Posts by
T. Jensen Lacey
Community Endeavors
Dr. Barry Lee Booth: A Veteran's Veteran
Before you ask retired dentist Dr. Barry Lee Booth a question about veterans, maybe you should know that he himself is a veteran. Dr. Booth is fond of saying, “Every day is Veterans’ Day,” and he is passionately dedicated to promoting and celebrating veterans from all branches of service. To list Booth’s accomplishments regarding what he has done for veterans, all one needs to do is look around the state of Alabama. Beginning with his tour in Vietnam (1966-67) in the Navy attached to the 1st and 3rd Divisions of the Marine Corps, much of his life has been dedicated to promoting veterans’ sacrifices in service to our nation.
Community Endeavors
Operation BB-60: How School Children Brought a Battleship to Alabama
It was a hot, tense day at the Panama Canal. Reporters and other interested and curious people watched as the huge (45,000-ton) battleship, the USS Alabama, squeezed its way through the locks. The suspense grew as onlookers saw the tiny clearance the massive ship had: only 11 inches on each side.
Musings From The Cove
Haunted Scenic 98 Coastal!
With Halloween just around the corner, you can be sure that the ghosting season is upon us. Here are a few scary sites that you can find just off Scenic 98, or not too far from it.
Epicurean Delights
Billy Jack's Grill & Bar, Robertsdale
Many old-timers who grew up in Baldwin County and the surrounding area have fond memories of hanging around Judge Roy Bean’s place. A proverbial “hole-in-the-wall” on a spit of land between Fairhope and Daphne (actually, in Montrose), it was owned by the late Jack West and was the go-to spot for people to gather with friends, play with the resident goat (Billy) in the backyard, listen to music and perhaps rub elbows with Jimmy Buffet, who oftentimes stopped in unannounced.
Water Side of Scenic 98
Flying Into Conservation: Osprey Initiative
As a young boy growing up on the coast, Fairhope resident Don Bates’ favorite spot was the family fish camp in Manchac, Louisiana, built by his grandfather in the 1940s, where he ran his Uncle Charlie’s fishing lines usually tied to an old cypress tree that, more often than not, was also home to an osprey nest. Back when he was young, Bates says, “sighting an osprey was about as common as sighting a unicorn,” due to the threat of extinction posed by DDT usage.
Epicurean Delights
ORIGINAL OYSTER HOUSE, Celebrating 40 Years, Gulf Shores, Mobile Causeway
It’s been my experience with so many Southerners possessing a discerning palate, that your average restaurant will be just a flash in the pan, or part of a conversation that goes something like, “What was that place before it became whatchamacallit?”
People & Business Profiles
Fairhope Tea Plantation: The Oldest In the U.S.!
There is an old adage that goes something like “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” For Donnie and Lottie Barrett, this saying fits them to a “tea” (pun intended).
People & Business Profiles
Holmes Medical Museum, Foley, Alabama
Did you know that one of the strangest and most fascinating museums in the world is in Foley, Alabama? The Holmes Medical Museum, on the corner of Highway 59 and 98 in Foley at 111 West Laurel Avenue, is listed in Atlas Obscura as one of the top 15 strangest museums in the Yellowhammer State.
About Contributor
T. Jensen Lacey
Lacey specializes in history and travel writing and is author of a series of "tour-able history" books, including AMAZING ALABAMA: THE BICENTENNIAL EDITION. Lacey is author of 23 published books and 17 anthologies, including New York Times Bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul. Her latest, a cookbook, is one she began writing in 1981. Titled Around Our Southern Table, it contains recipes from four generations of Southern cooks and was completed with encouragement from friend and fellow author Rick Bragg. From 1990 through 2005, Lacey was a military correspondent, covering the activities of the 101st Airborne Division (Screaming Eagles). Lacey is also a freelance journalist and has published nearly 900 articles for newspapers and magazines. Her articles have appeared in publications including Southern Living and Vanderbilt Magazine.
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