I talked with the sweetest man the other day. Ed Meeder lives in Scottsboro with his wife Karen , and their 19th wedding anniversary is coming up on Dec. 4. He just wanted to tell his wife that she is the most special person he's ever known.
We were really sorry to hear that Fred Johnston had died recently. Fred was a charter member of the Church of the Nazarene on Cecil Ashburn Dr. He had several siblings, one of whom is the popular speaker Johnny Johnston . I remember Fred as always having a huge smile on his face when he greeted people. We send our sympathy to Johnny and all his family and friends.
Happy Anniversary to Bill and Linda Drake . They recently celebrated their 36th - and everyone said it wouldn't last!
We want to send out a special hello to our friend Renee Pruitt , who heads up the Huntsville Public Library Archives. We're thinking about you.
At Councilman Glenn Watson's last city council meeting the scene was very emotional. Many associates & friends of Glenn spoke about his accomplishments, and the room was packed. We wish years of success to Glenn, no matter what his endeavors are.
There are SO many folks who are interested in genealogy. Our cemetery, Maple Hill , is one of the oldest and best maintained in the state. We are thrilled to announce that our updated website, www.oldhuntsville.com , is back on-line now with all the names of the people who have been buried at Maple Hill. This is great news for those who love to look up information on their ancestors, throughout the world. There are more cemeteries on line as well, as well as stories, the monthly column, recipes, tips & remedies, etc. Take a look!
We met an interesting Civil War re-enactor last month, Brian Bradshaw . He was telling us that his brother-in-law, Coach Leroy Baker , had died last month. Coach Baker was very popular and coached football at both Grissom and Butler High Schools.
Speaking of great high schools, Huntsville High recently celebrated its 100th birthday, with a full slate of activities, including the homecoming game. It will be interesting to find out who the oldest living graduate turned out to be.
We talked with our friend Maria Binkley , a top-listing agent with Exit Realty, recently and found out that she has been spending a lot of her time trying to help the impoverished people in Hyderabad, India. She started the Empower Bible College there last year, in addition to other activities.
We learned that Winston DeShields, Sr. had died recently. He was a member of the Golden K Kiwanis and a very hard worker. He worked for years as a sales consultant for Parisian's , a store that many of us in this area really miss. We send our deepest condolences to Winston's family and associates.
Congratulations to our new Mayor, Tommy Battle . We are really proud of you, and know you have quite a challenge ahead of you. We're with you!
Scott Reeves ' Grandmother just had a birthday! Narvie Ann Reeves , of Geneva, Al., just celebrated her 86th birthday, in September. Scott, a computer technician who owns Solufix, tells us that he is so very proud of her.
Many in Huntsville really like the beautiful light that comes into their homes with stained glass windows. One company that works on churches as well as homes is Lumpkin's , and we didn't realize it had been in business (started by Wayne Lumpkin ) for 37 years now!
We wanted to send our love to Carrie Jean McClain , who is the sister of Jesse McClain . She has been pretty sick recently, and Jesse thinks the world of her and just wants her to feel better.
Dick and Karen Maroon recently celebrated their 26th anniversary. Happy anniversary to you two! Many folks remember Dick from the years he worked in graphics on the Arsenal and then went to Command and Control - a total of 42 years Federal time. Speaking of Dick, he is so generous each year - he is a woodworker and makes the cutest wooden toys - hundreds of them a year - and gives them to Huntsville Hospital for kids there at Christmas time, as well as to DHR children.
Many remember Albert Hall , who was the State Representative for Alabama prior to his death in November of '06. He had just been reelected to his eighth term, serving District 22 in the Legislature from 1978 to his death at age 80. He was an incredible man, loved by so many, and quite a storyteller who loved history. We found out that a road was recently named in his honor - the stretch of U.S. 72 between Gurley to Shields Road. It is well-deserved.
Liz Hurley sponsored this year's Hurley Cancer Run to raise money to fight breast cancer. The amazing thing about this year is that there was a record number of runners -up by a thousand to nearly 3,600 entrants - who all did their part to raise $116,000. We all know that Liz does an exceptional job at WAFF Channel 48 , but she is a hero to thousands, as organizer of this Ribbon Run & Survivor's Walk for 5 years now.
The Friday night before the walk, 4 bartenders at Mason's Pub on Clinton Ave., downtown, decided to donate all their tips earned that night to support the Liz Hurley 5K races. The very generous bartenders are Tony Bush, Courtney Grant , that handsome Tim Hastings and Corina Valdez .
When Jack andPeggy Gilstrap , residents at Redstone Village Independent Living, decided to donate a beautiful fountain to the garden area at the facility, they thought they would be doing it together. Sadly, Jack died unexpectedly a couple of months ago, so Peggy took over the duties and the fountain was dedicated in late October. It is a fitting tribute to a life well lived.
These are really tough times for most people, especially those on fixed incomes. Please remember as cold weather arrives, to always check on your older neighbors and friends.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and remember all your blessings!
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