Cullman Good Life Magazine - Spring 2020 by The Good Life Magazine

CULLMAN COUNTY

Ohio couple radically simplify so they can build houses for the poor

Fr. Timothy created a legacy through artwork and defeating a demon SPRING 2020 | COMPLIMENTARY

Heirlooms in the making, three groups keep the craft of quilting viable

Dental Arts has provided high-quality dental care to our area since 1981. In 2015, Dr. Kari Bartlett took over Dental Arts continuing the tradition of dental excellence. With the old office on 2nd Avenue growing crowded, Dr. Bartlett built a state-of-the-art office on 4th Avenue to better serve her patients. She and her growing staff – complimented by her associate, Dr. Abby DiLuzio – remain committed to providing top-quality dentistry and friendly, personal service for you and your family. We’d love to have you visit our new office and help you smile more!

Dental Arts is located in the new North Alabama Wellness Center on 4th Ave NE, across the street and a half block south of the Folsom Center.

Dr. Abby DiLuzio, associate Dr. Kari L. Bartlett, owner

Cosmetic and Family Dentistry Featuring: Porcelain Veneers, Dental Implants, Crowns, Bridges, Zoom Whitening, and Full Smile Rehabilitations.

205 4th Ave NE Suite 101 Cullman, AL 35055

256-739-5533 www.dentalartscullman.com

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For your medical care in Cullman, there’s only one name you need to know. Meet the Cullman Regional Medical Group. Now, you can find the physicians you need without having to search around. The Cullman Regional Medical Group gives you access to a full network of expert doctors, all close to home. From primary care to specialists, you’ll find all the care you need without leaving town.

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FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

World-Renowned Orthopaedic Care Now Available In Cullman Co-founded by Dr. James Andrews, Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center, based in Birmingham, is the leading destination for comprehensive treatment and prevention of orthopaedic and sports-related injuries. Patients over the years have ranged from youngsters to superstar athletes. Now you have access to the same quality care without having to leave Cullman.

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YOU GO 24/7. NOW, SO DO WE For those who go round the clock, we now offer anytime scheduling for most appointments.

Patients can now call our office 24 hours per day, 7 days per week to schedule an appointment

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Welcome Spring always seems to surprise me, and it’s not really the calendar’s fault

t’s not like it’s top secret. But somehow spring always seems to sneak up on me. It’s never failed to materialize, yet this particular season always takes me by surprise again. Why? Spring rolls around annually like cosmic clockwork. It’s advertised on all of the calendars … hey, wait a minute. My planner shows spring 2020 starting March 20. Confusing matters, The Farmer’s Almanac shows spring, astronomically speaking, starting March 19 – 10:50 p.m. central time, to be exact. This timing corresponds to the spring equinox, when the slow tilting of the Earth brings us closer to the sun and evens the length of our days and nights. There’s another confusion about spring. Meteorologically speaking, it starts March 1 and lasts through May 31. The time frame was set up by weather scientists who divide the year into even quarters to make statistical comparisons easier to handle. The longest spring I ever experienced was in 1981. That year, a buddy and I hiked the length of the Appalachian Trail. Leaving in early April, dogwoods were starting to bloom in the lowlands. But 3,0006,000 feet up on the spine of the Appalachians where the trail is stretched out, it was still winter. During those first six or eight weeks of our sixmonth hike we watched with fascination and wonder as the greening of spring crept up the mountain sides, finally engulfing us as we hiked through the rugged forests. I’m thinking as I write, and the more I write the more I think ... It’s not the actual turning of the calendar page to the season of spring that sneaks up and catches me off guard. Instead, I’m always surprised by the sense of wonder that spring brings to the world. It’s so all fresh and new again, renewed from the bleak beauty of winter. Life is back. I am surprised, fascinated, filled again with fresh wonder of this planet we call home. And I hope the surprise never ends.

Mo Mc PUBLISHING LLC

FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

Contributors Liz Smith of Joppa is an occasional photographer for GLM (see the cover and Out ‘n’ About feature). You can see more of her work again this year at the St. Bernard Bloomin’ Festival April 18-19. Look for her LizzyPat Photos booth. She also shows at Point Mallard’s Alabama Jubilee Hot Air Balloon Classic. Former bookstore owner Deb Laslie – Good Reads – is not the only one enjoying her retirement. “My dogs are pleased with it, too ... more and longer walks, plenty of room on the couch for all of us as we enjoy yet another great book, and whatever is in the crock pot smells fantastic! I am so blessed!”

David Myers of Guntersville and his wife Rose sample local eateries for stories for Cullman and Marshall County GLMs. The “heavy” task has led David to consider an exercise regimen. Rest assured, he says he will do what’s necessary to continue his dedicated service to both counties. “Bon appétit!”

Regular contributor Steve Maze of eastern Cullman County wishes he had a time machine in which he could travel back to different eras. As it is, he offers glimpses of the past by writing about southern life, from hardships to the often as not hilarious ways of our ancestors.

Family marriages are big doings. So when Sheila McAnear was invited to her brother’s son’s wedding – oh, and five days in St. Augustine in February – she said sure! It was in the midst of production crunch for GLM, and she is the ad/art director. But but somehow she got it all done – and made it look easy.

David Moore’s wife, Diane, tries to look after him. For instance, when he tears into his month-long, quarterly computer binges, writing and laying out both Good Life Magazines, she no longer allows him to stay up all night every night. She wisely limits such fun to only every other night. David F. Moore Publisher/editor | 256-293-0888 david.goodlifemagazine@gmail.com

Sheila T. McAnear Advertising/art director | 256-640-3973 sheila.goodlifemagazine@gmail.com

MoMc Publishing LLC P.O. Box 28, Arab, Al 35016 www.good-life-magazine.net

Small-town living has its advantages. At Citizens Bank & Trust, great banking is one of the biggest. No doubt about it, where you choose to live affects your quality of life â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including access to excellent banking. With Citizens Bank & Trust, living in a smaller town means having banking products and services that are second to none. From friendly, knowledgable customer service to reward checking and great CD rates, we offer a level of banking satisfaction beyond the ordinary. Quality banking, quality of life â&#x20AC;&#x201D; they work together in a big way at Citizens Bank & Trust.

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Inside 11 | Good Fun

Strawberry Festival, Easter eggs, a glowing 5K run ... pick your fun

16 | Good People

Gail Swafford, Brooks’ Place stand against those harming kids

22 | Good Reads

John Grisham’s latest novel needs a new word to describe it ...

25 | Good Cooking

This former All Steak cook kept the kitchen and added a ministry

34 | Good Eats

Dreher’s offers good food, original drinks and a great vibe

36 | Outhouses

They were once a necessity ... and sometimes prank targets

38 | No cookie cutter

Retiring Memphis couple did not want a lake house like any other

46 | Good Getaways

Ascend to new heights with this wall challenge in Chattanooga

51 | Radical changes

Relocated Ohio couple toss back starfish ... one house at a time

59 | ‘Not a blanket’

Local groups carry on tradition of creating stunning quilts

64 | Fr. Timothy

Priest’s legacy lives on in his art and through lives he touched

72 | Out ‘n’ About

See what Liz Smith sees after awaking from a long winter’s nap On the cover | Spring tulips bloom at the historic Corbin Homestead in Joppa. Photo by Liz Smith. This page | The late Fr. Timothy Harrison cast this highly detailed ceramic sculpture that resides at St. Bernard Abbey. Photo by David Moore

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More than 1,000 people turned out to support Empty Bowls last year. Among them were Andy and Liz Page, along with their granddaughters Mary Claire and, at lower left, Anna Page. Javon Daniel, director of Cullman Caring for Kids and FUMC volunteer Cindy Shabel, bottom photo, were among the small army of some 30 making the event work. Local potters, as always, created beautiful keepsake bowls for supporters. Photos by Mary Pinion.

Empty Bowls draw full houses to feed a food bank

his will be the 17th year that Cullman County folks have turned out in droves to buy bowls full of chili at the Empty Bowls dinner. To date, the event has raised some $125,000 to help stock the Cullman Caring for Kids food bank that, in turn, feeds thousands of families whose bowls and cupboards are, indeed, empty. “We never envisioned it being this big,” says Tanya Shearer, who brought the nationwide Empty Bowls to Cullman in 2003. “We could see the hand of God in it from the very beginning.” That first year they expected 200 people and hoped to raise $2,000. Instead they drew some 600 people – they ran out of chili and volunteers scoured the city buying every can available – raising $5,900. This years Empty Bowls’ dinner will be 4-6:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 17, in the Hearin Fellowship Hall at Cullman First United Methodist Church. Drive-thru carryout is offered. Along with a chili dinner, those who eat at the church will be entertained with southern gospel by Enell Baker, Joyful Hearts, The Potentials and the FUMC Gospel Singers. Advance tickets – which help volunteers estimate how much food to prepare – are $10 and available at the church (320 3rd Ave SE) or Caring for Kids office (front side of Cullman County Office Center the Folsom Building, 402 Arnold St NE). Tickets are also sold at the door. Groups needing orders of 25 or more are urged to call ahead. Local potters hand-crafting keepsake bowls this year are: Sandra Abbott, Lindanne Phillips, Mike Strickland, Frankie Greer, Bret Greer, Bob Steiger, Hank Hartly, Patti Bostick, Lynn Jetton, Sandra Heaven, Misty Bagwell and Tina Gutierrez. For more info call: FUMC, 256-734-6690; or CCFK, 256739-1111. 10

FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

Good Fun

Weather’s warming, there’s lots to do ... sign up for Alaska? • Now-April 15 – “Art and the Animal” Founded in 1960, the Society of Animal Artists promotes excellence in the artistic portrayal of the creatures sharing our planet, and to the education of the public through art exhibitions, informative seminars, lectures and teaching demonstrations. It’s membership, past and present, represents a veritable who’s who of artists from around the world. The Evelyn Burrow Museum at Wallace State is one of three venues for the SAA’s 59th annual traveling exhibition, the others being the Briscoe Western Art Museum in San Antonio and Stamford Museum and Nature Center in Connecticut. “(We) live in a golden age of artmaking focused on animals,” says Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. And this traveling exhibit at Wallace State is an example of that. The museum’s exhibit hall is open 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday. Admission: free. For more information: 256-3528547; or visit www.burrowmuseum. org. For a list of the museum’s upcoming exhibitions, visit: www. burrowmuseum.org/upcomingexhibits. • March 10 – “Mossville: When Great Trees Fall” The documentary depicts the devastating impact pollution had on Mossville, La., and a lifelong resident who promised his dying parents to fight the sprawling chemical companies swallowing up his neighborhood. Admission is free. This is the fifth of six screening of the South Arts’ 2019-2020 Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers at Wallace State’s Burrow

Among the paintings at “Art and the Animal” are John Baumlin’s mountain lion, Cynthie Fisher’s zebras and Lynn Wade’s flamingo. Center Recital Hall. Director Alexander Glustrom, producers Daniel Bennett, Katie Mathews, Catherine Rierson and executive producer Michelle Lanier are scheduled to attend the 6 p.m. screening and be available for discussion afterward. • March 13-15 – “Big Fish the Musical” The live stage production is presented by Wallace State Theatre, Thursday-Saturday, 7 p.m., Sunday, 2 p.m., Betty Leeth Haynes Theatre. Admission is $5 for children, $10 for adults. For more info: 256-352-8277 • March 14, 21, 28 – Countywide yard sales Cullman County Agricultural Trade Center on U.S. 31 North will hold its annual yard sale March 14. It will be followed by yard sales March 21 at Sportsman Lake Park and March 28 at Smith Lake Park. Times for all sales are 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Admission is

free. Vendors can rent spots for $10 or pavilions for $35. For registration times and more info, call: Smith Lake Park 256-739-2916; Sportsman Lake Park, 256-734-3052; Ag Center, 256739-4959. • April – Historic walks Four local historians will pick their routes and themes for this annual event of the Cullman County Museum. Held every Saturday this month, the free, hour-long strolls begin at 10 a.m. (rain or shine) in front of the museum. Dress comfortably for a pleasant walk back in time. For more info: Drew Green, museum director, 256-739-1258. • April-October – Farmers Market, crafts Festhalle Farmer’s Market will be open 7 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. You can buy fresh, locally grown produce in season, plus craft vendors are at the market, FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

too. Produce sellers and craft people interested in booth space can contact: info@cullmanrecreation.org and (256) 734-9157 • April 2 – Spring Concert Wallace State Concert Choir will present its Spring Concert at 7 p.m. at the Burrow Center Recital Hall. For more info: 256-352-8277. • April 3 – Sportsman Lake Rock & Glow 5K Rock & Glow 5K event is 7-11 p.m., and it’s on, rain or moon-shine. The 3.1-mile “race” starts at 8, but it’s only a race if you want it to be. It’s more about having a “glowing” experience and fun. Wear creative running gear – if it’s bright, blinks, shines, glows, or looks like something from another planet, it’s perfect. A DJ will pump out hits to keep you motivated. Afterwards, runners and walkers can dance the night away with local entertainment. Get a T-shirt if you register early. Forms are available at the park or register online: www.

FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

cullmancountyparks.com. Registration starts at 6 p.m. – $25 (pre-registered) or $30 the day of, children 12 and under are $15 (children 6 and under can race for free). Park admission: free. For more info: 256-734-3052. • April 7 – Big Band Dance Dance to the sounds of the Wallace State Jazz Band at 7 p.m. Friday at the Burrow Center for the Fine and Performing Arts. Admission is $15. For more info: 256-352-8277. • April 11 – Sportsman Lake Park Easter Egg Hunt Bring the youngsters starting at 9 a.m. for a fun time at the park the day before Easter. Thousands of plastic eggs with candy will be hidden, but you better come early. The Easter Bunny is fast. Admission: free. For more info: Sportsman Lake Park, 256734-3052. • April 11 – Stony Adult Easter Egg Hunt Take your ATV out on the fun miles of terrain track at Stony Lonesome

OHV Park today and keep you’re your eyes open. Not for Bigfoot … but for Easter eggs. The park Easter bunny will leave a number of large plastic eggs out in the park. Spot one, open it and you may have won a free riding pass, T-shirt, hat or other prize. The park is open 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday and Monday. Regular rates are $15 for age 13 and up; $5 for ages 6-12. For more info: 256287-1133. • April 21 – “Who Will Write Our History?” The film documents archives created in the Warsaw Ghetto by a secret band of journalists, scholars, and community leaders who decided to fight back. Led by historian Emanuel Ringelblum and known by the code name Oyneg Shabes, this clandestine group vowed to defeat Nazi lies and propaganda not with guns or fists but with pen and paper. Admission is free. This is the final of six screening of the South Arts’ 2019-2020

Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers at Wallace State’s Burrow Center Recital Hall. Director Roberta Grossman is scheduled to attend the 6 p.m. screening and be available for discussion afterward. • April 18 – Visit Alaska This is the deadline for reservations and final payment for the Aug. 16-28 Denali Experience: Alaska Land and Cruise. The itinerary includes Denali National Park, Anchorage, Alaska Wildlife Center, Inside Passage cruise, Hubbard Glacier and port calls at Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan; additional excursions available through the cruise line. Sponsored by the Wallace State Future Foundation alumni association, the tour is open to the public and includes roundtrip airfare and transfers, deluxe motorcoach transportation, 10 nights lodging (three on land, seven aboard the Celebrity Millennium), 28 meals, professional tour and cruise manager, on-board gratuities and all taxes and fees.

The 965-foot Celebrity Millennium was refurbished in 2019. Double occupancy cost for alumni members range from $4,895 to $6,095 per person. Non-member rates are $100 more. Single and triple rates available. $500 deposit to reserve your spot; trip insurance is $395; both fully refundable until March 1. A valid passport is required for this trip.

For more info: LaDonna Allen, 256-352-8071; or visit www. wsccfuturefoundation.org and pull down under the events tab. • April 18-19 – 36th Annual Bloomin’ Festival Held 9 a.m.-5 p.m. both days

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FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

Maria Grotto. The picturesque landscape of stone cut buildings at Alabama’s only abbey provides a backdrop for the out-of-doors show that has been recognized several years by the Southeast Tourism Society as a “Top 20 Event in the Southeast.” Admission donation is $5; children 5 and younger get in free. For more info: www.bloominfestival.com.

Quality – and fun – arts and crafts draw big crowds to Bloomin’ Festival. on the campus of St. Bernard Abbey and Prep School, this spring tradition draws some 25,000 visitors annually. The juried show attracts more than 150 booths of artists and artisans demonstrating and exhibiting their work. The festival is the largest fundraiser annually for

the operation and maintenance of the school. Special discounted rates are offered for the weekend to visit Ave Maria Grotto. Completing the weekend is the giveaway for some great prizes, including a fine vehicle. The St. Bernard campus is adjacent to the world-famous Ave

• April 23-25 – “We Will Rock You” The Wallace State Singers will rock you with 7 p.m. shows Thursday-Saturday in the Betty Leeth Haynes Theatre. Admission is $5 for children, $10 adults. For more info: 256-352-8277. • April 30 – Broadway Night Presented by Wallace State Theatre at 7 p.m. Thursday, the show will be held in the Burrow Center Recital Hall. Admission is $10. For more info: 256-352-8277. • May 2 – Strawberry Festival Celebrate Cullman’s agricultural

At Cullman Electric Cooperative, we’re proud to be a part of it, bringing people together by providing energy for all the things you love.

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FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

history with the 81st anniversary of the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest Strawberry Festival, featuring arts and crafts, food trucks, live music, strawberries and more. It all happens at Festhalle and Depot Park in the Cullman Warehouse District and is presented by Cullman Parks, Recreation, & Sports Tourism Department. The fun runs 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Enjoy arts and crafts, food, music, strawberries and more. For more information: visit Cullman Strawberry Festival on Facebook; or Cullman Parks and Recreation, www.cullmanrecreation. org. For info on booth space contact Cullman Parks and Rec: 256-734-9157; or: info@cullmanrecreation. org.

Alabamaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest strawberry festival will have, well, strawberries, strawberry stuff and the Miss Strawberry Queen pageant, who was Breanna Marie Bell last year. For more info: 256734-9157. Photos courtesy of CPR.

Enjoy the beautiful spring view of this Smith Lake home Over $100,000,000 in Smith Lake real estate sold in 2019! Over 400 properties for sale now!

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FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

Good People

5questions Story and photo by David Moore

ail Swafford is constantly telling children they are her heroes – which, while true, is sadly unfortunate. She calls them heroes because they’re brave enough to tell her the truth about being victims of child abuse. Since 2004 Gail has worked at Brooks’ Place Child Advocacy Center of Cullman, first as a therapist and, for the last six years, as executive director. A revamped house set in a semiresidential area between Cullman’s middle and high school, Brooks’ Place is where young children and teens – usually accompanied by fear, an unfair sense of shame and at least one distraught family member – come to “disclose.” That’s technical/legal jargon for telling their harrowing secret of being sexually and physically abused, most likely at the hands of someone who supposedly loves them, or least someone they know and once trusted. To help put the child at ease, Gail or CACC employee Blakely Hooper conduct forensic interviews with young victims in a room designed to be totally opposite of the stereotypically dark, intimidating interview rooms where alleged criminals are interrogated under a bare light bulb. It’s a cozy, carpeted room; walls of light green and blue; closet doors and drapes of light and dark orange. Softly colored, geometrical shapes adorn walls to help access a youngster’s developmental state; height-measuring scales are also painted on the walls. There’s a kid-sized table with chairs and an upholstered loveseat and chair.

ideo cameras and a mic, discreetly installed in the ceiling level, record and show the interview on a TV screen in another room. There, a law officer and a caseworker from the Department of 16

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Gail Swafford

Standing up for young “hero” victims who seek help at Brooks’ Place CAC Human Resources witness the account to determine if a crime was committed and whether the child is safe. The video prevents the victim from having to recount the experience multiple times. Also on the “team” will be someone from the Cullman County District Attorney’s Office, mental health providers, a juvenile probation officer and medical provider specializing in child abuse issues. “We work with and have a beautiful relationship with them all,” Gail says.

rooks’ Place conducted 265 such interviews in 2018. This past October, 45 young abuse victims were interviewed. “People choose to think child abuse doesn’t happen,” Gail says. “But it does, even in a community of churches. People you would never think would do this are the perpetrators. It is scary.” The victims handled through the child advocacy center are from 3 to 18 years old. They are girls and boys of all races and social status. “Most people live in a world where abuse has not affected them, and they don’t know it happens,” Gail says. “It’s hard for them to understand how the mother didn’t know it was happening.” For a child and a parent to acknowledge that abuse occurred often means the end of a family life they believed they had, as well as an essential income. Their world will be turned on end. “There are some who know, yes. But that percentage is a lot lower than people might think,” Gail says. On the other extreme, they’ve seen a few cases of human trafficking involving parents being paid to take their children to an abuser.

ore than 95 percent of offenders are well known to the victim, she says. They usually are masters of manipulation

and know how to gain the trust of the victim as well as the parent. “We often find a cycle where the nonoffending parent was abused as a kid,” Gail says. Sometimes that never comes out until the parent’s own child is abused, possibly by the same person. “I tell these victims, ‘You’re my hero because you had the courage to come forward and talk about this,’” she continues. But the forensic interview is only the start of the healing. Brooks’ Place also provides advocacy and counseling. “It’s not just the victim we are working with. It’s the whole family,” Gail says. “In the very beginning, you are trying to figure out what their basic needs are. Once they tell, their world will be drastically changed. There’s also a stigma if the perpetrator is a biological parent. “It’s hard to focus on emotional needs when you don’t know if you can feed your family. As in any tragedy, your brain almost freezes. You can’t even begin to know what you need to do.” That might include compensation for wages lost when the mother brings in an abused child. There are the usual bills, food, perhaps another place to live.

long with meeting basic needs for the family, it’s crucial that victims understand the abuse is not their fault, Gail says. “They need to know they can still grow up to be healthy and happy,” she continues. “Abuse does not have to define them, though it certainly does impact them. Plus a lot of times the moms have guilt about the abuse. They would have never put their child in danger. And it’s even more difficult when a close relative is the offender.” Gail is very sensitive to the work of counselors and social workers. With her father often absent and family illnesses, she grew up poor.

SNAPSHOT: Gail Swafford

EARLY LIFE: Born in 1960; raised in Cullman by her mother, Irene Lee. Her father, a civilian who worked in Vietnam during the war, disappeared from her life. A brother and sister died as infants and a second sister, Lisa, died as a young woman. FAMILY: Married in 1976 to Dennis Swafford, now retired from the Cullman Police Department. They have two grown children, Corey Strickland and Adam (Allison) Swafford; five grandchildren and three greats. EDUCATION: Graduated from Cullman High, 1978; 1993 earned bachelor’s degree in business administration from Athens State; 1998 earned a master’s in social work from The University of Alabama, then attended University of Louisville for certification to work with juvenile sex offenders. She is licensed as a certified social worker and private independent practitioner, and taught human services classes at Wallace State Community College. CAREER: Worked at AmSouth Bank 1978-1997, climbing to assistant vice president. Resigned to work as the children’s program director at Cullman Area Mental Health. Joined Brooks’ Place Child Advocacy Center in 2004 as a therapist; named executive director in 2014. OTHER ACTIVITIES: Member of Northbrook Baptist Church; a founding member of its Anchor Ministry, which deals with depression and anxiety; volunteers as a food server. Gail loves spending her spare time with her grandkids. FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

“I always wanted to do social work,” she says. “I wanted to help people. When I was young, if it had not been for helping people, I don’t know what would have happened to us.” Mae Brakefield, a former case worker with DHR, ensured that the family got basic food and medical care. Years later, when Gail worked at AmSouth, she approached Mae one day as she was doing her banking. “You might not remember me …” Gail started. “Yes I do,” Mae replied. “I always knew you would make it.” Having a similar impact on Gail was another social worker who was always kind and encouraging during the eight years that a congenital spine disease sent Gail to the former Crippled Children’s Clinic in Birmingham. Years later, Gail recognized her in a crowd at a stakeholders meeting in AmSouth in Birmingham, and spoke to her. The lady was proud of Gail’s normal gait. “I want you to know what kind of impact you had on my life,” Gail said. “I knew you would do something with your life,” she replied.

fter high school, Gail got a bank job to pay bills. Starting as a teller she worked her way up to officer, but seeing her former social workers brought back memories of all their help, and she decided to pursue a new degree in that field. “When kids come here, I want to give them what they need,” Gail says. “And the parents. So many times they are struggling financially, and it’s nice to help assess their needs and know you can ease that burden. “It’s a huge deal not knowing if you can feed your family or if the power will be turned off. That’s why I am so passionate about this. I lived it growing up.”

What is the goal of Brooks’ Place, and does that involve the emotions that must accompany something of this nature? We are designed to be child friendly, where child victims can talk – in detail – about the most horrific thing that has happened to them. 18

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We don’t want to re-traumatize them, but we have to ask questions to know what happened. They tell their experience, and it’s video recorded. DHR and law enforcement observe the interview on closed circuit TV in another room. We are trained to gather information in a legally defensible manner so that we are not leading the child. That initial interview is about finding out facts. We have to know if a crime has been committed. After the interview, officials from Brooks’ Place, law enforcement and DHR meet with the parents. It’s another tightrope. We can’t give them a lot of information. We talk about the medical exam and counseling. The bottom line is they know when they come here that they are my hero because of the incredible amount of courage it takes to come forward. We want to instill in them that, yes, this an event that happened, but is not who you are. I actually have victims whose fathers tell them, “You’re spoiled goods now. No one will have you.” But this is not as prevalent as it used to be. Part of the education we put out there to families during this process is how to help the victim heal and what to expect as a result of their child’s abuse. We have to consider the trust between parents and their children. I tell moms if their child comes in and sees them crying, don’t say nothing is wrong. Tell the child it hurts you to know this has happened to them. If the parents are not honest, then children will not trust their instincts to know when something is wrong. And their trust of the parent or parents will be damaged. The children will think, “This is such a horrific thing, and I am not supposed to talk about it.” So they may never tell if it happens again. Trust is a big thing we work on here. The other side of that is children take cues from their parents. How the parents react to these situations is how the child will react. It’s OK for a child to see you upset. It is a horrific thing. It should never have happened. We convey to parents that it’s OK to be upset, but always tell your child how proud you are that they came to you or told somebody. All of this is easier to convey in an

environment that is not clinical, that feels like a home should feel. So we provide for the immediate needs – a medical exam starting the counseling. We want them to move from being a victim to being a survivor, to being a thriver. And we provide services for not only the child victim, but also for the family to heal.

What services does the child advocacy center offer victims and their families? First, as I said, is the forensic interview – interviewing the child about the abuse. Then we have medical exams by a professional specializing in abuse-specific issues. These exams are done at the clinic next door to the Child Advocacy Center. All children are offered a medical exam whether they disclose abuse or not. We assess for unmet medical needs and refer accordingly. Actually, 95 percent of cases have no physical evidence. But the exams are part of the healing for the child. Screening for pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases is part of it. The victim needs to know their body is healthy. For most of the people who come here, their whole world has crumbled around them. Some of them lived, ate and slept at home with the offender. They can’t go back there. They have no income now, and they have not even thought about that. So the family advocate goes into depth with the family to assess their needs. We link them to resources for food or utilities, even helping them find a home if they have to leave. We help them with Alabama Crime Victims Compensation so they can apply for assistance. Advocacy also means we go to court with the victims, if need be. In the end, we work with the family until the legal disposition of the case, whether it goes to trial or is pled. If it goes to trial, we go with that family to provide emotional support during that time. We used to be able to use the taped interview in court. But some of the new laws pertaining to hearsay require that the victim has to testify again in court and face the accused abuser. Most of the time the kids, after we have worked with them, are all about

Part of Josh’s elaborate, surprise engagement plans was to hire Cullman photographer Kat Willett to immortalize to climax of the evening. And yes, Neeley said, “Yes.”

Great food, fun ... and maybe even love Did this wild story spring from a random coincidence? Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, after graduating from UA with a marketing degree, Neeley Florence got a job at Personal Liberty Media Group in Cullman. So she moved here, joining her parents who grew up and now live in Cullman again. One night two years ago, Neeley and a sorority sister were visiting the Flora-Bama at the beach, and Neeley saw a pickup in the parking lot. Its tag read “Augustas.” “We have an Augusta’s in Cullman,” she said. A couple about to get in the truck – Deb and Jeff Veres – turned. “We own Augusta’s,” Deb said. They spoke briefly. Neeley said how much she loved the restaurant, especially the fish tacos. Could have ended there – but it didn’t. Fast forward to December 2018. Neeley, her mom, two aunts and two cousins were at the bar at Augusta’s to watch Alabama beat Oklahoma in the simis. Josh Veres, Augusta’s chief cook, was about to go home and watch the game, but he stopped by the bar looking in the crowd for Deb, his mom. “I instantly noticed Neeley,” Josh says, that first moment etched in his mind. “It was enough to make me quit looking for Mom!” Neeley and her group and Josh were strangers. But Josh he set down anyway, first eavesdropping then conversing with the nearby aunt – and hanging on Neeley’s every word. He quickly noted she wore no wedding band. He stayed for the whole game then got gallant. “He picked up our entire tab, and I didn’t know it until we were getting ready to leave,” Neeley says. Her family hugged Josh – all but Neeley.

“I thought, ‘I don’t know you.’” So she shook his hand. “I told myself it was a golden, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” Josh recalls. “God put this together for a reason. I couldn’t waste it.” So he tried the old you-look-familiar-what’s-yourname line. It was thin … but it worked. Back home, he messaged Neeley on Facebook. She responded. Then he asked for her phone number. Five days later they had their first date, ending with Josh shooting a selfie of them standing downtown in the middle of U.S. 31 amongst the Christmas lights. Thing progressed. They dated. Neeley helps him out at Augusta’s. Their families love them together. Fast forward to date night, Monday, Nov. 25. Josh had made secretly laid elaborate plans that included fillet, lobster, champagne and Frank Sinatra music with candlelight at Augusta’s – which was closed that night – plus hiring a photographer a month in advance and asking a safety favor of a police buddy. “I thought this was it,” Neeley says of her dinner shock. She fully expected Josh to propose, but after eating he took her see the Christmas lights at Sportsman’s Lake. “I threw her off the scent,” he grins. He then suggested reenacting their first date photo downtown in the middle of the street, only this time he said, he’d hired a photographer at the last minute. In the middle of the road, glancing nervously at a passing car, Neeley looked back and Josh was on his knee, holding up a ring. The wedding is set for Oct. 10. There’s more news – Salmon has slightly bumped fish tacos as the future Mrs. Veres’ favorite dish at the restaurant that proclaims, Food for the body. Good times for the soul. But in this, Augusta’s also led to love.

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wanting tell what happened because they previously felt they had to keep it a secret. We do not coach them on how to answer questions in court, but one of the ways we prepare them is how to face that person in court – the emotional response and how they will have to deal with that. After the case is disposed of, we have to follow up. If they are now an adult and still have this struggle as a former victim, they can still come back in. We are here to help that person be able to deal with the emotions and things in life that trigger the memories and trauma. Sometimes it has to do with their relationships because they have a skewed idea of what a healthy relationship is. In 15 years I have about five or six adults – former victims now with children – who have contacted us. If something comes up, they just need to call. Finally, we present child abuse and awareness curriculum to students in the city and county schools. In accordance to Aaron’s Law, mandated in 2015, juvenile court judges, the DA’s office, juvenile probation officers and we at Brooks’ Place provide this curriculum to four specific grades each year.

What financial challenges do you face in trying to achieve these goals and provide these services? What can the Cullman community do to help? Brooks’ Place is heavily funded by state and federal grants from the Victims of Crime Act. That money is sent to the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs We have to write grants annually for funding. We have goals and objectives and must show ADECA the numbers that prove we did what we said we would do. In the political environment we live in now, one swift act of a pen could mean no money if we’re not on someone’s agenda. We are working toward sustainability. In a perfect world we would have enough fundraising to finance what we do internally, but as it is we are relying on the government to be able to continue to provide services. Current budget – which included two replacement air-conditioning units – calls for $349,345 to operate. We have to provide a 20-percent match, which means coming up with $69,869. 20

FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

In recent years, instead of 12-month budgets, ADECA has given us funding designed to cover 18 months of operations. The problem with that is that the governor does a press release with a picture of her giving us a lot of money, and that runs in the newspaper. But people don’t always understand that that check is for 18 months. They think we have lots of money. The challenge is making sure we can provide these services and continue to provide them because they are so needed. We do have a strong board that is passionate about what we do. They help us get out the word that we exist. Fundraising is an important part of the board’s role. We have a golf tournament in the summer. It’s our biggest fundraiser and it brings in $13,000-$14,000. The last two years, we have been the recipient of the Cullman Realtor’s Association Charity Auction. The city and county allocate annual money, but the appropriations to county substantially decreased all of their non-profits, and there are a lot of us. That’s why you have to have a board that is committed to the mission and to going beyond what other boards do. To help the cause, we have to educate the community. This is not a feel-good non-profit. It’s not like I show a picture of children and say, “We fed them.” It’s hard to show what we do so people understand what their money is actually doing. But to me, when people know what we do, they know they can be part of the solution of ending child abuse. The money they donate goes to all of our efforts to provide needed services for child victims and, hopefully, put an end to it.

How do you define “success” in dealing with victims of horrific crimes and or neglect? Many times there is not a conviction or even a plea, which is what we want. But that’s not our only goal. For the most part, the success come from seeing a child victim and the family heal in terms of restoring them to a place they were before the abuse happened. We want to get their grades back to where they were. We want them to know

abuse does not have to define them. We want them to know that they can be successful. We had a victim several years ago who has gone on to obtain a master’s degree in engineering. She is very successful in the work place, but she takes time to volunteer and give back to the community, especially the kids. She actually advocates for kids. She talks about her experiences and supports advocate centers in their efforts to provide these services. She helps raise money and awareness about child abuse. These victims are totally innocent of the circumstances they found themselves in. Being able to help them get back to that place prior to the abuse is one of the things I look at as a success. The mere fact that they learn it was not their fault – getting them back to that innocence, so to speak – is what is important. They had someone come into their life, and the action of this perpetrator many times tears the family apart. Restoring the sense of their own value as a person and being able to live their life to their fullest potential ... that’s how I define success. The goal is seeing the child go from being a victim to being a thriving survivor. The beginning of healing is a measure of success. I am a firm believer that even though bad things happen in your life, something good can come of it. I tell kids all the time that because they were brave enough to tell about what was happening to them, that means that perhaps some other child will not have that same experience. Rarely do the perpetrators have only one victim. Rarely. So, because of that one child making that disclosure, she or he has prevented other children from being abused or stopped the perpetrator from abusing other children at the same time. I’d love to work myself out of a job, but I’m not sure that is ever going to happen.

What’s something most people don’t know about Gail Swafford? For one thing, many people think that the “Brooks” in Brooks’ Place Child Advocacy Center is the name of a child.

But it was named after Len Brooks, who was the district attorney when the child advocacy center was formed in 1997. People also probably don’t know I was 16 when I married Dennis. I was still in school, and he was 19 and in college. Dennis had to sign my report card, which is funny if you think about it. Most people probably would not believe that I was extremely introverted back in school. Banking was very good for me because I had to talk to customers. So I got over being introverted and have not stopped talking since!

Last spring I learned something about my life I didn’t even know myself. Back in April, I came to work like any other day and got this email. I was not even sure about opening it but I did. I have a half-sibling, a sister living Dallas. I have to go see her! Mom was divorced and Dad was a civilian working in Vietnam. My sister is half Vietnamese. She is nine years younger than me. Her name is My – pronounced Me – which means American in Vietnamese. She was raised by a grandmother. Her

nephew, Andrew Nguyen, reached out to me through email. I thought I was the last of my three siblings. I never knew of My’s existed until that email. Andrew found me through Ancestry.com. My is 50, mentally challenged and does not speak English. She lives in Dallas with her older sister. Her nephews and great nephews live there as well. I am going out to see her in May. Something like this does not happen every day! I am so excited that I’ll finally meet here this year. Good Life Magazine

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Good Reads

Gift yourself – this outstanding story launches a new trilogy

Gripping novel depicts those who right the legal wrongs

ara Donati’s newest historical trilogy begins with “The Gilded Hour,” a novel about cousins Anna and Sophie Savard. It captured me from the opening line. Set in the late 1880s, Anna and Sophie are graduates of the Women’s Medical School in New York Early on a March morning City. Strong of mind and character, their on the cusp of spring, different backgrounds Anna Savard came in and experiences bring an from the garden to find authenticity to the book. a young woman with a Anna lost everything message that would test but has managed to her patience, disrupt her build a life for herself as a doctor. When four day, and send her off on immigrant orphans cross an unexpected journey: her path, she is faced a harbinger of change with holding onto her wearing the nursing habit well-ordered routine or of the Sisters of Charity, opening her life to love. standing in the middle Sophie, an obstetrician, assists a desperate young of the kitchen. mother and becomes acquainted with the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice. The cousins soon find themselves in the midst of some rather grisly murders that may be connected. Enter Jack Mezzanotti, NYPD detective. Gift yourself with marvelous historical drama, part love story, part mystery thriller and a celebration of humanity. – Deb Laslie

ohn Grisham has again, written an unputdownable novel. “The Guardians” follows Cullen Post, lawyer, Episcopal Priest and defender of those wrongfully incarcerated on death row. He and a small staff with an even smaller Since gas is slightly budget investigate cases of those who were in cheaper than cheap the wrong place at the motels, I spend a lot time wrong time and locked driving lonely roads at away simply because dark hours. As always, it was less trouble than I tell myself that I will finding the real culprit. sleep later, as if a long And then there are those who were never hibernation is waiting just in the wrong place at around the corner. The all; they had only the truth is that I nap a lot misfortune of being but rarely sleep and this known to the corrupt. is unlikely to change. I There are bad judges have saddled myself with and bad policemen and “witnesses” who the burdens of innocent witness nothing but people rotting away in whose testimony can prison while rapists and be purchased. There murderers roam free. are “experts” who are anything but, but who are portrayed as experts. Through it all, there is hope because of Cullen Post and the Guardians. Unputdownable. – Deb Laslie

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Good Cooking

From All Steak to Northbrook, cooking has been a calling in Wade Maynard’s life Story and photos by David Moore

ost people learned to cook from their mother, grandmother, perhaps even their father. Few, however, learned to cook at Cullman’s iconic All Steak Restaurant. Call that ingredient #1. Most people cook for their family, to entertain friends, perhaps even as a profession. Few, however, cook as a ministry. Call that ingredient #2. Mix these ingredients together in the pan of life, plop in the oven at low heat, bake for 33 years and you have Wade Maynard. Wade learned to cook during his 30-year stint at All Steak. In 2011 he became the full-time director of adult ministry and food service ministry at Northbrook Baptist Church in Cullman. Youngest of five children born to J.E. and Ogie Maynard, Wade grew up on a farm in the Center Point community west of Holly Pond. At age 13, Wade began working at Holly Pond High through the school’s co-op program. He saved enough to buy a 1970 Ford Falcon. “Man,” he says, “I thought I was hot stuff.”

n fall 1977, Charlie Dobson and Roland Hanke bought All Steak. The following summer, Wade – then 16 with wheels – heard All Steak was hiring dishwashers at minimum wage. He applied and got the job. “There is always a demand for dish washers,” he laughs. “I had washed them at home, but that was nothing like the restaurant.” Roland soon left, leaving the restaurant with Charlie.

A cooking minister, Wade Maynard of the Berlin community answers a double calling by heading up the food service ministry at Northbrook Baptist Church. His wife, Marie, retired from North Alabama Regional Hospital in Decatur, is now secretary at Bethlehem West Baptist in West Point. They have two grown daughters, Katie Osborne ( Jared) of Addison and Chelsea Avery (Austin) of Madison; and three grandchildren, Reese and Wyatt Osborne, 12 and 6, and Grayson Avery, who’ll be 2 in March. “Charlie was like a dad to me,” Wade says. “He’s been a role model for me in my life.” After graduating from Holly Pond in 1980, Wade went full time at All Steak. The best part of dish-washing was that on Sunday nights you got to help the late Winford Clark cook burgers, onion rings and chicken fingers for the inevitable First Baptist rush after evening services. Wade’s best friend from school, Boyd Smith, was the other dishwasher, and they swapped out working Sunday nights. “Cooking meant one day you would get out of the dish room,” Wade laughs. “Cooking was the Promised Land. You knew you’d made the big time if you made it to cooking.”

nother promised land Wade reached back then was marrying Marie Brock in 1981. But it didn’t come easily. “She wouldn’t have anything to do with

me in high school,” he says. Marie’s twin sister, Mavis, now his sister-in-law, was more approachable. “After graduation, Mavis worked at the courthouse, and I asked her to help me out,” Wade says. “She lied and told Marie I was a good guy. So when I called her, she decided she’d go out with me.” Their first date was to All Steak, a first visit as customers for both. Their second date was McDonald’s. “She always says she should have known something was up when you go from All Steak to McDonald’s on the second date,” Wade laughs. Nonetheless, they soon married. Back then, All Steak served breakfast, and when the breakfast cook went on vacation, Charlie decided to train Wade cooking in the mornings. Step one was learning to aerially flip an egg in a skillet without wasteful crash landings. Charlie had him practice by flipping a piece of bread until he could catch it in the skillet. FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

EVA’S COLE SLAW (Eva Clark’s old recipe from All Steak) 1 head cabbage, shredded ½ bell pepper, diced 1 small jar pimentos, drained ¼ cup sugar 1 tsp. salt, or to taste 1 tsp. pepper, to taste ½ cup olive oil ½ cup white vinegar Mix together solid ingredients. Mix together oil and vinegar, pour over solid ingredients then toss thoroughly. Allow to sit for 2 hours before serving. When Wade mastered that trick, Charlie made a brief announcement. “About 10 he said he had to go to the bank,” Wade recalls. “I don’t think I saw him anymore. I had to wing the rest of it.”

esides flipping eggs, Wade learned the secret to cooking grits. “A lot of love and a lot of butter – that made them good,” Wade says. “I was also taught to let them simmer. A lot of people only let them cook 30 minutes. I cooked them an hour and a half. It makes them smooth.” Wade benefited heavily from two All Steak cooks in particular – Attillio Chiaranda and Eva Clark. “They put up with me a lot of years and taught me a lot about cooking,” he says. In 1988, Charlie promoted Wade to kitchen manager. Cooking all of the time, he held that position for most of 20 years though he left and came back a time or two. “I always thought the grass was greener on the other side,” he grins, “but it never was.” Eventually, however, it was greener. And Charlie helped Wade reach it. Recognizing his boss’ integrity over the years, Wade’s respect grew to the point that whenever he and Marie faced a big decision – say, buying a house – they turned to Charlie for advice. 26

FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

Then, in a 10-12-year period, Wade lost most of his family to health issues or car accidents. After his dad died in 2005, Charlie helped Wade turn a page in his life. “I got saved and felt God was calling me into the ministry,” he says. “Charlie worked it so I could be off on Sunday if I had the opportunity to fill in preaching.” In 1995 Wade started preaching part time, and Charlie worked his All Steak schedule to accommodate him.

nitially, Wade preached occasionally at Antioch Baptist in Fairview, then every Sunday at Mission Grove Baptist for five years, followed by eight years at White Grove Baptist. Northbrook sought a part-time adult minister in 2008. With Charlie’s encouragement, Wade applied and got the job. In 2011, the church also gave him the food service ministry, making him full time and giving him a home in the kitchen. The church puts its ample kitchen and large dining area to good use. With a corps of about 100 rotating volunteers and Wade leading the cooking, Sunday breakfast is served for a donation from 7:30-8:45. Wade, in his wheelhouse, cooks grits, gravy, sausage, oatmeal and muffins. On Wednesdays, Wade and company feed supper to some 200 people prior to the 6:30 service.

He also prepares Wednesday meals for delivery to 15-20 shut-ins. And, whenever food is left over, it’s donated to women in Northbrook’s Frady Safe House program.

arie points out that at Thanksgiving, Wade and company, along with several other churches, cooked for 50 families in hospice as well as delivering meals to some 85 first responders while on duty. After the tornadoes in 2011, while power was out elsewhere, Northbrook, by virtue of being on the same line as Cullman Regional Medical Center, soon had power restored, plus has gas stoves. So, Marie says, Wade cooked three meals a day for up to 200 people on disaster relief teams. So, from his beginnings with cooking at All Steak, Wade now ministers through his cooking at Northbrook. Truth be known, people there tell him his meals simply do not compare to most church food. “Everything is as homemade as possible,” he says. “It’s not something out of a bag or a box. And, this way, they can enjoy a time of fellowship and catch up on the day with their family and friends before going to worship.” Most of the recipes in this issue of Good Life are dishes Wade once cooked at All Steak and now, by memory, cooks at church. Good Life Magazine

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PARMESAN CHICKEN 8 6-oz. chicken breasts, up to 10, flattened or pounded 1 lb. margarine, melted 16 oz. panko breadcrumbs 1 tsp. salt TOMATO BACON CUPS (Thanks to my daughter, Chelsea)

1 tsp. pepper 8 oz. Parmesan cheese, grated Dredge chicken in melted butter. Mix salt, pepper, cheese and bread

crumbs in a bowl. Use mixture to completely cover and pat onto each piece of chicken. Place covered chicken on a pan and bake at 300 for 30–40 minutes.

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ROASTED RED POTATOES

1 can biscuits 1 tomato, diced 1 small onion 1 cup of bacon, crumbled (or bacon bits) 1 cup mayonnaise 1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded

16 oz. box of bowtie pasta 4 oz. jar of pimentos, drained 2 oz. jar of black olives, drained ½ cup grape tomatoes, sliced ½ cup purple onion, chopped ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated Salt and pepper to taste

Cut each uncooked biscuit into fourths and place pieces in a minimuffin pan. Mix mayonnaise, cheese, onion, bacon and tomato. Spoon mixture onto the top of each biscuit piece. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until brown.

Cook and drain pasta according to directions on package. Add remaining ingredients. Refrigerate at least one hour, allowing flavors to marry, before serving. NOTE: This is a colorful dish.

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12 (approximately) medium red potatoes, quartered 1 pinch salt 1 pinch pepper 1 pinch Badia or other complete seasoning ½ cup olive oil ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded Wash and parboil potato quarters; allow to cool in a large bowl, then toss in oil and sprinkle with seasonings. Put potatoes on a pan and bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes. Brown as desired. NOTE: I like my potatoes – and really all of my food – with a lot of flavor.

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SQUASH CASSEROLE 12-15 fresh squash, sliced 1 onion, chopped 1 bell pepper, chopped or sliced 2 tsp. Lawry’s seasoned salt 2 tsp. black pepper 1 tsp. salt 16 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 8 oz. sour cream 1 cup mayonnaise Topping 16 oz. panko breadcrumbs 8 oz. butter, melted Mix all ingredients except topping together in a baking dish. Cover mixture with breadcrumbs and drizzle with butter. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes. MACARONI & CHEESE (Thanks to my daughter, Chelsea) 2 cups of macaroni ½ stick butter, melted 1 cup sour cream 6 oz. Velveeta, melted Shredded cheese, as desired Milk, as desired Boil macaroni until done. While macaroni is hot, mix in Velveeta, butter and sour cream. Add milk if too thick. Place in casserole dish topped with shredded cheese and bake until cheese is melted. PEANUT BUTTER PIE (Thanks to my daughter, Katie) Filling 1 cup peanut butter 1 block cream cheese, softened 1 cup confectioners sugar Crust 1 cup graham cracker crumbs ¾ stick butter, melted ¼ cup sugar 30

Mix butter, sugar and graham crackers together and press in bottom of pie pan. Bake for 10 minutes at 350°. Let chill in fridge for 1 hour. Mix cream cheese, peanut butter and confectioners sugar until combined. Add on top of crust and chill for 2 hours before serving.

FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

CORNFLAKE BALLS (Thanks to my daughter, Katie) 1 cup cornflakes 1 cup light Karo Syrup 1 cup peanut butter 1 cup sugar Melt sugar with Karo in saucepan at low heat. Once sugar dissolves, mix

in peanut butter until smooth. Remove from heat and add cornflakes. Once cool, form into ½-1 inch balls on parchment paper and let them set for 1-2 hours.

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EASY LEMON PIE

Pour mixture into pie shell. Bake at 300 for 40-45 minutes. Allow to rest until room temperature before serving. Can be refrigerated.

CUCUMBER & TOMATO SALAD

1 6-oz. can frozen lemonade, thawed 14 oz. sweetened condensed milk 8 oz. Cool Whip 1 9-in. graham cracker pie crust Using a mixer, mix condensed lemonade, condensed milk and Cool Whip together. Pour in crust. Refrigerate until firm.

4 seedless cucumbers, sliced thinly ½ cup grape tomatoes, sliced ½ cup purple onion, diced ½ cup Italian dressing Salt and pepper Simply mix all ingredients in a bowl, add dressing and toss. NOTE: This salad goes with everything, lunch or dinner.

CORN DIP 2 cans whole kernel corn, drained 1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes, drained 1 cup mayonnaise 1 cup sour cream 1 8-oz. bag of shredded cheddar cheese Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Chill. Serve with tortilla chips.

Know a great Cullman County cook?

We love good food. We love those who know how to cook it. We love sharing their recipes and stories and have thousands of followers who love to read them. Recommend a good cook and we might feature her – or even him – in a future issue of Good Life Magazine. Please call or email David Moore: 256-293-0888; david.goodlifemagazine@gmail.com 32

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Good Eats

Dreher’s Cocktail Bar & Restaurant Mixing great drinks, food and vibes, all for your pleasure Story by David Myers Photos by David Moore

’m not the adventurous type. I know what I like and like to stick with what I know. But when you’re only one half of a married couple – and the lowly male half – what you want usually goes out the window. So, when Rose and I recently headed to Cullman to try out yet another new restaurant in this boom town, I didn’t know what to expect. A mostly beer and wine man myself, Dreher’s Cocktail Bar & Restaurant sounded a tad uptown for me. I couldn’t have been more wrong – yet again. The warmth of the small space was immediately inviting. Followed by the friendliness of the staff, I decided right away I was going to enjoy the evening. Because we’re not cocktail drinkers, manager Madi Rocks and Christine Chamblee, one of three owners and bartender extraordinaire, made our choices for us. They delighted Rose with the beautiful Cranberry and Ginger Mojito, its whole cranberries and mint leaves suggestive of Christmas. Very refreshing and light, this drink went down easily. The Sazerac – irresistible because of its New Orleans origin, same as me – was certainly not a girly drink. Made of rye whiskey, bitters and simple syrup in an absinthe-rinsed glass, it allowed me to put on my Tennessee Williams hat. And it got smoother and smoother the more I sipped it.

his vibe was the idea behind this establishment, which opened in September. Owners Joseph Fisher and Kolby Lawrence, along with Christine, got acquainted while working together at the former Brothers Kitchen & Pourhouse. The young entrepreneurs put their heads together to create a funky gathering place in Cullman’s downtown where people could order a high-end 34

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cocktail – such as their signature Smoked Old Fashioned – paired with high-quality eats. They gave a nod to history with the name, which came from the Dreher’s & Co. furniture company located in the

The “hot” drinks at Dreher’s is not truly hot and shoots a delicious hole in the old saying, where’s there’s smoke there’s fire – the Smoked Old Fashioned. building in late 1800s. Some signs even remain from another longtime tenant, Buettner’s Jewelry. “It’s got a really rich history,” Madi says, adding that the ‘modern speakeasy vibe’ composed of exposed brick walls, concrete floors and sleek booths and tables was a collective effort by the owners. On the heels of the drinks, an appetizer hit our table and whetted our taste buds. The Triple Dip was stunning. We openly declared this large pretzel filled with three separate cheese dips to be one of the best starters we’ve ever eaten. The warm pretzel – crusty on the

outside and soft in the center – was the perfect vehicle to tear apart and dip into the hot dips – spinach artichoke dip, mornay cheese sauce and pimento cheese spread.

hef Cooper Ramsey, who trained briefly under Frank Stitt – a Cullman native and now Birmingham’s own James Beard award-winning restaurateur – created the menu of traditional Southern dishes with a modern spin. We saw and tasted his artistry in our entrees. In Classic Chicken and Grits, a grilled chicken breast nested atop grits was especially tasty with Parmesan cheese and just a touch of butter. The Sage and Orange Duck was deliciously flavorful accompanied by roasted red potatoes, onions and kale. I never knew fowl could sail to such heights. We shamelessly split a Smash Burger served with perfectly crisp, seasoned waffle fries. Featuring two patties on a potato bun dressed with caramelized onion, cheddar cheese, lettuce and tomato, trust me … this is no fast-food burger. Other entrees include a steak, a seasonal veggie sandwich, and a Cullman hot chicken sandwich served with creamed collards, Dreher’s hot sauce and waffle fries. Starters range from Fried Mac & Cheese and Ratatouille to Fried Duck Leg. The Saturday brunch is popular for offerings such as Chicken & Waffle Sliders, baked pimento cheese with house crackers, Dreher’s Pretzel, salads and sandwiches, along with full bar service. In addition to the extensive cocktail menu, Dreher’s offers a large selection of beer and wine. It’s a fun place to hang out, evidenced by guys seated at the bar reveling in a football game. Four women seated in a corner appeared not to notice the noise as they chatted and sipped cocktails. It’s a great getaway for anyone right in the heart of Cullman. Good Life Magazine

Clockwise from top left: Charcuterie board with Smith Farm smoked bacon; Braised Beef Shortribs; Homemade Blackberry Walnut Cheesecake with caramel and mint. Fall Salad with roasted butternut squash, parm, Australian cheddar and cranberry vinaigrette; and original drinks crafted by Christine Chamblee. Dreherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s is located at 216 First Ave. SE. (where Brothers Kitchen & Pourhouse downtown used to be.) Hours are 4-11 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday. FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

Steve Maze answers nature’s call to bare it all, from the symbols on the doors to tipping jokes gone awry, as he delves into the not too distant history to report on ...

The

Outhouse (And maybe Dolly will write a song) Story by Steve A. Maze Photo from the author’s collection

friend recently related a story to me of a near catastrophic event that took place many years ago when he was a youngster. He and his two brothers accidentally started a fire in their bathroom while sneaking around to smoke a pack of cigarettes. They frantically ran to the well and dipped numerous buckets of water to extinguish the flames. The damage to their bathroom was held to a minimum since the flames never got within 50 yards of their house. Yep. You got it. The most recognizable building on any farm used to be the outhouse. The structures were small, usually made of rough lumber with a tin roof, and always had plenty of poke salat surrounding them during the spring. Churches usually had two outhouses – one for men and one for women. Rather 36

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Even today, there are a lot of people who’ve probably encountered an outhouse somewhere in the past, if not in their backyard.

than signs, symbols were often used to identify the correct facility during the past since many people could not read. A privy with a half-moon cut into the door indicated that it was a “men’s” facility. A star cut into the door symbolized it was a “women’s only” facility. Some rural homeowners decorated their outhouse with cut-out symbols, but they were for another reason. They allowed just enough moonlight inside the structure in the event a person needed to make a visit during the middle of the night. Most folks carried a kerosene lantern or other sources of light “down the path” with them after dark. As Dolly Parton put it, “Most people had three bedrooms and a bath, but we had a flashlight and a path.”

n one corner of the typical outhouse would be an empty syrup bucket full of red and white corncobs. People would use two red cobs before using a white one to see if they needed to use another red cob. Paper products were also popular in the outhouse. A Sears & Roebuck catalog was frequently put to use, but those slick pages with sharp corners were far less desirable than an old newspaper. The privy on my grandparent’s farm was located just far enough from the house to avoid the odor. It didn’t seem that far away, but it seemed to take forever to reach it on cold winter days. The frigid wind whistling through the cracks in the walls and up under the seat made for a quick visit. The messiest and least favorite chore on a farm was cleaning out the privy with a shovel. The smelly job consisted of scooping everything under the hole in the outhouse into a pair of foot tubs and scattering it across a nearby field. Lime would then be shoveled under the opening in the back of the outhouse to keep the odor down in future use. Outhouses were frequent targets of practical jokes. Youngster often tipped over many of the structures as a Halloween prank, and some were even set on fire.

utdoor privies were almost out of style when a friend and I decided to tip over the one in a neighbor’s yard. What made this prank so unusual was the neighbor lived in the city. We often played baseball in my friend’s backyard, but were constantly knocking the ball over the neighbor’s fence and into his yard. The retired gentleman began confiscating the baseballs and would not give them back to us.

To get even, we decided to roll his yard with toilet paper. We purchased every roll in stock at the grocery store and proudly gloated as we saw the man picking up his yard the following morning. The neighbor lived in a barn that he had remodeled into a nice home. What we didn’t know was that he had moved an old outhouse under a side shed attached to his house. The man was known for his thriftiness, and we soon realized he was using the free toilet paper to stock his outhouse. That made us even madder. There was only one thing left to do – tip over the privy. We flipped a coin to decide which one of us would do the deed. Naturally, I lost the coin toss. My friend climbed atop the fence that separated the properties to serve as lookout. He was to whistle if he saw the old man headed in my direction.

ith our plans laid, I sneaked into the side shed and began shoving the heavy outhouse with all my might. I rocked it back and forth until it was leaning enough to tip over. All of a sudden I heard someone scream, “Hey, boy! What are you doing in here?” I jerked my head around and spotted the old man standing right behind me. My hair stood on end from fright as I let go of the outhouse. I began running faster than I ever had on a baseball field. I then heard a loud boom echo behind me. I thought I had been blasted by a shotgun, but a quick glance over my shoulder affirmed that my venture had been successful. The outhouse hit the dirt floor with a tremendous crash, and what seemed like tons of dust exploded from the front of the shed with the force of a nuclear bomb. I did a perfect swan dive over the fence into my friend’s back yard. My buddy was perched on top of the wood fence like a chicken on a roosting pole. My fright turned to anger as I spotted him doubled over in laughter. “Why didn’t you whistle when you saw him coming?” I snapped. Between laughs, he managed to whisper, “I got tickled when I saw him walking toward the shed, and I couldn’t whistle.” The neighbor managed to get his outhouse back into an upright position, and a few days later my friend’s dad retrieved the baseballs for us. Dolly should write a song about it, maybe title it “Joke of Many Colors.” Good Life Magazine

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â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The delineation of a visionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

When this Memphis couple decided to retiree to Smith Lake, they also decided to build a house that did not come out of a cookie cutter.

Don and Mary Ruth Colvin knew what they did not want their house to look like ... and accomplished that goal in style Story and photos By David Moore

hey knew they wanted to build their retirement house on Smith Lake, but they didn’t know exactly what they wanted it to look like. Don and Mary Ruth of Memphis did, however, know exactly what they didn’t want it to look like. “We didn’t want to copy any of the other houses on the lake,” Don says. It was 2017 when they bought a 2.4-acre lot on a peninsula jutting into the Ryan Creek area of the lake from Melissa Dodge, now an agent with ARC realty. She and husband, Kevin, have built and flipped several houses on the lake; they and one of those houses were featured in the Summer 2014 issue of Cullman County Good Life Magazine. The Colvins took Melissa’s recommendation of Chris Reebals of the Birmingham firm of Christopher Architecture & Interiors. Chris met with them in Memphis and later at their lot to discuss what they wanted – and didn’t want – for their new house. “We wanted it open with a big great room, big enough to entertain,” Mary Ruth says. “And we wanted lots of outdoor space and a grilling porch.” They figured most of their entertaining would involve their three grown children and their families. So bunks and three guest bedrooms were in order. “I wanted the house casual – with lots of glass and limestone,” Mary Ruth adds. “I wanted something unique in every room. I didn’t want just one great room. I wanted them all great.” Topping Don’s list of wants was a basement room with a stand-up bar for watching football and entertaining.

Don and Mary Ruth Colvin stand in front of their new house – of indeterminate style – on Smith Lake. For Christmas, they enjoyed their three grown children and their extended families. Christina and her husband, David Washer, live in Biloxi and have two children, Dawson, 9, and Aubrey, 6. Christina teaches elementary and junior high gifted classes. Lauren Colvin-Talley does research at St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis. She and her husband, Kevin Talley, have a daughter, Piper, born in September. Hunter Colvin, who works for Ben E. Keith food distributor, and his wife Katrina, were expecting their first child Jan. 25. 40

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he Colvins loved what Chris and company drew up. They got what they wanted and, so to speak, didn’t get what they didn’t want. No cookie-cutter. No pigeonhole … which by definition left dangling this intriguing question: What style would you call the house? “We really don’t know what to call this style,” Mary Ruth says. “Neither does anyone else. I asked Chris about it, and he said he didn’t put his designs in categories. He said the design is more of a delineation of his vision.” Melissa refers to the style as “English cottage,” which one can see in the stone work, steep roof lines, top-floor guest room dormers and the delightfully torqued chimney rising from the fireplace on the grilling porch.

The glassed-in corner of the great room is cantilevered, jutting a foot or two out from the side of the house. It helps bring the outside – and the lake – inside. The huge fireplace is another point of interest. “And I love the shiplap,” Mary Ruth says. She has so many favorite rooms she has to think a minute before giving a justifiable nod to the dining room. The house, she says, is still a work in progress, with one possible project being electronic shades in the heavily glassed rooms. FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

But two large, sweeping outside stairways leading down to the yard from a terrace and the grilling porch belie any true notion of “cottage,” as does the sheer size of the house – 5,800 square feet of living space. Inside are rooms, beds and bunks that will sleep 21 people. Another striking feature is the cantilevered walls of glass sheets jutting out a few feet from the towering exterior stone walls of the great room. “I had told Chris I wanted high ceilings,” Mary Ruth says. She got them. Don initially wanted a slate roof but gladly settled for a shake-look, which is brightly accented by copper gutters and downspouts. Says Don of Chris’s finished product, “He took what we wanted and went from there.”

t’s a fine retirement house for a couple who met in their senior year of high school. Mary Ruth grew up in Humbolt, Tennessee, some 90 minutes northeast of Memphis. Don’s dad worked for General Motors, meaning they generally moved around the county. Don’s family ended up next door to Mary Ruth, and they married in 1971, fresh out of high school. “So I married the girl next door,” Don grins. Mary Ruth worked as a buyer for a specialty clothing store in Memphis, traveling enough that she refers to New York City as her second home. She later owned a stationery store in Germantown, adjacent to Memphis, where the Colvins later lived. Don worked for FedEx, climbing to the corporate headquarters in Memphis to become vice president of properties and facilities worldwide. As a youngster, their son Hunter told people his daddy built “clothes hangers” for airplanes. He was close. From the time a new building was conceived, designed and built, until FedEx eventually moved out, all buildings – many of them aircraft hangars – were Don’s responsibility. “If he was going someplace I wanted to go, you better bet I went with him,” Mary Ruth laughs. It was enjoyable work, Don says, but after 36 years he decided to retire. As much as he loved seeing the sights, travel had lost its fascination.

on was not interested in retiring to the beach. “I like it,” he laughs, “except for the sand, surf and the sun.” He and his son, sons-in-law and now his grandson, like to fish and Mary Ruth likes the water, so lakes were in play. A friend from FedEx had moved to Smith Lake and loved it so the Colvins checked it out one weekend. Impressed, they rented a large house and brought the entire family for a 10-day vacation. “My little grandson sat on the dock and fished,” Mary Ruth says. “He found cliffs to jump off. He 42

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The tall, airy stairwell inside the front door leads to the basement and upstairs a sitting area and guest rooms. The high-pitched ceiling and tall wall of windows overlooking the lake make the master bedroom delightful. The alcove through the arch is a study/ office. Along with three guest bedrooms upstairs are two bunk rooms. One of the three upstairs baths puts a nice spin on the notion of a shower/bath. The master bath features a free-standing soaking tub and glassed in shower. The kitchen opens at far left to the great room and has a walk-in pantry. FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

lives in Biloxi, had been to Disney and the beach, and he looked at his Poppy and said this was the best vacation he ever had.” “That’s it,” Poppy Don had announced. “We’re sold.” “The clarity of the lake was a selling point,” Don adds. “It was an awesome place.” Plus, Smith Lake was relatively convenient for their kids to visit. “When they do visit they have a tendency to stay a few days,” Don says. So they bought the lot, made plans with Christopher and hired Marbury McCullough of TCC, out of Birmingham and Alexander City, as general contractor.

onstruction took some 18 months. “It was a very long process,” Mary Ruth says. “I never thought it was going to actually happen.” In the midst of construction, Don retired in October 2018. Then their son, Hunter, got married. Don had a hip replaced. Mary Ruth had a knee replaced. The Colvins put their Germantown house on the market. It sold in one day and closed in July 2020. They had to move immediately. Their new house was nearly finished when they brought the entire family over for a Fourth of July celebration. “Everybody was responsible for bringing their own bedding,” Mary Ruth laughs. “We camped out in here. We had a ball!” Marbury was very accommodating for the party. Ditto when Don and Mary Ruth had to move on July 24. Workers continued with the finishing for several weeks. “He’s been very gracious to take care of any problems,” Don says of the contractor.

Don got his stand-up bar in the basement, the one room intended to be under his complete control. “But Mary Ruth puts too much knick-knack stuff in it!” he grins. The bar opens to a covered sitting area from which an arch leads to a fire pit overlooking the lake. Terrace areas are covered with Concrete pavers from FireRock Building Materials in Birmingham. The grilling porch is another favorite “room” in the house. 44

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n their brief stay here, Smith Lake is already feeling like their neighborhood. “We have great neighbors,” Mary Ruth says. “Melissa and Kevin have helped a lot. They invited us to lots of parties.” The couple around the corner, Sherry and Barry Griffith, are from Memphis, and Christopher also built their house. “For the short time we’ve lived here, we have met a lot of people,” Don says. “It’s great. We didn’t know this many people in Germantown.” The house is also starting to feel like home, the Colvins say. Even so, it’s a work in progress, says Mary Ruth, who has a number of projects in mind. But, and most important, was that they got what they wanted. And didn’t get what they didn’t want. “I think,” Mary Ruth laughs,” that we accomplished that.” Good Life Magazine

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Magic’s in the wood at Southern Heritage Restoration

The process in which Southern Heritage Restoration transforms old, salvaged wood into customized, heirloom-quality tables and other furniture is … well, it’s almost magical. That’s because SHR owner Paul Moss and master craftsman Mike Roberts take great pride in their work, and their collaboration is almost magical. The lumber is seeped with innate and timedistilled character, re-purposed from years of use as walls, floors and joists of old barns, houses and farm cabins. Rough with age, the wood’s beauty is coaxed out by Paul and Mike and their uncanny ability to work together. “I don’t have to ask him to drill a hole behind me. He already has the drill,” Paul says. “He doesn’t have to ask me to screw something down. I am already doing it.” Some customers know exactly what they want. Others bring in pictures and such. “They want to know can we do something like it for them.” Mike says. “Sometimes it is a challenge, but that’s part of it. I may have an idea for it, or Paul has one, and we just do it together. It blows my mind how we click.” SHR’s showroom also has reclaimed stained glass, doors, knobs and other items. Add the character of reclaimed, timedistilled wood and other architectural accents to your house or office and add a touch of magic to your environment.

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Using salvaged wood Mike squares up an open vanity stand with a rustic top to hold a raised bowl sink.

Paul finished a huge black walnut table for the Cullman office of WestRock, a worldwide packaging provider. Below, Mike sands a heart pine dining room table for Liz and Jeff Jones. SHR also creates epoxy river-pour tables and bar tops that can be lit from below.

Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a beginner or a pro, High Point Climbing and Fitness in downtown Chattanooga lets you ...

Ascend to New Heights

High Point Climbing offers both indoor and outdoor climbing facilities. The outdoor wall, in the High Point-provided photo at far right, also offers a great view of downtown Chattanooga as you climb. There are specific rooms for each style of climbing. Brittany McNew chalks up for the indoor auto belay wall. The bouldering room, on page 48, is for those who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to be held back by ropes or harnesses.

Good Getaways Story by Kiah Ingham Photos by Karissa Ingham

igh Point Climbing and Fitness, located in downtown Chattanooga – only two hours and 15 minutes from Cullman – gives you the thrill of actual rock climbing but with the comforts of knowing you’re protected if you fall. If you don’t already have gear, High Point will completely equip you with what you need. Safety is very important at High Point. Before climbing, all are required to go through a safety orientation. Once that’s completed, you’re ready to flaunt your best climbing skills. In the High Point Kidzone you find an array of walls – some mimic traditional rock walls and others just get the kids psyched about climbing. For those more advanced in years and climbing abilities, there are rooms to better suit you. The tallest wall inside – measuring 42 feet – can be found in “The Pit.” But if you’re looking for more of a scenic climb, head outside to the wall that peaks at 50 feet. Climbing walls are marked by color and difficulty. The toughest only a few can execute, but beginners have nothing to fear. High Point provides a variety of different paths to ensure each person, regardless of ability, has a great climbing experience. As you climb chalk dust tickles your nose because your fingers are covered with it as they curl around vividly colored rocks. Your foot finds a hold and you launch upward, one rock at a time. Sometimes reaching the top isn’t the hardest part ... it’s when you let go. A sense of anxiety comes over you, but only for a fleeting moment. Relief comes when your safety rope catches and you’re drifting down.

FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

Sisters Karissa & Kiah Ingham, above of Marshall County, climb often at both High Point locations with Brittany McNew and Caroline Lemke of Fort Payne. Caroline, right, says, “We came, we saw, we conquered!” Looking back up the wall you just conquered is like looking at a trophy with your name on it. “The beauty in climbing is that it’s personal,” explains Ethan Ibach, a High Point employee. “Everyone climbs for personal reasons, whether it’s for sport, fitness, or just to have fun. When you’ve finished climbing and recognize your stomach is empty, Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar is close and offers a menu that flatters each individuals’ taste buds. You can customize your own mile-high burgers, salads and milkshakes with an array of toppings. Good Life Magazine

Chattanooga has two locations ... Pictured above is one of the most popular burgers at Bad Daddy’s, the bacon cheeseburger on steroids. It comes with special sauce and your choice of several varieties of fries or tots. 48

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• High Point Climbing Gym: 1007 Appling Street, Chattanooga • High Point Climbing Gym: 219 Broad Street, Chattanooga Other new locations in Huntsville, Birmingham and Memphis High Point Day Pass: $17.50 ($15.50 children 10 and under/uniformed personnel/senior); rental gear package: $6 For more info: www.highpointclimbing.com Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar: 1924 Gunbarrel Road, Chattanooga

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Traveling a road once

Having radically simplified their lives, then moved from up North, Cindy and Mark Rhonemus use their home in Dodge City as a base for their volunteer, lay mission work in Central America. Photo by David Moore.

tragic, two relocated

retirees now toss starfish into the sea

... one house at a time

Story by David Moore Photos provided by the Rhonemuses

fter discovering life after death, Cindy and Mark Rhonemus found it easy to discover life after retirement. For them, retirement lay on a radical road called “Simplify.” They sold off lots of stuff and, simple or not, moved from the banks of the Ohio River to Dodge City and now visit a poverty-plighted village in Central America as volunteer lay missionaries. Prior to this radical, “simple” step, the Rhonemuses were accountants working as chief financial officers in separate, southeast Ohio school districts. Cindy had a son, Shaunn, from a previous marriage when she and Mark met in 1991 and married four years later. Their ledger of life together showed a good balance – until 1997. That’s when an ultrasound during Cindy’s sixth month of pregnancy

showed their new baby’s kidneys were not functioning. Doctors gave the baby an unlikely chance of survival. “We were opposed to abortion,” she says. “We put everything in the Lord’s hands. Three things could happen. The baby could die in the womb, die at birth or be born alive.” Cindy and Mark became prayer warriors. Many others joined the effort. At home, they went ahead and prepared a nursery, praying that the child would be born alive and they would be granted a little time with him. They got their prayer answered – all of it – on July 1, 1997. Their baby was born. Alive. They got to hold him. They named him Mark Ezra. Had him baptized. And all on the same day they witnessed his last breath. “You just … pray for a miracle,” Cindy says. “From the moment you become pregnant, you become a mother. We wanted a child together. It was devastating. They say if

you lose a parent, you lose your past. If you lose a child, you lose your future. It can make or break a marriage. “It brought us together,” Cindy continues. “When one was weak, the other was strong. Things that were important before became less important, and new things became more important.” “It is,” Mark says, “the most difficult thing I’ve ever been through.”

n the dark months following their baby’s death, a missionary from Food for the Poor visited their church in Ohio and talked about the “wooden bell.” “This is what some of the children who are starving sound like when they are dying of malnutrition,” Cindy says. “It’s a clucking, choking sound. We had heard that sound before.” Their child’s lungs had not developed. He’d made a similar sound.

FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

“It just hit us,” Cindy says. “We both had the same feeling. We could not have children of our own but thought maybe we could help other children.” Food for the Poor offered mission trips. The Rhonemuses took the radical step of requesting to visit the neediest possible country. That, the missionary told them, was Haiti. Mark and Cindy had lived in Appalachia, worked in the poorest counties of southeastern Ohio. Still, they were shocked when they arrived in Haiti in 1998. They saw children living in homes with dirt floors. Even the hotel where they stayed had only cold water and no electricity at night. “It’s so different in their world,” Mark says. “The country itself is so poor.” Cindy says they decided on that trip that they wanted to do mission work when they retired. Back home, her parents asked why go overseas to help when there are those who need help right here. “The Bible says the poor are always with us,” she replied. “It does not say the ‘us’ of West Virginia or Ohio. They rely on us … the Third World Countries.”

fter Haiti, the Rhonemuses continued their jobs, but they now supported the mission group financially, even paying for the construction of three small houses. They became more active in their church and later joined a parish pilgrimage to Alabama to visit the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, but moving to Alabama did not occur to them. Instead, life continued at their three-story, Victorian house, built in 1875 overlooking the Ohio River in the town of Pomeroy. Along with her five sets of China, Cindy collected antique tea sets. They played on the river in their boat, on their jet skis. Shaunn grew up and married. While the years passed like water down the river, their dream of missionary work remained well anchored. In 2014, the year they retired, Mark and Cindy took stock of their considerable stuff and saw no place for it in the nearing future. So they decided to simplify and set up a huge auction for the end of August. In the coming weeks, Cindy would walk through the house, its furnishings evoking fond memories of family events and entertaining friends. “It’s just furniture, I came to realize. All the memories were in my heart and mind,” she says. “It made it way easier to let things go.” On auction day, except for a few keepsakes, all their antiques, furnishings and knickknacks where displayed in big tents set up in the yard. To spare emotions, the Rhonemuses left before the bidding began. When they returned at the end of the day, everything was gone. “It was,” says Mark, “a sort of cleansing feeling.”

hey retired December 31, 2014. That bitter winter lit a fire to move south, and they visited Asheville, Chattanooga and Florida. About that time Mark read a story in the National Catholic Register about retired couples moving to be near shrines in order to deepen their faith. They were active at church, volunteering to help the elderly, and cooking at the homeless shelter.

Mark and Cindy loved their restored Victorian house on the Ohio River ... well, until they didn’t. They do still love their son, Shaunn, and his wife, Brooke, pictured at left at a restaurant they visited in Columbus, Ohio, during the 2016 Christmas holidays. And naturally Mark and Cindy love their grandson, Alder. 52

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collaboration, Mark and Cindy made “We saw so much need there,” Cindy “We were so busy doing the Lord’s says. “We saw houses made of sticks with work that we lost something,” Mark says. three trips to Belize (formerly the British Honduras). linoleum flooring wrapped around them for “We needed to concentrate more on our walls and a tin roof.” prayer lives, our spiritual growth.” The Central American country is So in March they revisited the shrine renowned for its beautiful cays along on There they met Manuel Martinez, one in Hanceville, this time of eight grown children, exploring the surrounding whose family is scattered area with an eye to moving. except for two sisters, their “We were surprised children and his mother, to find this pocket of Maria, whom he cared for. Catholicism here,” Mark They lived in squalor while says. Besides the shrine, the walls of a block house there is St. Bernard Abbey, that had been started for Sacred Heart (where them stood unfinished. they now attend church) Sister Luke asked and its monastery for the Mark and Cindy if they Benedictine Sisters, all in could raise funds to finish Cullman -- St. Boniface the house on a future trip. in Hanceville and Christ She estimated that $5,000 the King Monastery in was needed to complete Fairview. the home. Trusting in the “We really loved the Lord, they said yes. Back area and the people we met home, calling on friends in Cullman County were so and family, they were able On their first trips to Belize, the Rhonemuses helped build welcoming,” Cindy says. to raise $6,000, of which this 16x20-foot wooden home. “They’re just a little They prayed heavily they themselves contributed bigger than our deck is now,” Mark, left, says of the about moving here, $1,000 of their own funds. modest but highly appreciated $6,000 homes. including a nine day Returning in January novena to Saint Joseph. 2019 with a new team, they Feeling led, they returned installed windows, doors, to Cullman County in June, looked at 16 the Caribbean Coast, the amazing Blue finished the roof and poured a concrete pad houses and settled on a relatively modest Hole diving mecca and ancient Mayan in front of the house for a future expansion. ruins … all contributors to Belize’s annual rancher in Dodge City to be their future Manuel’s family is now living in the home, $1 billion-plus tourism revenue. home base as missionaries. and recently someone donated enough On the other side of the proverbial They put their Ohio house up for sale. funds for them to have electricity and a tracks, some 41 percent of Belizeans – It went under contract in 11 days. They bathroom. including nearly half of the children – live closed in Dodge City in July, moved in “The whole community takes part in in poverty. They are also affected by September. the building – kids and adults,” Mark says. “They say don’t do anything drastic the rampant diseases. “They are helping their neighbors.” It’s these people Mark and Cindy, as first year you retire,” Mark laughs. “We While there, the Rhonemuses found part of volunteer teams, went to help in did it all. We broke all of the rules. Did we themselves building not just a house but January of 2016, 2017 and 2018. They mention something about being radicals?” also relationships. They took village kids “Everything,” says Cindy, “just fell into also made a mission trip in June 2017 to for ice cream and let them each buy a toy. the Crow Indian Reservation in Pryor, place.” They took Manuel’s pregnant sister for a Montana. timely ultrasound. It revealed the child’s On their first two trips to Belize City, umbilical cord was wrapped around its he next month, October 2015, they helped build 16x20-foot wooden neck, so they paid for a second ultrasound the simplified radicals made their first homes – the low end of an average size and left money for a C-section if needed. missionary trip since Haiti; this time to deck in the U.S. – for needy families. If Donations of clothes, flip flops, school New Orleans to rebuild a family’s house donations allowed, they added a 4x8-foot supplies and rosaries were also distributed destroyed by the Hurricane Katrina flood bathroom, for a total cost of some $6,000 to the school and the church along with six 10 years earlier. Long-scattered, the each. wheelchairs for the handicapped. family was able to reunite and celebrate Accenting the desperation, while the Thanksgiving in their new home. team worked on the house a villager would That project was organized through t the end of their 2018 trip, Sister beg them for just two pieces of wood. Sisters of Charity of Nazareth near Luke Boiarski, their Sister of Charity lay “When you are there and actually see Louisville, which works with Hand in mission leader, asked the couple to visit it,” Mark says, “you realize how blessed Hand Ministries to provide volunteer Las Flores, a poor village some 50 miles you really are.” lay mission teams. Through that same west of Belize City.

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uring the trip, the Rhonemuses continued discussions with village leaders theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d met on that first brief visit to Las Flores. The leaders settled and named the village in the early 1980s, refugees from deadly Christian persecution in El Salvador. These men laid out to Mark and Cindy the 54

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idea of building a two-story building to house visiting doctors, nurses and other volunteers, store medical supplies and equipment, provide a community gathering place and eventually offer daycare. Recognizing the need, the Rhonemuses readily agreed to help. To make the project feasible, they downscaled it to a 42x48-foot

block structure that will house 20 people instead of the proposed 40 and lowering the estimated cost to about $100,000 with furnishings. They decided to spread the project over three years, so donors pledging support could spread out their contributions. They sent letters to potential supporters in November

Mark and Cindy, left and right above, and others on their team last year in Las Flores put sweat and love into the work of finishing the block house for Manuel Martinez, who works for the sanitation department in the small town. At center is the shack he lived in before the team finished his new house with a roof, far left, windows and doors. Besides wretched, the old house was far too small for Manuel, standing at the immediate left, and his extended family. Though not married, he cares for his mother, standing next to him, three grown sisters and eight nephews and nieces. Mark and Cindy, center bottom, take a breather with two young, local helpers. 2018 and lined up pledges of nearly $70,000 over three years. Because they took on the fundraising themselves, Mark and Cindy turned to a group that does that on a regular basis called It Starts with Soccer. Started in 2001 in Austin by Doug Brown, the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website says it combines soccer with community

outreach projects to promote lasting change in impoverished African communities. Las Flores is its first project outside of Africa. Mark says they approached It Starts with Soccer because they needed an approved non-profit knowledgeable in making money flow into foreign lands and issuing proper tax receipts.

Doug visited Las Flores this past December to check out the situation. Along with the village leaders, he determined the first yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s phase of work would be building the foundation and walls, which will cost $35,000. While there, the former college soccer standout held a soccer clinic for 40 kids. FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

ark, Cindy, Sister Luke and their new team traveled to Las Flores this January to break ground and do the first phase of the work on the multi-purpose building. Close to meeting their financial goal, the Rhonemuses hope to generate local help once people know about the project. “Since we are still ‘new,’ we don’t know a lot of people,” Cindy says. “Even people in our church don’t know about the project. We are so close to meeting our goal, we feel if the project had a little awareness, then we might get some local donors.” “If we had the funding up front it certainly would not take three years,” Mark says. People in Cullman already familiar with their volunteer work have donated items for Belizeans, from flip flops and toothbrushes to clothes that Anne Oakes has sewn. Elsewhere, the Knights of Columbus in the small Minnesota town of Watertown held a pancake breakfast and raised $1,500 towards the roof and plan on doing this annually. “Mark and I can’t help the whole country of Belize,” Cindy admits. “But together we can do something.” “It’s like the star fish story,” says Mark. That’s the tale of the boy who comes upon thousands of starfish washed ashore and dying on the beach. He begins throwing them back in the water, one by one. A man tells the boy there are too many dying starfish. His efforts are futile. “You can’t make a difference,” he says. Tossing another starfish into the life-giving water, the boy responds: “I made a difference to that one.”

Recipients of houses that Mark, Cindy and the mission teams build are required to pitch in and help, but the projects usually draw many other willing hands as well. Some are very young, such as Israel, above, one of Manuel Martinez’s nephews. “He did everything,” Cindy says. “He worked so hard that the last day he got physically sick.”

You can help

For more information on the Las Flores project, feel free to contact Mark and Cindy Rhonemus at: 740-416-0203; or at cjrhonemus@gmail.com. To donate, or for more information about It Starts with Soccer, please visit: www.itstartswithsoccer.org. Click on the link “Village of Las Flores, Belize Projects and check out their story. Pull down the “Get Involved” tab to “Existing Projects,” then scroll down to “Village of Las Flores, Belize Projects.” Please note on your check that the donation is for “Village of Las Flores.” It Starts with Soccer is a non-profit 501-(C)(3) organization. 56

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ot everyone is radical enough to auction off their possessions – to simplify to such an extreme – so they can spend their retirement years as volunteer lay missionaries building houses for the needy 1,200 miles away in Central America. “What we do may be considered radical,” Cindy says. “But if each of us is willing to give up something to help make life better for even one person, then we are loving well. And that is what God calls all of us to do.” Through the course of their lives, she and Mark have come to approach every day as a gift from God, Cindy explains. “We wake up each day not asking ‘What are my plans for the day?’ but instead asking ‘What does God have in store for us today?’ Then we go where we are led, realizing that it is His plan, not ours. Our passion is to give back all that God has given us. “In a nutshell, it is who we are,” Cindy adds. “We are not living this life for ourselves, but feel deeply that we are called to serve others. That’s how we roll. It’s who God wants us to be. And there’s no changing that.” Good Life Magazine

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Geraldine Hendrix of the Heartland Quilters Guild hand-stitches three layers of a quilt, first using temporary, loose basting stitches that will be removed later. “It’s addicting,” she says. “This is my reward. I get to do it when I get my chores done.”

Quilting Story and photos By David Moore

“G

uild” dates to medieval times as a word to describe groups of craftsmen and merchants, some of whom wielded considerable power. Today the term refers to a group or association of people who gather for their mutual benefit in the pursuit of some common goal –which applies to the Heartland Quilters Guild in Cullman. With “guild” explained, one might need a true grasp of just what a quilt is. “First of all,” declares Heartland member Hazel Ruehl, and if you know her you can hear her laughing, “a quilt is not a blanket.” Indeed. A quilt is a bed covering composed of three layers of fabric: (1) the

The craft has stood the test of time as quilters today still stitch together art

top; (2) the batting or filler; (3) the backing. All are bound together with patterns of stitches; or by the older method of tying, where a piece of yarn or thread runs through the layers and has knots tied on both ends to anchor it. Today, one can buy tops of a single piece of fabric, but quilters in harder times had to stitch together tops of cloth scraps. “They did not waste anything,” Hazel says. Quilting, which requires skilled craftsmanship, is a hobby for most who pursue it. For some it’s an enjoyable job. The result of quilting is often a true piece of art. And most quilters, it seems, do it with passion, which explains why a common thread running through quilters is a deep knowledge of the craft.

azel has taken her knowledge a bit farther than some quilters, however. Last year she presented a program on quilting to the Cullman Historical Society. The following borrows heavily from that program she presented … The craft has stood the test of time. Its origin is lost in the past, but quilting can be traced back to 13th century England. It was not, however used for bedding. Rather, historical references to quilting appear in relation to protective clothing worn under – or even over – armor. Quilted doublets – short, close-fitting, padded jackets – became fashionable attire for wealthy men of the 14th and 15th centuries. At any rate, Hazel says written evidence Continued on page 62 FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

Heartland Quilters Guild recently held an informal workshop at the Magic Farms home of Melissa Cartee. Pictured clockwise from top left … Gretta Wilhite and Hazel Ruehl admire a double wedding band quilt Bertha Oeser Ruehl – Hazel’s grandmother-in-law – made in the early 1930s. Such quilts were popular wedding gifts. In her sewing room, Melissa Cartee uses a 26-inch, long-arm APQS Millennium quilting machine as company rep Donna Hightower offers tips. Using a computer program, the machine can sew patterns of your choice into the three layers of a quilt. It takes about two hours to do what a skilled handquilter can do in over two months of part-time work. Sandra Tucker uses a rotary blade and a pattern to cut quilting pieces. She takes orders for “memory quilts,” made with pieces of T-shirts or other personal items, as well as traditional sampler quilts of various patterns. Betty Bissot, 2020 guild president, sews together colorful fabric pieces with which she creates quilt tops. Conna Canada of Smith Lake uses English paper piecing to create a flag she usually works on “very part time” while flying or traveling in a car. Finally, Jennifer Bridges and, below at left, Geraldine Hendrix admire a hexagon pattern quilted by Annie Vest Bridges, Jennifer’s grandmother-in-law. The heirloom is 100 years old.

Continued from page 59

shows that the English were using bed quilts over – or even under – mattresses in the 15th century. Pilgrims arrived in the New World in 1620 with both quilts and the craft of quilting. Though more of a necessity than today, early settlers also made quilts for pleasure and aesthetics. In the early 1800s settlers brought quilts into the Alabama territory. Most were tediously sewn with scraps of cloth, though one of the earliest documented Alabama-made quilts – 1810 – had a topping of whole cloth.

Jennifer Bridges and her mother, Yvon Mathews, handmade the Prairie Flower-patterned quilt, above, in 2009. Yvon’s picture lies on the quilt. The heirloom Rising Sun quilt, below, was made in 1858 by Mrs. Gustavas-Adolphus Myhand. Passed down to Heartland member Hazel Ruehl, she donated it to the Cullman County Museum.

rior to the Civil War, sewing machines were showing up in wealthy households, sometimes shared among neighbors, so quilting became easier. After the war, with an increase in cotton production and textile mills, fabric became less expensive, encouraging more quilting. In the late 19th century, a variety of quilt patterns began showing up in newspapers, magazines and county fairs, creating a widened diversity of pieced and appliqué designs. Randomly patched “Crazy Quilts” became popular, and feed and flour companies made their bags out of cotton fabric so people could use them for sewing and quilting. The craft declined in popularity during World War II, but revived in the 1960s, thanks to groups of African American women in two communities in Wilcox, Alabama. Freedom Quilting Bee and Gee’s Bend Quilting Collective grew out of the Civil Rights Movement. Quilts from the Freedom group traveled to New York City, were promoted by Vogue Magazine, sold at Bloomingdale’s and exhibited at the Smithsonian Institution. Gee’s Bend quilts went on several national tours in the first decade of 2000. “Quilt making today … continues as a tradition in Alabama,” Hazel writes at the end of her presentation. “Quilters continue to make their own distinctive contributions to this decorative medium, and strong personal expressions continue among makers of both traditional quilts and art quilts.”

n Cullman, quilting underwent its own renewal in 1992 when Yvon Mathews started the Nimble Thimbles group. The group met in the daytime, unintentionally leaving out women who would attend but held day jobs – such as Yvon’s daughter, Jennifer Bridges. In 2001, Yvon, Jennifer and 23 other charter members started Heartland Quilters Guild. A third local group also stitches life into the craft of quilting – Quiltmakers Guild of Cullman. All of the groups welcome new members, from beginners to pros, and a number of people are members in multiple clubs. Interested in more about quilting? • Heartland Quilters Guild, with about 50 members, holds quilting programs at 6:30 p.m. on second Thursdays of the month at Christ Covenant Presbyterian Church on St. Joseph Drive. For more info, contact president Betty Bissot: 409-781-9537. • Nimble Thimble Quilters meet at 9 a.m. on the second Friday of the month in the basement of the Cullman County Museum on 2nd Ave. NE for business and a teaching program. For more information: ddwalker3840@att.net • Quiltmakers Guild of Cullman meets for programs at 9:30 a.m. on the second Wednesday of the month in the Lutheran Haus at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church on 4th Ave. SE. For more information, call Conna Canada: 256-338-9869. Good Life Magazine 62

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In 1982, Father Timothy created this 18-inch tall Fabergé-style egg containing a replica of the Neuschwanstein Castle – often called the Disney Castle. It was meant as a gift to the German ambassador, who was invited but did not come to Cullman’s centennial in 1973. Today, the egg is in the Cullman County Museum. Timothy created a second egg from the same mold, which for years sat on a piano at St. Bernard. One day, while the piano was being rolled, a leg broke. The egg toppled and shattered. 64

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Father Timothy A priest and artist, his spirit and works leave a legacy for St. Bernard and Cullman, both of which he loved Story and current photos By David Moore

rom modest to monumental, nearly everyone leaves behind a legacy of accomplishments or failures, of impact upon those they touched in life. Those who wrestle with demons leave behind a legacy all the stronger if they defeat them. Artists? Their legacy is all the more rich and vivid for the works that survive after they die. Father Timothy Harrison’s legacy entails all of this. He was a priest at St. Bernard Abbey. And as an art and English professor at the abbey’s school and college from 1948 until his death in 1982, Fr. Timothy created works of art in ceramics and on canvas, some of them undeniably exquisite. Theatre might be less tangible, but he’s further remembered for his stage productions there. Fr. Timothy also wrestled with – and defeated – a demon. Today at Cullman County Museum you can marvel at his large, Fabergéstyle ceramic “egg” that opens to reveal a sculpture of Germany’s famous Neuschwanstein Castle. A Renaissance man, both intellectually and at heart, he toured Europe and studied art in Florence, Italy. St. Bernard Abbot Marcus Voss has a fine oil painting of a Venetian sunset Timothy did. Fr. Timothy once made a white ceramic cross about 12 inches tall and wide. Walk into the remodeled library at St. Bernard Preparatory School today and your eyes fly immediately to the huge, replica of that cross mounted over the grand staircase. It’s a fitting symbol of his legacy.

ister Eleanor Harrison is a Benedictine Sister at Sacred Heart Monastery in Cullman. A young 93, she’s also a sibling sister of Timothy and the

This portrait of Father Timothy Fletcher Harrison, Order of St. Benedict, was taken in the fall of 1968 when he was 47. Photo provided by St. Bernard Abbey. only surviving sibling of the seven children of Fletcher and Margaret Harrison. The family was raised in Birmingham. Though an engineer, Fletcher had one grand experience with sculpture. In 1938, he was charged with mounting the 56-foot iron statue of Vulcan atop a 126-foot pedestal overlooking the city. Later, Fletcher engineered the construction of the church and library at St. Bernard Abbey.

Christened Isaac Fletcher Harrison, Jr., Timothy was born in 1921, fifth of seven children. He was five years older than Eleanor – christened Gertrude – and their brother Joseph Edward born between the two. The family did fun things, like going on Sunday afternoon adventures. Fletcher built them a pottery wheel, procured a small kiln, and the three youngsters were turned loose. “What I made were door stops mostly,” Eleanor grins. “Tim made elegant pots.” He was always thin. The doctor proclaimed that Tim’s stomach was too small, that he should eat five times a day. It didn’t help. He remained so thin his mother held him out of school until he was 8. But once in school, he took off intellectually. “Tim was always very bright,” Eleanor says. “My mother recognized his talent.” She sent him to a paint store in Birmingham which offered art lessons. Later, during summers, he took lessons from a woman artist.

s an eighth grader, Tim transferred to St. Bernard, which had to double-promote him because the ninth was its lowest grade. Thus began his long running love for St. Bernard and the city. A monk later told Eleanor that Tim’s college entrance exams were off the charts. “He was brilliant,” she says. “But he looked you in the eye and talked right to you. He was never preoccupied.” After getting a liberal arts associate degree from St. Bernard College. Tim earned his bachelor’s degree in philosophy from what’s now Benedictine College in Kansas. He earned his first master’s in FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

art from Notre Dame and a second MA, this in drama, from The Catholic University of America. Ordained as Father Timothy in 1948, he returned to St. Bernard College and taught high school that summer as a professor of art and English. And being a priest there suited him well. “He just fit that life,” Eleanor says. “He was free and enjoyed it. He did well in it and was at peace in it. He was always cheerful and fun to be with.” Eleanor, too, earned degrees from the Benedictine College in Kansas and The Catholic University of America. She says she and Timothy both returned to Alabama because they thought the South would be changing and wanted to be a part of it.

Gertrude –the future Sister Eleanor – was baby of the Harrison household, the last of the seven stair-stepped children. In front of her is Joseph Edward. Third from the end is the thin Tim. “It was such a fun family,” Eleanor says.

Father Timothy was ordained May 27, 1948. Above, he’s pictured at home that day standing between his parents with four of his siblings. Gertrude, before becoming Sister Eleanor, stands behind Timothy and her mother. Some years earlier, Timothy painted his first portrait, a picture of Gertrude, which, coincidentally, hangs on the wall behind her in this family photo. She remembers holding althea blooms as he painted. “There were ants on them,” she laughs. “I could feel the ants, but I had to hold very still.” A niece in Texas still has the portrait. “She uses it for dart practice,” Sister Eleanor deadpans. 66

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he only Cullman High School Bearcat to ever became an abbot, Marcus Voss was a student and a monastic novice at St. Bernard College in 1964-66. While he never had Fr. Timothy as a professor, he was still impressed with his talents. “What I remember most were the plays the college put on in those years … Timothy up on scaffolding painting a backdrop of New York City for his production of ‘West Side Story,’” Abbot Marcus says. “That’s when I first realized his exceptional talent.” Father Timothy’s mind also impressed Marcus. Once during a discussion, Timothy recited the Tudor line of royalty from 1485 to 1603. “From memory, he recalled the entire line – who was king, who was queen, when they lived,” says Marcus, still in awe. “He knew who was the husband, who was the thief, what they did and didn’t do, the wars they fought, the trouble they got into.” Marcus calls Timothy a “pastoral man” and says he was concerned about people and answering their spiritual needs. And as his confessor, he says Timothy took the approach that the Lord looks with forgiveness upon those who might need it. Sister Eleanor calls her brother a compassionate priest and a good confessor. “He was someone who listened well,” she says. “He was gifted enough to understand a variety of personalities and spoke in terms of the Lord’s love and one’s dignity as opposed to ‘You’re going to pay for it.’” Says Abbot Marcus, “He was someone I looked up to, a very solid person committed to this life. He taught me much about being a Benedictine.”

aul Harrison’s father was Joseph Edward – Timothy’s younger brother and Sister Eleanor’s next older brother. In family lore, Ed, a gunner on B-24s, was famous for being shot down twice during World War II. Bailing out the first time over Yugoslavia, he split his head open on the tail of the burning bomber. Missing in action for three months, he was nursed back to health and smuggled out of the country by Yugoslavians working with the underground. He was later shot down over enemy lines in Italy and MIA for two weeks before returning. Returning home, Ed married Marie Nadeau, a French Canadian. One of nine siblings, Paul was born in Massachusetts in 1948. As a youngster, he visited Cullman and St. Bernard with his dad and met Father Timothy but doesn’t really remember him until he studied business at the college here from 1966 to 1970. Paul never had his uncle as a professor, but they often talked. As many were, Paul was taken by Tim’s elegant voice, which had the power to draw in people. His sermons and homilies were excellent, sparked as they were with his knowledge and wisdom. “I was 17 or 18,” Paul laughs. “I don’t know that I would have listened to anyone’s wisdom back then, but I made it a point to go to church if I knew he was speaking.” Not surprisingly, Father Tim became the go-to priest for family weddings. If his schedule allowed, he gladly traveled out of town for such events. After graduating from St. Bernard, Paul did an Army stint before getting into the fence business, starting in Louisville, Kentucky. He returned to Cullman about 1980 with his family – including sons Ben and Ross. Paul traveled a lot with work, but saw Father Tim when he could.

ather Timothy was a Renaissance man with wide-ranging interests and knowledge, says Sister Eleanor. He toured Europe in the early 1970s and later decided to study art in Florence, which he did for 15 months. He stayed at a Benedictine monastery, selling paintings to help with expenses. “He had a glorious time there painting and sculpting,” says Eleanor, who visited Tim in the city of DaVinci, Michelangelo, Brunelleschi, Botticelli, Donatello and other great artists. “I asked if he visited other places,” she grins. “He said the people of Florence say, ‘Where else is there to go?’”

Sister Eleanor Harrison

Abbot Marcus Voss

Paul Harrison

While teaching both college and high school classes, Fr. Timothy was also heavily into drama productions, such as “The King and I.” Sister Eleanor says he involved the community in the big productions, and, being a hands-on-guy, not only directed but, with help from students, also did the scenery. He brought in performers from the Birmingham Symphony to do the music. Abbot Marcus says Timothy and others were also instrumental in keeping community concerts going in Cullman. When Tim was young, his mother sold her engagement ring to buy a piano. Most of the kids took lessons. Tim excelled, Eleanor says, and later played violin and French horn in high school. According to family lore, among other high-profile people, Father Tim knew the actor John Voight and some of Robert Kennedy’s family. It’s unclear how he met them but it’s speculated that it might have been though the drama productions. FEBRUARY | MARCH | APRIL 2020

The bell tower of St. Mark’s overlooks the Grand Canal in Venice. Father Timothy painted the scene with a sunset behind it in 1970, apparently while touring Europe. St. Bernard Abbot Marcus Voss has the painting today. As a priest at St. Bernard’s, Marcus came to appreciate Timothy’s artwork more and more over time. In fact, he has both Timothy’s first and last paintings. He procured the last painting one day when he came upon Timothy in the basement with his easel set up, painting a still life of a magnolia branch. “Why don’t you paint something and give it to the house?” Marcus asked. “Nobody would be interested in it,” Timothy replied humbly. “I am interested. I want it,” Marcus said. And so he got what turned out to be his last painting. After Timothy died, Eleanor told Marcus about her brother’s earliest art lessons. In fact, she said, she had his first painting – a winter forest scene done at the Birmingham paint store. When Marcus told her about having his last painting – also of a magnolia – she presented him with number one.

n a darker human side, Father Timothy wrestled with alcohol abuse. With the match at critical stage, he entered therapy. “He basically said it was a demon, something he had to get – and keep – under control,” Paul Harrison says. “But he 68

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Behind Abbot Marcus’s desk hangs a ceramic sculpture of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, which Fr. Timothy did after a wood carving by Tilman Riemenschneider. had a strong faith. He had to be of strong character to be able to beat the alcohol. I always had a lot of respect for him because of what he’d been through. I admired him.” With the help of his spiritual strength, Marcus says, Timothy came out of rehab and never drank again.

“He took something that would have been a detriment and made it into a huge positive,” the abbot adds. “People would later seek him out to help them overcome addiction. Once you came under his direction he was a great mentor. “He would go out in the middle of night to help someone in their straits. He was a very compassionate man … I think because he suffered so much.” Ironically, going through rehab made Timothy a more understanding human and priest. “It was exactly what he needed,” Sister Eleanor says. “He came back a much more compassionate person. He came back energized with his art.” And so the legacy of Fr. Timothy is that much the greater.

uman that he was, Fr. Timothy had another vice – he was a heavy smoker. It eventually caught up to him. He died of emphysema in 1982. He was 61. Other than that, Sister Eleanor says, her brother never had a failure. “Everywhere he went he was popular and good,” she says. “He accepted people in a general way.” Paul still runs into old classmates

A large, decorative, ceramic cross hangs over the grand staircase in the recently renovated library at St. Bernard. It’s an acknowledgment to the artistic talents and legacy of the late Fr. Timothy Harrison. At some point, he obtained a small iron cross of the same design. He was so taken with that cross that he built a mold and made ceramic casts, including the one below owned by his nephew, Paul Harrison. The replica in the library is so large it had to be cast and mounted in some 21 pieces. Among several other works by his Uncle Tim, Paul has a golden dragon. “His mind worked differently than everyone else’s,” Paul says. “He could see things that rest of us couldn’t see.”

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from St. Bernard, and to this day they enjoy telling stories of Fr. Tim. “He had a lot of respect from most, if not all of the students out there,” Paul says. Likewise, he believes, the monks and priests of St. Bernard deeply respected his uncle for his artistic talents, evident in the cross at the library, and his faith as a priest. It is a Catholic tradition, explains Abbot Marcus, that faith and commitment to spirit are so strong among those called to religious life that it generally overcomes the emotion when a member of the community dies. “We believe so powerfully in the place where a person goes after death – to be embraced by God and go into Heaven – that our emotions are, perhaps, somewhat diminished,” he says. But Fr. Timothy’s death struck Marcus with a deep sorrow. “It never came out until I felt the tears coming down as I walked away from the cemetery,” he says. “He was a man who really affected me.” Marcus wept not for Father Timothy, but for himself. “The tears I felt coming down my face,” he says, “were because I was losing a long, dear friend.”

Fr. Timothy’s great-nephew Ben Harrison was the 2018 Cullman Oktoberfest Burgermeister. Above with today’s version of Col. John Cullmann, Ben is hoisting the stein with which he tapped the first keg of Oktoberfest. The mug was cast by Fr. Timothy in commemoration of Cullman’s centennial in 1973. Fr. Timothy’s love of Cullman also led him to make ceramic busts of city founder Col. John Cullmann, one of which Ben also has, along with plaques depicting Cullmann’s house. The plaques were made available for mounting on historic houses in the city. Pictures at right by Ben Harrison. 70

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en Harrison, general manager of Cullman Regional Airport, refers to Fr. Timothy as Uncle Tim, great uncle, to be exact. Ben’s grandfather, Joseph Edward, was Timothy’s younger brother. Ben was 7 or 8 when his uncle died. “I don’t remember sitting down and having conversations with him,” Ben says. “I do remember seeing him and talking to him and giving him high fives. I remember him being tall and skinny. And I believe he was humble.” Other than family lore, he knows his great uncle best through his art. And some of Fr. Tim’s art, Ben says, was the result of his love for Cullman. Ben notes the Fabergé egg in the museum, a bust of Cullman founder Col. John Cullmann, the huge stein he owns … all were works Fr. Timothy created specifically for the city’s centennial in 1973. And in that way, Fr. Timothy bequeathed some of his art to the city. “He had a deep appreciation of the town and wanted people to enjoy his arts,” Ben says. “I don’t think he did it for any kind of recognition. He just wanted to give back, whether it was through the community threatre, paintings or sculptures.” Timothy’s passion for art especially shows through in his attention to detail, he says. “Think of the time it took to make that,” Ben says, specifically of the Fabergé egg. “What was going through his mind when he was creating that? Obviously you have to enjoy it or you wouldn’t do it. “I think he showed his affection for life in general through his art,” Ben adds. “He must have had a deep appreciation for beauty.” And such is the legacy Father Timothy Harrison left for the abbey and city he loved. Good Life Magazine

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