Please forward these to Emily Jamison:

Peyton Cochrane (1951-2025)

 Please forward these to Emily Jamison

 Sue Clarkson Phifer in Tuscaloosa yearbooks from 1932 to 1940.

 Whoa! You are a RESOURCE, Brothah!

I'm stealin' that "Mirabile dictu"! That's right up there with a new word I discovered this weekend! 

WONDERSTRUCK!  Hypnotic Cuttlefish Color Changes Wonderstruck | BBC America

Funny how folks get roads paved right up to their driveways. I bet some Tuscaloosa County folks who live out around Bull City would love to have that kind of pull!  Bull City Topo Map AL, Tuscaloosa County (Burchfield Store Area)

Umm...Umm...Ummmmm!

Cherokee and Wilhelmina...that "special" relationship nobody talks about...FIND THAT DAMN PHOTOGRAPH!

Those gals were running around with ZELDA SAYRE! (that's for another post, too)

(this is RILLY DEEP because Cherokee and a descendent of General Rodes unveiled the Confederate Memorial Stone for which Mrs. Ellen Peter Bryce was chairman of the committee that put it up on the Quad. Of course, it went to PARTS UNKNOWN after FENTENAL FLOYD. That story is for a later post.)

 "fentanyl floyd" - Google Search

So wild that you mentioned Big Keaton Lake. I turned 76 on April 29 and for my birthday my son and I drove down to Moundville and visited the boat landing by the park and then explored the backroads all the way to the highway that connects Eutaw to Greensboro. We didn't make it to Big Keaton but I've seen it on maps right there on the Tuscaloosa-Hale County line near old Lock 9. Oh yeah...I'm rilly hip to Ebsco because I've been watching the Inlet Beach situation since after the Hurricane in '96 and I followed Elton's career with Wallace. Them owning Big Keaton shows ya THE WALLACE MAFIA is alive and well! Ebsco "Inlet Beach" - Google Search

 I've become a serious student of the river between here and Demopolis. I walk the map imbedded in the Minerva statue walkway every night on my way home from where I have fed the fish almost every day at sundown for almost seven years and I've been visiting the same riverbank since September of 1968. You ought to meet me some evening about 7 P.M. @ Manderson Landing park. I feed the fish on "MY ISLAND" every sundown when it's not raining. I've seen 10 snakes so far this year (only one moccasin) 

Last Monday two fox kits visited my "campsite" where I stash my 5 gallon buckets of catfish food.

ROBERTOREG'S FOX KITS EXPLORING THE TOP OF THE RIVER BLUFF

) damn University don't even know they own a WILDERNESS RIVER BLUFF RIGHT ON CAMPUS! (which is absolutely KEWL wid me!!!!)

University Branch - Google Maps

The suckers in my videos are buffalo fish which were once a huge Warrior River fishery.

I've really learned a lot studying the river map @ the Minerva statue The Tuskaloosa Independent Monitor

The Tuskaloosa Independent Monitor

Have you ever taken a metal detector out to that Sanders Ferry site. Those are SUPER places to look for coins!

As for  the Smelser brother..,

"a man in full" stallion insemination - Google Search

AI Overview

Tom Wolfe's 1998 novel A Man in Full famously features an intense, highly visceral scene where an elite equine breeding stallion mounts a dummy mare for semen collection. The scene highlights the lengths to which humans intervene to manage and secure the genetics of champion horses. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

The Reality of Equine Breeding

In Wolfe’s novel, the breeding process acts as a backdrop to themes of power, inheritance, and the natural world intersecting with human greed. The actual scientific and practical realities of stallion insemination and breeding are just as fascinating:

• Natural Mating vs. Artificial Insemination (AI): In the Thoroughbred racing industry, The Jockey Club strictly requires "live cover" (natural mating) for a foal to be registered. However, in disciplines like Quarter Horse, Warmblood, and Standardbred racing, Artificial Insemination is the industry standard. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
• The Collection Process: To collect semen without a mare present, handlers use a "phantom mare" (breeding dummy) fitted with an artificial vagina (AV). The stallion is allowed to mount the dummy, and human handlers guide him so his semen is safely collected rather than wasted. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
• Shipping & Straws: Once collected, the raw semen is evaluated, extended with a specialized medium, and either used fresh locally or cooled and shipped overnight. It can also be frozen into "straws" and stored in liquid nitrogen for decades. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
• The Business: Top-tier stallion semen is an extremely lucrative industry. A single ejaculate from a top champion can be processed into dozens of straws, making the liquid incredibly valuable. [1, 2]

For a fascinating, visual breakdown of why equine semen can command millions of dollars and how the collection process operates:

53s

Why Horse Semen Is The World's Most Expensive Liquid | So Expensive

AI Overview

+5

Elton B. Stephens, founder of EBSCO Industries, and former Alabama Governor George Wallace were childhood friends and business associates in Clio, Alabama. In the early 1930s, the two worked together selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door, an early hustle that helped fund Stephens' college education and laid the groundwork for his massive subscription empire. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Key Details of Their Magazine Connection

• Childhood Connections: Both men grew up in the tiny town of Clio in Barbour County, Alabama, sharing the same era and rural upbringing. [1]
• The Door-to-Door Hustle: During the summers, Stephens recruited young men from his hometown—including a young George Wallace—to sell magazine subscriptions for him. Wallace even reportedly sold magazine subscriptions for Stephens' venture while attending law school. [1, 2, 3]
• Building EBSCO: Stephens utilized the money and sales experience he gained from these early magazine ventures to found the Military Service Company in 1943, which quickly expanded into magazine and related product distribution. That enterprise eventually became the multibillion-dollar, globally recognized EBSCO Industries. [1, 2, 3]

For more information on the history of Stephens' massive publishing distribution empire, visit the EBSCO Information Services website. To read more about the intertwined histories of prominent Alabama businessmen and politicians, you can explore the Alabama Business Hall of Fame. [1, 2]

Elton B. Stephens - The Alabama Business Hall of Fame

Founder and chairman of the board of EBSCO Industries, Inc., Elton Bryson Stephens was born August 4, 1911, to parents Clara Stuck...

The University of Alabama

Enjoyed writing my reply. Let me hear from ya! I'm at 443-703-6271.

Best, 

r