Home Tour
T HU R SDAY, DEC. 12
PRESENTING SPONSOR
PREMIUM SPONSORS SPONSORS
Jan & Bill Service
Mook Mills Cheese Straws
RD Designs
Robert F. Henry Tile Company
Ruby Ansley Interiors Inc.
Brandino Brass Co.
Christy & Mac McKiernan
Fixtures & Finishes
The Fresh Market
Issis & Sons Furniture & Flooring
John Henley with State Farm Insurance
Mayer Lighting Showroom
Rousso Adams Facial Plastic Surgery
FRIENDS
Brookdale University Park Senior Living Holt AV/Video
Leon Loard Oil Portraits
O.Henry's Coffee & Company
Thompson's Frame Factory
Tricia & Philip Naro
Welcome to Samford Legacy League’s
14th annual Christmas Home Tour
Thank you for participating in our Christmas Home Tour, a beloved Birmingham tradition since 2011. The support of our homeowners, sponsors and guests helps make a joyful day possible and change the lives of students with significant financial need and challenging life circumstances. Since its inaugural year, the Christmas Home Tour has raised over $425,000 to provide scholarships for students who have faced monumental challenges including homelessness, inner city violence, the disability or death of a parent or sibling, parental job loss, abandonment, parental incarceration and the sacrifices of full-time ministry. Our students benefit from the dedicated, ongoing care of staff and volunteers; connections to campus resources; fellowship and home-cooked meals at monthly dinners; and practical assistance including food pantry access.
The first Christmas Home Tour in 2011 was planned in weeks, not months, by a small team of dedicated volunteers. Four homes were featured, 212 tickets were sold, and the event raised $2693.99!
Thirteen years later, preparation for the event is a year-round process which includes over 200 volunteers, numerous local businesses, careful logistical planning, magazine features and more. Every bit of that preparation is a gift – a gift to the community and a gift to the students whose lives it touches. To date the Christmas Home Tour has included 55 homes and nearly 7000 attendees.
Thank you for supporting our life-changing ministry!
To learn more about our events and mission, visit samford.edu/legacyleague.
2024 Christmas Home Tour Committee
Jan Service, chair
Sheila Smith, vice chair
Brandy Beaumont
Cindy Bembry
Karen Carlisle
P.A. Carmichael
Marie Cimbora
Jan Cobb
Cathy Cook
Lindsey Reed Curl
Amy Duffey
Danna Duncan
Betsy Elsner
Julie Gunter
Claire Gwaltney
Maureen Hallman
Cindy Hardy
Amy Fenton Lee
Tereasa Rima
Sharon Smith
Barbra Summers
Julie Taylor
Shea Williams
Amy & Matt Kelly | 318 La Prado Circle, Homewood
Built in 1955, Amy and Matt Kelly’s inviting Homewood residence has little resemblance to the original dwelling on the lot. Previous owners added a second story to the bungalow at the start of the millennium. The Kellys have given it a “top to bottom renovation over the last four years, covering the full interior and exterior,” according to Amy. “Prior to moving in,” she said, “we updated the floor plan to improve sightlines downstairs where there were previously several smaller rooms. Upstairs, we closed and moved doorways and walls to create a better flow. After moving in, we worked our way through the kitchen, bathrooms and exterior. At this point, almost every surface has received a refresh.”
This completely renovated home on a quiet Hollywood street boasts several interesting features – a cozy screened porch with tall accordion doors, a 1000-bottle temperature-controlled wine cellar, and an updated outdoor kitchen, to name a few. The open floor plan works beautifully for the neighborhood open house Amy and Matt host each December. Their yuletide décor includes a ceramic Christmas tree stand made by Matt’s greatgrandfather, who also made the molds for the decorative top of the Wrigley Building in Chicago.
Home Tour
THU R SDAY, DEC. 11, 2025
“Being a part of the Legacy League has made my college experience easier spiritually and mentally. It feels like there is always someone rooting for me to win, and I am forever grateful.”
–Legacy League scholarship recipient
Mary Catherine & Scott Laney | 504 Dexter Avenue, Mountain Brook
Arab, Alabama natives and high school sweethearts Mary Catherine and Scott Laney love the walkable community of Crestline, where they’ve lived in their French Normandy inspired chateau since 2020. Simultaneously classic but artful, comfortable yet elegant, their custom-built home includes countless notable features. Numerous roof peaks, tall corner windows and a porte-cochère add interest to the white brick exterior, while the grand chandelier and angled staircase distinguish the two-story foyer. The center of the residence includes a living room with exposed beams and a gorgeous white kitchen with double islands. Each of the home’s four bedrooms is uniquely appointed, thanks to interior decorator Lisbeth Cease, to fit its residents’ interests and personality.
Leon the Elf ushers in the yuletide season for the Laneys, presenting their three children with coordinating Christmas pajamas. A wonderland at Christmas, the home displays 10 trees, including a 10-foot Fraser Fir dressed in Old World and other mercury glass ornaments. Sentimental ornaments and a Christmas train adorn the playroom tree, while the whimsical upstairs den tree provides a backdrop for Santa's mailbox. The outdoor sitting area boasts three nested trees by the bed swing, whose suspending ropes are wrapped with lighted pine garland.
Changing students' lives
THROUGH GENEROUS SCHOLARSHIPS, CARING RELATIONSHIPS, CAMPUS CONNECTIONS & PRACTICAL ASSISTANCE
24 STUDENTS IN OUR COHORT
200+ lives changed through scholarships
The Legacy League awards transformational scholarships to students who have faced challenges including homelessness, abandonment, death or disability of a parent or sibling, inner-city violence, parental substance abuse and the sacrifices of fulltime ministry.
“I knew that being a part of the Legacy League meant that I would receive a scholarship, but I did not know that it included family, godly women that care for me, hugs and cookies on move in day, free advice, goody bags every month, monthly dinners with delicious free food, networking opportunities, cards full of encouragements, an inspiring cohort of scholars and new friends, and a support system to uplift me during difficult periods in college. I am blown away and overwhelmed with how much this community has poured into me and contributed to my positive experience at Samford.”
—SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT
Nancy & Ron Rowell | 2421 Chestnut
Road, Vestavia Hills
After 43 years in the same house, Nancy and Ron Rowell “decided it was time for a change. Instead of downsizing,” Nancy said, “we upsized.” Overlooking Vestavia Country Club’s 12th green, the Rowells’ custom-built residence has all the features they wanted. They spent over a year in the planning stages. Five years after building their “forever special home,” Nancy said there’s nothing they would change. Their stately painted brick house has large arched windows, a balcony and limestone accents. Inside, the limestone makes a starring appearance in the majestic staircase and large fireplace. The kitchen’s twin islands, another focal point, offer bountiful space for entertaining family and friends. Across the back, the large open-air porch with remote-controlled motorized screens provides tranquility and gorgeous views.
Seasonal decorating starts prior to Thanksgiving for the Rowells, who adorn their home with multiple Christmas trees both inside and out.
The living room’s 12-foot flocked tree reaches nearly to the top of the second-floor balcony railing, which is dressed with complementary wreaths. Silver-trimmed stockings coordinate with festive pillows on the room’s club chairs. The steps of the foyer staircase provide the stage for nativity characters on their journey to Bethlehem.
Christmas Home Tour Homeowners
We are extremely grateful for the people who have graciously opened their homes to the community since the tour’s inception in 2011. Thank you for your generosity and hospitality!
Denise & Ronnie Alvarez, 2016
Alisa & David Belcher, 2014
Cindy & Tim Bembry, 2011
Deidre & George Robert Booker, 2023
Dixie & Tom Brannon, 2014
Nancy & Buck Brock, 2011
Redonda & Lowell Broom, 2013
Jenny & Sonny Culp, 2021
Julia & Tim Davis, 2021
Christine & Mike Denniston, 2019
Tricia & Mark Drew, 2015
Kathryn & Doug Eckert, 2022
Lisa & Randy Freeman, 2017
Wansley & Ryan Griffin, 2022
Liz & Doug Guest, 2023
Sharon & Billy Harvill, 2023
Linda & Charlie Israel, 2020
Ashley & Trevor Kaple, 2018
Amy & Matt Kelly, 2024
Joy & Price Kloess, 2016
Carrie & Joseph Kreps, 2020
Mary Catherine & Scott Laney, 2024
Anne & George Lawton, 2020
Dimity & Alex Leath, 2015
Meredith & Jeffrey Lees, 2019
Angel & Jared Lewis, 2019
Laura & Larry Merrill, 2014
Allison Morgan, 2016
Bridget & Andrew Patterson, 2022
Rhonda & Tom Powell, 2017
Ashley & Andy Prewitt, 2018
Lynn & Duane Randleman, 2015
Shannon & Richard Riley, 2015
Nancy & Ron Rowell, 2024
Beth & George Simpson, 2012
Laura & Andy Sink, 2021
Alison & Martin Smith, 2021
Jeff Smith, 2011
Jenny & Scott Sobera, 2022
Cheryl & Terry Spitzer, 2017
Tracy & Robert Stephens, 2018
Marianne & Patrick Strong, 2024
Carolyn & John Tate, 2016
Janet & Jerry Taylor, 2013
Julie & Beck Taylor, 2021-2024
Kathy & Tommy Thomson, 2023
Phyllis & Roye Tinsley, 2013
Denise Upton, 2014
Dolly & Jim Walker, 2012
Rushton & Derek Waltchack, 2019
Beth & Bill Welden, 2020
Jeanna & Andy Westmoreland, 2011-2020
Lisa & Harris Wilson, 2017
Danielle & Bart Yancey, 2013 & 2018
Marianne & Patrick Strong | 503 Eastwood Place, Vestavia Hills
The Strongs have lived in two different homes on the same Vestavia lot — the first they bought, and the second they built seven years later because they didn’t want to leave their neighborhood. Building a home “from the ground up” was familiar territory for Marianne, a nationally recognized Birmingham interior designer. With hopes that visitors “would want to stay awhile,” they built a cozy yet spacious brick home with a fresh, eclectic style and a commitment to function. The kitchen, outfitted by AllSouth Appliance, features a large four-seat island with a built-in bookcase for cookbooks. It’s topped with a boldly veined stone Marianne found years ago and also used on the countertops and backsplash. Custom steel windows above the sink and in the breakfast nook “allow for maximize natural light and views of the park behind the house.”
The home’s art and holiday décor harken back family memories. Every ornament on their downstairs Christmas tree tells a story, and framed Christmas cards in the stairwell memorialize passing years. Marianne’s Chilean heritage is evident on the “sailboat wall,” while other pieces give nods to Nashville and Mississippi. The family’s talent is revealed in moon views Marianne painted and lots of the Strong boys’ artwork.
SCHOLARSHIP LUNCHEON featuring
Carolyn Weber
award-winning author of Surprised by Oxford
Thursday, Feb. 13
Samford Legacy League’s Scholarship Celebration featuring
JON MICHAEL OGLETREE
the shortest professional piano player in the world
sharing the hope of Jesus through music
THURSDAY, APRIL 24
Julie & Beck Taylor | 1994 Shades Crest Road, Vestavia Hills
Samford President’s Home
On the ridge of Shades Mountain overlooking Samford’s campus sits the Samford’s President’s Home, a replica of Monteigne, a mid-18th century neoclassical house in Natchez, Mississippi. The four-story home is both a busy university event space and the dwelling place of President Beck A.Taylor; his wife, Julie, the university’s first lady and Legacy League’s executive director; their youngest daughter, Chloe; and their Goldendoodle, Peanut. Furnished with a beautifully integrated collection of university-owned antiques and Taylor family pieces and collections, the majestic residence welcomes thousands of visitors annually. Over 1800 books fill its plentiful bookcases.
The president’s home has anchored the Christmas Home Tour since its inception 13 years ago. Its yuletide attire includes themed Christmas trees, seemingly endless yards of lighted garland and festive ribbon, and special pieces the family has collected over the years. Reminiscent of the Taylors’ Christmas in London, a snowy Christmas village depicts Victorian England and scenes from Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. In addition to viewing the home’s gorgeous décor and seasonal flair, home tour guests will enjoy live holiday music, scrumptious treats and pop-up shoppes in the ballroom. A percentage of all purchases supports the Legacy League Scholarship Fund.
2024 Christmas Home Tour
Kelly Home
318 La Prado Circle
Please approach from Hollywood/Malaga.
La Prado Place/Circle Malaga Avenue
Laney
Avenue
Taylor Home
Samford President’s Home
Park at First Church of the Nazarene, 1998 Shades Crest Road.
Rowell Home 2421 Chestnut Road
Strong Home 503 Eastwood Place
