other programs. Way to go Class of 2024!

Bob Jones High School 2024 Graduation Ceremony. Photos by John Peck (Madison City Schools)

James Clemens High School 2024 Graduation Ceremony. Photos by John Peck (Madison City Schools)

A major life change

By BECKY MILLER God’s Lemonade Stand

See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up, do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43:19

NIV Bible Gateway

Graduations often start with pre-school, kindergarten, 8th grade, high school, then college, and beyond. It is a major milestone in the life of the child and parent as well. An indication you are growing up. Commencement is a word you might also see, and it indicates a beginning such as a new stage of life. It is a time for celebration.

Many tears are shed at graduation/commencement as the graduate is leaving behind friends and pursuing a new future as an adult. In high school especially you may feel like you will never see friends

again. You gain new relationships in your next phase of life often seemingly closer than the ones you are leaving behind but there is something special and unique about that high school bonding take it from a lady who has celebrated her fifty-year high school class reunion in 2021.

Challenges lie ahead. For some, they will marry their high school sweetheart. Others may join the armed forces. Yet others move on to colleges and universities. Some jump right into trade school or begin a job close to home. Whatever you choose or chose to know that God guides you along the path. Don’t shut him out of your life. This is a challenging, sometimes lonely time when your faith will be needed more than ever. There are Christian ministries at the universities, so I urge you to check them out before checking out a fraternity beer party. Stay close to family and keep

See LIFE CHANGE Page 8A

From bumper pads to graduation gown

By DAWN REED

Graduation is a wonderful time-even through the tears. Teenagers are accomplishing great milestones, while parents are trying not to overthink the future.

It seems like it was just the other day when my husband and I were picking out bumper pads for a crib. We were filled with excitement. A baby was coming soon. One that would change our lives forever.

After our baby girl was born, little old ladies were drawn to me. They all felt compelled to say the same thing: “Honey, enjoy ‘em while they’re little.”

I thought impatiently to myself, “If I live!” I hadn’t had a decent meal in months. My cold food was warm and my hot food was cold. My little cherub wanted to be held most of the time and curiously cried during all of my meals. She never slept all night long until she was 12no kidding. I thought a few times about going back to the hospital where she was born. When I left there, they forgot to give me the handbook that held all of the important instructions.

I consulted the almanac for when to take her bottle away and her pacifier. (Were the signs supposed to be in the knees or bowels? Or was that for potty training?) I’m thrilled to say that even though potty training was hard, we conquered it, too. Starting school was more traumatic

for me than for her. In kindergarten, I realized I DID want to choose her friends.

To be honest, there many times I didn’t think I’d make it. Years ago, I found that I was muttering to myself, “I can’t do this.” It began to wear me down. I felt guilty because I wasn’t perfect. I berated myself for not be as patient as I should have been.

Then one day, I read Philippians 4:13 and it just hit me: “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.” Clearly this was specifically written to young mothers. I memorized that crucial Bible verse right away. I replaced my old words with a new mantra: “We can do

this.” (I was talking about Jesus and me.) It made a huge difference! The birthday of my daughter is a double blessing to me now. She is celebrating another year of life; I am celebrating another year of God’s strength and grace. The little old ladies also used to say, “They’ll grow up before you know it.” They were right about everything. Although it seems like yesterday we were buying our first bumper pads, last month we bought a prom dress. Next will be a graduation gown. My head spins with all the new adventure before us. One thing I know: the Christ of Philippians 4:13 will help us through all of that, too!

Amen. God’s Lemonade Stand is written by former Madison res-

ident Becky Miller. Her daily devotions appear on Facebook or at godslemonadestand.blogspot. com.