Tag: Featured Stories

By Chelsea Retherford | Living 50 Plus Before he was Santa Claus, Russ Creel was the jolly old physical education teacher for 21 years in the Lauderdale County School System. Before that, he had worked with children in other capacities in Montgomery and other areas across the state. It was his career in education that inspired him to don the

By Chelsea Retherford | Living 50 Plus The halls are decked. The den is decked. The kitchen, the bedrooms, the bathrooms — every nook and cranny of the Krieger house in Florence has gotten the Christmas lift. It’s a tradition that Joey Krieger said began with his father, Conrad, who loved the holiday as much as he does. “He probably

By Chelsea Retherford | Living 50 Plus Steve Herring slips out of the jacket that barely conceals his bulging biceps and makes his way to a bench in the weight room at the University of North Alabama, where he’s served as strength and conditioning coach for the past six years. Herring, 62, is walking proof that heavy powerlifting isn’t reserved

By Chelsea Retherford | Living 50 Plus Jamie Lynch and Gil Self know they might seem a tad eccentric for the annual cross-country cycling trips they take. Some trips often stretch hundreds of miles in the summer heat, but the couple said it’s a hobby that keeps them meditative, physically active, and young. “It’s a mindset. You have to be

By Chelsea Retherford | Living 50 Plus Any given Saturday from September to January, David and Cindy Hall can likely be found in Tuscaloosa, setting up for game day at Bryant-Denny Stadium. If they’re not found tailgating with fellow fans on what they consider sacred ground, they’re most likely on the road following their favorite team to another stadium, or

By Chelsea Retherford | Staff Writer Lorraine Mills, an 80-year-old volunteer at The Help Center, said choosing to work for free three days a week is a little like hiking up a mountain. When asked what motivates her to continue the climb, her answer is simply “because I can.” “There might come a day when I’m not able to do

By Lisa Singleton-Rickman | Living 50 Plus FLORENCE — When David “Coach” Williams stepped inside his classroom on the first day of school in August at Mars Hill Bible School, he surveyed the scene with a little different perspective from all the years past. This year marks Williams’s 50th and final year of teaching at the school that he calls