I was reared in Indiana, served five years in the Army Air force in WW2, earned the Doctor of Philosophy Degree at Purdue University, worked ten years for Libby McNeill and Libby as Director of Quality Control and later as Associate Director of Research in Chicago and Puerto Rico. I then took a position as Professor and later on as Head of the Department of Food Science and Technology at Mississippi State University, where I served for over twenty years. Both of these positions required quite a lot of travel which I was thoroughly tired of at retirement time. I was ready for some peace and quiet by then.
In the meanwhile the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway had been completed, connecting the Tennessee River with the Gulf of Mexico. Fishing, boating and hunting had long since been my favorite way to unwind and relax. My wife Jane and I purchased a couple of lots on the Tenn-Tom Waterway just south of Aliceville, Alabama and built our dream home on one of the lots.
The Waterway was all I expected and much more. One can put a boat in the water at Aliceville and go upriver via the rivers to the Great Lakes or down river to the Gulf of Mexico and from there to any place in the world where ships can go. But all that potential travel was not what lured Jane and me to the Pickens County area.
The Aliceville lake which is a part of the Waterway contains 5000 acres of water teeming with bass, crappie, bream, channel catfish and many other species of fish which are great fun to catch and a delight to feast on. But if you are not a fisherman the fun of just boating on this fine lake and the river channel is nearly beyond description. For hunters there are wood ducks, mallards and other species on the river, plus quail doves and other upland game in the surrounding fields.
After having lived in Chicago and San Juan, Puerto Rico, we have found the cost of land, building costs and real estate taxes almost unbelievably low. It is said that the Alabama real estate taxes could be doubled and would still be the lowest in the whole country.
After twenty years here away from the snow and ice Jane and I are still very glad we chose Pickens County, Alabama for our place to spend our retirement years. If you are looking for a nice quiet rural area to relax and enjoy yourself, come and take a look at Pickens County! We will be most happy to show you around.
The Pickens County Medical Center LOLLAPALOOZA – BBQ, Boogie & BLUES, an event helping to provide the best available emergency medicine for Pickens County, is celebrating its second year.
It is to be held on October 27th, from 7:00pm till midnight on the hospital campus and will feature mouthwatering barbecue, entertainment by SLO-GIN and Wille King and the Liberators, as well as a silent auction with something for everyone. The proceeds will continue to benefit the expansion of the Emergency Department. Tickets and t-shirts are available at Pickens County Medical Center. For more information please call: 205-367-8111 EXT 100.
The Alabama Blues Project (ABP) is partnering with internationally renowned bluesman Willie King to present a six-week long Blues in the Schools Artist Residency at Aliceville Middle School in Pickens County, Alabama. The teaching team is completed by blues singer/guitarist, Debbie Bond, and keyboardist and harmonica player, Rick Asherson, both members of Willie King’s band, “The Liberators.”
Bond says, ”It is so wonderful that these children from Pickens County can learn first hand from an outstanding blues artist, from their own back yard, like Willie King. He is someone who has truly lived the history we are teaching, starting with his early experiences of sharecropping and a homemade, one-string guitar. He is an inspiration…”
For more information see here.
