By Carmen Shea Brown For decades Sean Edwards has lived his life in the service of others. He served in the Army (reserves and active duty) for nearly three decades, retiring as a Major, as well as serving the community as a Birmingham police officer for 21 years. But his first call to serve occurred … Read More
Paul Johnson is busy. His full-time job is serving the Alabaster community as the Thompson High School Resource Officer. A very serious and giving career. Yet, by night he entertains hundreds of listeners as the lead singer in the band Twelve. If it sounds tiring, it is. If it sounds fascinating, well, it’s that too. … Read More
By Katharine Armbrester Though their art could not be more different, Ahmad Austin and Joel Lockridge have each developed a niche through their distinctive creative methods and both live in Alabaster. Ahmad Austin is known for his colorful, exciting canvases of jazz musicians and other individuals, which he paints using a palette knife. Lockridge is … Read More
FRONT ROW, L to R: Brandon Matthews, Kaleci Theuri, Emily Reid, Hanna Moseley, Lauren Blackmon, Ximena Vega, Jaelyn Gilleylen, Maddie Baxley, Simone Jones, Samantha Edwards, Sasha Gann, Morgan McNichols, Holly Norwood, Kaylah Brown Anna Campbell, Tatum Boothe, Ansley O’Neal, Fred Casillas, Brody Logan. BACK ROW, L to R:Sully Cole, Ada Hasenbein, Rex Gann, Blair N’jaguna, Zayden Felton, Hannah McKay, Kaitlyn Burnett, Thuy Nguyen, Madison McNichols, … Read More
Helper at Heart Albert L. Scott librarian Carol Smith has been making patrons smile since 2006. By Carmen Brown She made them smile, and that was all it took. More than three decades ago, Carol Smith graduated from UAB with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. She set her sights on becoming a counselor and was … Read More
Michael J. Brooks Pastors and music leaders have had good-natured arguments for years. Musicians insist pastors will be idle in heaven with nothing to do since preaching isn’t on the agenda, whereas music is. And pastors retort that the music program is the source of much church conflict on earth. As radio preacher J. Vernon … Read More
Alabaster Radio Control Association celebrates nearly 40 years of remote model aviation. By Carmen Shea Brown Bob Anderson keeps a picture that is near and dear to his heart—a reminder of where it all began. It’s a photo of him as a little blond-haired boy when he was about seven years old, living in Columbus, … Read More
By Barry Smith When Reshad Hudson was growing up in Alabaster in a single-parent family in his grandmother’s house, he never pictured himself as a national political reporter. But life has a funny way of surprising you. Raised with his older brother by his grandmother Shirley Bishop and his mother Darlene, Hudson was a shy … Read More
By Lee Hurley Seventy-six-year-old Ron Turney grew up in Jeanette, Pennsylvania, approximately 30 miles from Pittsburgh. Back then, Pittsburgh was a blue collar town—much like Birmingham—and Ron’s dad worked for General Motors in the metal stamping plant. Turney attended the University of Pittsburgh where he double majored in economics and philosophy, which might seem odd … Read More
Erica Spray is a Louisiana native who planted roots in Sterrett, Alabama, where she lives with her husband Shane, and their son. Spray owns and operates Simply Slim in Alabaster, a weight loss and wellness spa. Her suspense/thriller novel is about Sadie Crowe, a young runaway trying to make it on her own as a … Read More
