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Z i
Thursday
April 16
20i5
Linden Reporter established 1879 - Marengo Democrat established 1889 - Merged 1911
$100.
per copy
Volume One Htmdred, Thirty-Six Number Twenty-Three Two Sections -- Fourteen Pages
Published in Linden, Alabama, USA
Bringing pomp and circumstance back to the cer-'
emony of the investiture of a new president for a
hall of academia reigned Friday, April 10, at the
University of West Alabama.
Dr. Ken Tucker, a Linden native and a resident of
Demopolis, was inaugurated in ceremonies befit-
ting story book royalty.
The holder of the doctor Of philosophy degree
made no grandiose remarks or gestures but spoke
humbly of his family and his journey to the univer-
sity where his mother was head of the literature and
languages department for many years.
He cited her demand for good work and her
tough teaching style.
Tucker said let me express my sincere apprecia-
tion to our Board of Trustees for their confidence
and support in selecting me to be the next President
of this fine institution. I look forward to working
with the best, most experienced, most qualified, and
most dedicated Board that I have ever worked with.'
I also want to thank our excellent administrators,
faculty, and staff for their continued support and
encouragement as we transition into this new era. I
would typically recognize all of the dignitaries in
the audience at this point, but there are too many to
thank individually, and I wouldn't want to leave
anyone out, so please accept my sincere thanks for
being here and working with us to make this
University the best it can be. I do, however, need to
recognize and thank my family. Indeed it is family,
along with faith, friends, meaningful work, and pos-
itive contribution that make life worth living.
The new head of the academic world in
Livingston mentioned fondly his wife Mary, who
also deserves special recognition for her years of
support and sacrifice "while I was traveling exten=
sively and working multiple jobs simultaneously. I
recall, admittedly vaguely, those early years when
she was working full time (which she always has
As Student Government Association
President, Linden native D'Anthony
Jackson, left, played a significant role in the
inauguration of UWA President Ken Tucker,
introducing Tucker to media and leading the
investiture ritual during the inauguration
ceremony.
done), and I was teaching an overload at LU, plus
serving as the Director of both the Small Business
Development Center and the Center for Business
and Economic Services, while also traveling to
Thomasville and Monroeville at night to teach
undergraduate and graduate courses, and in addition
writing my dissertation on the weekends at my par-
ents' house in Linden -- and we had four daughters
under the age of four."
The doctor drew from his early education citing
Ralph Waldo Emerson who said, "To laugh often
and much; to win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children; to earn the apprecia-
tion of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false
friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in oth-
ers; to leave the world a better place; to know even
one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded."
Tucker chose a quote by William Jennings
Bryan, "Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a
matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it
is a thing to be achieved." As I have met with dif-
ferent university departments, alumni groups, and
external partners these past few months, I have been
extremely gratified by the positive energy and opti-
mistic outlook I have encountered.
Tucker cited Stephen Covey, the author of the
bestselling business book of all time, The Seven
Habits of Highly Effective People, quotes an
anonymous author thus: "Our lives are not deter-
mined by what happens to us but by how we react
to what happens, not by what life brings to us but by
the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude caus-
es'a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and
outcomes, tt is a catalyst, a spark that creates
extraordinary results."
Calling on President Teddy Roosevelt's famous
quote: "It is not the critic who counts; not the man
who points out how the strong man stumbles, or
where the doer of deeds could have done them bet-
ter. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in
the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat
and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and
comes short again and again, because there is no
effort without error and shortcoming; but who does
actually strive to dothe deed; who knows great
enthusiasm and great devotion; who spends himself
in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end
the triumph of high achievement, and who at the
worst, if he fails, at least he falls while dating great-
ly, so that his place shall never be with those cold
and timid souls who know neither victory nor
defeat." Let us pledge here today, as Roosevelt
implores, ~o continue to stay in the arena, to strive
valiantly, to fully spend ourselves in our worthy
cause, and to dare greatly.
OF.
Ken Tucker delivers inaugural address
l
Thomaston to Uniontown road will be smooth
l
Marengo County Commission this paving project, be vacated. The property is owned
passed a resolution for the paving of Two teinporary county employ, by the same property owners on all
County Road 53 Tuesday, april 14. ees working under Ken Atkins were of the sides. There was supposed to
The $2.6 million dollar paving also approved for full time work as be a road that existed through there
project will pave 13 miles of they completed the 180 days proba- but the work to the road was never
County Rd 53 all the way to the tion period. done. There will be a public heating
county line toward Uniontown. The In other business, the Starmont before the alley will finish the
ATRIPP grant was awarded to cover subdivision alley was approved to vacating process.
Thomasville Mayor Sheldon Day the hospital it was mentioned that agreed unanimously to hire a cable
announced Monday, April 13, that doctor office space was possible management service group to re-
the hospital that broke ground two But with the number of doctors negotiate terms.
weeks ago has the potential for interested, it may just fill the park
being more than just a hospital, with specialists from all over differ- Cable Management Services
According to Mayor Day, there ent areas, came highly recommended on
have been multiple calls encourag- Also, Thomasville is up for nego- Monday, April 13 and has been
ing the council they may have a tiations in their cable contracts with praised by other municipalities in
medical park full of specialist doc- Mediacom. The three year contract their negotiations with digital media
tors. In the original floor plans of is up and city council members have and other coverage areas.
Jefferson Community Club will
host its annual barbecue on
Saturday, April 18, from 11 a.m. to 5
p.m.
Guests can dine in and enjoy pit-
cooked barbecue with sides of
homemade potato salad, bread,
pickles, homemade cakes, and tea
for only $9. The flexible schedule,
11 a.m. to 5 p.m allows guests
plenty of time to dine in
For those who are unable to dine
in, take-out plates are available, as
well as pounds of barbecue. Tliose
wanting to purchase pounds of bar-
becue can pick it up beginning at 9
a. m. The club will also sell event
tee shirts on Saturday.
David Compton, president of the
club this year, said "This is the
event of the season for us, so we like
to make sure we do everything we
can to make sure people have a
good meal and a good time catching
up with old friends."
Established in 1953, Jefferson
Community Club is the last remain-
ing club of its type.
Past barbecues have funded
maintenance at the historic club-
house, like the addition of a handi-
cap accessible deck, a second dining
room, renovations and the facility
necessary for this cooking.
"Our barbecue pit is a unique or Douglas Peteet's unique sauce,
one, and we built it just for this it's a good time and good food.
annual event," Compton explained. Peteet, still regarded as the chief
"We cook the meat all day and night sauce cook, has passed his recipe
over hickory coals~on-a concrete pit and technique on to the next gener-
that we built more~than 30 years ation, SO it's a time-tested delicacy
ago. Thanks to funds raised by the by now.
barbecue each year, we're able to In Jefferson, they've been making
maintain the pit and keep a roof barbecue, good barbecue, for as
over it to protect it from the ele- long as most folks can remember, so
ments." the technique and recipes are fine-
"The Jefferson Barbecue hap- tuned. It goes without saying that
pens rain or shine," Compton said. the ladies have perfected their pota-
"We've seen years when it was cold tO salad and cake recipes, too.
and windy, and years when we had For more information on the
to run the air conditioner on high, Jefferson Barbecue, visit the Club
but we're ready, no matter what." online at www.facebook.com/jeffer-
Whether it's the homemade cake soncommunityclub.
Tony Luker at the site of the barbecue Saturday
Addie Pray Day~ wilt be in
Demopolis Friday, April 17.
The classic comic novel that
inspired the hit film Paper Moon
with Ryan O'Neal and Tatum O'Neal
will have a free showing of the 1973
Oscar-winning movie.
Speakers in Demopolis on April
17 include native writer William
her father Ryan O'Neal, Tatum
O'Neal at age 10 won an Oscar for
her performance as Addie.
The free events will begin at noon
at the Demopolis Public Library in
Downtown Demopolis on
Washington Street where Dr. Bert
Hitchcock will lead a discussion on
(Billy) Cobb, recipient of the Harper
Lee Award for Distinguished Writing ~
and author of the acclaimed novel A :
Walk Through Fire.
The young fictional heroine of Joe
David Brown's 1971 novel, Addie
Pray, opens the book by recalling,
"They say my mama, Miss Essie
Mae Loggins, was the wildest girl in
Marengo County, Alabama."
In the 1930s, Essie Mae dies in an
automobile accident late one night as
she retums from a scandalous party
on the Black Warrior River.
Afterwards, the orphaned Addle
meets '!Long Boy" Pray who may be
her father, and the two embark on a
joint career of con-games in Alabama
of the Depression.
In Paper Moon, performing with
William Cobb
r
Addie Pray.
A native of Demopolis, Dr.
Hitchcock is a retired professor of
American Literature at Auburn
University. He has been honored for
his accomplishments and academic
service to the state by the Alabama
Humanities Foundation.
On the evening of Friday, April 17,
at 6:30 p:ml in the Demopolis High
School Auditorium, Dr. Hitchcock
will introduce a performance of
scenes from Brown's Addle Pray by
the Alabama Readers Theatre whose
cast includes Don Noble, the host of
the popular "Bookmark" program on
Alabama Public Television, and
William Cobb, a novelist from
Demopolis.
The evening concludes with a
showing in the DHS Auditorium of
the film Paper Moon at 7:30 p.m.
All events are made possible by
grant support from the Alabama
Humanities Foundation, a state
agency of the National Endowment
for the Humanities. For additional
information, call the Demopolis
Public Library at 334-289-1595.
STATE BANK
Thomasville Branch
33821 Hwy 43
Thomasville
Sweet Water 334-994-4113
Thomasville 334-636-0036
Linden 334-295-8871
Demopolis 334-287"1300