The Suburban Newspaper for Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Hoover and North Shelby County
OVER THE MOUNTAIN
inside
JOU RNAL otmj.com
th
ursd ay, Oct ober 16, 2014
V ol . 23 #19
The Memory Keeper
people page 4
Charles Collat Is on His Own Walk to Remember
Hollywood Hits: ASO Maestro’s Ball features movie-themed music
By Keysha Drexel
S
Journal editor
itting in his office on Montclair Road, Charles Collat Sr. is surrounded by more than half a century’s worth of memories stored on every medium imaginable. And while the 82-year-old can vividly recall almost every moment preserved on the films, slides and tapes, he knows his beloved wife, Patsy, doesn’t recognize much about the 61 years of life documented in the collection. “The full flavor of all those events is still fresh in my mind, but my Patsy can’t remember any of it. Our history has been taken away from her, little by little, and she’ll never get those memories back,” he said. “Alzheimer’s is a one way street, a death sentence. It’s a terrible disease for those who have it, and it’s incredibly tough on their loved ones.” In an effort to help Alzheimer’s patients and their loved ones, Collat recently established an endowment program in Patsy’s honor for Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama, a nonprofit
Queen with a Cause: Vestavia’s Francie Harris is Auburn’s Miss Homecoming
Charles Collat Sr., right, recently established a 10-year endowment to benefit Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama in honor of his wife, Patsy, left. Photo special to the Journal
social page 20
Walking to Remember Nov. 1, 8:30 a.m. Riverchase Galleria Alzheimer’s of Central Alabama will host the annual Walking to Remember fundraiser Nov. 1 at the Riverchase Galleria in Hoover. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. The three-mile walk begins at 8:30 a.m. The family-friendly event offers participants the opportunity to form teams and raise money in honor or memory of loved ones. All proceeds benefit ACA programs and services, such as scholarships for patients to attend adult day care programs. The walk will start in the Galleria’s food court area. For registration information, call 871-7970 or email Vance Holder at vholder@alzca.org. For more information on the event, visit www.alzca.org.
Stocked for the Season: The Pantry offers tasty options for the holidays
food page 30
See collat, page 6
‘What Mr. Collat has done is give us money that we can count on, and that is huge.’ Miller Piggott, ACA director
Less Stress Journal photos by Lee Walls Jr.
for the
Season home page 26
a night out
news page 16
winter fashion Preview page 38
sue murphy on treats p. 2 • eco-friendly event in hoover P. 10 • jewish food festival moves outside p. 30 • otm merit sEMIFINALISTS p. 34