Tuscaloosa Magazine Spring 2017

ALSO INSIDE: TUSCALOOSA JUNIOR COSMOS THE PARKS E. BALL HOME WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER 6 INTRIGUING PEOPLE & SO MUCH MORE

www.tuscaloosamag.com $3.95

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The football legend on being fashionably great

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editor’s letter

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Publisher James W. Rainey Editor-in-chief Becky Hopf Design Editor Lindi Daywalt-Feazel Photographers Gary Cosby Jr. Erin Nelson Sam MacDonald Copy Editors Amy Robinson Kelcey Sexton Edwin Stanton Operations Director Paul Hass Advertising Director Beau Laird Prepress Manager Chuck Jones Published by The Tuscaloosa News 315 28th Avenue Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 Executive Editor Michael James Controller Steve Hopper Magazine (205) 722-0232 To advertise (205) 722-0147 To subscribe (205) 722-0102

rue confession. I’m a fan of Cam Newton’s style.

The straw boater hats, the circular specs, the bow ties, the suits, the cardigans, the throwback to an oldschool reporter’s look he’s worn to a press conference. He has the frame, the model good looks and, most importantly, the confidence it takes to carry it off.

His style has made headlines, most notably when photographers snapped him wearing the baroque gold and black zebra-striped Versace pants to board the team plane carrying the Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl 50. I loved his explanation for choosing the pants: They were in his closet, and they were black and gold, the colors of the Super Bowl.

Cam Newton gets fashion, but Cam Newton is by no means the first professional athlete to take fashion to the next level. That distinction belongs to a football icon who is also a fashion icon: Joe Namath. His nickname is “Broadway Joe,” a tag alluding to his celebrity superstar status as the New York Jets quarterback and one of the world’s most eligible bachelors. He accessorized with the world’s most beautiful women on his arm.

He modeled — even famously selling women’s pantyhose — acted in TV and movies, and had his own clothing line. Newton is following that lead. He models, has a clothing line and is dabbling in acting.

And, long before Newton, Namath’s fashion choices made headlines. Paparazzi followed him wherever he went. He wore it all and wore it well. Namath had the confidence, the look and the creativity. Still does. At Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014, the cameras and the public went wild when he showed up for the coin toss in a knee-length stroller made of coyote fur with Norwegian fox trim, slightly similar to a fur he donned on the sidelines for a 1971 Jets game.

It was the Versace pants on Newton that made me think of Namath, and that’s how the former University of Alabama favorite and football Hall of Famer came to be our cover story, one that’s not about football but all about how he became fashionably great.

And speaking of great, be sure to read Drew Taylor’s profile on Jim Hughes. More than 40

years ago, Hughes was diagnosed with brain cancer and given six months to live. He outfoxed cancer and took up a hobby to take his mind off his battle — woodworking.

Thousands of projects later, his work even caught a famous musician’s eye.

Hughes ran into Charlie Daniels at the Tuscaloosa fairgrounds and showed off a fiddle he’d carved.

Daniels literally grabbed it out of Hughes’ hands and immediately started strumming the notes to his iconic “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”

We highlight a remarkable group of young women, the Tuscaloosa Junior Cosmos Study Club, which is in its 69th year; a former Navy SEAL, Michael Newman, a high school dropout who now holds a master’s degree; put together a fun spring meal you can fix at home, using recipes shared by local chefs; and we share the story of Jason and Tricia McBride, who purchased and restored his ancestral home in Aliceville.

And I want to give a special thanks to the University of Alabama’s Kevin Almond, who, on the busiest and biggest home game day of the season (Auburn) found a way to make our cover photo happen.

Happy spring!

Becky Hopf, editor Reach Becky Hopf at becky.hopf@tuscaloosanews.com.

FROM TOP: In Foodie News, Donna Cornelius writes about a fun cookbook, “Leslie’s Party Diaries.” Loved it. It’s food everyone will eat, and she reminds us that the simplest things can be parties. I’m all about the theme party: the throwback slumber party (with a throwback game) with my childhood friends, a traveling Halloween carnival with my tiniest relatives (at my brother John’s house in Tennessee), and party props. It doesn’t take a lot of cash, just a little imagination and a gathering of fun family and friends.

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SPRING 2017

VOLUME 15, NO. 1

CONTENTS

40

16

33

08 DINING OUT

22 EVENTS

33 AT HOME

16 DINING IN

27 FOODIE NEWS

40 COVER STORY

Mr. Chen’s is a hit with its food and its Asian market.

Local favorites to combine for a meal at home.

Places to go, things to see and do.

The latest in local food, trends, recipes and epicurean events.

A century later, a family returns to this grand home.

“Broadway Joe” ’s style lit the field and still lights the sidelines.

ON THE COVER He dazzled with his footwork and arm on a football field, but Joe Namath is also legendary as a fashion icon. Long before NFL quarterback Cam Newton stepped on a plane wearing Versace, “Broadway Joe” was the first fashion-forward star athlete.

ALSO INSIDE:

OSA TUSCALOCOSMOS JUNIOR S THE PARK ME E. BALL HO , ER WINN , WINNER N KE IC CH DINNER UING 6 INTRIG PEOPLE H & SO MUC MORE

6 95 g.com $3.

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Photo by: Gary Cosby Jr. See story: Page 40

ll The footba being legend on y great fashionabl 4/6/17 12:43 AM

PROM

STYLE Dance like everyone is watching because they will be when they see these gowns and tuxes hit the dance floor.

Page 60

50 ART

76 HISTORY

99 ON THE SCENE

56 RETAIL

83 6 INTRIGUING PEOPLE

122 LAST LOOK

He was given six months to live.

Four decades later, he’s still crafting memories.

Tuscaloosa’s newest bookstore is a reader’s delight.

50

The Junior Cosmos Study Club has been a Tuscaloosa treasure since 1948.

Meet six folks who are making a difference in the community.

76

The best bashes, parties and charity events of the season.

A community time capsule, captured on film.

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DINING OUT

“We wanted to go down a different route and serve what we’d eat at home ourselves.

This is as close to ‘real’ as you can get — what you’d get overseas.”

— THOMAS CHEN

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home a TASTE of

Tuscaloosa’s Asian community finds

familiar flavors at Mr. Chen’s

BY DONNA CORNELIUS PHOTOS BY ERIN NELSON

Wu Long Chen plates kung pao shrimp at Mr. Chen’s Chinese Cooking and Oriental Market.

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t’s a whole new world for adventurous eaters at Mr. Chen’s Chinese Cooking and Oriental Market on 14th Street. Like Dorothy in Oz, your first thought on entering the family owned restaurant and market may be that you’re not in Tuscaloosa anymore.

One section of the building has aisles filled with things you aren’t likely to find at most supermarkets: fresh lemongrass, salted seaweed, tiny speckled quails’ eggs, frozen octopus and boneless duck feet, sweetened black vinegar and green bean flour.

The adjacent restaurant has familiar Chinese dishes — egg drop soup, General Tso’s chicken — on its menu. But you can opt for more unusual offerings like tofu clam soup, spicy beef tendon and basil squid.

“With any type of food, like Chinese, Mexican or Italian, a lot of it is Americanized,” said Thomas Chen, one of the owners.

“We wanted to go down a different route and serve what we’d eat at home ourselves. This is as close to ‘real’ as you can get — what you’d get overseas.”

Chen was born in Taiwan and moved with his family to the United States when he was 5 years old. His parents, Wu Long Chen and Shu Feng Chen, started the business and are still among its owners.

“We opened the Tuscaloosa store in 2010,” Thomas Chen said.

“Hoover was our first store, Tuscaloosa our second, Homewood our third and Montgomery our fourth.” >>

Wang Longxiang, left, is head chef and one of the restaurant’s owners. Wu Long Chen, right, started the business with his wife and is the father of Thomas Chen, another owner.

The kung pao shrimp is one item served at Mr. Chen’s.

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A seasonal Hot Pot stew is one of the various items served at Mr. Chen’s.

Many Americans use “Chinese food” as a catch-all term for a variety of dishes.

Chen said that’s a common mistake.

“Taiwan, for example, is a small place, but we have our own flavors,” he said.

“China has different flavors in each region.

We take flavors from each country, each region, for our menu here.”

Mr. Chen’s eggplant with pork basil is a Taiwanese dish, he said. The restaurant has other menu items usually not offered at Americanized Chinese restaurants.

“We have several fish dishes, hot pots, and cold dishes and chilled appetizers,” he said.

Wang Longxiang is the head chef at the Tuscaloosa store and one of the owners.

He said he came to the U.S. 15 years ago from China to get a better education for his daughter.

“I like America, I like Tuscaloosa, I like the American people,” he said with a smile.

The chef earned a high level of certification in China and worked at a restaurant there that served government officials, said Rosa Chen, Thomas Chen’s wife.

“My father-in-law called and asked him

to come here,” she said.

At Mr. Chen’s, you’ll see many Asian diners and shoppers — and a good many of them are University of Alabama students. One of these is Carl Zhang, an employee of the restaurant and a UA accounting major from China.

“I started working here occasionally,” Zhang said. “There are a lot of Chinese buffets around, but this is traditional food.

They make traditional dishes so professionally.”

Zhang said he’s fond of one type of food that his American friends might shy away from.

“My favorite is innards,” he said. “Many Americans are afraid to try them.”

Thomas Chen said most Asian students come to Mr. Chen’s for two reasons.

“They generally come here to eat, because this is as close to their home cooking as they’ll get,” he said. “The market also is close to what they’d find at home. We try to source a lot of drinks and snacks for them. We’ll ask them: What can we do or get to make your lives a little bit better?”

Rosa Chen, a native of El Salvador, said

she and the other owners and employees want to be welcoming to students.

“We have a $5.50 lunch, which is a good price for students,” she said.

The market has always been a part of the store, Thomas Chen said.

“We go to Atlanta about once a week to find hard-to-procure fresh items,” he said.

“The rest is from Florida, Texas, California — regions of the country that tend to have good weather year-round. Everything we sell is grown in the United States.”

Zhang said he and other students who like to cook for themselves can find what they need at Mr. Chen’s market.

“If we’re cooking at home, we can’t find some of the ingredients we need at Walmart,” he said. “The pork we need, for example, is belly pork, which they have here.”

Fresh produce at Mr. Chen’s changes seasonally, but you may find greens like gai lan, the Chinese name for a vegetable also known as Chinese broccoli or Chinese kale, and nagaimo, a Chinese yam. Tong hao, a type of edible leaves, may be available along with gobo root, which tastes similar to an artichoke when it’s cooked. >>

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IF YOU GO: Mr. Chen’s Chinese Cooking and Oriental Market is at 514 14th St. in Tuscaloosa. For more information or to order online, visit www.mrchenstuscaloosa.com. Hours are 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and Sunday, and 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

TOP LEFT: The pork in black bean sauce.

RIGHT: Tofu with a crispy bean blend.

BOTTOM: Diners enjoy lunch at Mr. Chen’s.

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Even the canned stuff at Mr. Chen’s is fascinating. There’s rambutan — a hairy red fruit that’s a common snack in Asia — in syrup, banana blossoms in brine, and jackfruit, which tastes somewhat like a mango.

Huge bags of rice fill several bins, and shoppers will find a wide selection of teas and noodles. In the cold storage section are steamed buns and red and white miso, a traditional Japanese seasoning produced by fermenting soybeans.

Zhang said Asians and Americans alike come to Mr. Chen’s for milk tea.

“It’s the most popular beverage in China now,” he said. “We have different flavors.”

The drink, sometimes called bubble tea, has tiny balls of tapioca floating in it. Mr. Chen’s flavors include coconut jelly and grass jelly, made from a plant that’s from the mint family.

Zhang said many of his college

friends like the restaurant’s stirfry dishes.

“They’re healthy because they aren’t cooked with a lot of oil,” he said.

He advised checking out the board at the entrance to the eating area for any special dishes.

“Some things are seasonal, and some things aren’t on the menu every day,” Zhang said.

Rosa Chen said the chef is happy to accommodate diners’ requests if at all possible.

“He can make things less spicy — or spicier,” she said.

While those who love to venture into new culinary waters may give dishes like braised beef belly or crispy intestines a try, Mr. Chen’s has plenty of customers who want more ordinary concoctions.

“I hate to say it, but sesame chicken and sweet and sour chicken are the most ordered things,” said Thomas Chen, laughing.

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DINING IN

, r e n n i w , r e n n i W CKEN

CHI

R E N N I D

ipes c e r e h hare t s s r e shes r i e t d a r c a l d n st popu o Clubs a m r i of the e m o s for

Ruby Woods holds a platter of fried chicken in the kitchen at NorthRiver Yacht Club in Tuscaloosa.

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BY DONNA CORNELIUS | PHOTOS BY ERIN NELSON AND GARY COSBY JR. nless restaurant chefs are particularly obliging or susceptible to bribes, they aren’t likely to reveal the secrets behind the most-ordered items on their menus. And that’s understandable; folks may not be as likely to go to the restaurant (and thus keep it afloat) if they can re-create their favorite foods at home.

Some of Tuscaloosa’s most popular dishes, however, are offered by private clubs and caterers and thus aren’t available to everyone. We were delighted when NorthRiver Yacht Club, the University Club and A Cutting Edge Caterers graciously agreed to reveal recipes you can use in your own kitchen. With their help, we’ve put together a spring make-athome meal from appetizer to dessert using some of their crowd favorites.

STARTER: INGREDIENTS: • 1 cup frozen white corn • 2 tablespoons chopped green chiles • 2 tablespoons chopped roasted red peppers • ¹/8 cup mayonnaise • ¹/8 cup sour cream • ¼ cup shredded cheddar cheese • Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste • ½ cup self-rising cornmeal • ½ cup self-rising flour • 1 egg, beaten

Southern Corn Fritters with Comeback Sauce A CUTTING EDGE CATERERS

INSTRUCTIONS: Mix all ingredients together gently but firmly.

Let mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes. It should have the consistency of hushpuppy batter.

Drop into hot oil by the scoopful and turn after the first side browns. Brown both sides, cooking each side about 2 to 3 minutes.

Serve with Comeback Sauce or homemade buttermilk herb dressing for dipping.

Comeback Sauce INGREDIENTS:: • ½ cup mayonnaise • 2 tablespoons mustard • 2 tablespoons ketchup • 1 (8-ounce) jar of cocktail sauce • 2 splashes of Worcestershire sauce

• Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste INSTRUCTIONS: Mix all ingredients, making sure there are no lumps. Store in refrigerator.

ABOUT THE CHEFS: Kathy and Kenny Townsend have been in the catering business as A Cutting Edge for about 20 years. The Tuscaloosa natives brought Kathy’s niece, Amber Williamson, into their company as the manager.

“I’ve been cooking with Kathy since I was little and have been working with her for about 13 years,” Williamson said.

The recipe for the Comeback Sauce is Williamson’s. She said the sauce is better if it’s made the night before serving and refrigerated. While it’s a tasty accompaniment for the corn fritters, it also goes well with fried shrimp, fried oysters, fried green tomatoes – well, fried anything.

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ENTREE: Miss Ruby’s Southern Fried Chicken NORTHRIVER YACHT CLUB

NRYC chefs “Miss Ruby” Woods and Scott French kindly scaled back their recipe so you can use it for a family-sized meal. Both said you can adjust the seasonings to taste.

INGREDIENTS: •12 bone-in chicken pieces Dry rub: • 3 tablespoons Lawry’s Seasoned Salt • 1 tablespoon garlic salt • ½ teaspoon onion powder • ½ teaspoon 30 mesh dustless black pepper • ½ teaspoon McCormick’s Old Bay seasoning • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika Egg wash bath: • 6 grade A extra-large eggs • 2 tablespoons water • ¼ to ½ cup of buttermilk (optional) • 1 tablespoon coarsely ground Kosher salt • ¾ tablespoons (or to taste) 30 mesh dustless black pepper

• 1 teaspoon McCormick’s Old Bay seasoning • 6 cups all-purpose flour Cook’s note: 30 mesh dustless black pepper can be ordered from several online sources. In a pinch, use any medium-grind black pepper.

Ruby Woods coats chicken in a seasoned flour mixture before putting it in the fryer in the kitchen at NorthRiver Yacht Club.

INSTRUCTIONS: Coat the chicken with the dry rub mixture and let it marinate in the refrigerator 24 to 36 hours.

Before frying, dip each piece into the egg wash. Heat oil (the NRYC chefs use a soy-canola oil blend) to 350 degrees. Fry a few pieces at a time so as not to crowd the pan until the internal temperature (taken close to the bone) reaches 170 degrees.

ABOUT THE CHEF: Many a diet has been sabotaged by “Miss Ruby” and her fried chicken.

This dish is the specialty of Ruby Woods, who has been at NorthRiver Yacht Club for more than 41 years and now has the title of “first cook” there. Her crispy, moist, golden brown chicken is the star of the show at most of the club’s Wednesday night buffets and Sunday brunches.

“I learned to cook as I was growing up,”

Woods said.

Scott French, executive chef at the NRYC Golf Club, called Woods’ chicken a “labor of love.” “When I first tasted the chicken, it was a little hard to analyze, and I pride myself on identifying flavors,” he said. “Old Bay seasoning was the secret ingredient. She uses just the right amount to set the chicken off.

I’m fearful we’d have a coup on our hands if we didn’t have Miss Ruby’s fried chicken.”

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SIDE DISH: Serves 6 INGREDIENTS: • 3 to 4 thick slices of bacon • Maple syrup • Apple pie spice • 1 yellow onion, chopped • ½ teaspoon butter • 5 to 6 large tomatoes, preferably Alabama Sand Mountain tomatoes • 3 to 4 cups chopped collards or other favorite greens • Salt and pepper to taste • 1 tablespoon bacon grease • 2 to 3 tablespoons mayonnaise • 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese • Diced scallions INSTRUCTIONS: Spray parchment paper with cooking spray. Place bacon on top. Lightly brush the bacon with maple syrup and sprinkle with apple pie spice. Bake at 350 degrees until bacon is done, about 15 minutes. Immediately remove it from the oven and place it on

Southerner’s Dream A CUTTING EDGE CATERERS

freshly sprayed parchment paper.

Cool bacon and then dice and set aside.

Chop the yellow onion and lightly sauté in butter until onions are translucent. Set aside.

Cut thick tomato slabs. You’ll need two slices for each serving.

In a very hot nonstick pan, cook tomato slices until they begin to blister and brown on the edges of both sides. Don’t overcook them; the tomatoes should be firm.

Wash and cut up collards and season them with salt and pepper.

Sauté the greens in 1 tablespoon of bacon grease until they’re done.

Mix together mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese. Spread over tomato slices. Broil them or use a brûlée torch until they begin to brown and bubble.

Place desired amount of sautéed onion on each tomato slice. Top each slice with cooked greens and chopped apple pie bacon.

Sprinkle with diced scallions and enjoy hot or cold.

A Cutting Edge Caterers present fried tomatoes and cornbread fritters. From left are manager Amber Williamson and chefs Kenny and Kathy Townsend.

ABOUT THE CHEFS:

Kathy Townsend of A Cutting Edge Caterers said the company’s menu changes constantly and seasonally.

“We try to follow the trends and include locally grown foods,” she said. “This creation is everything a Southerner loves rolled into one perfect side dish – but you need to use Sand Mountain tomatoes to get the full effect.”

For the very best tomatoes and other fresh ingredients, Townsend likes to visit the Tuscaloosa Farmers Market at the River Market and the Homegrown Alabama market on the University of Alabama campus. This dish’s topping – what she calls “apple pie bacon” – was just something that she imagined would be good, she said. And she was right.

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DINING IN The Almond Ball is a legendary ice cream-based dessert served at the University Club in Tuscaloosa.

Chef Cherri Koester holds the finished product.

DESSERT:

Almond Ball

Executive Chef Cherri Koester said she uses 60 percent cocoa Belgian chocolate and special ice cream to make the University Club’s best known dessert.

“If you’re making it at home, you need good, high-quality ice cream – and it has to be firm,” said Koester, who shapes the frozen ice cream into the size of a baseball. “You can scoop it and roll it in (toasted) chopped almonds ahead of time; we usually freeze it for 24 hours. Once you add the chocolate sauce, you need to eat it right away.” The chocolate sauce recipe is from “Fascinating Foods from the Deep South: Favorite Recipes from the University Club of Tuscaloosa, Alabama” by Alline P. Duzor.

UNIVERSITY CLUB

CHOCOLATE SAUCE: Makes 6 servings INGREDIENTS: • 2 blocks of baking chocolate • 2 tablespoons water • ½ cup sugar • ½ teaspoon salt • 1 ½ tablespoons light corn syrup

• ½ cup evaporated milk • 1 teaspoon vanilla INSTRUCTIONS: Melt chocolate over hot water in a double boiler. Add the 2 tablespoons of water, sugar, salt and corn syrup to the chocolate and cook

over direct heat until a soft ball is formed when dropped in cold water.

Remove from heat. Add evaporated milk and vanilla.

Cook’s note: The chocolate sauce can hold for two to three days. Just heat it up and re-chill it.

ABOUT THE CHEF: Cherri Koester, the University Club’s executive chef, said she grew up in the restaurant world. “I’m from Northport, and my mom ran a small deli-type restaurant,” she said. “I worked with her for 15 years.”

After working in another field, Koester came back to cooking and attended culinary school. With all that experience and education, she knows how to cook a variety of dishes. But she said she wouldn’t dare experiment with the club’s Almond Ball recipe. “Our members wouldn’t allow us to change it,” she said.

The Almond Ball originated with Alline Van Duzor, who came to the club in 1946 as manager and chef. Club officials aren’t sure exactly when the Almond Ball first appeared on the menu but think it was in the 1970s. Now, Koester and her staff make from 100 to 150 of these sweet treats per day. The U Club offers other desserts. “But lots of people don’t even want to see a menu – they just want the Almond Ball,” said Angelique Dean, the club’s event coordinator.

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EVENTS

e e s o t s g Thin s i h t o d and

Entertainme nt “The Phantom of the Opera” April 5-16 • BJCC • Birmingham Don’t let a little falling chandelier scare you — this is must-see theater. The music is, pun intended, haunting. Lots of nights and performances to choose from. Tickets range from $35 to $136 and can be purchased through www.ticketmaster.com.

Tim McGraw and Faith Hill April 21, 7:30 p.m.

• BJCC • Birmingham A double treat for the ears and the eyes. Tickets range from $69.50 to $109.50 and can be purchased through www.ticketmaster.com.

Jaheim, featuring Leela James, Eric Benet and Daley April 29 • Tuscaloosa Amphitheater • Tuscaloosa The former rapper-turned R&B singer headlines this night at the Amp. For tickets and prices, go to the amphitheater’s website at www.tuscaloosaamphitheater. com or Ticketmaster or call 800-745-3000.

Def Leppard, featuring Poison and Tesla May 2 • Tuscaloosa Amphitheater • Tuscaloosa Pour some sugar on your spring nights and head to the amphitheater for a throwback night of rock. Tickets range from $39 to $125 and can be purchased through the box office, the amphitheater’s website at www. tuscaloosaamphitheater.com, Ticketmaster or by calling 800745-3000.

Dave Matthews, featuring Tim Reynolds May 3 • Tuscaloosa Amphitheater • Tuscaloosa Dave Matthews is kicking off his summer 2017 tour in Tuscaloosa. Tickets can be purchased through the box office, the amphitheater’s website at www. tuscaloosaamphitheater. com, Ticketmaster or by calling 800-745-3000.

Soundgarden May 6 • Tuscaloosa Amphitheater • Tuscaloosa The alternative rock band heads the night. Tickets can be purchased through the box office, the amphitheater’s website at www. tuscaloosaamphitheater. com, Ticketmaster or by calling 800-745-3000.

44th Annual Southern Appalachian Dulcimer Festival May 6 • Tannehill State Park • McCalla Learn how to craft your own or just sit back and listen. The annual event brings in musicians and craftspeople from all over. Admission to the park costs $5 for adults, $4 for seniors ages 62 and older and $3 for kids ages 6-11, and children 5 and younger get in free. Go to www. tannehill.org for more information.

John Legend, featuring Gallant May 16 • Tuscaloosa Amphitheater • Tuscaloosa This “All of Me” singer lives up to his last name. Expect a sellout. Ticket prices range from $45 to $175 and can be purchased through the box office, the amphitheater’s website at www.tuscaloosaamphitheater.com, Ticketmaster or by calling 800-745-3000.

** Check www.tuscaloosaamphitheater.com for any concerts and events that may have been added since our magazine went to press.

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EVENTS

Family fu n Julianne and Derek Hough: MOVEBeyond Tour May 17, 7:30 p.m.

• BJCC • Birmingham You can dance — from your seat — with these favorite stars, the brother-and-sister act from the television show “Dancing with the Stars.” Ticket prices range from $76 in the balcony to $84 in the orchestra area.

Among the ticket outlets is bjcc.concert-hall.net.

The Hang Out Music Festival May 19-21 • Gulf Shores Sun, sea, suds and tunes.

The music festival makes a trip to Gulf Shores even more fun, if that’s possible.

Visit www.hangout musicfest.com to see the latest on the lineup as well as ticket availability.

Train, featuring Natasha Bedingfield and O.A.R. May 24 • Oak Mountain Amphitheatre • Pelham Hey, Soul Sister, come hear them play that song … okay, a little too far on the lyric references — but head to Oak Mountain for the show. Tickets can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com.

“As You Like It” May 31-June 3 • The Park at Manderson Landing • Tuscaloosa Tuscaloosa’s The Rude Mechanicals present Shakespeare’s comedy in the park. (If it’s raining, head to Allen Bales Theatre). Live preshow music at 7:30 p.m., and show begins at 8 p.m. Bring a chair and picnic food (as you like). For information, call 205-310-5287 or visit The Rude Mechanicals Tuscaloosa page on Facebook.

Live at the Plaza Begins in June • Government Plaza Tuscaloosa

Gulf Coast Hot Air Balloon Festival May 5-6 • Foley Sports Complex • Foley Ooh and aah over just how breathtaking an old-school hot air-balloon flight looks from the ground up. It’s free.

Bring a blanket, a lawn chair and a picnic and enjoy the show. For times and more information, visit www.southbaldwinchamber.com.

Do Dah Day Parade May 20, 11 a.m. • Birmingham Every dog has its day, and Birmingham dogs (Tuscaloosa pooches are invited, too) have had theirs for the past 38 years now at the Do Dah Day Parade. Funds raised benefit the Greater Birmingham Humane Society and Friends of Cats and Dogs Foundation. (Look at the dogs, helping out the cats!). Watching the parade is free. There is a cost to participate, beginning at $5 for one person to walk with a dog or dogs. The parade begins on Highland Avenue and 33rd Street South and ends at Caldwell Park. For more information, visit www.dodahday.org.

Bring a blanket or lawn chair and listen to music under the stars. Performances on June 2, June 9, June 16, June 23 and June 30. Free.

“Annie” June 2-5 • Bama Theatre • Tuscaloosa The Actor’s Charitable Theatre is putting on this musical favorite that is pure joy for the entire family. Visit www.theactonline.com for times and ticket information.

Alabama Shakespeare Festival

One of the state’s great treasures is barely 100 miles away. The Alabama Shakespeare Festival’s offerings this spring and summer include “Sherlock Holmes” (through May 13), “The Tempest” (through May 14) and “Mary Poppins” (July 5-23). For events and ticket information, visit www.asf.net.

Cahaba Lily Festival May 20 • West Blocton

An annual rite of spring, typically held the third Saturday in May. Flower talk indoors at 9 a.m. and then a trip to view the lilies along the Cahaba River. Free. Visit Cahaba Lily Festival on Facebook or www.cahabalily.com or call 205-938-7304 for details.

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EVENTS

Thunder on the Bay

Fathers in the Park

May 20-21 • Fort Gaines • Dauphin Island

June 10 • Annette Shelby Park • Tuscaloosa

The 153rd anniversary of the Battle of Mobile Bay is acknowledged with reenactments of the battle at 2 p.m. on Saturday and the surrender ceremony at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at 1 p.m. is the tactical re-enactment. Admission is $4 for ages 5-12 and $8 for ages 13 and older.

For details, go to Thunder on the Bay on Facebook.

Celebrating fathers and families, the park comes alive with kids and fun. For times and details, check with www.tuscaloosaoneplace. org or call 205-462-1000.

Mule Day/ Chicken Fest June 2-3 • Gordo Mules, music, food and art. There’s even a parade. Downtown Gordo. Admission is $1. Friday from 6-11 p.m., Saturday, 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Visit www.gordoareachamber. com or call 205-364-7111 for details.

Black Warrior River Fiddle Fest June 9-10 • Downtown Plaza • Tuscaloosa Fiddle the night away with this traditional form of folk music, with musicians competing against one another, brandishing fiddles, harmonicas, dulcimers, mandolins, guitars and banjos. There’s even folk dancing. Bring your lawn chairs, sit back and enjoy. And it’s free!

Father’s Day Limited June 18, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. • Heart of Dixie Railroad Museum • Calera Daddy-bonding at its finest, this is a one-hour train ride through a wooded area of Shelby County. Tickets are $14 for ages 12 and up; $10 for ages 2-11; free for infants 24 months and younger (must be held). There’s a family four-pack for two adults and 2 kids for $40. And, for the adventurous, ride with the brakeman for $25 or the engineer for $35. For tickets or information, visit www.hodrrm.org.

USS Alabama Living History June 24-25 Battleship Parkway • Mobile Step back in time to what life was like on the USS Alabama during World War II as reenactors “call to battle stations” and fight enemy airplanes. Kids 5 and younger get in free; admission is $6 for ages 6 to 11 and $15 for ages 12 to adults. For more information, go to www.ussalabamalivinghistorycrew.com.

And, if you miss this one, the website lists other weekends during the year it holds this event.

Alabama Splash Adventure Bessemer Beat the heat by hopping in the car and heading about 45 minutes up the interstate to Alabama Splash Adventure in Bessemer. The water park features rides and slides, drops and coasters as well as good old-fashioned swimming or dipping into the pool. It even offers cabanas to take refuge from the sun — or your kids. Tickets for the 2017 splash season are $29.95 for adults ages 18-54; $25.95 for seniors 55 and older and for youth ages 7-17; $21.95 for children ages 3-6. Toddlers ages 2 and younger get in free.

There are group rates with discounts. For park hours and its attractions, visit its website at www.alabamasplash.com or call 205-481-4750.

Sports Powershares Series Tennis April 28 • Legacy Arena, BJCC • Birmingham C’mon! It’s McEnroe, Roddick, Courier and Fish. You can play with the pros in the afternoon or sit back that night and watch tennis legends Andy Roddick play Mardy Fish in one semifinal and John McEnroe and Jim Courier in the other. Tickets for the evening match start at $10 and can be purchased through www. ticketmaster.com.

USSSA Haylie McCleney Travel Softball Tournament April 29-30 • Bowers Park • Tuscaloosa The University of Alabama’s own professional softball player hosts this event that will bring hundreds of softball players to Tuscaloosa. For the schedule and more information, go to www.visittuscaloosa.com. The city is also host to the Alabama High School Athletic Association state softball tournament at Sokol Park May 11-13 and the ASA Exposure Tournament June 23-24 at Bowers Park.

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EVENTS

SEC Baseball Tournament May 23-28 • Hoover Metropolitan Stadium • Hoover It’s college baseball at its best and most fun. For tickets, go to www. secticketoffice.com.

22nd Annual Rickwood Classic May 31, 12:30 p.m. • Rickwood Field • Birmingham

The Mayor’s Cup April 30 • Downtown Tuscaloosa A favorite 5K and 10K race through downtown Tuscaloosa. Find information on Facebook or its website, www.tuscaloosamayorscup.com.

GEICO 500 Weekend at Talladega May 5-7 • Talladega Superspeedway • Talladega Start your engines! Three days of races, beginning with the General Tire 200 on May 5 (tickets start at $20), the Sparks Energy 300 on Saturday (tickets start at $40) and, the granddaddy of races, the Geico 500 (tickets start at $55).

Tickets can be purchased online through www. talladegasuperspeedway.com. Can’t make it to the races? Take a tour. Tours are held (on non-race dates) from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Cost for adult tours of the Hall of Fame are $12 or $5 for students and free for ages 5 and younger. To tour the track, it’s $8 for adults and, for a combo tour of the HOF and the track, it’s $16 for adults and $8 for students.

Regions Tradition May 17-21 • Greystone Country Club • Hoover From following your favorite sports celebrities (Nick Saban, anyone?) playing in the pro-am early in the week to walking alongside golf greats, it’s a golfer’s dream. The field includes PGA Tour champion players, with early commitments that include names like John Daly, Jay Haas, Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Bernhard Langer and the University of Alabama’s own former players Jerry Pate and Steve Lowery.

Tickets can be purchased at www.regionstradition.com and include options like a $20per-day grounds ticket and a free junior ticket for those 18 and younger accompanied by one adult with a purchased ticket.

A baseball fan favorite annual event.

Played in historic Rickwood Field, this year’s rendition will find the Birmingham Barons playing the Chattanooga Lookouts dressed in throwback uniforms from 1953-56 as this year’s theme is the Fabulous ’50s. Former MLB legend all-star Juan Marichal is the day’s special guest. For tickets, visit the Birmingham Barons website at www.barons.com.

Birmingham Barons Baseball Regions Field • Birmingham Enjoy America’s game throughout the spring and summer with the Birmingham Barons, a double-A affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. Nights at the park include baseball, giveaways, hot dogs and occasional fireworks.

Tickets are $7 adults/$6 kids and military for general admission; $12 adults/$11 kids and military for field level; and $14 adults/$13 kids and military for dugout level tickets.

For a schedule and ticket information, go to www.barons.com or call 205-988-3200.

Tours Bryant-Denny Stadium • University of Alabama

You’ve seen how it looks on game day, with thousands of fans in the stands, but what’s going on underneath those stadium seats? Take a tour of Bryant-Denny Stadium and get a firsthand look at the home team’s locker room, recruiting room, skyboxes, press box and more. Call ahead to confirm, but tours are typically held at 11 a.m. Monday through Friday. (No weekend tours). Tickets must be purchased in advance — no walking up and expecting to join the tour. Tickets are $12 per person and can be bought online through www.rolltide.com. (For a group of 10 or more, the cost drops to $10 per person). The tour will take about 90 minutes. Private tours are $250 for up to 25 and $10 for each additional guest. For more information, call 205-348-3680 or email tours@ia.ua.edu.

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BY DONNA CORNELIUS, THE SNOOTY FOODIE | PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR. AND ERIN NELSON

I

My foodie father

’m writing this on a cold, rainy Sunday morning. A few hours from now, I will be traveling to Reform First United Methodist Church and saying goodbye to my dad, who died Feb. 2.

I should be lint-rolling my good black coat, making sure my black tights don’t have any runs, and stuffing Kleenex into my purse. Instead, I’m feeling the need to sit at my computer and put down my thoughts. That’s what writers do.

To prepare for the memorial service, the minister asked members of our family to send him some of our favorite “Daddy stories.” It was hard to pick from so many memories, because my dad was a well-rounded man.

He worked hard, and he played hard. He was a banker and a tireless worker in his church and community. But he also loved sports like golf, football and basketball.

When I was a senior in high school, he bought season tickets to University of Alabama basketball games. That was when Wimp Sanderson was the colorful coach and the team boasted stars like Leon Douglas and T.R. Dunn.

I think I was the most popular girl in school that year.

Daddy also loved food at a time when it wasn’t cool for men to be into that kind of thing. He would have been as unlikely to describe himself as a “foodie” as he would have been to become a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader.

But he was the first person to show me that food could be fun, because that’s what it was to him.

For many years, he had a farmhouse near Carrollton, and our family would spend every Thanksgiving there. He recruited my aunt Carole to dress up the turkey with fruits, nuts and other frills so it would look like one he’d seen on the cover of Southern Living. He pored over cookbooks by chefs like Lee Smith to find unusual side dishes and appetizers. For “regular” meals at the farmhouse, he made his own pasta.

When I was a teenager and we were on vacation at Callaway Gardens in Georgia, he took us to a nearby restaurant. It was one of those fancy ones with white tablecloths, candles on

the table and no prices on any menus except the host’s. My brother, Drew, who was about 4 years old at the time, nearly fell out of his seat when our waiter dimmed the lights and flamed our baked Alaska.

At this posh place, Daddy encouraged me to give escargot a try – and painstakingly taught me how to extract the snails from their shells without having any of the little critters land in my lap.

He had very strict specifications for his favorite cocktail – a Manhattan. It had to be served in the proper glass and made according to the drink’s time-honored standards; woe betide the bartender who failed to live up to his exacting requirements. With drinks and food as well as in other aspects of his life, he believed there was a right way and a wrong way to do things – and you might as well do them the right way.

What Daddy loved most about food was sharing it with others. We learned we were wasting our time if we tried to pick up the bill when we went out to eat with him. “I’m the dad – I pay,” he’d say. But he was just as happy to share soup and grilled cheese sandwiches around a kitchen table as he was to dine out at the very best restaurants – as long as people whose company he enjoyed were there to share the meal with him.

By the time you read this, I’ll hopefully have gotten myself reasonably presentable for his memorial service. I’ll have listened to the minister talk about the man who taught me to ride a horse, ride a bike, play blackjack, dance the jitterbug – and that eating broccoli wouldn’t kill me. And I’ll have eaten the post-service meal lovingly prepared for our family and friends by the ladies at the church in Reform.

I suspect that with every bite, I’ll be thinking, “Gosh, Daddy would have enjoyed this.”

Donna Cornelius is a Tuscaloosa writer whose motto is: So much food, so little time.

Contact her to share recipes, restaurant news or anything food-related at donnawcornelius@ bellsouth.net. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter @blonderavenous.

EPICUREAN

EVENTS

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE

April 20 • Tuscaloosa This annual chocolate-centric competition is Family Counseling Service’s annual fundraiser. Tuscaloosa-area restaurants, caterers and other businesses will bring their tastiest creations to vie for the title of Tuscaloosa’s Best Chocolate. The event starts at 5:30 p.m. at the Tuscaloosa River Market.

For tickets and more information, visit www.counselingservice.org.

ST. ELIAS LEBANESE FOOD AND CULTURAL FESTIVAL

April 21-22 • Birmingham Lemon chicken, grape leaves and spinach pies are on the menu at this annual festival hosted by the parishioners of St. Elias Maronite Catholic Church, 836 Eighth St. S. For more information, visit www.stelias.org.

EPISCOPAL PLACE GUMBO GALA

April 22 • Birmingham Sample gumbo from more than 60 teams at one of the largest gumbo cook-offs in the Southeast. The event is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sloss Furnaces, 20 32nd St. N. Also on tap are music, children’s activities, art vendors and beverages. Proceeds benefit Episcopal Place’s low-income senior and disabled adult residents. For information and tickets, visit www.episcopal place.org.

FOOD TRUCK ROUNDUP

May 6 • Birmingham Preschool Partners, which prepares children to attend kindergarten, hosts this event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at The Summit. Those who attend can buy samples from a wide variety of Birmingham-area food trucks – and there’s an art show, too. For more information, visit www.preschool-partners.org.

ORANGE BEACH WINE FESTIVAL

May 13 • Orange Beach This festival at Caribe The Resort showcases more than 120 wines and food from Gulf Shores and Orange Beach area restaurants. The annual event, which starts at noon, also has boat tours, craft beer and music. Tickets are $45 in advance and $55 at the gate. For more information, visit www.gulfshores. com.

CHILTON COUNTY PEACH FESTIVAL

June 17-24 • Clanton Celebrate the peach at this nine-day festival that includes a cook-off, fishing tournament, parades and barbecue. For information about specific events and their locations, call 205-755-2400.

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FOODIE NEWS

noodle Using your

Yes, you can make ramen at home – and here’s how f the last time you had ramen was when you were a cashdeficient college student and scraped up enough change to buy those handy little packets at the grocery store, it’s time to revisit this dish.

Ramen is a noodle soup dish that originated in China and then was imported to Japan, where it’s become wildly popular. And, yes, it comes in other flavors besides “Oriental.”

Last year, my son, Kirk Cornelius Jr. (pictured at right), and his wife, Meg, went to the Music City Food and Wine Festival in Nashville, Tennessee. They ate one night at Otaku Ramen after seeing Sarah Gavigan, the restaurant’s founder and chef, in a demo at the festival. After that experience, Kirk came home on a mission to make his own ramen.

“Ramen is like a hug for your stomach,” he said. “It’s Japanese comfort food.”

Kirk has become quite the font of information about ramen.

“Ramen always has fat,” he said. “There’s no such thing as fat-free ramen. Well, I guess there could be – but I wouldn’t eat it.”

Other bits of ramen lore from Kirk: You say “ramen shop” and not “ramen restaurant.”

An American company called Sun Noodle supplies the noodles for many of the ramen shops in the United States and for some shops in South America and Europe.

Some of the best ramen-making YouTube videos are those by Ivan Orkin.

It’s perfectly proper – and indeed, expected – to slurp ramen when you eat it.

Kirk’s Homemade Ramen Noodles Makes 6 portions If you don’t have a pastamaking attachment or machine, it’s OK to use store-bought ramen noodles. We won’t report you to the International Ramen Standards Commission.

INGREDIENTS: • ½ cup baking soda • ½ cup warm tap water • ½ cup cold tap water • 3 cups all-purpose flour INSTRUCTIONS: Make baked soda: Spread the baking soda on a foil-lined sheet pan.

Bake at 250 degrees in a regular oven or in a toaster oven for 1 hour.

You can store extra baked

soda in a jar with a lid indefinitely.

Put the warm water in a large mixing bowl. Dissolve 4 teaspoons of the baked soda in it, and then add the cold water. Add the flour, stirring and mixing until you have a crumbly dough.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Knead it together, working the dough for 5 full minutes. (It will be a tougher sparring partner than any flour dough you’ve ever tried to make.) Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest at room temperature for 20 minutes, then knead for another 5 minutes. (You will curse and sweat.) Rewrap the dough and put it in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Divide the dough into five or six portions. Roll out each portion using a pasta machine (Italian-made machines are fine). Progress through the thickness settings one by one. The final thickness of the noodles is up to you, as is the width and shape into which you cut them. I like taking the dough to the second-thinnest setting and then either finely handcutting the noodles or cutting them through the finer of the two cutters that came with my machine. Keep the noodles well floured to prevent them from sticking.

Cook the noodles in a deep pot with plenty of boiling water. Noodles cut on the thinnest setting will need only 2½ or 3 minutes to cook. Check the noodles regularly while they’re cooking; if they stick together, rinse them under cold water immediately after straining them to stop the cooking process and rinse off any excess starch.

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FOODIE NEWS

Here’s Kirk’s recipe for Spicy Miso Ramen. Don’t let some of the ingredients throw you off; Kirk said he got them all in Tuscaloosa either at a regular old grocery store or at Mr. Chen’s Chinese Cooking and Oriental Market.

Spicy Miso Ramen Makes 2 bowls INGREDIENTS: • 1 quart prepared chicken bone broth • 1 yellow onion • 1 bundle of green onions • 6 cloves of garlic • 1 small block of pork fatback • 1 tablespoon sesame oil • 1 tablespoon soy sauce • 2 slices chashu (pork belly) or 1 pound of ground pork • ¼ cup of spicy miso paste (recipe follows) • 2 servings of ramen noodles, homemade (recipe follows) or store-bought GARNISHES: • 1 large hard-boiled egg (see Cook’s Note) • 4-5 sheets nori (pressed Japanese seaweed) • 1 teaspoon black garlic oil (recipe follows) • 2 teaspoons sesame seeds – white, black or a combination DIRECTIONS: Put chicken bone broth into a slow cooker set on its lowest setting. Cut yellow onion in half and add to the broth.

Cut the green stalks off about 6 green onions and add to broth. Add six crushed cloves of garlic. Add the fatback. Let broth cook for 6 to 8 hours.

Put the sesame oil and soy sauce into a small skillet and heat on medium. Add the pork. If you’re using pork belly, cook two slices for several minutes on both sides. If you’re using ground pork, cook until no red or pink remains, about 8 to 10 minutes. Set pork aside.

Strain the broth and remove onions, garlic and remaining chunks of fatback.

Put two cups of strained chicken broth into a pot and bring to a simmer. Add half a cup of spicy miso paste to the simmering soup and cook for several minutes until the paste dissolves.

Cook ramen noodles in boiling water for around three to four minutes. Strain and transfer noodles to two empty bowls.

Divide the soup equally and pour it into both bowls over the noodles. Place 1 slice of pork belly or about 1 cup of ground pork into each bowl. Cut hardboiled egg in half and put one half of egg on top of soup, yolk side up.

Garnish with nori slices, black garlic oil and sesame seeds.

Grab some chopsticks and a spoon – and slurp away!

COOK’S NOTE: Kirk said he prefers a six- to seven-minute egg with the yolk slightly underdone. But feel free to hard-boil if you worry about undercooked eggs.

Spicy Miso Paste

Mayu (Black Garlic Oil)

INGREDIENTS: • ½ cup white miso paste • ½ cup red miso paste • ¹/3 cup garlic chili paste • 1 teaspoon onion powder • 1 teaspoon garlic powder • 1 teaspoon ground ginger • 3 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine) • 1 tablespoon sesame oil

INGREDIENTS: • ¼ cup canola or vegetable oil • 10 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 3½ tablespoons) • ¼ cup roasted sesame oil

DIRECTIONS: Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and blend until finely pureed.

Put mixture into a pot and bring to a low simmer for 5 minutes. Put into an airtight container and store in the refrigerator if you’re not using it right away.

DIRECTIONS: Combine oil and garlic in a small saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until the mixture starts to brown. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic turns completely black, about 10 minutes. The garlic will become very sticky in the process.

Transfer the mixture to a heat-proof bowl and add sesame oil. Transfer to a blender and blend on high speed until the mixture is completely pulverized, about 30 seconds. Put the mixture in a sealable container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.

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FOODIE NEWS

Parties101 UA graduate shares entertaining tips in new book

eslie Byars Register got an education at the University of Alabama – and not just in the classroom. The Kentucky native, who graduated from UA in 1987, said her “Foods I Don’t Like” list got a lot shorter during her time in Tuscaloosa.

“I learned to like so many vegetables from eating at the Chi Omega house,” she said.

Register now has lots of favorite foods, and she’s shared the recipes for many of them in her new book. But “Leslie’s Party Diaries” is more than a cookbook; it’s also a party planner. She loves not only to cook but also to entertain, so one sec-

tion of the book has photos, descriptions and tips from her own parties.

After freelancing as a photo stylist at Oxmoor House, a Birmingham-based publishing company, Register was a senior photo stylist at Southern Living for nine years. Since then, she’s worked as a freelance stylist for Cooking Light magazine, Oxmoor House, Cooking with Paula Deen magazine, Birmingham Home and Garden magazine, and special interest publications for Pillsbury and Betty Crocker.

She and her husband, Jon, live in Mountain Brook. Her sister and brotherin-law, Beth and Scott Donaldson, live in Tuscaloosa.

One of Register’s favorite memories of her years at UA doesn’t involve food.

“When I was in school, a friend and I were walking past Denny Chimes one night, and there was a scaffold beside it,” she said. “Evidently they’d been cleaning bats out of the top. We decided to climb up and were sitting on the top board of the scaffolding when we heard a policeman with a bullhorn say, ‘Can you come down?’

“Now, when we’re in town for football games, my friends make me stand beside Denny Chimes so they can make a photo.”

Southernliving.com recently chose “Leslie’s Party Diaries” as its Cookbook of the Week. The book is available in Tuscaloosa at Kyle Fine Stationery, 908 Queen City Ave., or through www.lesliespartydiaries.com.

Jon’s Insane Onion Rings Serves 8 to 10 INGREDIENTS: • 3 to 4 large sweet onions, cut into ¼-inch thick slices • Vegetable oil • 4 cups all-purpose flour • 4 teaspoons pepper • 4 teaspoons salt • Dash ground red pepper • Salt to taste • Ketchup NOTE: You’ll also need a large brown paper grocery bag.

INSTRUCTIONS: Separate onion slices into rings; place in a large bowl of ice water. Cover and set aside.

Pour oil to a depth of 3 to 4 inches in a Dutch oven; heat to 360 degrees.

Combine flour and next

3 ingredients in a large paper bag. Hold bag shut and shake to mix.

Working in batches, drop handfuls of onions into flour mixture directly from the bowl of water.

Shake bag to coat onions evenly.

Drop onions into hot oil until Dutch oven appears full. (Do not stir or touch the onions.) When the top onion rings are beginning to lightly brown, turn the “nest” of rings over with tongs to finish browning.

When golden brown, remove to a baking pan lined with paper towels to drain.

Sprinkle with salt.

Keep onion rings warm in a 200-degree oven while cooking remaining onion slices. Serve with ketchup.

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FOODIE NEWS

From “Leslie’s Party Diaries”:

Patchwork Chop Salad Serves 10 to 12 INGREDIENTS: For the salad: • 2 heads romaine lettuce, leaves separated, washed and chopped • ½ cup red onion, chopped • 1 bunch green onions, sliced • ½ pint grape tomatoes, cut in half • 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped • 1 green bell pepper, chopped • 1 cup chopped celery • 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped • 1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and cut in half • 1 (4-ounce) package feta cheese, crumbled For the lemon-garlic vinaigrette: • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 1 teaspoon sugar • ¾ teaspoon salt • ½ teaspoon pepper

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard • Juice of 1 lemon • ½ cup olive oil Cook’s note: You’ll also need kitchen cotton twine.

INSTRUCTIONS: For the salad: Place chopped romaine in a large salad bowl. Use kitchen cotton twine to divide sections for red onion and next 8 ingredients. Arrange toppings in a patchwork quilt pattern.

Gently remove twine.

Cover and chill for up to 4 hours. Toss with vinaigrette just before serving.

For the vinaigrette: Whisk first 8 vinaigrette ingredients until blended.

Gradually add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until smooth. Cover and chill. Store in refrigerator.

Sugared Jalapeños Makes 1½ cups INGREDIENTS: • 1 (12-ounce) jar pickled jalapeño pepper slices • 1 cup sugar • Zest of 2 limes • 1 to 2 (8-ounce) pack ages cream cheese • Tortilla chips GARNISH: • Nasturtiums INSTRUCTIONS: Drain jalapeño peppers and pat dry with paper towels;

set jar aside. Stir together jalapeños, sugar and lime zest.

Return jalapeño pepper mixture back into jar.

Refrigerate for a week, turning jar every day or every other day. Shake jar occasionally to combine ingredients.

Spoon jalapeño peppers over cream cheese and garnish with nasturtiums or a sprig of cilantro.

Serve with tortilla chips.

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AT HOME

Tricia and Jason McBride had the front porch raised to what would have been its original height and added double doors to the entrance. The original home had a balcony.

Previous owners added the columns, which are from the now-demolished Phoenix Hotel in Carrollton. The McBrides replaced a maroon roof with the gray metal roof.

Homecoming The

AFTER MORE THAN A CENTURY, A FAMILY RETURNS TO ITS ANCESTRAL HOME

BY BECKY HOPF | PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR.

t was a purchase 114 years in the making, a grandmother’s wish fulfilled.

The Parks E. Ball Home in Aliceville was built in 1820 and has survived at least seven transformations and a history rife with changing hands, contested wills, and walls, if they could talk, full of stories of life inside that included a fully functioning plantation, rooms bursting with family and even a period where it fell into ruin and was used as a hay barn.

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AT HOME

Ownership has come full circle, and the home itself is grander than its original owners could have dreamed possible. After it fell out of the family’s hands for 114 years, Jason McBride and his wife, Tricia, purchased the Federal-style home three years ago and recently completed the fourth of seven phases they’ve initially planned for the property.

“It originally belonged to my great-great-greatgrandfather, Parks E. Ball,” Jason McBride said. “We think the land was originally acquired by Burwell and Lewis, who were Parks E. Ball’s brothers.

“Parks was the baby in the family. Lewis was the older one,” he continued. “Their parents died at an early age. Lewis got in charge of all the family money.”

He believes the older brothers came from South Carolina in 1818 and that Parks arrived later.

As the story goes, at least what the McBrides have been able to piece together, Burwell and Lewis came to Aliceville and started acquiring property. They built a small log cabin on the land but later tore it down to make way for the larger brick home.

“When we were working on the house, we found a blue stone etched with the date April 1820. It would have been five months after Alabama became a state.

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AT HOME

“When we were working on the house, we found a blue stone etched with the date April 1820. It would have been five months after Alabama became a state. That’s when we think the house was started.” — JASON McBRIDE That’s when we think the house was started,” Jason said. “The stone is not indigenous to Alabama, so we think they must have brought it with them. It’s underneath the house, and we couldn’t remove it without damaging it, so it’s still there, underneath. There’s also a live water spring under the house that provided water to the house from 1820 until 1994.”

From what Jason and Tricia have gathered, at some point Lewis and Parks had a falling out and the property fell into the hands of Parks.

“We’ve had several different figures on how much land they had. One figure was 2,600 acres. Another figure said there were 10,000 acres, but that seems impossible for that day and time,” Jason said, adding that their property is 230 acres now.

How the Ball family came into money is somewhat unknown. Parks Ball’s grandfather was named William Ball, but the McBrides haven’t been able to pin down that link – there were so many William Balls, including one possibility who was George Washington’s grandfather.

>>

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: None of the furnishings are original, but some are from Tricia’s father’s antique store in Mississippi. She did most of the decorating herself.

• They kept most of the charm of the original master bedroom. The new addition added an en suite bathroom and walk-in closet. • The door on the back left originally opened to the outside, leading to the cookhouse. Now it leads to the new kitchen. • A view from the second-floor balcony to the entrance hall. • Among the renovations made to the home over the century was filling in where the original windows once were. During renovations, a bullet hole was discovered near the alcove shelving.

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AT HOME

“We’re pretty sure he’s not in that line,” Jason said.

The home comes with its own folklore. There’s the story that when Yankee troops invaded the area, Ball buried his gold to hide it from them. A newspaper story about the home, written in 1969, said Ball kept the location of the buried gold on his person.

“All the fireplaces were busted up, so I think people were looking for it,” Jason said. “We never found any when we were doing the renovations. We found a watch. And a bullet hole (inside the dining room).”

The house remained in the family from 1820 to 1900. When Parks died, the property went to his second wife, Martha. She decided to sell it, and a court case ensued from the Ball side of the family. She won the case and sold it to the administrator of the estate.

“My great-great-great-stepgrandmother sold it, we think to someone in her family. That’s how it got out of our family’s hands,” Jason said.

How it came back into the McBrides’ hands is clear. Though they were living in Mississippi, Tricia and Jason had been wanting to purchase a home in Aliceville, where Jason grew up. They were hoping to find one near his parents’ farm. His mother happened to mention that their old family home, the Parks E. Ball house, was on the market, so, while they were visiting at Christmas, they drove by the house. Even though bricks were falling from the façade, Tricia immediately saw its potential.

“She said, ‘I’m interested,’” Jason said.

As luck would have it, while they were attending a Christmas service, the owner of the home was sitting in a pew in front of them.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: The McBrides’ children are now grown but stay in the second bedroom on visits.

The room was the lone bedroom used by all of Parks E. Ball’s children and their nanny. • While doing the renovation, they discovered wallpaper estimated to have been from around 1880 or 1890. • The hallway links the master bedroom to the guest room. With the addition, the McBrides were able to add a balcony that overlooks their back yard. Their property includes beehives, where they produce their own honey, and an orchard full of fruit trees. • Nearly identical en suite bathrooms and walk-in closets for both the master bedroom and the guest room were part of the expansion. • The heart pine floors are original. When they began the renovation, they discovered there was no sub-flooring and the home had been insulated with cottonseed and wheat husk. • The kitchen is the crown jewel of the renovation. The open area includes a sitting room with windows and doors, giving it a three-sided view of the yard, courtyard and woods.

“She looked at me and said, ‘Jason, when are you going to buy your great-greatgreat-grandfather’s house?’ I said, ‘Well, I’d like to come see it after church.’ She said, ‘Give me one hour.’”

They purchased the home in January 2014 and moved in that March. Intrigued by its past, they’ve delved into their family history to try to learn more about the home.

Among the many discoveries has been that Tricia, who is from Mississippi, is the fourth great-granddaughter of Lewis Ball, Park’s oldest brother.

What they do know about the house itself is that the original brick home was 18 feet wide by 48 feet long with two stories consisting of four rooms. Jason said it is the oldest existing home in Pickens County. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places by the U.S. Department of the Interior as well as the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

The original parlor remains, as does the flooring throughout, which is soft heart pine. An enclosed dog trot with a narrow stairwell hugging the left wall separated the parlor from the dining room, which remains in its original location. Originally, upstairs, above the parlor and dining room – the style is called two-over-two – were two bedrooms. Parks had 12 children, six of whom died at very young ages. The children slept in the second bedroom with their nanny. >> 37

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The original kitchen was in an outbuilding, as was customary in large homes at the time. In fact, the brick exterior fireplace wall next to what was once an exterior door leading from the dining room to the cookhouse has a deep curve along the edge where the staff sharpened flint and the serving and carving knives.

The property, a functioning plantation in its early years, was built along a natural spring and is about a mile from the Tombigbee River. The soil on the property ranges from rich black to clay to lime.

They have not found documentation to prove it, but the McBrides are assuming the plantation produced cotton, wheat and sugarcane. The grounds included a cemetery, a larger tract of which was donated by Parks Ball in the late 1800s, and was where Enon Baptist Church was built. Ball is buried in the cemetery on the land he once owned.

A structural engineer, upon examining the home when the McBrides purchased it, discovered several subtle renovations that had been made by previous owners.

A screened porch had been turned into a kitchen. The last renovation they know of was around 1994.

When the McBrides began undertaking their own massive renovation, they hired the firm Belinda Stewart Architects of Eupora, Mississippi, and had Holly Hawkins as their lead architect. The expansion, by Dusty Bouchillon Construction, has more than doubled the home’s original size.

Second-floor renovations include en suite bathrooms and closet space for the two bedrooms. They kept the bedrooms themselves largely intact with the original flooring, walls and fireplaces.

They changed the entrance to the attic to make it more accessible.

“I do love the house, and I do feel like we did something that was important, historically, both for Aliceville and our family. We preserved the house hopefully for many more generations.” — TRICIA McBRIDE 38

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A view from the second-floor balcony overlooks what will soon become their new courtyard. A tornado in 2016 skirted the property, missing the home by about a quarter mile. • Roaming the grounds are roosters and guinea hens, dogs, and, though unwelcome, bobcats and coyotes. • Now part of the interior, this brick corner was once part of the exterior. The house staff would sharpen knives on the brick. The McBrides discovered finger indentations in some of the home’s original handmade bricks.

They opened up the second story, choosing to revamp the 2-over-2 layout by, instead, making the bedrooms slightly smaller in order to make for a grander hallway entrance below.

“One of my goals was to open it up,” Tricia said of the first floor. “I wanted to be able to look up and out and see outside. So we took a room out.”

The first-floor interior walls are a mix of wainscoting and shiplap.

“When we first purchased the house, the previous owners had put a lot of materials on the ceilings. We took down around 5,000 pounds of materials,“ Tricia said. “These are not the original ceilings downstairs because there was so much damage. We had to replace those. But upstairs we do have original ceilings. Everything else is original, including the stucco walls.”

Sagging floors required jacking up and reinforcing. “It was like walking on a trampoline,” Jason said of some areas.

“The architect broke it down to seven phases,” Jason said. “Phase One, the 1820s house. Phase Two was the bathrooms and second-floor porch. Phase Three was the

kitchen. Four was the opening up of the hallway. Five is a bedroom downstairs, which has not been completed yet. Six is a courtyard that we have not gotten done yet, and seven is a garage in back that we have to tear down and rebuild.”

They continued to live in the home during the renovations.

The kitchen renovation started in September 2016 and was completed in November. The new kitchen has an open living area with windows that bring in the sun and ample views of their idyllic, woodsy backyard and will attach to the new courtyard, once completed. First-floor renovations include a new guest bathroom and a laundry room.

“I do love the house, and I do feel like we did something that was important, historically, both for Aliceville and our family. We preserved the house hopefully for many more generations. And I love being on that front porch,” Tricia said.

“I wish my grandmother was alive to see this today,” Jason said. “She was the one who always wanted me to buy this house.

I think she would be pleased.”

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oe

RUNWAY No offense, Cam Newton, but it was Joe Namath who set the bar on pro athletes and high fashion

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: Former New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath on the sidelines at an NFL game in 2009. • Joe Namath works out on Nov. 8, 1968, at Shea Stadium in New York.

• New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath strolls down Royal Street in New Orleans’ French Quarter on Jan. 9, 1975, where he was taping the Super Bowl pregame show. • Singer Glenn Campbell and Joe Namath on the set of the movie “Norwood” in 1969. • Joe Namath, New York Jets quarterback, visits actress-singer Barbra Streisand backstage at the Winter Garden Theater in New York City, Sept. 15, 1965. • Raquel Welch and Joe Namath arrive for the Oscars ceremony on March 27, 1971, at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Los Angeles.• Joe Namath and his mother, Rose Namath Szolnoki, laugh during a news conference in New York City on Monday, May 26, 1975. They are promoting her book, “Namath, My Son Joe.” • New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath and defensive line coach Buddy Ryan on Jan. 9, 1969, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., before they left for their day’s practice for the Super Bowl with the Baltimore Colts on Jan. 12 at Miami’s Orange Bowl.

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C

BY BECKY HOPF | PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR. AND THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

am Newton set tongues wagging when he stepped onto an airplane carrying the Carolina Panthers to Super Bowl 50 wearing zebra-striped Versace pants. He has become a high fashion icon for high-profile athletes but the poster child for stepping it up when he stepped out — and even when he was on the sidelines — was “Broadway Joe Namath,” a University of Alabama and New York Jets quarterback legend. Namath still dazzles, sporting a fur on the sidelines while attending Super Bowl 50. Fashion loved him, and he loved fashion — though he admits his modeling days were more exhausting than some of his football practices.

So, in honor of “Runway Joe,” here’s a recent phone conversation with the football — and fashion — legend, on how he came to be a star on the style front.

Q: When you were a kid growing up in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, or a student at the University of Alabama, was fashion or style even on your radar?

A: It started at home, like most things in life do. My dad was a neat dresser. My mom was, too. I even borrowed some of my mother’s hats to play in.

I’d go out in the yard and play in them. The Korean War was pretty prominent then, and we used to play battle stuff. We were soldiers in the woods. We had woods by the house. I’d borrow a special hat my mother had. It was a nice black one with a veil on the front. And it had fruit pieces on top cherries, bananas and a few other things on there.

Basically, I tried to mimic

my big brothers in a sense.

It was the days of peg pants, like today. What goes around comes around, it seems. They were sort of like straight pants.

They could have been Levis or whatever cotton pants you had.

If you wanted the bottoms tight, you folded them. We called them peg pants. Usually, when you inherit clothes from your bigger brother, the pants were

longer anyway, so there was plenty of room to roll them up.

So, yeah, you mimicked people, like Elvis Presley, for example, with his collar up and his slicked-back hair. He was cool, so we dressed as kids similar to what our big brothers did and the stars that we had seen.

And I started (dressing) as Elvis (did) because, of course, he was special.

THIS PAGE (Clockwise from top left): Namath is fitted for a mink coat by Hy Rifkin on Aug. 15, 1968. • Namath, center, stands in the tunnel toward the end of the Jets’ 29-7 victory over the Houston Texans on Dec. 5, 2004, at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. • Namath made an appearance at a New York City theater in September 1971, where his film, “The Last Rebel,” was playing.

FACING PAGE (From left): Namath attracted much attention in his street attire — dark blazer, white shirt and tie with cuff links and white shorts with blue dots, during the Jets–Oilers AFL exhibition game in Birmingham on Aug. 15, 1966. Namath was knocked out of action in the game when blocked by a defensive lineman. • Namath puts his signature on a multimillion–dollar deal with the Arrow Co. in 1975 for a line of men’s sportswear to be known as the Joe Namath Signature Collection.

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COVER STORY Q: Did you ever meet Elvis and tell him about that?

A: I didn’t tell him I dressed like him. I did have the honor and pleasure of visiting with him a couple of times, and it was wonderful. He was wonderful. What a gentleman. He was great. But, no, we didn’t discuss the attire at the time. He was close to the height of his career — one of the heights. I mean, he was always the smart one when he became recognized. But we didn’t discuss the clothing factor at the time.

He was more interested, actually, in football.

Q: What was your go-to outfit at Alabama?

A: It was similar to high school or junior high. As a kid, you’re moving up. I’d say it was always neat. Again, that starts from home. But the fashions were pretty similar from high school into college. Into college I followed suit of the upperclassmen, you might say. My roommate Butch Henry — he had some style. It was like button-down collars for the most part and collegiate outfits that were clean.

Sport coats. I had to borrow a sport coat, though, because when I first got there, I didn’t have one. The only guys I knew were my fellow athletes in the athletic dorm. Sometimes on a Saturday night or a Friday night, I felt like if you were invited or

could go to a fraternity party, a sport coat was in fashion. I had to borrow one because I didn’t have one.

Once I got through my freshman year and I worked in the summertime, I was able to buy myself a piece or two. But it was basically collegiate, trying to dress like Leroy Jordan or Butch Wilson or the upperclassmen or Butch Henry. We had some guys who were pretty good collegiate dressers.

I don’t think we had the attire that jumped out at anyone. We didn’t have Lady Gaga-looking girls running around campus.

The length of the skirts were a little different than today, and there was no such thing as shortshorts or whatever (for women).

For the guys, it was just regular cotton pants or corduroy pants or whatever kind of material.

When it got hot, there was shorts.

Q: What was your first big fashion purchase when you got in the NFL? A: I was able to start a charge account after I got drafted. I went downtown (Tuscaloosa) to Wiesel’s, Bucky Bernstein’s store, and he let me charge some clothes. I had worked between my freshman and sophomore year and sophomore-junior and junior-senior years. I worked at a few places, at the paper mill and with the university taking

care of the fields and the grasses, all kinds of stuff. So I had a little bit of change in my pocket that I could go and buy a couple of things. Once I got drafted, I went and talked to Mr. Bernstein and he let me charge some clothes until I got my first check from the New York Jets.

Q: How much did living in New York City influence your style?

A: Style and fashion — when you mentioned Cam (Newton), I thought of a variety of outfits — but I was really a hat guy to start with. I had my little derby kind of hat whenever I showed up on campus. I can see that first day — kind of powder-blue style hat with a pearl in the side.

Some of the varsity guys talked about that. They didn’t know who the heck I was. They didn’t know where I’d come from or whatever. But I like hats. I like my pink berets. I brought those with me. They’ve stayed with me to this day. I still have pink berets.

Other than hats in college, when I was able to afford some clothes, when I went to New York, I started having things made for me. And I was tickled. Boy, I just loved it. I didn’t even know the name of the tailor. I stopped in the tailor shop that was close to my apartment in New York, and I told him what I wanted and I picked out material and

all. I had everything made, from suits, sports coats to my runaround pants — man, the pants I wore to run back and forth to practice or to play softball in Central Park or under the 59th Street Bridge. I’d have my flowered pants. I was influenced by the hippie fashion to some extent with the colors. I always liked flowers anyway. I had some floral kind of pants and shirts that I had made.

Q: Were the other guys wearing flowered pants, too?

A: Not on the football team or around the softball field. On the softball field it was rather unique. Basically, I think we all want to feel good with what we have on. It expresses something about ourselves, our mind, our way of life, what we are.

It should, anyway, if you can.

In school, I wasn’t motivated enough to stand out as a great student. I would try to do that today. But back then recognition came through sports, and maybe that was a side of me through being a Gemini. I put some stock in the astrological signs, the horoscopes. Being a Gemini, I could see myself wanting to be slightly different at times. But not a big reach. I’ve never seen myself wearing things or doing things that went over the line. >>

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COVER STORY Q: Were there any designers you favored?

A: Because of and as a part of my profession, I actually had a line of shirts and suits and sport coats that were made, the Joe Namath line, Arrow shirts. I was the old Arrow Shirt Man. They brought that back. There was an Arrow Shirt Man back in the ’30s and ’40s or earlier, and then they brought that back, and I was the Arrow Shirt Man. We made a good variety of shirts, which, by God, some of them were pretty loud.

I swear. And one day I walked in Coach (Paul) Bryant’s office in my offseason, and he was wearing one of those shirts. I loved it. And you’ve got to know Coach Bryant.

He usually had a reason for doing everything. He was sharp. But I appreciated that so much, for him to be able to wear that kind of shirt, kind of was saying, ‘Nice going, Joe.’ Or, ‘It’s all right, Joe.’ He was part of what was happening at the time. It was great.

Q: How involved were you with your fashion line?

A: With the shirts, more so than with the sport coats and the suits because the sport coats and suits lines — that had been estab-

lished. Arrow’s shirt line had been established, too, but the times had changed pretty good, and we went along with a lighter fashion, a more standout fashion. Materials had changed a little bit. They caught the eye more, shinierfashioned shirts. The materials were different. I was always a cotton guy. I had my sharkskin suits, too, but they were coarse on the body. I had a hard time with those. I even had my pants lined so they wouldn’t itch — aye, yi, yi.

Q: So, you suffered for fashion?

A: Yeah. I did for a bit until I realized it was more important to be comfortable. And I found a way even to be comfortable with the kind of garments that were coarse against my skin. So I did sacrifice for fashion. I wanted to look good.

I went over to Italy — we made a movie over there, I’m not sure if it was ’68, ’69 or ’70 — but there was a tailor over there. It was like a factory when you went there. It was all handmade stuff. But there was a huge second story of this building where there were guys and ladies sitting at these sewing machines. They took your size.

They fitted you. They fitted me.

And I’m telling you what, we went back in three days or four days, and we each had our five suits or whatever we’d picked out at the time. It was amazing. A friend of mine that was with me, Mr. Mike Bite from Birmingham, Alabama — he was one of the guys who got a few suits there, too, boy, and we put some good use to them.

Mike was an equipment manager for Alabama’s football team and baseball team, when Bart Starr was there (football). Red Drew was the (football) coach. Mike lettered in being a manager in football and baseball. Mike represented me as my first agent attorney with the New York Jets.

He’s a lawyer in Birmingham, Alabama, and he’s still practicing with his brothers today. Mike is 87 years old right now, and he’s still out there playing golf and practicing (law). He’s my buddy, and he traveled with me, and we’re friends to this day.

Q: Being the New York Jets’ quarterback, did you feel pressure to step up your style?

A: No. No. There was grungy kind of stuff, cut-off jeans, during

those years, too. Traveling, it was all right to wear cut-off Levis in airports and sitting on the floor, having your hair down to your shoulders or whatever. I don’t think it was a reach for any of us.

I think it was kind of a ‘Why not?’

Why should you protest to this? It was maybe a rebellious attitude going with the Vietnam era. I think Woodstock may have had something to do with it, wanting to be hip. I didn’t get to Woodstock, but that crowd … Mid ’60s on, for me, was when I kind of evolved, from ’65 on. Being up there in the New York area and the problems we were having in New York — problems with the military, Vietnam, problems with racial issues — it was a rebellious kind of atmosphere. There was some funky dressing going on.

Q: You lived a high-profile life — dated celebrities, models. Anyone you stepped out with where you felt you needed to elevate your fashion game?

A: Not necessarily step up because I was clean. My dad was clean. My mother was. We were neat dressers. Not step up. I was comfortable with my style, >>

FROM LEFT: Joe Namath eyes the fairway during a round of golf in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Jan. 31, 1974. • Adding another dimension to the fashion show circuit, four members of the New York Jets model Cardin Resort clothes during a New York City taping of the Joe Namath TV show, Dec. 8, 1969.

At right, Emerson Boozer models a cotton poplin playsuit, as from left, Namath, Bill Mathis and Pete Lammons react.

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and the ladies certainly worried more about fashion than I did.

Mine just came naturally with what was going on. I watched what the fashion industry did, and I followed suit, so to speak.

I will tell you, white shoes — that was something special to me.

That was something that I always wanted to do, and when I first did that with tape, Coach Bryant let me do it. To this day, I can see me sitting in the locker room with my teammates at Alabama, getting ready to go to practice, and I’m looking down at my shoe, and I went and I got some tape from the training room. A senior could do that at the time. If you were a freshman or a sophomore, you might not be able to walk in the training room and take a roll of tape. A senior could possibly get away with it if he was doing a good job on the field and getting along with ‘Goose’ (Alabama’s football trainer, the late Jim Goostree).

Anyway, I did that, and I started taping my shoes. I started spatting down, taping around the shoelaces and all, everything except the front part. And as I’m doing this, one of my teammates, and I swear

I don’t remember who it was, but he said, ‘Dang, Joe. Coach Bryant is going to get you.’ I said, ‘Why is that?’ He said, ‘You can’t put that white tape on your shoes.

He’s going to get you.’ I said, ‘Oh, man.’ But, I tell you what, I had to think about it. Then, whenever we went out, Coach Bryant never said a word. That’s Coach Bryant.

He knew — he knew me — he knows his players. He knew that meant something or I sure as heck wouldn’t be doing it. And he let me slide. The only time that year I didn’t tape my shoes, I didn’t wear the white, I got hurt. The fourth game of the season, we’re playing North Carolina State.

My mind — I don’t know what — I can remember my thigh pads were backwards and I didn’t tape my shoes. I had gotten myself in a frenzy in a hurry somehow to go out and play, and I stepped in a hole and my cleats stuck, and I pulled a ligament in my knee. And from that time on, I always had the white shoes. I never messed up again with that. I’ve often said I’m not superstitious, but I still lace my shoes right over left. And my athletic shoes still have to be

white. Maybe I was reaching at something. I wanted to be different. Again, I’m a Gemini.

Q: What was the biggest event you dressed for? Was it the Oscars?

A: Numerous occasions (he wore black tie/high style). You mentioned the Oscars, and that was certainly one of them with one of the most beautiful ladies in the world (Raquel Welch, 1971 Oscars), too, to this day. That was special. Events in New York City, in Washington, D.C., with the presidents of the United States.

Dinners there. New York City with people who were influential in helping society on different occasions. Television shows.

They were all big and important to me, some bigger than others, certainly, but when you talk about the presidents and D.C., and you talk about the Oscars, those were special occasions. But, you know, I had to be clean going to some bar mitzvahs and bat mitzvahs and some confirmations, first communions. I considered those special and wanted to be spiffy with my attire.

Q: When did wearing fur come into the picture?

A: That was probably in ’65, ’66 or ’67. It was an idea that a furrier had in New York. They knew that this could possibly be an idea for the newspapers and the media.

One of our owners, Mr. David A. “Sonny” Werblin, was a show-business man. He’d been with MCA (Music Corp. of America). He represented stars. And when he came and bought the New York Titans in 1963 with the other four owners of the Jets, Mr. Werblin literally said, ‘We need stars. We need to create stars.’ You see, football at the time had a lot of outstanding players, but they didn’t cater to what the public appreciated. Mr. Werblin, being in the motion picture industry and the entertainment industry, recognized that the sports world had outstanding players who did some big things — like Jackie Robinson and Joe DiMaggio — but the teams didn’t promote their players or try to get them more visual. People care about people. He wanted to make that connection.

So, one day, I’m at training camp, out on the football field. It

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was probably ’68, now that I think about it. Our media director came up to me and said, ‘Joe, there’s a fella we have out here with a full length mink coat. And it happens to be your size.’ He said, ‘Would you take a picture with them?’ I said, ‘Oh, man. I don’t know about that. What do you mean? Why should I do that?’ He said, ‘Well, the guy said he’ll give you the mink coat.’ I said, ‘If he will … ’ And that was my first mink coat. It was the furrier’s idea, and I appreciated that. And then the others kind of fell into line. A buddy of mine brought me back a lambskin coat with white fur around the collar and the sleeves and bottom.

I got a silver fox that was just spectacular. I still have a couple of those coats. The one that I actually purchased myself — I never have counted the number (I’ve had) — I’d say around seven — the one I had actually made for myself, I was still a bachelor living in Beverly Hills, California, and this had to be in about ’79 or ’80, and I had this backgammon mink coat, full length, made. The color was like a black, dark, dark brown with a lighter shade of

brown stripes going up and down.

I mean it was a spectacular coat.

But when I started a family, I was at a charity event in New Jersey, honoring the Girl Scouts and the Boy Scouts of America, and it was an auction, so I let them have that coat to auction it off. I had second thoughts. I’ve often thought, ‘Man, I wish I had that coat.’ It was beautiful. But I have a soft spot for them (the Scouts) and, at the time, it was a good idea. But somebody out there has it, but I don’t know who or where.

Q: Were you surprised this past season when the fur you wore to Super Bowl 50 showed up in the TV booth at the Alabama-Auburn game you attended?

A: I was close to shocked. But that actually wasn’t my coat. I don’t know where they got it.

It was the network. It was the producer’s idea. He could tell you where they got it. But it worked. It was terrific. It was a lot of fun.

Q: Do you have a favorite shoe style you favor?

A: Comfortable. I’ll tell you what,

my first job as a kid was as a shoeshine boy. I take care of my shoes, and I take care of my feet. And there are different brands of shoes certainly (that I’ve worn), and I’ve gone through a whole lot of them.

They’ve got to feel good on my feet. And they’ll be clean. They’ll be shining. I do wax them. I still to this day carry a can of shoe polish and a rag. It’s kind of weird, I guess, in this day and age, but they don’t have a lot of shoeshine shops around except in airports, and I don’t always have time to get them cleaned and shined in airports. And sometimes I fall behind at home. There is a young man at my golf club that does a great job. But, styles? Whatever goes with the attire, but, first of all, they do have to be comfortable. I have loafers. I have laceups. I have boots. But they have to be comfortable. I do admire the beautiful ladies, including my daughters, who sometimes might wear shoes that aren’t as comfortable as they’d like, to be styling, to be fashionable. But our legs and our backs and our bodies weren’t designed to wear some of those styles. But they look great in them,

so I’m not complaining when I see a lady wearing them.

Q: Any accessories you favor?

A: I’ve had a few watches over the years that I’ve had the bands made for me. They’re beautiful pieces of craftsmanship. One of my favorite watches was given to me by Sports Illustrated. Their 40th year, they gave everyone a watch that was ever on the cover of their magazine. The first piece of jewelry I got, that I could afford, that was special to me, was an ID bracelet. A gold ID bracelet. That was fancy. That was special. That was even before I had a wristwatch.

Q: What name did you put on it?

A: Joe Willie. When I got my first Social Security card, I was 16 years old at Beaver Falls High School. I signed it Joe Willie Namath. I had seen movies and read some books about the South and seen characters. I just liked the fire, the spark of it, whatever. That was almost a reach for me to put on a gold bracelet. It took some nerve. >>

FACING PAGE (clockwise from left): Namath is shown in this 1971 photo with the Jets. • Namath shares a laugh with Johnny Musso, center, and Alabama coach Paul W. “Bear” Bryant during the annual awards dinner of the National Football Foundation at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Dec. 7, 1971. • Namath models pieces from his signature collection by Arrow in May 1976. • Namath is presented with an award for his team, the New York Jets, from New York City Mayor John Lindsay on Jan. 22, 1969. THIS PAGE (from left): Namath smiles after a news conference in New York on June 25, 2003. • Namath, a slit trouser revealing his taped left knee, walks to his car on arriving at New York’s La Guardia Airport on Aug. 8, 1971.

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CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Namath arrives at the fourth annual NFL Honors at the Phoenix Convention Center Symphony Hall on Jan. 1, 2015. • Namath, wearing his long, white fur coat, watches from the sidelines as the Baltimore Colts defeat the Jets, 14-13, at New York’s Shea Stadium on Nov. 14, 1971. • Namath is pictured in May 1977. • Namath, left, quarterback of the New York Jets, receives the AFL Rookie of Year award from Gov. Robert McNair of South Carolina at the Easley Football Jamboree on Jan. 24, 1966.

I had that for years. I don’t know where it went or what happened to it. I got it after I signed my contract with the Jets and had a little money. I got it in Tuscaloosa.

Q: You did some modeling.

Did you enjoy it?

A: Live and learn. Experience.

They don’t teach experience in school, and I had no background in modeling to begin with. I learned what it was about. I know more about it today and how to prepare myself for it, but when I first started, modeling the clothing line, I struggled. My face would be shaking, I’d be so tired. I didn’t know how to give different attitudes, looks. I didn’t know how to fall back on them because I had never experienced that. I had never practiced that.

I had never trained for it. In New York when I dated some ladies who were models, that’s when I first started recognizing how

talented they were and started talking with them and learned how much training they’d had in being able to give different looks for different feelings, different occasions and different attitudes on call. Whether it’s an anxious look, an angry look, a superstar look whatever — to be able to change them. What I ultimately did later on, when it came to relaxing and simply smiling, I’d think of my children. And you’re talking hours, not just one or two pictures, an all day shoot. Morning shoot, break for lunch then right back at it. It was somewhat tedious. And it’s physical. You’re on the stage performing, so to speak.

Q: Your daughters, Jessica and Olivia. Do they ever tease you about some of the things you wore?

A: They don’t tease me. They get a kick out of it. It’s good. It’s not a tease, it’s a laugh. “Oh, look out!’

‘Look at this; look at that.’ Those

things have been joyful over the years.

Q: Did they ever raid your closet?

A: Maybe a cashmere scarf or two. I used to enjoy the silk and cashmere scarves.

Q: How would you describe your style now?

A: Clean and comfortable. I don’t like tight jackets. The jackets that I see, the way they fit today, I don’t think that’s for comfort. I think that’s basically to show what muscles they have, to show it off.

That’s terrific. It’s good looking.

But that’s not my style. I don’t like confinement in clothes. I like clothing to fit more fluid and softer than confined and tight. Everybody I see on television, from Michael Strahan and guys with the news or whatever, it’s terrific.

I see guys dressed well on all the sports shows or whatever, they look terrific. But some of these

fashions, the tightness of the outfits — I don’t know. I never had muscles like those guys. Maybe that’s why.

Q: Last question. What do you think of Cam Newton and the things he wears, his taste in haute couture?

Would the two of you have competed on the fashion front?

A: He is out there. Wonderfully out there. He has tickled me. Every time I’ve seen him dressed, it’s been special. Most of the time it’s special. Whenever he’s flat after a tough game or down a little bit, there were times that he didn’t put on a front that was outstanding.

But most of the time, from top to bottom, the fronts he shows, the fronts he wears, man, they are to be appreciated. At least they are by me. I think he does a great service to himself and to the rest of us. He wouldn’t be wearing it if he didn’t feel good about it.

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Healing

HANDS A BEAST OF A MEDICAL PROGNOSIS LED JIM HUGHES INTO A BEAUTY OF A HOBBY

BY DREW TAYLOR PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR. verything in Jim Hughes’ home tells the story of a man who has made the most from borrowed time.

For more than 40 years, Hughes has filled his Coker home with hundreds of wood carvings — bowls, garden gnomes, sculptures, baseball players, caricatures and more. In his shop next door, a variety of wooden birds, Santa Claus statues and knives made from telephone cable wire are scattered across different tables.

However, wood-carved violins and mandolins remain the strongest passion for Hughes, who has been making them by hand since 1988. In fact, a whole room in the Hughes house is dedicated solely to the instruments he has carved over the years.

For Hughes, violins and mandolins serve both artistic and practical purposes. Hughes gives extra care to ensure each violin is made with exceptional quality, the same as any piece of art. But he also wants people to be able to play and use them.

“With something like a sculpture, someone can just walk by and look at this, but with this, someone can pick it up, play it and before you know it, you have a group of people listening to it,” Hughes said.

Hughes can play only a handful of songs on the violin, and mastering the instrument was even more difficult because he’s missing a piece of his finger that was cut off while working in the shop.

>>

Jim Hughes creates things with wood, from fiddles to intricately crafted bowls, at his home in Tuscaloosa County. Hughes uses a lathe to turn wood into beautiful objects.

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Some of his favorite songs to play on the violin are “The Unclouded Day” and “Amazing Grace,” the first song he ever learned.

“It was the hardest thing I had ever had to do in my life,” he said.

One of his most prized violins is one that renowned singer Charlie Daniels played during a festival performance in Tuscaloosa back in the late 1980s.

“He played ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia’ on it and signed it himself,” he said.

Hughes learned the craft of woodcarving violins and mandolins from his father-inlaw, the Rev. Noah Skelton, who made an estimated 700 violins throughout his lifetime and was well-known in the community for his skill. In fact, a number of people played violins at his funeral in March 2014.

“He tried to get my brothers to take up the trade so that if anything happened to him, it would still be carried on,” said Betty, Hughes’ wife of 55 years. “None of my brothers showed any interest in it, so Jim told him he would like to do it.”

In fact, Skelton gave him one of his

own violins after Hughes played “Amazing Grace,” a song that took him several weeks to learn how to play. From there, Skelton taught Hughes how to make violins and mandolins.

Many of Skelton’s own carved instruments sit on display in the Hugheses’ home.

After Skelton passed away, Hughes carried on carving more instruments in an effort to continue keeping him close.

“I loved him like he was my own daddy,” Hughes said. “I’m just glad he passed this on to me.”

For a time, Hughes taught groups of people how to make their own violins at his shop. Generally, it takes him a couple of weeks to complete one violin. Over the years, he has made nearly 30.

Hughes’ longtime love of woodworking also resonates because he was not supposed to be alive today.

In 1969, the Buhl native was given only six months to live after doctors found a tumor in his brain. After several treatments in California, Hughes was cured and became a Christian.

The range of creations Hughes crafts is vast. His wife, Betty, shown with him in his workshop, helps him upon occasion.

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TOP: Hughes, on his back porch, plays a fiddle he crafted.

BOTTOM LEFT: Charlie Daniels signed and played his iconic song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” on this fiddle that Hughes made.

“I praise the Lord every day that he gave me another day to do something special.”

“Before then, I was drinking and carrying on, and I got saved during that time in my life, so that’s no longer a part of me,” he said. “I praise the Lord every day that he gave me another day to do something special.”

As he healed, Hughes decided he needed to immerse himself in something.

“When we got back from there, I just had to have something to do, and then I started working with wood,” he said.

However, Betty has another version of her husband’s reawakening.

“I think he basically made up his mind that ‘I’m going to live the rest of my life being happy, doing things for others and enjoying life,’” she said. “He has very much enjoyed life.”

Hughes, a retired lineman for Alabama Power, starts every morning early in his shop working on different things. Being in the shop is often a form of meditation and discipline for the 75-year-old.

“Once I start working, all of my troubles are off my mind,” said Hughes, who also does cross-stitch, an art he learned to calm his mind after his cancer diagnosis.

It is common for Hughes to make hundreds of little trinkets and pieces just from memory. The process can take hours on end.

“There will be a giant pile in the garbage can before I get it just right,” he said.

One piece that took a great deal of care was “The Indian Blanket,” a bowl made from more than 1,000 pieces of wood from Spanish cedar, walnut, maple, mahogany and yellowheart wood.

The pattern and craftsmanship are more impressive because Hughes is colorblind. >>

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“That’s why none of my work has any color added to it,” he said. “Everything is in its natural color.”

Hughes’ wife will help him on certain occasions. One instance was making a rose out of copper by heating the metal.

“I have to get Betty to come watch it as I’m burning it with a torch so I’ll know where the colors are,” he said.

Hughes gives away most of what he makes, ranging from snuff cups to wooden crosses and more. He often makes things for his daughter, Janice, his grandchildren, Jordan, Lauren and James Isaac, as well as his great-grandchildren Nicholas, Emmaly, Bailey Marie and Paxton.

“I just feel like that’s my duty,” he said.

“I want to show people what you can do and give them something in return.”

Once a month, he will visit different members of his church who live in nursing homes and gives them presents.

“When you give something to some-

one and they are just overjoyed, you just look at them and they are crying,” he said. “The next thing you know, you’re crying, too, and it just fills you up on the inside.”

In many ways, Hughes feels that his health troubles, from the brain tumor to a battle with Hodgkin lymphoma several years ago, have given him more strength than he had before.

“I think God gave me the tumor to get my attention,” he said. “He was trying to tell me to straighten out my life and live for him, and that’s what I’ve tried to do.”

Ultimately, Hughes wants to make sure he reaches as many people as he can and carries on the same legacy his father-in-law carried.

“I would love to make sure that everybody has some kind of piece of my work,” he said. “I just think that it would show people that I care about them and after I’m gone, they can look at that piece and say, ‘I remember that man.’”

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THE SHOP

THAT’S ON THE CORNER

ERNEST & HADLEY BOOKSELLERS IS A READER’S HAVEN

BY STEPHEN DETHRAGE PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR. n a house nearly a century old on the outskirts of downtown Tuscaloosa, a mother and daughter want to conjure up the past in the independent bookstore they opened together in December.

Easty Lambert-Brown and her daughter Avery Leopard own and operate Ernest & Hadley Booksellers, which is named after Ernest Hemingway and his first wife, Hadley Richardson.

Inside the shop, they want people to wander the shelves, to take a break from the fast-paced world outside and find something worth reading.

“People looking for books have pretty specific interests now, and it’s very rare that someone will spend hours in here,” LambertBrown said. “But that’s what we’re trying to do, to encourage people to come sit and have coffee, to just take some time to read a chapter of a book to decide whether they want it.”

The atmosphere may have an old-time feel to it, but the merchandise doesn’t – LambertBrown said every book they sell is brand new from the publisher.

Lambert-Brown said more than 250 people attended the grand opening in December and that the store has seen steady success since then, driven in part by the increasing popularity of book clubs. >>

“That’s what we’re trying to do, to encourage people to come sit and have coffee, to just take some time to read a chapter of a book to decide whether they want it.” — Easty Lambert-Brown

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Easty LambertBrown stands outside her shop, Ernest & Hadley Booksellers, in Tuscaloosa.

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Leopard said the store is now home to five book clubs, a number they expect to grow as more people are drawn to the siren song of escapism that Ernest & Hadley offers.

“I think part of the draw is that social media has really taken over, and people miss face-to-face social interaction,” Leopard said. “We’ve become an internet society, and we’re kind of trying to hold on to something analog here.

“I think if you can find a group of like-minded people, if you can talk about this one book and find out what else you have in common, you’ve really got something,” Leopard said. “It’s just that need for face-to-face social interaction that we’re missing out on nowadays.”

The groups that meet there include a young men’s book club, a network of children’s book authors and the Nasty Women’s Book Club, which explores books that address political and social issues that Lambert-Brown said are increasingly relevant.

“We’ve had people come in here and say, ‘I need a book on feminism right now,’ ” she said. “So we’re talking about having a section on how to deal with resistance or activism, a socially conscious section.”

The store also prioritizes support of local authors and prominently displays the works of authors who call Tuscaloosa home, whether they were born and raised here or

adopted the area later in life.

One such author, Terry Corrao, recently published her first book of photography. Corrao said she took the portraits featured in “Father Daughter” over the course of two decades in and around New York City and Los Angeles.

Each black-and-white image shows a man and his daughter, whether she’s a newborn, a child or an adult.

Corrao, who moved to Tuscaloosa in 2013, said the willingness of Lambert-Brown and Leopard to support the area’s authors was an unexpected delight.

“There are more and more independent authors coming into their own; it no longer has the stigma it did years ago,” Corrao said. “There’s so much talent out there, and local talent especially – I think it’s really fantastic for them to

BELOW: A book club meets at Ernest & Hadley Booksellers.

RIGHT: Local authors have a featured section.

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One of the book rooms features children’s books.

have a platform, to have a venue to go to. I think it’s remarkable that there’s this place that will support the independent authors here in Alabama.”

Anyone used to the Dewey Decimal System of classifying and organizing books can expect to be disoriented. The books at Ernest & Hadley are grouped together by categorical connections instead of by something as mundane as alphabetical order.

Among others, there’s a section for Alabamian authors, a shelf of books from “the Lost Generation,” and a small but varied area dedicated to “the other side,” where tarot cards are sold alongside books on the occult.

The store also gives ample space to reads suggested by the staff or other customers, which Leopard said leaves the store’s shelves in a state of constant evolution.

She said she and her mother put serious emphasis on input from others. She said recommendations about new authors and books are welcome and will almost always result in that work finding its way to the store.

“This is definitely a community-curated shop,” Leopard said. “Our whole front table is stocked with books that people told us other people would be interested in, not new releases.”

Looking ahead, Lambert-Brown said she hopes to see more events come to Ernest & Hadley. She said plans are in the works for cooking demonstrations, using recipes from books in the shop’s culinary section, and said it would be “a dream come true” for Rep. John Lewis to come to the store to sign copies of “March,” the graphic novel that details his involvement with the civil rights movement.

In the meantime, Lambert-Brown and Leopard are happy to operate Tuscaloosa’s only independent bookstore, to serve literary needs that are not already met by the public library, big-box retailers like Barnes & Noble or in Christian bookstores. Their hope is that people will take the time to explore the shop, to see what they have to offer and make them aware of what they don’t.

The political climate and other stressors may not change while you wander through Ernest & Hadley, but its patrons say your time inside might just take your mind off them for a while.

“It’s just a luxury these days to step into this wonderful cottage, to really feel like you’ve stepped into another era,” Corrao said. “We’re just besieged with so much news on an hourly basis, and here is this vehicle to escape, where you can open a hard copy book and just drift away.”

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Shall we

dance

TRIPPING THE LIGHT FANTASTIC HAS NEVER LOOKED MORE BEAUTIFUL 60

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ON THESE PAGES: Kelsey is a vision in her Envious Couture Creations nude jersey dress with a beaded bodice ($275 rental) as Brylee, Hattie and Layla take in their formal dress education and dream of their future nights to shine wearing styles from Lily Pads. Brylee in PPLA crochet cream duster ($58.95) and Hayden peach T-shirt ($24.95); Hattie in Mustard Pie sugar blossom Ragala top ($48) with Mustard Pie blossom tango big ruffle pants ($38); Layla in Pomelo Clothing blue crisscross neck knit tee (19.95), Lucky Brand skinny jeans ($48) and Smoky Mountain boots ($54).

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What to wear?

One-shoulder, strapless, sweetheart neckline, thin straps, Juliette sleeves, cap sleeves, trumpet, flare, mermaid, column, sheath — the possibilities are seemingly endless for Abby, whose choices include a white sequined one-shoulder gown by Clarisse ($225 rental).

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The short and long of it results in gorgeous either way.

Cameron opts for a two-piece lavender and turquoise short look by House of Wu ($275 rental) while Camden goes long with a royal blue jersey, one-shoulder gown with rhinestone detail by Tiffany Designs ($275 rental).

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Looking dashing all the way, from head to toe in their tuxes, are OJay, in a whitejacketed Waverly tuxedo by Ike Behar ($175 rental), Gabe, in a Berkeley ultraslim fit tuxedo by Michael Kors ($175 rental), and Samuel, in a Genesis tuxedo

by Tony Bowls ($175 rental).

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It’s time to shine for Reagan and Camden.

Reagan is wearing a Karishma Creations red mermaid-style gown with a beaded design ($300 rental) while Camden is timeless in a black one-shoulder bodice with a sheer mermaid skirt by Glow Designs ($200 rental).

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Young hearts will dance with dreams of romance.

Cameron is breathtaking in her red, one-shoulder gown by Glow Designs, with its side and back beading ($200 rental). OJay is debonair in his Waverly tuxedo by Ike Behar ($175 rental).

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Brett and Kelsey and Alaina and Miller can’t wait to step on the dance floor in their elegant finery. On Brett, a navy Michael Kors suit ($175 rental), that coordinates perfectly with Kelsey’s Panopoly black jersey dress with a gold-beaded bodice ($275 rental). Alaina is wearing an Envious Couture Creations blush chiffon gown with a beaded bodice ($275 rental), while her date, Miller, sports a Tony Bowls Grey Portofino tuxedo ($175 rental).

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Abby and Reagan will wow their guys when they enter the room, Abby in a black lace with nude underlining gown by Envious Couture Creations ($275 rental) and Reagan in a Glow Designs beaded halter in mint ($225 rental).

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FASHION PHOTOGRAPHER: Gary Cosby Jr. | STYLING: Becky Hopf | HAIR AND MAKEUP: Jessica Guy CLOTHING AND MODELS PROVIDED BY: Formals on Main and owner Robbie Gregg

SPECIAL THANKS AND NOTES: The prom fashions photos were taken in a location as lovely as the models and gowns, downtown Northport. The price listed for each of the gowns is the rental price. The dashing young men are all wearing tuxedo rentals, each renting for approximately $175. The gowns and tuxes are all from Formals on Main in downtown Northport (400 Main Avenue; 205-343-0101). Lily Pads (420 Main Avenue; 205-752-2229) provided us with the adorable clothes on the little girls in the shoot. And the talented Jessica Guy can be contacted through Salon Five01 at 205-342-9201.

She’s a go-to hair and makeup stylist for pageants.

SPECIAL ASSISTANCE ON SITE PROVIDED BY: Robbie Gregg, Nikki Plowman and Jessica Guy. OUR MODELS ARE: Alaina Ashcraft, Samuel Barrentine, Hattie Britton, Layla Chapin, OJay Gibson, Brett Hamilton, Miller Jacobs, Kelsey Patton, Brylee Plowman, Abby Sanford, Gabe Sanford, Camden Stevens, Cameron Stewart and Reagan Woodward.

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PROM SEASON

NIGHT TO SPONSORED BY THE TIM TEBOW FOUNDATION | HOSTED BY BIG SANDY BAPTIST CHURCH AND BIG SANDY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL | FEBRUARY 10, 2017

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: A young man gets off his bus as he arrives at the Night to Shine special-needs prom at Big Sandy Elementary School.

• A limo brings people with special needs and their “buddies” to the Night to Shine. • Molly Parrish is resplendent in her blue gown. • Ian Terry shares a moment with his teacher. • Bradley Smith hits the dance floor. • Amanda Roberts adds a finishing touch of lipstick after getting her makeup done. • Annie Allen is a vision as she makes her entrance.

PHOTOS BY GARY COSBY JR. AND CLAUDIA MARSH 75

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Leading

LADIES The Tuscaloosa Junior Cosmos Study Club has been producing scholars and community standouts since 1948

BY BECKY HOPF | PHOTOS BY SAM MACDONALD AND JUNIOR COSMOS ARCHIVES

ABOVE: The Junior Cosmos pose for a group shot after their meeting on Feb. 12, 2017. • TOP: Myrtle Edwards Gray, an educator and community leader, started the Junior Cosmos Study Club, one of Tuscaloosa’s oldest organizations for young women.

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n 1948, opportunities for women were few.

The road was even more difficult for black women.

Myrtle Edwards Gray, an educator and community leader, was determined that, even with the odds stacked against them, the young black women of Tuscaloosa would enter adulthood prepared and able to defy those odds.

“She was the principal at Stillman Heights Elementary School, a Christian lady, someone who held several local, state, district and national offices,” said Gennie Sanders. “The Senior Cosmos club decided to organize a boys and girls club so that they could become successful young men and women and get college scholarships. She worked with seniors and juniors. They had to meet standards, too. If they didn’t, she’d expel them, just like school.”

And that’s how one of Tuscaloosa’s oldest organizations for young women, The Junior Cosmos Study Club, came to be. Gray led the way in chartering it through the Alabama Association of Women and Youth Clubs Inc. in 1948. She remained the heart of the organization until her death, at age 98, on Jan. 2, 2013. >>

TOP: Kamela Hinton, Jada Kelly, Madisyn Banks-Hall, Amber Hinton and Maya Campbell are the officers presiding over the Junior Cosmos meeting on Feb. 12, 2017. • BOTTOM: Myrtle Edwards Gray (first row, second from left) with one of the groups she mentored.

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Gray led a remarkable life. She was president of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs Inc., a member of the board of directors for Tuscaloosa’s Benjamin Barnes YMCA and the Salvation Army, an educator and teacher of the year award winner, a University of Alabama Capstone Society award winner, and vice president and program chairperson of the Alabama Reading Association, in addition to other civic and church offices she held.

“She organized it so that these young women could compete with society,” said Sanders, who serves as senior supervisor and has been involved with the club for about two decades. “We would have oratorical contests. They had to write essays. They would go to national competitions and compete with other clubs.

And they had to meet high moral standards. The girls couldn’t have any children (while in the group) and, if they got pregnant, they were dismissed. Those are still the rules. If they became unruly on a trip, they were put on a bus and sent home. I think that’s only happened one or two times in all the years. The goal was, and still is, to help produce good young ladies who will go on to college, finish college and, hopefully, come back here or in some other community and help lead other young girls to do the same.”

Academics are a major part of the club. And the club

TOP: Each year, the high school juniors in the club are required to participate in the Extravaganza pageant. They practice, together, at their meeting site at the Tuscaloosa Police Department. BOTTOM: From its inception, the club’s members volunteer in the community, including a March 2017 service day at Temporary Emergency Services.

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also teaches them life skills. The members must prepare a resume twice a year. Each spring they host the Extravaganza, an annual pageant and fundraiser. All the juniors are required to participate.

It is designed to teach the young women poise in front of a crowd.

There is an interview, with a list of 15 questions, from which most of the points are drawn. They are given the questions in advance as a teaching tool. Talent, modeling and an expression of their philosophy of life are other areas that garner points for consideration in the pageant’s outcome.

It is a club so popular that there is a waiting list. Young women may first apply, via a letter of introduction about themselves no earlier than the spring of their eighth-grade year and no later than their 10th-grade year. The letters must be written by the applicants themselves. Membership is for ninth- through 12th-graders, and the club is capped at 48 members, a number that coincides, purposefully, with the club’s founding year. Each year, 80-100 young women apply. From those applications, the club members will meet and read the letters, then vote on who is accepted.

They first read the letters from the girls who attend high schools that have the least participation in the club, giving those applicants priority.

The numbers of new members will vary, depending on how many openings there are after graduation and other departures.

“The interesting thing about it is how it’s not a popularity contest,” said club supervisor Tara Rose-Campbell, who was a club member when she was a teen and now has a daughter, Maya, in the club. “The girls know what our organization stands for. They know our mission statement. They know the type of girls that will fit our organization, and yet the members come from every walk of life.” >>

TOP: Members of the club with University of Alabama head football coach Nick Saban.

BOTTOM: Leadership and education are stressed in the club. That education includes events like visits to Atlanta and the famed Ebenezer Baptist Church.

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Last year alone, the club’s members produced 642 hours of community service. In addition to working in the community, members can get points from taking the ACT and submitting their resumes. At meetings, the seniors sit on the front row, upholding a tradition that began in 1948. Meetings begin with recitations of the organization’s pledge, a prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance, a song and the club slogan. Then there’s the head-turning praise reports, where members share news. For example, one member has just signed a full scholarship in track and field. Another has a college choir scholarship audition. Several seniors are mulling over college scholarship offers. Maya Campbell has a $40,000 scholarship offer from the University of Alabama.

Madisyn Banks-Hall is a junior at Paul W. Bryant High School and the president of Junior Cosmos. Like some of the members, she is a legacy. Two of her aunts and a cousin are former club members, and Banks-Hall had heard so many positive stories about the organization that she couldn’t wait to join herself.

“When I attended middle school, that’s when I really got interested,” Banks-Hall said. “My aunts had told me a whole bunch of stories about when they were in it, about the community service and how they got to hang out with their friends and just how much fun it was to be a part of it.”

Banks-Hall said she knew the organization was for her from the very start.

One of the first events it holds is called J.C. Weekend. It’s a group sleepover.

The members attend church together the next morning. After church, they have a Secret Sister party. >> TOP: After the April 2011 tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa and destroyed their longtime meeting place at College Hill Baptist Church in Alberta, Tuscaloosa Police Chief Steve Anderson invited the club to use a meeting room at the Tuscaloosa Police Department. At a recent meeting there, Tracy Croom led the young women in sharing their latest personal academic triumphs. BOTTOM: Each year, the junior class takes part in the annual Extravaganza.

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FROM LEFT: The young women travel as a group to learn about the community, culture and history. They learn responsibility to help better their community by volunteering at places like local food kitchens.

“That’s when you get to learn each other’s names and really meet and start to get to know each other,” Banks-Hall said. “It was fun meeting the other girls. It was a lot of bonding. I knew right away that I was going to enjoy being a part of it.”

The list of activities the Junior Cosmos participate in is nearly endless. They volunteer at the Tuscaloosa Community Soup Bowl, nursing homes, Temporary Emergency Services, awareness walks, the Delta Sigma Theta Political Forum, read-a-thons, the AHSAA football state championships, parades, holiday expos — the list goes on and on to nearly every community function hosted in Tuscaloosa County. They even host the Black Doll Affair at the Children’s Hands-On Museum where the girls gift African-American dolls and entertain the little girls. They host a ball each March which is attended by other high school students.

And they must be leaders in the community in which they serve.

“When you get in, they work on your resume, what you’re doing, and what you need to be doing so that it will help you get scholarships,” said Banks-Hall, who plans to go to Howard University and major in communications and public relations and has the grades to back that dream. “Being president means a lot to me.

I’ve learned so much and have grown so much. We have such a great bond, not only with the girls in the club now, but with the women who were members before us. It‘s a sisterhood of people you can trust. We‘re there for each other and help each other out, no matter what you‘re going through. And we learn so much, how to conduct ourselves professionally, how to be leaders.”

It is a national organization and a junior organization to the Cosmos Senior Club which, in turn, is part of the National Association of Colored Women’s Club, a national club that dates back to 1896.

Junior Cosmos meets bi-weekly on Sunday nights at the Tuscaloosa Police Department. Their former meeting site, College Hill Baptist Church, was destroyed in the April 2011 tornado. They bring in speakers on topics like resumes and etiquette.

“I never had this opportunity where I grew up. I didn’t experience the collaboration of African-American women working together, and it truly does take a village.”

— TRACY CROOM

Tracy Croom recently moved out of state but served as a parent-supervisor when her daughter, Teresa, joined in 2004 and was president her sophomore year. Croom stayed on after Teresa graduated.

“I never had this opportunity where I grew up. I didn‘t experience the collaboration of African-American women working together, and it truly does take a village. These girls push each other. In our meetings, we call for praise reports where they talk about what they‘ve excelled in,” Croom said. “In this room, it’s OK to brag on yourself. And when you brag on yourself, it bleeds to others. They want to do as well as you, and they are proud of you.

In this one room, we don’t fight each other. In life, these girls have so many forces working against them. But in this room, they are required to work together as a team. They’ve learned camaraderie. They’ve learned to respect each other. These girls come from every school in Tuscaloosa County. A lot of the girls have never met each other until they walked into this organization. They learn from each other just by being afforded the opportunity to cross academic and economic backgrounds. There is no east-west or north-south, and there is no city-county here in this room.”

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6

INTRIGUING

PEOPLE

Meet six folks who make a difference in our communities

JEFF SPRINGER University of Alabama equipment manager

ALYSON HABETZ

Former female professional baseball player

KEITH JENKINS

PARA therapeutic recreation and activity center director

MICHAEL NEWMAN Former Navy SEAL

TOM WOLFE Musician/ educator

JERRY ADCOX

Piano restoration specialist

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SIX INTRIGUING PEOPLE

Jeff

Springer NO. 1

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA EQUIPMENT MANAGER

BY BEN JONES PHOTO BY GARY COSBY JR.

S

can the sidelines of a University of Alabama football game this fall and you might not see Jeff Springer, but you’ll see his work. It’s everywhere.

Springer’s formal title is “assistant athletic director for equipment services.” In lay terms, that makes him the head equipment manager for the Crimson Tide. He administers the entire equipment managing staff for the whole athletic department, but during the fall, his day-to-day is to oversee the football equipment.

And the day-to-day means every day during football season.

“A lot of people don’t understand what goes into it in the week, and really during the entire season, how much goes into it and how long it takes to prepare to put a season on, let alone put one football game on for us,” Springer said.

“That’s why I take some satisfaction in it for us.

When you walk out on the field, we’ve touched everything. Completely.”

Jerseys, cleats and helmets are all under Springer’s purview, obviously. The equipment staff delivers the game balls to the officials.

Equipment managers are responsible for the massive trunks with extra gear you see on the sideline and for setting up the benches before the game. They are responsible for the clothes worn by the coaching staff on game day.

A normal week during football season comes with no rest for Springer and his staff. Sunday

begins the first round of laundry, washing jerseys, pants, girdles, compression shirts and anything else that was worn on Saturday.

“Lots of grass stains, paint stains. Crimson jerseys aren’t that bad,” he said. “White game pants for every single game is hard to deal with.

There’s a lot of cleaning that has to go on there.

We have to order a bunch of extra white pants.

If it doesn’t get cleaned, we’re going to replace them. I’m going to make sure the team looks good on Saturday.”

Just washing the uniforms can take two or three days. Jerseys and pants are hung out to dry, or rewashed if needed. The home team provides towels at games, so after home games, there are 600-700 towels to wash. If any equipment is missing on Sunday, the managers have to go back and find it or replace it. The team has a short “stretch and stride” practice on Sunday, and managers prepare for that.

The coaches’ clothes from Saturday go to the dry cleaners on Monday morning as washing continues. The football team goes through a lighter practice on Monday, and managers are on hand for that. Repacking also begins on Monday, five days before the next game. Managers start to move equipment back to BryantDenny Stadium to open up space at the Mal Moore Athletic Facility, or they’ll begin stowing gear for a road trip.

Cleaning from the last game is usually finished on Tuesday or Wednesday, when the managers tend to helmets. Each player has two helmets that are rotated throughout the season.

When one is in use in practice, the other can be touched up if needed.

Name: Jeff Springer Age: 39

Hometown: Slidell, Louisiana Personal: Wife, Anna Kay Springer; daughter, Bailey Baugh.

People who have influenced my life: Jeff Boss, former equipment manager at LSU; my mom and dad; and my wife.

Something people don’t know about me: I’ve lived my entire life in the South, and I’ve never been hunting.

My proudest achievement: Getting to where I am today in my profession; being in charge of one of the best equipment departments in the country; and being on multiple championship teams (4 national championships and 6 SEC championships).

Why I do what I do: I love sports, and I want to make a difference in my students’ lives like my former boss, Jeff Boss, did for me.

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Jeff Springer is the equipment manager for the University of Alabama football program. He stands amid the movable storage units in the John Mark Stallings Equipment Room on campus.

“If they play a game in that helmet, that’s their practice helmet the next week,” Springer said. “Every other week they wear it for a game, then the next week they wear it for practice. It cuts in half the wear and tear on a helmet during the season. If we play 15 weeks, they’re wearing that helmet for seven games, plus practice.”

Chin straps, face masks and decals may have to be replaced. Helmets are cleaned and readied for their next use. There are also practices on Tuesday and Wednesday, and managers are needed there as well.

Thursday becomes moving day, when the managers load up Alabama’s 18-wheeler for road games or a smaller box truck that ferries gear back and forth to Bryant-Denny Stadium for home games. Managers put out individual equipment bags after practice for players to pack some of their own gear, though the managers finish packing them.

The equipment truck leaves on Friday, though longer road trips sometimes require it to leave on Thursday. Springer and his substantial staff, which includes one full-

time assistant with football and 14 full-time students working with the football program, ride a bus to follow the equipment. They set up the locker room on Friday, home and away. At home games, that means laying out every jersey and piece of equipment in the same place in every locker every week. It brings some routine and comfort to players.

“We try to get the away locker room to look as close as possible to the home locker room,” he said. “Sometimes it’s hard to do that. Some of the visiting locker rooms aren’t very good setup-wise. We’ll have half our staff over there and half our staff is over here for our Friday walkthrough practice.”

The team arrives two hours before kickoff on game day, but Springer and his staff usually get to the stadium two hours earlier than that. They put the final touches on the locker room, move equipment out to the sideline, then help the team dress when it arrives.

“Hopefully it’s a laid-back game for us,” he said. “Typically, if we don’t have any weather issues, games are usually slower for us.”

That’s the time for Springer to enjoy the work he and his staff have put in all week.

They address in-game fixes as necessary, but they blend in to the sidelines for the most part.

That’s one detail that escapes casual eyes.

Managers and most staffers wear crimson shirts at home games and white on the road, the same as the team. But head coach Nick Saban and his assistants wear the opposite color. That helps the coaches stand out on the sidelines as players search for them. It’s one more thing that Springer oversees, even if you never see it at all.

After the game, the process begins all over again. Managers help repack equipment bags, load up the trucks, and move everything back to the facility to be washed and rewashed again. There’s no time to rest.

“Yes, it’s hectic, it’s pressure-packed, and it’s a very stressful job,” Springer said. “But when you walk out Saturday in the stadium and the game is going on, that’s always been a reward for me to be able to say ‘That’s because of me.’ That I had a very big part in it.”

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SIX INTRIGUING PEOPLE

Alyson Habetz NO. 2

FORMER FEMALE PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PLAYER

BY STEVE IRVINE PHOTO BY GARY COSBY JR.

T

o say Alyson Habetz showed up on her first day of high school with a baseball bat in one hand and a baseball glove in another is a bit of a stretch. To say her intention was clearly to play baseball, however, couldn’t be closer to the truth.

Habetz’s athletic career carries a variety of descriptions. She was a college basketball and softball player at the University of Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana Lafayette). She was a professional baseball player, spending three seasons with the Colorado Silver Bullets and another with the Long Beach Aces of the Ladies Professional Baseball League. For the past 19 years, she’s been an assistant coach for Patrick Murphy’s softball program at the University of Alabama.

Before all that, though, the Crowley, Louisiana, native was a 7-year-old T-ball player.

“I was the only girl on an all-boys team at the Crowley Recreation Department,” said Habetz, the youngest of eight siblings. “I just fell in love with the game. I played every year after that – went all the way through Mustang, Bronco, Pony, Colt and into American Legion. It was my passion, I loved it. I ate, drank, slept, I mean, I lived for baseball. I just wanted to play it all the time. I was a park brat, for sure.”

That’s why she showed up at Notre Dame High School in Crowley, expecting to join the baseball

Name: Alyson Habetz Age: 45

Hometown: Crowley, Louisiana Personal: Parents are Leonard and Deanna Habetz.

People who have influenced my life: My parents, seven siblings and Tommy Lasorda.

Something people don’t know about me: Something people probably don’t know is that when I was young, I put on magic shows for my family. I wanted to either play professional baseball or be a magician when I grew up.

My proudest achievement: The achievement I value most is my relationship with Jesus and faith in God. Everything I accomplish and everything good in my life is a gift from God. He has saturated my life with extraordinary people and blessed me with amazing opportunities and talents … and every honor I receive flows from these gifts that I treasure dearly.

My ultimate accomplishment each day is to use these gifts to the

best of my ability in service to him and others.

Why I do what I do: I coach because it gives me a tremendous opportunity to impact lives daily. College is a critical time in the development of student athletes. They are away from home and have the freedom to make their own choices. It is such a privilege being a part of their growth during this time. I have a responsibility to do my part in preparing them to not only be champions on the field and in the classroom, but most importantly, to be champions in life. Having the opportunity to do this at the University of Alabama is easy because I am surrounded by champions daily!

I also cherish the moments when I can help our student athletes realize the unique greatness they possess that they never knew existed … and when they begin to value and appreciate the unique greatness of their teammates, they transform into servant leaders … and that is the ultimate fulfillment!

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Alyson Habetz is the associate head coach of the Crimson Tide softball team. She is seen in Rhoads Stadium.

team. The school’s principal told Habetz that the Louisiana High School Athletic Association didn’t allow girls to play on boys’ teams but offered to fight the ruling. Habetz and her parents went with the school’s principal and baseball coach to Baton Rouge for a hearing.

“I’ll never forget that day. I went before (the LHSAA), and they said no, I couldn’t do it,” Habetz said. “I guess it was a reality that I had never thought of, and I was just crushed. I mean, I cried the whole way back home.”

Her father asked if she wanted to take up the matter in court. She did, so the family filed a lawsuit. The family lost the case in court, but the appeal went to the Louisiana Supreme Court. This time, the ruling was in her favor and, nearly two years after the fight began, Habetz was allowed to play high school baseball.

“I was able to play my junior and senior year,” Habetz said. “It was a dream come true for sure. I firmly believe in fighting for things that you know are right. I just wanted to play baseball. I didn’t care about changing a rule or any of that. I just wanted to play a game I loved to play.”

After high school, though, her baseball career seemingly ended, and she accepted a

scholarship to play basketball at Southwestern Louisiana. Early in her freshman year, though, the plan took an unexpected turn.

“I was around the campus one day and saw what, to me, looked like a miniature baseball field,” Habetz said. “I was like, ‘This is cool.’

I saw them playing and thought, ‘Wow, this is a fast game.’ I had never seen girls playing fastpitch softball. I was just very intrigued.

My basketball coach was nice enough to let me try out. I hit the jackpot of college softball because Yvette Girouard was the head coach and Patrick Murphy was the assistant coach.”For the next three years, she played basketball and softball for the Ragin’ Cajuns.

In her fourth year, she played just softball while redshirting as a basketball player. The following year, in her final season of college eligibility, she played just basketball. It was during that final year in college that her baseball career resumed.

Habetz heard about a professional women’s baseball team – the Colorado Silver Bullets – that was traveling throughout the country to play games. She traveled to Atlanta for a tryout and was one of 50 players invited for spring training at the same complex as the Boston Red Sox. Habetz eventually was one of 22

players selected for the team, and she spent the next three years barnstorming around the country, including stops at Fenway Park, Jacobs Field and other big league parks, playing the game that she loved.

One person who helped her navigate through baseball and life in general was former Los Angeles manager Tommy Lasorda.

Habetz met him at a baseball clinic when she was 10 years old. The two became pen pals, and the friendship blossomed so much that Habetz refers to the baseball Hall of Famer as Uncle Tom. It was Lasorda who first told Habetz that she would be a coach.

Habetz came to Tuscaloosa to be part of Murphy’s first staff at Alabama. She didn’t plan on staying long.

“I thought I’d come here for a couple years and go back home to Louisiana and go to law school,” Habetz said.

Nineteen years later, she’s still at Alabama.

“I was just captivated by not only being a coach but just the university,” Habetz said.

“Everything about it is class and champions.

They do everything the right way. Being surrounded by great people every day helps you grow as a person. For 19 years, I’ve definitely grown a lot and learned a lot, from the best.”

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SIX INTRIGUING PEOPLE

Keith NO. 3 Jenkins PARA THERAPEUTIC RECREATION DIRECTOR AND FAUCETT BROTHERS ACTIVITY CENTER DIRECTOR

Keith Jenkins is shown at the Faucett Brothers Activity Center in Northport.

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BY KELCEY SEXTON PHOTO BY GARY COSBY JR.

M

anaging a behemoth like the Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority’s largest multipurpose center is no easy task. The approximately 60,000-square-foot Faucett Brothers Activity Center, located in Northport, offers a rock-climbing wall, a gymnasium, two indoor pools, a child-care center and more.

That’s not even counting the 80 acres of outdoor options available.

“It’s the big engine, the biggest one we have at PARA,” said the facility’s manager, Keith Jenkins. “For so long, we had community centers (in Tuscaloosa County), and we had very little exercise areas, but (we had) a lot of space to rent, so this was the new concept, the trend: more wellness.”

Jenkins estimated that 4,000 members go in and out its doors in a month’s time, not including all the center’s staff members.

But overseeing the bustling Faucett facility is only the beginning of his role with PARA. Jenkins is also the director of PARA’s Therapeutic Recreation program, serving individuals who have intellectual or physical disabilities.

“It’s fulfilling. It’s very rewarding, and I’ve been very blessed,” he said.

What began as a job opportunity turned into a chance for him to teach others and help the program grow into what it is today.

“Making this program successful for 17 years has been a lot of blood, sweat and tears,” he said. “You have to dedicate yourself, and there have been personal sacrifices to make it work.”

Therapeutic Recreation works with program participants by using activities and events as educational opportunities. Courses may incorporate living skills, such as cooking.

“Cooking classes are about independence and decision-making. Even movie nights are about appropriate behavior, money management and inclusion settings,” Jenkins said.

“You’re always teaching; you never stop teaching. There’s always a purpose to what we do. Sure, they’re fun, but we incorporate real skills into what we do.

“I try to give them those experiences in hopes they can do them independently. That’s always the end goal.”

Participants can play a variety of sports as well, meanwhile learning about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, achieving goals and teamwork. Jenkins coaches physical activities such as swimming, golf, flag football, volleyball, basketball, baseball and softball.

“There is a benefit to what we do,” Jenkins said. “So many of our athletes come from lowincome families. Without an outlet like this, he said, some of them may not ever have the chance to travel and see the parts of the world they’re able to visit through these competitions.

The program is a big part of Special Olympics, he said, with about 50 athletes from the program going on to compete in the national level.

Two years ago, KeMondre Taylor and Roderick Patton, two program athletes, brought home gold medals after they were chosen to compete on Team USA in volleyball at the 2015 Special Olympics World Games in Los Angeles. Jenkins also said the program’s volleyball and softball teams haven’t lost a tournament in about 10 years.

“Everybody wants a piece of Tuscaloosa,” he said. “I guess when you’ve been as successful as we have for so long, everybody wants to knock you off the block.”

Jenkins said they’re hopeful some of the program’s athletes will get the chance to travel to Seattle to compete in the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games.

“I’ve been very fortunate to have a great, great group of athletes that really work hard and buy into it, whatever we’re playing,” he said. “We’ve been very successful.”

Much of the success has to do with the chemistry Jenkins has with his charges, something noted by the families involved and, most recently, the state. Jenkins received the Alabama Recreation and Parks Association’s Merit in Therapeutic Recreation award for showing outstanding leadership and innovation in the area of recreation in the state.

“I think, if anything, I brought some stability to (the Therapeutic Recreation program) because, heck, I’ve been here 17 years,” he said, noting that several supervisors cycled through the position during the time before he took over.

“It wasn’t easy early on, either. You get beat up a lot of times. You learn. You make mistakes. But 17 years into it, I think it’s been a pretty good ride. I challenge this with any other program in the state.”

Name: Keith Jenkins Age: 44 Hometown: Whitfield Personal: Single.

People who have influenced my life: My father, for instilling in me a strong work ethic and the importance of finishing what you’ve started, and my mother, for instilling in me patience and compassion for others.

Something people don’t know about me: If I’m not working, you might find me dominating a cooking competition somewhere around the state with my cooking team, Schlitz Creek Competitive Eating and Cooking Team.

My proudest achievement: Recently, the Therapeutic Recreation program I direct was awarded the ARPA Merit in Therapeutic Recreation award as the state’s most outstanding program. It’s always pretty cool to be honored by your peers, but getting my bachelor’s degree may be my proudest achievement. I wasn’t always that focused.

Why I do what I do: To make a difference in the community and to have a positive effect on people’s lives that I serve.

Directing the Therapeutic Recreation program has been very rewarding to me personally and keeps me extremely humbled.

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SIX INTRIGUING PEOPLE

Michael Newman NO. 4

FORMER NAVY SEAL

BY DREW TAYLOR PHOTO BY ERIN NELSON

M

ichael Newman lives a much different life than the one he had planned for himself at 19 years old.

In 1986, Newman dropped out of school during his senior year at Tuscaloosa County High School, intent on becoming a welder.

“I just wasn’t motivated,” said Newman, who also failed the sixth and seventh grades.

“A lot of people may say, ‘I’m going to college,’ but that wasn’t even a thought for me.”

Newman has led a busy life over the years, working alongside the SEAL team in the Navy, treating hurt football players during Alabama football coach Gene Stallings’ tenure, and working at Randall-Reilly, all while earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Alabama and nearly completing a doctorate.

For the last 20 years, Newman has worked at Randall-Reilly, a publishing company based in Tuscaloosa, where he is vice president of strategic accounts.

“Everything you do adds up to what you become in life,” he said.

After quitting school, Newman decided to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps by joining the Navy. After earning his GED diploma, Newman spent the next five years as a submarine hull technician, traveling to 11 different countries with the SEAL team.

Newman suffered a setback in 1991 after passing out during a training exercise. Doctors discovered that Newman’s heart had

stopped, which required surgeons to implant a pacemaker. The device saved Newman’s life, but it also effectively ended any life he saw with the Navy.

“That changed everything,” he said. “I had to get out of the Navy, with no high school diploma and no schooling, and I didn’t know what I was going to do.”

Married and with no job prospects, Newman decided to go to the University of Alabama. He studied athletic training and received a bachelor’s degree in 1996. Newman’s time in the Navy ultimately inspired him to be an athletic trainer.

“With all the injuries that we saw in the SEAL teams, I thought I could help people recuperate from their injuries,” he said.

As part of his education, Newman worked as a trainer on the football team under former head coach Gene Stallings, whom he considers a father figure to this day.

“No one ever wanted to disappoint him,” he said. “You knew where you stood with him, and if you screwed up, you knew it.”

During his time at the University of Alabama, Newman said he took every computer course the College of Education offered. This would lead to Newman’s next pursuit as a doctoral student in computers and website design in 1997.

“The people in the Ph.D. program said, ‘You’ve taken every class we offer. If we pay for your Ph.D., will you teach our classes?’ ” he said. “I said, ‘Sure.’”

While working on a doctorate in instructional technology, Newman spent his days teaching people how to design websites.

During this time, Randall-Reilly

Name: Michael Newman Age: 50 Hometown: Tuscaloosa Personal: Wife, Susan Newman; sons, Calloway and Butler.

People who have influenced my life: Coach Gene Stallings (I worked for him as an athletic trainer); Coach Dabo Swinney (I worked with him as an athletic trainer and as a graduate assistant when we were both students/graduate students at Alabama); Eric Olson (Navy SEAL commanding officer).

My proudest achievement: Being married to my best friend for 27 years and the fact that we have never been in a fight.

Why I do what I do: Being the vice president of strategic accounts at Randall-Reilly, I get to use almost 20 years of experience to help all of our sales staff and their clients improve their marketing programs. I get to work with great people, and I get to work for a company that is not afraid to have fun and one that truly hires people based on character.

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Michael Newman is photographed outside of his home in Tuscaloosa.

approached him about coming to work for them as a webmaster.

“This was back in 1998 when very few companies had websites, so it was all very new,” he said.

Newman left the doctorate program once he went to work for Randall-Reilly. Over the years, Newman served in a variety of roles at the company, from being a webmaster to director of web development, regional sales manager, electronic media manager and director of digital services.

In his current job as vice president of strategic accounts, Newman gets to use everything he has learned at the company in a job that takes him across the country.

“We need people in place that know about all of our products to help our younger people sell those products,” he said. “They just needed someone that would travel with them and help them to sell all this stuff we have.”

Sometimes, Newman looks back at what his life would have been like if he had applied himself early on.

“Ultimately, I had to work a lot harder to get to where I am today,” he said.

For Newman, his circumstances are all about hard work and being where he needed to be at the time.

“Dabo Swinney (Clemson University head football coach) once said you have to bloom where you are planted,” he said. “No matter what your job is, you have to do the best while you have that job, and if you do that, it can lead to something better.”

Because of those experiences, Newman challenges his two sons, Calloway and Butler, and many students across Tuscaloosa County, about how there is always time to turn one’s life around.

“I’ve said just because you don’t have good grades in high school doesn’t mean it’s too late to change that,” he said. “You might think you can never go to college, but there are so many ways to go to college.”

In the end, Newman has one guiding principle.

“The biggest thing is to just do the right thing,” he said. “That’s what I’ve tried to do.”

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NO. 5

TomWolfe MUSICIAN/EDUCATOR

BY MARK HUGHES COBB PHOTO BY GARY COSBY JR.

A

s a guitarist, Tom Wolfe stays flexible. From his Christmasgift first guitar at 6 to his initial pro gig at 17, he learned from and practiced rock, country and gospel. Even while playing in garage rock bands, he still took a gig at a small theme park in Cincinnati, learning the virtues of playing every day for pay, with old pros. He moved into the jazz studies program in Columbus, Ohio’s Capital University, picking up diverse gigs playing for performers such as Bob Hope, Englebert Humperdink, Rosemary Clooney, Jerry Van Dyke and Chita Rivera, and working in the pit for musicals including “Grease” and “Annie.”

His next segue led to the Eastman School of Music for grad studies, where he worked with mentor Gene Bertoncini, among others.

Having founded the jazz studies program at the University of Alabama in 1994, he’s written Christmas music arrangements for the Hilaritas holiday concerts, taught and led combos, and kept his hand in commercial work, writing jingles and music beds — the music tracks that underscore ads. Wolfe’s worked electric and acoustic, roots-based to adventurous fusion, purely artistic to strictly commercial, in trios and quartets, big bands and solo, with peers and students, and scored for film and theater projects.

Trumpeter Ken Watters, who’s worked with Wolfe on several projects, said it’s the guitarist’s melodic style that keeps him in demand:

“A lot of his solos sound like he is singing a song.”

Creating that sound has taken him from Africa to Cuba to New York, and back home to Tuscaloosa, where he moved up into the dean’s office at Arts and Sciences. As an educator, he’s stayed adaptable, continuing to teach and perform administrative duties, serving last year as interim chair for the art and art history department, and, in the coming year, sitting in as interim chair for American Studies.

“Once you get in, they like to use you,” he said, laughing, adding that a great working relationship with University of Alabama Arts and Sciences dean Bob Olin makes it possible.

Another test of agility came as a surprise, later in life: When time permits, Wolfe is heck on wheels as a roller derby referee. His wife, Kelly, coaches and helped launch the Druid City Dames, which coalesced around a core crew in 2015. Like the dames themselves, Wolfe skates under a stage name: Guitarzan.

“When they started the team, and she started coaching, I would just go to the practices and hang out,” Wolfe said. “One day I said, ‘You guys make me wanna skate,’ which might have been my fatal mistake.”

But having had to ease off running due to plantar fasciitis, he’s rolling for exercise.

“We’ll go over to Northport on the River Walk, skate two or three circuits and get a pretty good workout,” he said. “I’m hoping my ticker’s gonna last a little longer.”

Refereeing roller derby is among things the younger guitarist couldn’t have foreseen

Name: Tom Wolfe Age: 56 Hometown: West Carrollton, Ohio.

Personal: Kelly Wolfe, wife; Zachary Wolfe, son; Aidan Golden, stepson.

People who have influenced my life: My parents in my life practices and beliefs. My guitar teachers and especially Mr. Charles O. Taylor, my first guitar teacher.

Something people don’t know about me: I am an on-skates referee for women’s flat track roller derby.

My proudest achievement: There are so many things I am thankful for, so I don’t necessarily have “one” achievement that I hold above others. I have certainly been blessed in my life and love where I am now.

Why I do what I do: I really enjoy working with the students. I’m their instructor, yet I learn so much from them. I truly am blessed to be doing what I do.

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Tom Wolfe plays guitar in front of a bank of computer screens in a studio at the University of Alabama.

himself undertaking.

“I’d have never expected, honestly, to end up an associate dean; I never expected to be doing it that long,” he said. “Now I’m considered a senior faculty member, but I still think of myself as a youngster, with a lot of things to learn. All of a sudden I’ve got young people coming to me for advice. I’m flattered; I don’t know if I’ve got the right advice for them, but I try.”

He’d like to get around to finishing a new CD, working with fellow UA music faculty Mark Lanter on drums, Chris Kozak, bass, and Michael Wilk, keyboards. Each maintains regular day and night jobs: Lanter plays with Henri’s Notions and Birmingham’s popular Black Jacket Symphony, among others.

Kozak directs the jazz program and the busy UA Jazz Ensemble, in addition to gigs with The Birmingham Seven, for which Wolfe’s also a player. Wilk joined the faculty when his daughter studied flute here, but still gets out with John Kay and Steppenwolf, a gig he’s held for decades.

“We just haven’t had the time to get back in to tweak it,” he said.

There’s original material waiting, and with the recent addition of Wilk, the quartet wants

to revisit some Emerson, Lake and Palmer tunes such as the progressive-rock trio’s adaptation of a pair of Aaron Copland’s works, “Hoedown” and “Fanfare for the Common Man.” “And we’re thinking of doing ‘What is Hip’

by Tower of Power,” Wolfe said.

A lot of his compositional energy has gone into collaborations with Seth Panitch, a theater professor at UA, including scores for “The Merchant of Venice” and Christopher Durang’s “Beyond Therapy,” both performed in Cuba, for “En Sueno de Una Noche de Verano,” a Spanish-language version of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” performed in Tuscaloosa and Cuba, and Panitch’s original work “Alcestis Ascending,” which played Tuscaloosa, then off-Broadway, then Havana.

Wolfe also crafted dueling flat steel and blues guitar riffs for Panitch’s movie “Service to Man,” which won several festival awards over the past year.

With all the roles he’s undertaking, Wolfe doesn’t play live as much as he’d like.

“But once we can finally solidify and get things together” with the quartet, “I expect us to get out more.”

His worlds sometimes collide, literally, like

when he landed wrong at derby practice, and fractured a tiny wrist bone. Scary stuff for a guy who works with his hands. But it didn’t even require a cast, just wraps and a brace.

Outside campus and the rink, he also performs at First United Methodist, serving as worship leader for its The Bridge contemporary service from 2006 until 2013. He still sits in a couple of times a month. Closer to home, he’d like to develop a more fully operational home studio where he and other musicians could record, and continue to mentor younger players.

“I don’t perceive retiring for a long time,” he said of his students. “I learn just as much from them as they might from me. They’re kinda near and dear to my heart.”

Wolfe encourages inter-departmental collaborations, and wants continue fostering appreciation of the cornucopia of music around us, whether jazz, orchestral, classical, folk or baroque.

“Just come and enjoy,” he said. “It’s beautiful art; we all need to appreciate it and understand it, know where it’s coming from.

“I’ve been very fortunate. I cannot complain. There have been things that came my way at times I know I didn’t deserve.”

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SIX INTRIGUING PEOPLE

NO. 6

Jerry Adcox PIANO RESTORATION SPECIALIST

Name: Jerry Adcox Age: 70 Personal: Brother, Jack Adcox; mother, Mary P. Adcox.

Influence: Nancy Wright, who taught at the University of Alabama for 20 years. She not only taught me piano music, but also brought me out of my rural upbringing.

Something most people don’t know about me: Many might not know that I’m a very proficient church organist, and am now also a choir director.

My biggest achievement: Keeping the music world going by working behind the scenes to maintain pianos and organs.

Why I do what I do: To me, my work is creative, and I love it because it’s inspiring.

BY TIFFANY STANTON PHOTO BY ERIN NELSON

T

o Jerry Adcox, an old, neglected piano restored to its original condition is a work of art, and the greatest contribution that he, as a lifelong pianist, can make to music.

This conviction has driven 45 years of work that has, at times, found him tuning or restoring as many as 10 pianos and organs a day, at churches, schools, private homes and historical homes and venues throughout West Alabama.

“To me, rebuilding is creating,” said Adcox, who, at age 69, is considered an expert in 19th-century pianos and organs. “It’s almost like sculpture or painting.”

He grew up in Reform, helping his family run a then-active Trailways bus station, and later a restaurant. In the small West Alabama town, music took hold of his heart.

He said that in 1957, when he was 10, he attended a singing camp at a small country church outside Reform. Adcox convinced the pastor’s daughter to teach him to play “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.”

He played it back to her that day.

“I brought my father to church the next Sunday – I’d been asking and begging him for a piano, but he said, ‘What do you need with a piano?’ – you know how parents are – so I sat down and played for him, and he nearly cried,” he recalled, getting emotional himself at the memory nearly 60 years later. “And the next week, I had a piano.”

He is now the organist at Aliceville Presbyterian Church and often plays for other local churches, too.

He went on to become a music student at what was then the University of Alabama Music Department. That experience made him rethink his musical ambitions. There were so many pianists then that it seemed his career could only lead to teaching.

Adcox didn’t want to teach, so he fled to Birmingham, where he worked for a short time as an accountant before moving on to organ sales. His boss there introduced him to what would become his life’s calling.

“He ordered a set of piano tuning tools and handed them to me and said, ‘Here, you figure out how to use these,’ ” Adcox said. “I never had much training.”

He taught himself how to set a temperament, which refers to the spacing between keys, by referring back to his music theory classes. He learned the rest by ear.

“It was kind of a haphazard thing,” he said. “But once I got into it, I realized I could make more of a contribution to music through service than through playing.”

That job led Adcox to be hired as staff piano technician back at the University of Alabama, where he had the sole responsibility of maintaining 70 different keyboards of a variety of different makes, models and ages.

He retired in 2001 only to come out of retirement six years later as a contractor and soon formed Allegro Piano and Organ Service with John Boutwell, who was a working musician at the time.

Boutwell said he realized there was a market for a full-service company that could tune, rebuild and move pianos and organs, and he thought his business skills would work well with what he saw as Adcox’s creative genius.

“Piano maintenance is really something that takes a creative mind,” Boutwell said, “because you really have to think outside the box” – and sometimes outside all the high-tech gadgets that have become common in the tuning world in recent years. In fact, both men say that while they occasionally use mobile phone applications for an initial diagnosis, what is technically correct might not sound correct to the human ear. And the ear is what matters most in music, for Adcox.

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Jerry Adcox, who repairs antique pianos, stands beside a piano built in the early 1820s that he restored and is now displayed and played at the Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion in Tuscaloosa.

“I like to leave the instrument so that I would be comfortable if I had to play it,” he said. “We now have computer programs that can do remarkable things, but I don’t like to use them because I think you listen with your ears. You should be tuning with your ears.”

Adcox and Boutwell’s first project as partners was a rebuilding job that took them eight months to complete. They have since tuned and restored pianos and organs that were anywhere from a couple of hundred years old to a several months old, though instruments from the 1800s are Adcox’s specialty. Boutwell said most of the pianos and organs

they service were made between 1850 and 1930.

Examples of Adcox’s work can be seen and heard at the Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion and the Battle-Friedman House in Tuscaloosa and at the Gorgas House on the University of Alabama campus. And he says that though he’s had to cut back due to his health and to family responsibilities, he can’t imagine spending his days doing anything else.

“When you take something that’s old and worn out and rough-looking, and make it look great again, make it sound great again, it’s a work of art.”

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ON THE SCENE

TUSCALOOSA WOMEN’S CHAMBER SWEET ESCAPES NOVEMBER 3, 2016 DRISH HOUSE PHOTOS | ERIN NELSON

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Lori Coburn, Vicki Burch and Susan Hathorne Stacey DeLoach and Jenny Pichon Laura Beth Agee and Bronwyn Cage Peyton Vellum and Kara Ledford Nancy Foster and Sarah Morrison Vikki Grodner and Denise Hayes

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Jane Newton, Kylie McMurray and Jean Watson Linda Hahn and Leslie Winters Tonia Simpson, Renee Rimer and Susan Rue Megan Campbell and Lindsay Walsh Cindy Tidmore and Tiffany Collins Jill McDonald, LaWanda James and Nika McCool

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ON THE SCENE

BAL MASQUE XXIV

FEBRUARY 18, 2017 BAMA THEATRE PHOTOS | SAM MACDONALD

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Emily Dykes, Heather Sullivan and Amanda Moore Candy Southern, Brody Southern and Doug Southern Gary Allinson and Lisa Peckham Caroline Speith, Laura Lineberry, Heather Boothe and Megan Barger Dohn Dye and Julie Love Templeton Sandi O’Bryant, Edward Guy, Dorothy Pieroni and Dr. Robert Pieroni Jimmy Bank, Joel Sogol and Andrew Smith Deena Jarvis, Heather Quinn and Rebecca Ballard Shay Lawson, Robby Johnson and Bambi Kira John Walker, Steven Yates, Lucia Duggins and Molly Lusian

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ON THE SCENE

NATIONAL WILD TURKEY FEDERATION BANQUET MARCH 3, 2017 TUSCALOOSA RIVER MARKET

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PHOTOS | KARLEY FERNANDEZ

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1. Jil Robinson, Jennifer Adams and Mandie Malone 2. Justin Finnen and Dillon Kelly 3. Branton Rose and Leigh Rose 4. Barbie Davis, Chris Davis, Spencer Davis, Presley Pate and Butch Thomas 5. Seth Moore, Mike Dee, Jesse Moore and John McGee 6. Michael Willcutt and Tim Willcutt 7. Laura Gregory and Patrick McKane 8. Bill Robinson, Joseph Grimes and Heath McCullough 9. Neal Hargle, David White and Forrest Fitts

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ON THE SCENE

TUSCALOOSA CHAMBER AWARDS JANUARY 26, 2017 BRYANT CONFERENCE CENTER PHOTOS | ERIN NELSON

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Robert Gambrell, Rolf Wrona, Stephanie Perdomo and Felyicia Jerald 2. Terri Williams, Jill McDonald and Julie Hindall 3. Justin Maddox, Ashley Tu, Anita McClure and Dean McClure 4. Eric Lewis, Ann Hollingsworth, Maj. Rodney Stephens, Lt. Cameron Collette, 2nd Lt. Cindy Collette and Maj. Mike Carr 5. Nikki Pennington and Jennifer Stepter 6. Phyllis Gamble and Melissa Yarborough 7. Becky Wharton and Patricia Franks 8. Mike Dryden, Fred Mickelson and Jabaree Prewitt 9. Jeanne Williams and Alan Ridgway 10. John Malone, Dan Bradley, Bill “Dollar Bill” Lawson, JT Nysewander, Michael Nysewander 11. Elliott Jones, Nadia Jones and Jay Logan

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ON THE SCENE

MISMATCHED BALL

NOVEMBER 22, 2016 TUSCALOOSA RIVER MARKET PHOTOS | MICHELLE LEPIANKA CARTER

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Brianna Kunz and Jimmy Kunz Cameron Hinton and Cassidy Lanier Cindy Myers, Lori Reynolds and Jan Jordan-Bonner 4. Keyanna Stokes, Daysha Jernigan, Makiyha Hurt, Madison Banks, Amber Hinton, Icsis Smith and Shakiera Steele 5. Members of Unity Tuscaloosa’s Mismatched Ball Event Planning Committee 6. Pam Rogers and Lori Reynolds 7. Mckeeva Caddell and Tara Campbell 8. Dustin Hoskinson and Marilena Hoskinson 9. Dorothy Pieroni, John Covington, Ronnie Whitaker and Denise Marinilli 10. Erica Gaines, Matthew Dishuck, Bob Pieroni and Rosa Williams 11. Leslie Fonder, Virginia O’Neil and Teresa Dickerson

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ON THE SCENE

THE UNITED WAY OF WEST ALABAMA FUNDRAISING REVEAL DECEMBER 15, 2016 FOSTER AUDITORIUM

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PHOTOS | GARY COSBY JR.

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Darda Sales, Ryan Hynes and Margaret Stran Sarah McFarland and Pam Parker April Mills and Paulette Martin Laura Green, Amanda Waller, Sabrina Thomas, Holly Beck and Vickie Davis Sarah Patterson, Laura Green

10 and Robert Witt Angela Hood and David Hood Samyra Snoddy and Jennifer Taylor 8.

Darda Sales and Dennis Steverson 9.

Gwen Stewart and Deborah Chandler 10. Linda Williams and Chelsi Jones 6.

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ON THE SCENE

TUSCALOOSA TOUR OF KITCHENS FEBRUARY 25, 2017 PHOTOS | JAKE ARTHUR

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Helen Schadt and Daniel Eldridge Merrill Fitts and Kelly Fitts Clayton Wilder, Dorothy Levels, Vanessa Wilder and Jersey Wilder David Nichols and Denise Nichols Josie Odell and Kenyatta Watkins Tammy West and Shanna Ullmann Lorraine Robertson, Beverly Caliban and Lauralee Estes Brenda Pearson, Danielle Kelly and Dana Brewer Sam Mills and Patsy Mills

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ON THE SCENE

KRISPY KREME CHALLENGE FEBRUARY 25, 2017 TUSCALOOSA PHOTOS | GARY COSBY JR.

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Abby Fleenor, Lauren Love and Caroline Bonhaus Emily Leiter and Fran Powe Montia Hall and Claudette Hall Mary Souders and Big Al Damelia Prewitt and Yanna Johnson Lakin Lawler, Lilly Hasenkopf, Bree Beckwith, Kate Culverhouse and Annie Stuart

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Kelly Kashuda and Anthony Copes Rin Thomas and Eric Thomas Dawson Wakefield, Will Farris, Adison Cook, John Robert Ellis and Tristan Carter 10. Eric, Jennifer and John McDanal

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ON THE SCENE

MYSTICS GO TO THE MOVIES

FEBRUARY 11, 2017 NORTHRIVER YACHT CLUB PHOTOS | ERIN NELSON

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Pat Petitt and Anabel Gilliam Neilann Thomas and Betty Warren Mary Burns, Anne Brandon, Kirsten Hicks, Dusty Gustus and Tricia Wilburn 4. Nancy Dawkins, Stacy Vaughn and Bridget Livaudais 5. Carol Woodard and Mike Woodard 6. Donna Wright and Dooley McCutchen 7. Front row: Judy Hahn, Leslie Ferguson, Beth Grant, Angela Bale; Second row: Kim Young, Julie Nelson, Holly Ellard; Third row: Leah Ann Sexton, Pat Petitt, Jenny Plaster and Anabel Gilliam 8. Linda Achterhof, Jon Achterhof, Barbara Smith and John Smith 9. Dohn Dye, Julie Templeton, Shawn Templeton and Eddie Templeton 10. Charlotte Williams, Robin Maughan, Priscella Veron 11. Front row: Dell Anderson, Shannon Templeton, Carol McKinzey, Carol Woodard and Donna Cornelius; Back row: Marilyn Stephens, Louise Gambrell and Shay Lawson

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JANUARY 13, 2017 EMBASSY SUITES

ON THE SCENE

DRUID HIGH SCHOOL REUNION PHOTOS | ERIN NELSON

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1. Katie Crawford Hinton, Dorothy Taylor, Tina Lewis and Vanessa Flanigan 2. Lenora Jones, Amos Ayers and Elizabeth Melton 3. Frank McMullen and James Wanzer 4. Amos Ayers, John Flanigan and Theopolis Melton 5. Aaron Mahan, Ricky Spencer, Amos Ayers, Danny R. Steele, Leslie Jackson and Theopolis Melton 6. Ulysses Lavender and Trogers J. Lewis 7. Asalene Wanzer and Lucy Thomas 8. Verin Hardy Mahan and Amos Ayers 9. Douglas Taylor and Dorothy Taylor

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ON THE SCENE

LUCY JORDAN BALL NOVEMBER 18, 2016 NORTHRIVER YACHT CLUB PHOTOS | KARLEY FERNANDEZ

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Bobby Ingram, Mike Reilly, James Leitner and Jason Bearden Molly Ingram, Elizabeth Bearden, Allison Leitner and Debbie Reilly Elisabeth Kindred and David Kindred Alex Woodruff and Bud Woodruff Elizabeth Wyatt and Taylor Gilliland Kimberly Hill and

Dr. Donal Conway Glenn Graves and Rosie Zambrano 8. Kevin Whitaker and Laura Whitaker 9. Mary Lane Falkner and Bradley Falkner 10. Dr. Walter Smith and Julie Smith 11. Jim Meherg and Verta Meherg 12. David Raynowska and Jill Raynowska 7.

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ON THE SCENE

ROTARY CLUB CENTENNIAL GALA PHOTOS | LOGAN KIRKLAND

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John Duckworth, Georgine Duckworth and Marion Almon Elizabeth Wallace and Bill Wallace Felicia Ellison and Bruce Henderson Anne Kyle, James Brazil and Missy Brazil Judy Turner and Chuck Turner Wade Drinkard, Bill Petty, Mary Lou Petty, Mary Jean Sanspree and Danny Sanspree Bill King, Becky York and Mark Thrash Glenda Guyton, Chris Besant and Debbi Besant Alan Hartley, Carol Hartley, Beth Springer and Brad Springer

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ON THE SCENE

EXCHANGE CLUB’S ANNUAL CHILI COOK-OFF FEBRUARY 11, 2017 BRYANT CONFERENCE CENTER PHOTOS | ERIN NELSON

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Ariel Collins and Shande Pruitt Jimmie Davis and Janice Davis Staci Wilson, Tara Carpenter, Martin Leiter, Mindy McCracken and Jennifer Huffman Pam McCollins and Kolton McCollins Chivas Meadows and Megan Mordecai Erica Davis, Christen Davis, Ira Davis and Ethan Davis (front) Eleanor Boykin and Frances Justice Royce Roby and Pete Austin Virginia Wiggins, Henry Wiggins, Denise Williams and Davis Williams Billy Wharton and Kelley Miller Joe Boteler, Delana Holcomb, Martha Boteler, Becky Boteler and Nancy Woolbright

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ON THE SCENE

HOLIDAY COTILLION DECEMBER 20, 2016 INDIAN HILLS COUNTRY CLUB PHOTOS | ERIN NELSON

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J. Reed and Daphne Ray Celia Partlow and Cece Partlow Mary Katherine Davis and Hannah Deschner Back row: Beth Gabriel, Caris Deschner, Cecelia Gatewood, and Christine Sisson; Front row: Cece Partlow, Anna Catherine Scogin and Martha Lushington Mason Maughan, Pamela Hughes and Charlie Gross Celia Partlow and Beeson Partlow Sarah Dumas and Mary Jane Moore Monte Deschner and Caris Deschner Gregg Hahn, Caroline Amazon and Elizabeth Hahn Elizabeth Hahn and Jean Hinton Taylor Demonbreun, Sydney Geyer and Sam Spector

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ON THE SCENE

EMILY BAKER WOMEN’S CLASSIC PLAYERS’ PARTY MARCH 2, 2017 CENTER COURT TUSCALOOSA

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6 1. Amy Poore, Rebecca York and Ashley York 2. Rachel Dockery, Ninette Cannon, Nancy McCormack and Linda Ford 3. Back row: Jennifer Hart, Jordan Miller, Scott McClanahan and Katie Hancock; Front row: Daphne Harding-Smith, Martha Zeanah, Emily Baker, Dusti Monk and Zac Snider 4. Courtney Oglesby, Anna Kniphfer, Cassie McCafferty and Susan Whitley 5. Taylor Lee, Jennifer Hart and Dusti Monk 6. Amelia De Los Reyes, MarLa Sayers and Dr. Joren De Los Reyes 7. Lisa Shelby, Daphne Harding-Smith and Adanys Payne 8. Aly Wood, Katie Hancock and Jean Swindle

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ON THE SCENE

DELTA SIGMA THETA ALUMNAE, MASQUERADE BALL FEBRUARY 17, 2017 BRYANT CONFERENCE CENTER PHOTOS | LOGAN KIRKLAND

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Terra Miller and Fred Miller Gary Walton and Charmaine Walton Tiffany King, Bridget Hurst and Doris Vaughans Cresandra Smothers and Carla Jones Aretha Mahan and Kenneth Mahan Fred Hill, Clem Hill and Sade Hill April Harris, Shamire Hatcher and Clarissa Miles Janice Palmer, Patricia Sykes, Betty Robertson and Clarence Nevels Shayla Thomas, Larrenda Curry and Javonna Shelbia Tasha McFarley, LaShonda Lockett and Shon Foster

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FEBRUARY 4, 2017 EMBASSY SUITES

ON THE SCENE

HOLY SPIRIT SUPER SATURDAY PHOTOS | SAM MACDONALD

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Claudia Cook, Miriam Elliot and Bryan Elliot Tara Collins, Courtney Rich, Douglas McLaurine and Beth McLaurine Chris Sanders, Ricky Latham, Rodney Green and Jennifer Green Tara Collins and Heather Leach Nathan Johnson, Anna Johnson, Harly Vance and Chris Scalla Judith Rives and Laura Whitaker Luke Remmert, Brent Reilly and Evan Malon Danny Mitchell and Jessica Mitchell

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1860s-ERA FURNITURE EXHIBIT

MARCH 9, 2017 JEMISON-VAN DE GRAAFF MANSION PHOTOS | ERIN NELSON

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Sandra Dockery, Glenna Brown, Angela Sterling and Celeste Burnum Andrew Janssen, Emily Waite, Ciara Herberholz and Cassie Price Harriet Walker, Donald Gallagly and Rosemarie Childress Frances Pool, Rosemarie Childress and Mary Bennett Ginny Capps, Peggy Collins and Bob Collins Harriet Walker, Rhonda Tew and Gene Guarisco Mary Jon Sneckenberger and Al Sneckenberger Ian Crawford, Donna McGee and Kristin Maki

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LAST LOOK

PRETTY IN PINK PHOTO BY ERIN NELSON Pink blossoms begin to bud on a tree branch at Tannehill State Park in McCalla.

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