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.

There are a number of reasons why I returned. The one that means the most to me and the first that comes to mind is: this is my home–and I simply love it there! After living away for the entire adult years of my life, and after all the travel to other places, I was convinced that there is no place like “My Home Town”, Pickensville (in Pickens County). The people are friendly; the hospitality of business owners and their employees is something you will not find in any Big City. The warm smile on faces of those you meet on the streets and the soft cheerful hellos are unexpected by those whose experience in larger cities has been just the opposite. When there is “bad weather brewing” the neighbors are concerned and don’t hesitate to check to see how you’re doing. This kind of concern puts one at ease.

After retirement and relocating here in July 1997, I quickly realized that one does not have to be bored here. I also discovered a place where I could use my life experience and learned skills, and that is in public service. What better way to give back to one’s home and community than to be a volunteer or a public servant? Incidentally, I was elected Mayor of my home town in the year 2004 where I still proudly serve. Come on down!

Mary L. Fuseyamore, Mayor of the town of Pickensville, Alabama

While Ed does not eat the fish he catches, he turns them back, he tours the “eating places” of the county each time he comes and orders fried catfish. He loves the taste of those which were grown on aquaculture farms in this county and nearby.

He is active with the masons and with their church. Two grand-children live in Northport and visit the Bryants often. They are glad to be back. He commented recently that “social class” is not visible in Pickens County. People are friendly and accepting of one another. The Byrants feel blessed. They believe that, Thomas Wolfe not withstanding, some folk “can come home again.”

Both of us love small towns. We like to know our neighbors and have direct relationships with political officials, merchants, and tradesmen. We enjoy fellowship with small groups of persons with similar interests.

We have found Carrollton and the whole of the county to be welcoming. I work part-time for the association of Baptist Churches (36 of them) in the county. We get to worship across the county. We have developed many friendships with good and Godly folk.

We enjoy southern gospel music. It is all around us here, and several well-known groups visit and sing in our churches every year.

My wife Jackie has launched a support group for people with diabetes. She has connected with some quilters and enjoys working with and learning from them. And she does blood pressure checks as a public service each month at the Baptist Center Thrift Store. I am offering Bible classes for pastors and church leaders through Beeson Seminary Extension.

Our seven-year-old granddaughter, a veteran of several pilgrimages to Disneyworld, tells her parents that she prefers visits to the Eatman’s farm in the Sapps community, pancakes at the Town Square Diner, and a tea party with her grandparents and friends in Pickens County.