By Ingrid Howard In addition to Christmas trees, lights and wreaths, Town Village Vestavia Hills has another decoration for residents to enjoy, and this one can last year-round. On some of the windows in the independent living community hang stained glass creations made by hand in Ron Vander Shaaf’s third-floor apartment. He learned that the price for a two-bedroom apartment … [Read more...]
‘Shining Time’ : John Baumgartner Relished His Professional Baseball Career
By Rubin E. Grant John Baumgartner walked into the home team clubhouse at historic Rickwood Field on a late November morning and immediately looked at a picture hanging above some lockers. The picture showed former Birmingham Barons legend Walt Dropo swinging a bat. Dropo and Baumgartner were teammates with the Detroit Tigers in 1953, but it wasn’t Dropo at the plate that … [Read more...]
Active Adult : Drummer, Preacher, Lawyer, Leader: Interim Pastor Works to Keep Riverchase Baptist Unified While It Seeks New Leadership
By June Mathews Who says a good drummer can’t deliver a good sermon? Not anybody who knows Dave Malick. Malick challenges stereotypes each Sunday when he sets aside his drumsticks after playing with the worship team at Riverchase Baptist Church, steps to mid-podium and begins to preach. Interim pastor of the Hoover church since August, Malick has played on the worship team … [Read more...]
No Regrets: Retired Orthodontist Reflects on his Career and the Patients He’s Helped Along the Way
By Emily Williams This month, Dr. John Jayne is jetting off to the British Isles with his son, daughter and son-in-law, venturing through Dublin, Ireland, and Manchester, England, on the way to Wales. A retired orthodontist who lives in Greystone, Jayne has made the trip before to see his great-grandfather’s gravestone in Pontypool, in southern Wales. Though the sites will … [Read more...]
‘Hard Work and Healthy Lifestyle’: Oldest Living Auburn Football Player Nick Ardillo Turns 100
By Rubin E. Grant The oldest living Auburn University football player turned 100 on Feb. 19, and how Nick Ardillo Sr., wound up on the Loveliest Village on the Plains is quite a story. Ardillo grew up on a farm in rural Amite, Louisiana, about 70 miles north of New Orleans, as one of 13 children whose parents immigrated to the United States from Sicily. Ardillo played high … [Read more...]