CHEER REUNION

This page: The cheerleaders from Livings' first year as coach were disciplined and looked like a team; Facing page: Dianne James Davis, Becky Butler Frank, Sadler Beale McLemore, Marie Rosie Ligings, Jenny Posey Baars, Ree Monroe Yeargen, Susan Avery Nolen, Jeanine Hinds Holloway, Kay Coker Bolton, Martha McCorkel, Luanne Nix Hamilton, Jan Keebler Ingram, Debbie Peeks, Hackett, Zan Simon Pappas, Cindy Champion Snider, Lisa Dowdy Barber, Glenda Borders McCall and Melanie Fomby Barry

The Jefferson Davis High School cheerleaders reunited with their coach at Lake Martin this summer

STORY BY BRITTANY SMITH & PHOTOS BY KENNETH BOONE

SSitting on the fireplace was a sign that read: We interrupt this marriage to bring you the football season. Visitors saw the sign and laughed about it. Those same people never understood the truth in that sign. Despite the giggles that it induced, the meaning was as honest as the day is long.

Marie Rosie Livings was a football wife.

She went to every game and watched every episode of her husband Billy’s show, Volunteer

Review, which aired on WSFA-TV, channel 12 in

Montgomery on Sunday evenings after The Bear

Bryant Show and Shug Jordan’s Auburn Review.

The television show came on the cusp of multiple winning seasons and a state championship for the relatively new

Jefferson Davis

High School football team. And

Livings never faltered, her support for Billy and the boys was unwavering. But that wasn’t all she did. In 1968, when

Jefferson Davis first opened its doors and Billy was hired as the head football coach, Livings also needed a job.

She was a business and typing teacher.

Jefferson Davis agreed to hire her, but under one stipulation – she would be the cheer coach. “I was not a cheerleader,” Livings said. “I was the support system – the wife, but I wanted to be at the same school as Billy, so I took the job and

I did it for free for five years.” During that time, she had as much of an impact on the field as off of the field. “Rosie had extremely high moral values and expectations,” said Becky Frank, who cheered for

Livings for four years at Jefferson Davis. “The girls cut their hair, and they weren’t allowed to wear jewelry while in uniform,”

Livings said. “I wanted them to look and be disciplined.” “She wanted us to look neat and put together, like a team and everyone having the same or similar haircut was part of the package,” Frank said.

“Any girl who wanted to be on the squad knew that they had to do what she said. She played an instrumental part in our lives.” Frank attributes Livings with influencing her character tremendously.

“She believed in us. She knew we could do anything. She was always supportive. We were fortunate to have that kind of influence, support in our lives at such a young age. It really helped us all to see life in a more positive light,” Frank said.

Just recently, Livings was able to reunite with most of her girls. She held a cookout at her home on Lake Martin and invited all who were still living. Most were able to attend.

“Can you believe it? It has been 50 years, and we were finally all together again,” Livings said of the party. “What a wonderful day we had.”

“It has been Rosie’s dream for years to have this reunion, and we all promised we would help her plan it. It took some time because we are all at stages in our lives where we are taking care of elderly parents and spending time with our own kids and grandkids. But finally, we planned it. We originally scheduled the party for August of last year. But because of COVID-19 we cancelled it and rescheduled with everyone immediately for April,” said Frank.

So on April 20, 2021, Livings was reunited with all of her girls. They each brought food and desserts and spent the day on the lake reminiscing about the good old days. They went through old photos and pulled out athletic shirts that they wore on game days. They talked about how they cut their hair to be part of the squad and how that was such a big deal because all of their friends had hair to their waists. But most importantly, they shared with her how grateful they all are that she cared about them and helped to shape their lives.

It really was the day Livings had dreamed of, to be reunited after all these years with these girls, now all women with families and titles of their own, who also played an instrumental role in her family’s life.

“I couldn’t have asked for more,” Livings said. “I have had the most fun life you can imagine.”

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