By Solomon Crenshaw Jr. Some people will turn if a black cat crosses their path and some will avoid staying on the 13th floor of a high-rise hotel. Homer Brown didn’t let the superstition of Friday the 13th keep him from starting his table tennis store at Brookwood Village. “I don’t think I thought about it,” Brown said of that day in 1999. “I was … [Read more...]
‘Special Player’: Homewood’s Mira McCool Looking Forward to Her Senior Season
By Rubin E. GrantMira McCool was always the tallest person in her class when she was in elementary school and even when she reached middle school.She and her younger sister, Ellis, played basketball with their dad, Dr. Brian McCool, as their coach, but Mira McCool wasn’t all that interested in volleyball. She had friends on the team at Homewood Middle School, … [Read more...]
Like Father Like Son: Martin Newton Followed His Celebrated Father Onto the Court
By Solomon Crenshaw Jr. Martin Newton is named after his father, Charles Martin Newton. You just wouldn’t know it. “For whatever reason, they called me Martin when I was a little kid,” the Samford University athletics director said. “That’s my middle name.” And not the name he would have preferred. “I would have much rather been Charlie or … [Read more...]
Star Turn: Actors Bring Theatrical Experience to Bruno Montessori Drama Classes
By Anne RuisiBruno Montessori Academy’s popular theater program is rising to a new level with the addition of two seasoned actors to work with students in first through eighth grades.Rachel Burttram is the school’s new full-time drama teacher and her husband, Brendan Powers, is assisting. They are veteran performers and members of Actor’s Equity Association, the stage … [Read more...]
Life Lessons Football Taught Me
My earliest memory of my life was when I was 3 years old. I was on the high school football field with my family in Thomasville, where my dad was the head football coach for 31 years. Throughout my childhood, I have many fond memories of being on the field when my dad was the coach. Regardless of whether I was shagging extra point kicks, carrying the water bucket with … [Read more...]