Walker Magazine | Fall 2022

Franklin

Greg Williams

Tim DoddTyler Herron

Curt Ballard

Minshall

Tommy ParrishButch Foster

Joan Handley

Kuriger

Fowler

Brisa

Brian

GENERAL MANAGER Michael Keeton EDITOR Jennifer Cohron

LAYOUT DESIGN

Jennifer McCaskill

CONTRIBUTORS

Nicole Smith, Ron Harris, Johnathan Bentley

PAST CONTRIBUTORS

Jack McNeely, Rachel Davis, Malarie Brakefield and Elane Jones

ADVERTISING

Jake Aaron, Brenda Anthony, Rich Mixon, Liz Steffan

Walker Magazine is a publication of and distributed seasonally by the Daily Mountain Eagle, a division of Paxton Media Group. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored for retrieval by any means without written consent from the publisher. Walker Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited materials and the publisher accepts no responsibility for the contents or accuracy of claims in any advertisement in any issue. Walker Magazine is not responsible for errors, omissions or changes in information. The opinions of contributing writers do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the magazine and its publisher.

Our mission is to promote Walker County and to showcase its many attributes as a quality place in which to live, to work and to play. We welcome ideas and suggestions for future editions of the magazine. Just send us a brief note via email.

Daily Mountain Eagle

WALKER MAGAZINE

P.O.

Jasper, AL 35502

Staff

Journalism is history in a hurry. There isn't time to reflect on what you did yesterday because news is happening now.

About a year ago, I pointed out that the fall 2022 issue of WALKER Magazine would mark our 10th anniversary. No one on staff could believe that a decade had flown by so quickly.

Working on the 10th anniversary issue has been especially meaningful for me as the only person from the original list of contributors who worked on the first issue as well as this one.

I wanted to do something special to honor the work of all the various people who have used their talent for the benefit of WALKER Magazine. Even if it was just one story in one issue, every person's contribution helped us to keep publishing for a full decade.

As I looked back through our early issues, I remembered how long it took us to find our own identity as a publication and to figure out what made a good magazine story. It's not just a newspaper article with more color pictures. There's something about a magazine story that is meant to last in a way that a newspaper article is not.

Starting on page 14, a timeline of stories begins that I believe says something about Walker as a magazine or Walker as a community.

Hopefully, some of our newer readers will see something in the archive that interests them. If so, feel free to stop by the Daily Mountain Eagle office and request a copy. We should have plenty from any given year.

Our new content for this issue includes stories on the historic Long House in Cordova, a recent Bevill State Community College graduate who went back to school in her late 50s and the revival of BSCC athletics.

Our final page of content this time is a spotlight on Ruby Gilbert, a local 8 year old who has organized two different drives to benefit two different groups over the past two years. Ruby is amazing and deserved a spot in the magazine anyway, but I was especially proud of the fact that she chose to support Backyard Blessings after reading about it in the spring issue.

That article by Ed Howell was itself an update on how much the program has grown since the first time we wrote about it in 2013 to kick off our second year.

Hopefully in the past 10 years we have provided content to our readers that is memorable and worth keeping, but it's an honor to think that at times we've actually made a difference.

To our readers, thanks for sticking by us for 10 memorable years.

Jennifer Cohron, Editor

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Inside

THE VAULT

Reflections of the 1985 tornado that impacted Walker County

10 YEARS OF WALKER

A look back at faces and places that have been covered over the past ten years

ON THE REBOUND

The return of athletics at Bevill State Community College

GetHooked!

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT Ruby Gilbert

A LEGACY PRESERVED Long's descendant refurbishes historic Cordova home

For your entertainment we have placed this fishing hook (actual size) within the pages of Walker Magazine. This will be a permanent feature for our readers. We hope you enjoy searching for the fishing hook in each issue.

FAITH OVER FEAR Cordova woman achieves her dream of a college degree

HINT: Invert this page to reveal the page number.

thehookhidingonPage26.

ON THE COVER Walker Magazine covers of the past

the

Vau

Scenes from the Past

Compiled and written by Nicole Smith

1985 Tornado shakes parrish, Jasper Residents

Aug. 16, 1985

A TORNADO WREAKED HAVOC IN WALKER COUNTY ON AUG. 16, 1985.

Hurricane Danny spiraled through the southeastern United States that month and produced 13 tornadoes in Alabama and Tennessee, according to the National Weather Service.

Parrish was the hardest hit area in Walker County. A twister came down the town's Main Street around

Photos taken from the archives of the Daily Mountain Eagle

11 a.m., and locals had no time to take cover because a mountain at the south of town blocked Birmingham's National Weather Service Radar to warn of the impending tornado.

According to the Daily Mountain Eagle archives, "John Burnette, Walker County Emergency Manage ment Agency coordinator, said when the thunder storm topped the crest and spawned the swirling

twister that dropped over Parrish and finally appeared on radar, 'They misquoted and said the tornado was in Cordova.'"

By the time data was accurate, the tornado had done its dam age in Parrish.

The tornado continued on to Jasper and caused damage in the Forest Park subdivision 20 minutes later. Another tornado downed trees and power lines in Sumiton at 2 p.m. that day.

Margaret Hartley, 66, of Stephenson Road in Parrish, was killed when a tornado destroyed her mobile home at 11:05 a.m. Hart ley's daughter, Carolyn Gravitt, told of watching from a back door at her neighboring home while the tornado ripped through her mother's mobile home. She was devastated.

"I saw it take the trailer," Gravitt said. "I had just called her to tell her to come over here."

There were no other fatalities in Walker County, but Thomas Gurganus was injured when his truck was overturned by the twister in Parrish. Another woman in Cullman County perished of a heart attack when she knew tornadoes were approaching her area.

Twenty were injured in Alabama from the tornadoes that day. Frank Makosky, a meteorologist at the time with the National Weather Service, said at least two, possibly four, tornadoes went through Walker County that day.

"Considering what we had, we were real lucky,” ER physician Mike Billings, who treated five for injuries at Walker Regional Medical Center, told the Daily Mountain Eagle. "We were real lucky, to say the least."

A total of 45 homes in Parrish and Jasper were damaged, along with 15 businesses.

The roof was torn from the Parrish Post Office, the steeple was ripped from First Baptist Church, and walls collapsed at Western Auto Store and Harris Car Wash. The roofs were damaged at Swann Standard Service Station and Stone Hardware Store, and many homes were either destroyed or had structural damage.

The destruction in Parrish was estimated at more than $1.15 million, while $1 million in damages was reported in Jasper.

J.W. Chance, who was mayor of Parrish in 1985, said, "We're going to bounce back. This ain't going to whip us. We've got to bounce back and we've got to help these people."

In Jasper, homes were damaged in the Forest Park subdivision, and many trees were toppled, resulting in an estimated $250,000 worth of damage. Walker Industrial Supply also sustained damage.

Then Jasper Mayor Penn Woods said of Forest Park, "This re minds me of the bombing in Germany during the war. The forests looked just like this."

A shelter was set up for displaced people at the National Guard Armory in Jasper. The White Way Restaurant fed rescue personnel, and a local grocery store, community food bank, and a fast food restaurant fed victims of the tornadoes. The Red Cross served food at Parrish Police Department.

Y E AR 1

Fall 2012 — A WILD RIDE

Our first cover story was on Dale Lively, a Nauvoo resident and veteran of the Extreme Mustang Makeover. At the time, he was training his fifth mustang, Rocker.

Summer 2013 — RUSHING: A LENS ON HISTORY

Luis Rushing, a self taught photographer, took many of the iconic photos of Walker County in the 1940s and '50s that now get shared on social media. He covered the funeral of William Bankhead, which was attended by President Franklin Roosevelt, in 1940. The photo spread in this issue eventually inspired what is now our From the Vault section.

Spring 2013 — SPIRIT OF A SURVIVOR

Charlesetta Johnson, a survivor of the April 2011 tornadoes in Cordova, shared her story of seeing her house renovated by volunteers from World Renew, also known as "The Green Shirts." Read an update on Charlesetta on page 32 in this issue.

Ten years of Walker

Ten years of Walker

Winter 2014 — HITTING THE RIGHT NOTE

Jasper native Russell Lee became the pianist for the historic 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham in 1995. He spent 10 years in the role.

Y E AR 2 Y E AR 3

Spring 2014 — HOW COAL SHAPED WALKER COUNTY

This cover, which featured James "Barney" Barnett, John Tucker and Cody Barnett emerging from a Carbon Hill coal mine, remains one of our most memorable and most requested.

Fall 2014 — ROLL TIDE, WAR EAGLE

We kicked off our third year with dueling stories on Walker County natives Bill McDonald, former University of Alabama Director of Sports Medicine, and Lloyd Nix, Auburn University quarterback in 1957 and 1958. McDonald won four national championships and Nix won one.

Summer 2015 — SUMMER FUN

Our first unorthodox cover, taken with a GoPro, showed campers Grace Washington and Brianna Roddam swimming in the pool at Dotson Baptist Camp.

From The

The jubilation that usually accompanies the start of a new year was tempered in January 1991 by a crisis in the Gulf that had been developing since the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. In November, the United Nations Security Council set a deadline of Jan. 15 for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to withdraw from Kuwait.

Winter 2016 — WALKER COUNTY AT WAR:

Our

JUNE 1991

From the Vault featured a series of photos and an in depth story on Walker County's response to Operation Desert Storm.

Y E AR 3 Y E AR 4

Summer 2016 — MULE SPOTTING

On Jan. 12, with the war clock winding down, more than 80 people who had loved ones serving in the Middle East gathered at the National Guard Armory in Cordova to offer each other support during a time of excruciating uncertainty.

On Jan. 14, about 50 people attended “Deadline Prayer Time,” an hour-long prayer vigil at Farmstead Baptist Church. The names of 117 servicemen and women were read aloud and prayed over individually.

Students at Parrish Elementary School showed their support for local troops in harm’s way that day by wearing red, white and blue.

Hours after the deadline passed, several family members of local soldiers shared their anxieties with the Daily Mountain Eagle “I’ve cried for the past week, but there’s something about today that’s calm,” said Minnie Tidwell Quinn. Her son, Master Sgt. Charles Tidwell, was serving in Saudi Arabia on his birthday, Jan. 15. “I’m worried about it, but

Operation

With

On

Ten y of Wa

Visitors to Walker County often ask, "What's with all the mules?" We gave a history of the Walker County Arts Alliance's Public Art Project at the start of its fifth year.

years

Winter 2017 — FOOD FOR THE SOUL

Coming off the holidays, our minds were still on food in 2017. Our winter issue featured a photo essay on recipes submitted by readers as well as a cover story on Armstrong Cafe in Eldridge.

Fall 2017 — SECRETS OF A STORYTELLER

This article on retired educator Billie Seales won second place for Best Single Feature Story in the 2018 Alabama Press Association Better Newspaper Contest. The award, which included every eligible magazine in the state in the same division, was the first time that WALKER Magazine had been recognized.

Y E AR 5 Y E AR 6

Walker

Summer 2018 — MAN IN MOTION

It wasn't easy to catch up with Clifford Elliott, better known as the running man. Elliott, then 63, sometimes ran up to seven miles a day. Sadly, he passed away in September 2019.

Fall 2018 — LEGACIES UNDER THE LIGHTS

This project was the most ambitious ever undertaken by our staff to date. We tracked down the stories of the names behind the stadiums at each of our local high schools.

Summer 2019 — THE AMAZING HONEY BEE

Great photo essays take time to come together. This one, which tracked a year in the life of honey bees, was pulled from more than one issue of the magazine because it wasn't quite ready. When it finally appeared, it was worth the wait.

Y E AR 7 Y E AR 8

Ten y of Wa

Fall 2019 — CARTER MANASCO

One of our favorite kinds of stories to do at the magazine are what might be called "forgotten man" stories. Carter Manasco was part of a long line of Congressman from Walker County, but his contributions have been overshadowed by those of the Bankheads, Carl Elliott and Tom Bevill. In this issue, we traced his journey from Townley to Washington D.C., where he spent 52 years of his life, mostly as a lobbyist.

years

Fall 2020 — HEALTHCARE HEROES

In the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic, we celebrated local individuals who were serving our community.

Summer 2021 — THE MISSING ISSUE

For the first and hopefully the only time in this magazine's history, a variety of circumstances conspired and made it impractical to put out a quarterly issue.

Y E AR 9 Y E AR 10

Walker

Winter 2022 — OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS ISSUE

Including some holiday content in the magazine had been a topic of discussion among staff for several years. Last year, we committed to it, only to have the first printing of the magazine get lost in transit. While publishing a Christmas issue in January wasn't our goal, we were still proud of the issue itself.

Cordova 4th

Downtown Cordova / July 2

Cordova's Independence Day celebration, held on July 2, featured a living history camp and 246 flags displayed through downtown. Musical performances were scheduled throughout the day, with Alabama Blues Queen DieDra and the Ruff Pro Band and the M 80s scheduled in the afternoon to get the crowd excited for the fireworks show.

Snapshots

Daily Mountain Eagle photos by Jennifer Cohron

A legacy preserved

A legacy preserved

Story by Jennifer Cohron Photography by Jennifer Cohron and DME Archive

Built in the late 1800s by Cap tain Benjamin Long, it has outlasted nearly every other aspect of Long's legacy except the existence of the town he founded in 1859.

The view from the porch of the antebellum home has changed drastically in the last 50 years. First, the mill that served as the back bone of Cordova's economy for more than 60 years after Long helped bring it to town shut down in 1962.

Today, there is little sign that the mill ever existed. Its iconic smoke stack came tumbling down in 1993, and the mill office was torn down in 2014. The 15 acres where Indian Head Mill once operated is now being turned into a park.

In 2011, the downtown district that sprang up because of the mill and the Methodist church that had borne Long's name for nearly 100 years were destroyed when Cor dova was hit by two tornadoes on April 27.

Around 4 p.m., an EF4 tornado that would quickly claim four lives in Cordova tore the roof off of the Long House and sent it crashing into the sanctuary of the Methodist church across the street.

Amy Halliwell, a student at the University of Alabama at the time and the great great granddaughter of Long and his wife, Amanda, was devastated when she saw the dam age that had been done to the home and the church days later.

The Long House is the last remaining historical landmark in Cordova.

At that time, there was nothing Halliwell could do except mourn what was expected to be the loss of the family home (though it had not been in the family for at least a generation).

However, the house survived and changed hands twice before she and her husband, Eric, purchased it in January. The couple has spent the eight months working on the exterior of the home and its grounds. Their ef fort was rewarded in August when the Cordova Economic and Industrial Development Authority presented them with the board's quarterly Beau tification Award.

Though the house, which was still being used as a residence in 2011, isn't ready to accommodate another family just yet, the Halliwells have hope for the future.

"We have a long rode ahead of us, but if God blesses us with children, I really would love to be able to raise our children in the home," Amy Halli well said.

The Long House is the last of at least three homes that Long built in Walker County.

An application to have the Long House placed on the National Reg ister of Historic Places that was re printed in "Reflections of Cordova," a book of history published by the Cor dova Lioness Club, provides some his tory on the various residences. (The effort to have the Long House placed on the historic register was ultimately not successful.)

First came the White House, lo cated on Whitehouse Road in Jasper. That home was built in the 1850s and got its name because it was the first house in the county to be painted white.

When the Civil War broke out, Long organized a company of Confederate soldiers under a large oak tree in the yard of the White House. Wilson's Raiders reportedly spared the White House after a slave told them that Long had opposed secession and had become a Confederate captain be cause of his friendship with Gen. Rob ert E. Lee.

"This good fortune would be a car dinal reason for Long's relative pros perity following the war, during the aftermath of which many others found themselves financially ruined," the ar ticle in "Reflections of Cordova" states.

Long also built a two story Greek Revival house in Jasper, where he lived from 1876 to the mid 1880s. That home has long since burned.

The Long House in Cordova was re portedly built from yellow heart pine cut around South Lowell and sawed on Blackwater Creek. The timbers were hauled to Cordova by oxen.

After Long died in 1903, his daugh ter, Ida Long Miller, inherited the home. The home remained in the Miller family for more than 60 years.

It was eventually sold to the Gurga nus family. Rob Gurganus, who had grown up in the home, was living there with his wife, Emily, and their children at the time of the 2011 tor nado.

"I do not know how many people came to me and said they cried when they saw my house," Gurganus told the Daily Mountain Eagle in 2011.

That summer, Gurganus received a phone call the day that the 99 year old Long Memorial Methodist Church was torn down. The man on the back hoe was offering to go across the street and level the house for free.

Gurganus told the person on the other side of the phone that the house was not to be touched and then raced back to Cordova to con firm with his own eyes that it was still standing.

In the years, renovations have pro ceeded in fits and starts. In recent years, the Long House has been dec orated to coincide with the city's sea sonal celebrations in the summer, fall and winter.

In 2018, Cathy Wylie Savage and Michael Stewart, both members of the Cordova High School Class of 1978, exchanged vows in front of Long House during its stint as a wedding and event venue.

"We want to preserve it, but just as they are rebuilding the city, we want this to be the cherry on top of all of the positive things that are going on here," Eric Halliwell said.

In recent years, the Long House has been decorated to coincide with the city's seasonal celebrations in the summer, fall and winter.

4th and Que

Tallulah Brewing Company / July 13

Tallulah Brewing Company hosted a 4th and Que Party on July 13. The event, which raised $6,987 for the Walker Area Community Foundation, was a BBQ cook off with teams competing in several different categories.

Snapshots

Daily Mountain Eagle photos by Jennifer Cohron

Faith over fear

Faith over fear

After all, if Johnson could survive two tornadoes that hit her com munity on the same day, she could at least give post secondary educa tion the college try.

It was an ordinary day in 2019 when something — or someone — stopped Johnson in her tracks. She said she suddenly heard God's voice and He told her to go back to school.

"It just really enveloped me," she said. "I was in tears."

Johnson told the Lord she would accept his challenge but needed fi nancial assistance to attend college.

"He said, 'It's not going to be easy, but I will be with you,'" Johnson said.

She tried to get financial aid to at

tend college over a decade ago but had trouble securing funding be cause she had left school in 1978.

In 2019, however, at 59 years old, Johnson contacted Bevill State Community College in Jasper and was accepted to enroll in classes. She also secured funding of $2,323.

"I added those numbers up. Two and three equals five, two and three equals five," she said. "Five is the number of grace, and when I saw that, I said, 'Lord, this is double grace.' I knew it was Him."

Johnson said her experience sur viving April 27, 2011, contributed to her listening to the Lord when she said He told her to go back to school.

Story and photography by Nicole Smith

Charlesetta Johnson took a leap of faith and spent two years doing something she always wanted to do — go to college.

Her home was nearly destroyed by a morning and afternoon tornado on April 27, 2011, but she and her hus band, Ricky, survived.

"It's just all praises to the Lord," she said.

Their home sustained significant roof damage and all the windows were destroyed. A volunteer group out of Canada ultimately help secure her home and make it an inviting space to live again after such destruc tion.

Johnson had to muster up all the strength she had to make it through that difficult time, and she did it once again when she started classes at Bevill State in the spring of 2020.

She had been a substitute teacher several times over the years, and she decided to major in childhood devel opment so she could, hopefully, con tinue serving children.

Johnson was afraid but went forth.

"I never told people I was afraid to go back," Johnson said of furthering her education. "I would tell people, 'I'm too old now. My memory reten tion isn't what it should be.'"

Johnson said they were simply ex cuses to mask the fear, but she re membered God's promise, made the commitment to go to college, and kept advancing through each se mester.

She said her two years at Bevill State were difficult, perhaps more so since she knew people wanted to see if she had the grit to succeed and earn a diploma.

"When you step out in faith and tell people I'm going to step out in faith and go to school, they're watching you, how you do whatever it is you said you were going to do," she said.

Johnson praised her advisor, Dr. Janina Nobles of Bevill State, for her encouragement. She recalled a mo

ment when she gave Nobles a pre vious transcript and told her she feared being judged by her past edu cational journey. Nobles quickly put her at ease.

"Whatever it is, you don't need to worry about that because that was then and this is now," Johnson said Nobles told her. "Have you noticed that your windshield is bigger than your back window? Because where you've been, you've already seen that and you don't have to look at that anymore. We're going ahead."

Johnson did move forward, and she surprised herself by what she could accomplish. There were hard days, tears, and never ending assignments, but she made it — until she almost didn't.

She had just turned in a large port folio for her final assignment, and she

later heard from Nobles that she needed to make corrections and do a lot of her work over. The problem was that she only had a couple of weeks to get the final version submitted.

Ultimately, out of the 400 points she could receive for the portfolio, she got 385.

"Had I not done it correctly the second time, I couldn't have gradu ated. I came that close to not gradu ating," Johnson said. "That just helps to keep me humble, because at the last minute anything can happen."

Johnson referenced several saved scriptures and inspiring quotes during her time in college. She even had a name for her college experience — "My Student Journey Stepping Out on Faith and Standing on the Prom ises of God."

"Giving up was never an option." Johnson said. It's a message she would also tell her classmates on course introduction days.

"Giving up was never an option."

Photo courtesy of Bevill State Community College

"That's who I am. I am a per son that will try my best to en courage you, inspire you, uplift you, motivate you through something I've seen, something I've done, something I've heard, to anybody that will listen," she said.

Johnson moved to Cordova in 1998. She is the mother of four sons, three daughters, and a grandmother to fourteen grandchildren. She is active in her church and has many re sponsibilities, yet she still persevered to do something she always wanted to do — go back to school. She graduated cum laude from Bevill State ear

lier this year with a grade point average of 3.576 at age 61.

Johnson has been working recently to put her degree in child development to use, and her dream is to open a childcare center.

She says age never played a factor in her decision to further her education; instead, it be came a motivator to achieve more than she ever imagined.

"My message to people is, you can do it, but not in your own strength. We are nothing, we have nothing, and we can do nothing without God," she said. "If you are holding His hand and you know He is hold ing your hand, you can do it."

"As soon as he gave me the diploma and I walked away, that's when the tears came. It was so special," she said.

food. drinks. events.

Cornhole Tournament

Jasper

The Rotary Club of Jasper hosted a cornhole tournament in downtown Jasper on Aug. 2. The club raised $1,850 for the Critical Care Transport program at Children’s Hospital. The winners in the team competition were father and son Brent and Caleb Rogers, who went on to win the Boiling 'N Bragging Cornhole Tournament held in Mountain Brook on Aug. 20.

Snapshots

Daily Mountain Eagle photos by Jennifer Cohron

On the rebound

On the rebound

Volleyball was the first to go.

That was just the beginning.

Baseball, basketball, softball all followed.

Just like that, Bevill State Com munity College was done with ath letics.

Citing rising costs and budget woes, the school’s athletic programs were shut down in March of 2011. Bevill State’s facilities — Glen Clem Gymnasium in Jasper, the Fayette campus baseball field and volleyball gym as well as the softball field in Sumiton — were left empty with no plans to be reopened.

That all changed more than five years later when news finally came that the Bears would get another chance. Recruiting started back in 2016 with the first Bevill State teams returning to the court and the field in fall of 2017.

Now, another five years later, and Bevill State hasn’t just brought back all of its previous programs, but the school added men’s and women’s tennis last year and is bringing back cheerleading this basketball season.

“I think what you see with ath letics is a connection to the com munity,” Bevill State Community College Athletic Director Max Weaver said. “Obviously, we are the community college and we want to be the community college that people turn to first. That connection is very important.”

Weaver was there at the ground floor when the school brought back athletics.

“When I got to be over bringing it back, I was dealing with the differ ent campuses and communities. It always struck me how important

Story and photography by Johnathan Bentley

athletic programs were to providing high school students with another venue to utilize their skills and to showcase their talents. In a lot of cases we’ve had student athletes go on to four year colleges so we were a great stepping stone to them,” Weaver said.

Bevill State Community College President Dr. Joel Hagood noted the importance athletics plays to the school.

“Participation in athletic programs is educational. Team sports teach the players about testing themselves, the value of teamwork, values of challenge and response, about discipline and perseverance. They help these stu dent athletes to learn that goals worth achieving require effort, hard work, sacrifice, and sometimes even those will not be enough to overcome the obstacles we encounter. These are valuable life lessons,” he said.

Currently, Bevill State coaches are

Kelly Cheatham (men’s basketball), Chris Harris (softball), Charlotte Beas ley (volleyball), Coley Blakeney (base ball) and Eli Matthews (men’s and women’s tennis). Danielle Cohoon is the cheerleading sponsor.

“I think we’ve got some really good coaches. All of our coaches are part time. Some are retired. Some have another job. Our coaches do it for the love of the game and the love of the kids they work with, and Dr. Hagood has been so supportive of our pro grams and student athletes,” Weaver added. “All of our coaches have done a great job of recruiting. I’m very pleased with where we are headed. We’ve grown in athletics at Bevill State and the conference itself has grown. We are seeing more and more statewide. I think the interest in athletics in the community college system is growing by leaps and bounds and we are a part of that.”

“Participation in athletic programs is educational. Team sports teach the players about testing themselves, the value of teamwork, values of challenge and response, about discipline and perseverance.”

Bevill State has enjoyed success since the return. The baseball team advanced to the Alabama Community College Conference Region Tourna ment for the first time last year. The 2019 2020 basketball team boasted both the ACCC Player of the Year (La trell Tate) and the North Division Coach of the Year (Tommy Suitts). Harris guided the softball team to its most successful season since the re turn in 2022. The Bears won their first conference series last year and totaled 14 wins in Harris’ first season.

The softball team also moved to its new home field at Sumiton City Park in 2022.

“Dr. Hagood has put an emphasis on sports. Not only does he want sports, he wants them to be success ful and he’s given us the means that

we can be,” said Harris.

“Bevill State Community College is committed to the success of all of our athletic programs. We understand the added value athletics brings to the overall student experience,” Hagood said. “However, we realize that we cannot do this alone. We need the support of our community partners for these programs. Bevill State has been very fortunate to receive assis tance from stakeholders such as the city of Jasper, the city of Sumiton, the Community Foundation of Fayette County, the Bevill Foundation, Pin nacle Bank, and WJLX. The college will work to foster and grow support ive relationships such as these, while continuing to provide our student athletes with a quality education.”

“...we realize that we cannot do this alone. We need the support of our community partners for these programs.”

Back2School Giveaway

Capstone Rural Health Center's annual Back2School Supply & Backpack Giveaway brought out hundreds on Aug. 5 to the old Parrish High School to get free back packs, school supplies, food and other resources.

Snapshots

Spotlight

Ruby Gilbert

Compiled by Jennifer Cohron

It's natural for kids to be excited about what they are going to get for their birthday. For two years in a row, one local girl has focused on what she can give.

In 2021, Ruby Gilbert organized a book drive for her 7th birthday to help Jasper Public Library acquire more of the titles she enjoys reading — biographies and spe cifically books about the lives of amazing women.

The library ultimately received a donation of 156 books for young and middle grade readers because of Ruby.

For her 8th birthday, Ruby held a food drive to benefit Backyard Blessings after reading about the Walker County nonprofit in the Spring 2022 issue of WALKER. Thanks to the generosity of friends, family and other donors, Ruby was able to provide nearly 2,000 food items to Backyard Blessings, which pro vides take home meals to local schoolchildren.