Hartselle Historical Society (Hartselle, AL)

Hartselle Historical Society (Hartselle, AL) We document, preserve, and promote the history of Hartselle, Alabama for our future.

Here are some more businesses.  I used Gemini to enhance and colorize most of these.  Colorizing brings out some details...
06/17/2026

Here are some more businesses. I used Gemini to enhance and colorize most of these. Colorizing brings out some details that are difficult to see in the originals. Gemini is very good at picking up small details. It is not as good at keeping facial features. Gemini sometimes adds people, horses, etc. to the photo when colorizing. I have to remind it the pictures have to be historically accurate and sometimes it takes several tries to get the program to do that. It can be quite frustrating, and I will ask Gemini if it is having a bad day. The program will apologize. It is almost like talking to a human. It keeps up with what I am doing on Hartselle history and makes suggestions with ideas of what I should do next or what it can help me with. It also makes mistakes and thanks you for corrections. It is very well programmed.
Gemini refuses to enhance or colorize pictures of certain public figures and of children. Sometimes I can explain how I am using these photos and it will enhance or colorize them. I wanted to use Fessor Burleson in a video. It refused because his name was on the picture. I explained that this was being used for the Historical Society and his son, David, was on the board of directors. It did add the photo, but with a disclaimer stating that Fessor's son was on our board. The disclaimer was on the enhanced photo.

A post on some businesses.
06/16/2026

A post on some businesses.

Early Entertainment-SportsThe citizens of Hartselle have always had a love for sports and are noted for the support they...
06/13/2026

Early Entertainment-Sports

The citizens of Hartselle have always had a love for sports and are noted for the support they give to their sports teams. This tradition began early on in our town’s history. In looking at early sports, there were some surprises. The biggest surprise was that we had a miniature golf course in 1930.

Hartselle fielded adult baseball teams as early as 1890. An early baseball field was located behind the old building at Morgan County High School. Baseball was extremely popular in the early 1900’s. The Decatur Daily often had play by play accounts of games on the front page. Hartselle had teams in several independent leagues and played teams from Birmingham and even Tennessee. Large crowds watched these games. Look at the clothes in the 1908 baseball picture and notice the ladies with parasols and hats and the men with long sleeve shirts, ties and hats.

Hartselle had two bowling alleys located downtown in 1930. I asked Gemini to describe a 1930 bowling alley:
"Because these parlors typically occupied standard downtown commercial brick buildings, the layout was narrow and deep. A small-town parlor usually housed only two to four lanes running parallel down the length of the room. The walls were often exposed brick or plaster, and the ceiling might feature the pressed-tin tiles common to early 20th-century storefronts, catching the rising haze of cigar and cigarette smoke.

The lanes themselves were beautiful works of hand-laid carpentry. Thick strips of clear white maple were used near the foul line to handle the heavy impact of the balls, transitioning into softer pine down the stretch. They were coated in shellac or oil and buffed by hand to a high, reflective shine that mirrored the lighting. The gutters were entirely wooden—deep, square-bottomed troughs without any modern rubber padding. A gutter ball resulted in a loud, echoing, hollow clatter as it rolled down the wooden channel.
The bowling balls were made of heavy, pitch-black vulcanized rubber or even a dense, heavy tropical wood called Lignum Vitae. Most balls from this era featured only two finger holes (a thumb and a middle finger) rather than three. There were no customized ball bags; players simply selected from a small communal row of balls resting on a simple wooden rack behind the approach.
The pins were carved from solid, heavy maple. Because they were knocked around constantly and reset by hand, they quickly became dented and discolored, looking far more rugged than modern plastic-coated pins.

The most striking difference from a modern alley was the complete absence of automated machinery. At the far end of the lanes, the "pit" was a dark, canvas-padded drop-off area where local teenage boys—the pin boys—spent their evenings earning a few cents a game.
The pin boys sat on a small wooden ledge safely above the pins while a player bowled. After the ball struck, the boy jumped down into the pit, gathered the downed pins, lifted the heavy ball onto a wooden, gravity-fed return track that ran alongside the lane, and manually reset the pins using chalked marks on the deck to align them."

Hartselle had two tennis courts by 1940. One was at Bethel Church and the other was a lighted court on Simpson St. The old Hartselle Pond was popular for picnics, swimming and fishing. The Morgan County Field Day was always a big event. County students were bused to Hartselle and those from Decatur came by a special train. Parades were held with the students marching to the high school or city school. Sack races, relays, dashes and many other contests were held as well as debates, spelling and other academic events. The 1922 event drew over 5,000 people.

Horseshoe pitching was another popular activity at social gatherings such as picnics. Tug-of-wars were often held with maybe the men from different churches or businesses competing against each other.

Early basketball games at the high school were played outside. Our high school did have a tennis team early on. Football became the dominant high school sport in the 1920’s and 30’s. Large crowds would gather for rivalry games like Decatur. At this time, we always played Decatur in Decatur. Big games were played on Thanksgiving Day.

Hunting and fishing were sports but also put food on the table. Our quail population was much higher back then and they were a favorite game bird.

There are hundreds of articles about sports of this era, but I only selected a few to illustrate.

Early Entertainment:  The MoviesA major form of entertainment for our ancestors was going to the movies.  Families would...
06/10/2026

Early Entertainment: The Movies

A major form of entertainment for our ancestors was going to the movies. Families would come to town from the surrounding areas to shop and pick up their mail. While in town, they often would go to the movies. A number of downtown stores would stay open until midnight to accommodate the movie goers. Often, customers would leave their purchases with the storekeeper and pick them up after the movie. The Accommodation Train ran to Decatur and vice versa and movie goers could take that train to go to the movies.
It didn’t cost a lot to attend a movie. Some research has given these results:

In the early 1900s, attending a movie typically cost between 5 to 10 cents. Because many of the earliest dedicated film venues charged exactly one nickel, they became widely known as "Nickelodeons".
These theaters—often small, converted storefronts—offered a continuous program of short silent films. For your single nickel or dime, patrons were usually allowed to stay and watch the films all day.
• The 1900s–1910s: The 5 to 10-cent standard remained the norm, with the national average sitting around 7 cents in 1910.
• The 1920s: As the popularity of silent films grew and lavish "movie palaces" were constructed, prices rose to an average of about 25 cents. Upscale city theaters with live stage orchestras and better seating could charge between 40 and 75 cents.
• The 1930s: During the Great Depression, theater owners lowered ticket prices to about 10 to 15 cents on average to keep seats filled.

How often did they go to the movies? The numbers I found were amazing.
• The Nickelodeon Era (1900s–1910s): Nationally, about one-third (approx. 33%) of Americans attended movies weekly. In smaller towns, makeshift theaters and traveling film shows were extremely popular, drawing significant portions of the town.
• The Silent Era (1920s): Weekly attendance swelled dramatically across the country. Nationally, weekly movie ticket sales were equivalent to about 50% of the entire U.S. population.
• The Golden Age (1930s): During the Great Depression, going to the movies remained a cheap escape. Nationally, cinema attendance peaked at roughly 65% of the population every single week.

Hartselle has had a number of movie theaters. They were the Scenic, Alma, Pearl Vaughn, Strand and the Rodeo Theaters. The Scenic Theater was the earliest and was located where Elmore’s used to be, across the street from the Strand. I found a 1914 article mentioning the Scenic. It was closed by 1930. Early maps show a vacant theater building on Sparkman Street across from where Lee Greene is now and I am not sure what theater was there.

The Alma Theater opened on 8-5-1929 with Ray N. Howell as manager. What happened to it is confusing. As best as I can tell, in 1930, Dr. William Booth, who owned the building, changed the name to the Pearl Vaughn Theater to honor his wife, Pearl Vaughn Booth. Then he changed the name to the Strand Theater in 1932. The problem with this is that I have an ad for the Stand Theater from 1928. Dr. Booth sold the Strand in 1936, but it kept the name. It was designed by architectural firm Albert R. Frahn & Associates. Dr. Booth let Morgan County High School students do entertainment on Wednesday nights and Hartselle Elementary students on Thursday nights and the proceeds went to the schools. The Strand Theatre was renamed Rodeo Theater in 1956. In 1958 it was renamed Strand Theater again, but by May 1959 it was the Rodeo Theater once again. It had closed by 1967.

The Princess Theater in Decatur has a unique history. It was built in 1887 to serve as the horse stable for the Casa Grande Hotel and made into a theater, in 1919 with a seating capacity of 1,500. Hartselle folks could use the Accommodation Train or drive to Decatur to attend movies there or attend several other theaters in Decatur. The Princess underwent several renovations before finally closing in 1987.

What did our ancestors do in for entertainment in the early years of our town?  Say, from the 1870's to around 1940?  Ba...
06/08/2026

What did our ancestors do in for entertainment in the early years of our town? Say, from the 1870's to around 1940? Back before television, computers and iPhones? Times were much simpler back then. Physical labor was much more common and long work hours were the norm. Cotton was king and timber was second. In the very early years, there were no modern utilities-no paved roads, no indoor plumbing and no electricity. Transportation was by walking, horse drawn wagons or the railroad. Over time, modernization brought many changes. Let's look at what they did for entertainment and see how that changed as time progressed and our town underwent modernization. This will be a series.

Let's begin with an article that was in the August 6, 1970 issue of The Hartselle Enquirer. Mrs. Will Puryear wrote this article and in it discusses life in Hartselle in the early 1900's. I found it fascinating and hope you will enjoy it. Mrs. Puryear was Esther Lee Waldsmith Puryear (1894-1982) and Annie Ruth Waldsmith was her sister. She married William M. Puryear and they had two sons, John Mowery "Red John" Puryear and Dudley W. Puryear. William was known as "Will" and was a partner in the Puryear and Thompson Blacksmith Shop. Will Puryear's father was William Miller Puryear and his mother was Amanda Buford Brook Puryear. Esther's parents were Lee Orville Waldsmith and Sybillia Lee Williams Waldsmith. Hit the plus button and enlarge the article to get a good read.

Hartselle Giver:  Dr. Bob SittasonThe next Hartselle Giver is a very special man who in his own quiet way, without wanti...
06/06/2026

Hartselle Giver: Dr. Bob Sittason
The next Hartselle Giver is a very special man who in his own quiet way, without wanting any recognition, gave so much to his adopted Hartselle home. Doctor Robert Dare Sittason Jr. was born and raised in Decatur, but after coming to Hartselle in 1957 to open his dental practice, “Doc” as he was lovingly known, immersed himself in a variety of areas of Hartselle life. He quickly became active in Hartselle athletics and also supported his church and numerous civic activities.

My wife and I took a minute to name some adjectives that would describe Doctor Sittason. We came up with these: humble, honest, professional, compassionate, dedicated, caring, patient, mild-mannered, dependable, a man of his word, a good listener and a man of few words. Most of you could add several more. Doc did a lot behind the scenes that only a few people knew about. I’m sure that there are many more things I haven’t heard of but know that Coach Cain would take some of his football players and other students that needed dental work, but couldn’t afford it, to Doc and he would do the work at no charge. Some of Doc’s dental assistants have shared that he often did free work for other community members that could not pay. He also provided free mouth pieces for some athletes that needed them but, again, couldn’t buy them.

Let’s take a look at the life of this remarkable man: Robert Dare Sittason Jr. was born on June 27, 1928, in Morgan County to Robert D. Sittason and his wife, Glenn Garrison Sittason. Doc’s dad was an instructor in the machine shop at the Trade School. He grew up in Decatur. Doc attended Riverside High School, graduating in 1946 after playing three years of varsity football. Doc was very active in scouting, becoming an Eagle Scout. Following high school, he attended the University of Alabama, earning a degree in geology and chemistry in 1952. At the University, he was a member of the Jasons and Omicron Delta Kappa honorary orders and was vice-president of the Kappa Alpha fraternity.
He spent about two and a half years working for an oil refinery in Texas before returning to his home state to pursue dentistry. He enrolled in the University of Alabama School of Dentistry in Birmingham in 1953, graduating in 1957. Sittason was president of the student body at the dental school in 1956-7.
Professional Career in Hartselle
Dr. Sittason moved to Hartselle in 1957 to begin his dental career. Initially, he worked alongside Dr. Roland King at the Hartselle Dental Clinic for a few years before establishing his own successful independent practice. In 1960 he opened his own office in the rear of the Bean-Smith Drugstore (now Gilchrist Drugs). He served the dental needs of the community for nearly four decades. He retired in 1993, turning his beloved practice over to his son, Dr. David Sittason.

"Mr. Booster Club" and Hartselle Athletics
Dr. Sittason’s love for sports—instilled during his youth by legendary Decatur coach H.L. "Shorty" Ogle—translated into decades of tireless, behind-the-scenes support for Hartselle High School athletics.

• The Booster Club: In the late 1950s, alongside his lifelong friend and Hartselle football coach J.P. Cain, Sittason helped organize the first athletics booster club in Hartselle. He eventually earned the nickname "Mr. Booster Club". The Booster Club was instrumental in raising funds to build a new football stadium in 1964.

• Friday Night Fixture: For 30 years, Dr. Sittason was a fixture at Hartselle High home football games, dedicating his Friday nights to taking up money for car parking cars at our stadium for the Booster Club to raise money for our athletic programs.

• Facilities Development: He spearheaded community efforts in the 1970s to build a proper fieldhouse equipped with locker rooms and showers. In the late 1980s, he was major player in raising funds for a multi-purpose indoor practice facility. In recognition of his massive impact, the school named the building the "Dr. Robert Sittason Athletic Center".

For his dedication, he was honored with the second annual Richard Grammer Memorial Award in 1972 and was later inducted into the Morgan County Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.

Growing up in Hartselle and playing sports, one memory is that of Doc being at all our games. In the summer, it seemed that he never missed a night watching games at the American Legion Fields. He always made our football practices. At the time I didn’t think about it, but he must not have scheduled appointments late in the afternoons during football season.

Doc developed a friendship with Alabama head coach Paul “Bear’ Bryant and a very close friendship with Asst. Coach Gene Stallings. Coach Cain and Doc would take Coach Stallings to Bob Gibson’s to eat when he was on scouting trips to our area. Stallings loved barbeque. Due to these friendships both of these Alabama coaches spoke at our football banquets.

Civic Leadership and Humanitarian Work
Beyond the football field and the dental chair, Dr. Sittason was deeply embedded in the civic fabric of Hartselle.
• Community Organizations: He was a charter member of the Decatur Boys and Girls Club and a steadfast supporter of Habitat for Humanity.
• Rotary Club: He was a member of the Hartselle Rotary Club for 55 years, serving as a past president and receiving the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow Award.
• Meals on Wheels: Even in retirement, he dedicated time to his community, delivering Meals on Wheels for a decade.
• Economic Development: He also played a key role in the business community, helping to organize Hartselle's American Bank and Trust, which later became Regions Bank. He was a partner in Beeline Lanes Bowling Alley.
• Faith: A devoted member of the First United Methodist Church since 1957, he served on the Administrative Board and was highly active in financing and organizing the church's building programs.
• Scouting: An Eagle Scout himself, Doc was very active in starting and serving in scouting groups in Hartselle.

Family and Legacy
Dr. Sittason married his childhood sweetheart, Wendellyn "Wyn" Gray, in 1951, and they enjoyed 49 years of marriage until her passing in 2000. Together, they raised three sons: Randy, Bob, and David. A testament to their father's love of sports, all three sons played football for Hartselle and served as team captains during their senior years. David and Bob chose to live in Hartselle and added to the Sittason legacy in our town. Bob recently passed away, but David and his two sons, Blair and Payton, continue the Sittason dental practice.

Dr. Sittason passed away on April 9, 2012, at the age of 83. He left behind a legacy defined by profound, quiet generosity and an unwavering commitment to the youth and development of Hartselle.

06/05/2026

More On Hartselle Givers

Hartselle is a very special town. I often thank God for putting me here and giving me great parents. What makes Hartselle such a special place? The are several reasons and I would like to address one of them here.

This particular reason is, that over the years, Hartselle has had a group of men and women that have invested themselves in our community. They cared for and about others. They gave feely of their time and, often, financially. Members of this group came from all walks of life-educators, coaches, clergy and youth ministers, businessmen and women, school bus drivers, doctors and lawyers, the Booster Club and many others. They were, or maybe still are, Hartselle Givers.

Boys and girls, young men and women, all need in their lives men and women that are good role models; someone they can trust and talk to, someone that sincerely cares about them. As a boy growing up in Hartselle, there were several men that I looked up to and respected. There are some men that a boy is just naturally drawn to. Maybe they share a common interest like hunting, fishing, sports, scouting, or other interests. You sense they care about you and can be trusted. The same is true for girls.

For me, these men supported our sport’s activities. You could talk to them and tell that they were sincerely interested in you. They were good role models. In my life, other than my dad, there were several such men, but 3 stand out: Coach J. P. Cain, Coach Brub Hamilton and Doctor Bob Sittason. You could call each a “man’s man,” but that term sometimes carries the connotation of being so tough that they were not a caring person. These 3 cared. They each had a tender side. Coach Cain often carried students that couldn’t afford dental care to Doctor Sittason for free dental care and made sure students that couldn’t afford lunch at school got to eat. This was done discreetly and behind the scenes.

In future posts, I would like to talk about these men and lots of other men and women that have made Hartselle such a special place. These will just be mixed in with other posts about Hartselle place and events from the past. If you would like to suggest a Hartselle Giver, send a message to us. These take a lot of time and there are no guarantees that I can get around to them, but I will try. The Historical Society always would love for you to share any historical pictures you have with us as we attempt to preserve and document Hartselle history.

I wanted to do a follow up to the post on Rudloph Smith.  One of his sons, Fred Smith, mentioned to me that his dad got ...
06/05/2026

I wanted to do a follow up to the post on Rudloph Smith. One of his sons, Fred Smith, mentioned to me that his dad got to fly a famous WW11 B-17 named “Haybag Annie.” This name actually refers to two subjects: The B-17 and a famous artist, Anne Haywood. Anne painted the nose art for a number of the B-17’s and also painted flight jackets and wall murals at the base in England. I found her story fascinating along with the bomber’s. Here is some of what was learned and a link to a video that actually shows "Haybag Annie' painting a B-17. The video really goes along well with what is below and I hope you will take the time to look at it.:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/376155011102362/posts/1286577170060137/

“Haybag Annie”

Anne Haywood was a talented artist who became the celebrated, unofficial nose-artist and morale booster for the USAAF 385th Bomb Group based at Great Ashfield, England, during World War II.
Born to a half-Austrian, half-English family, Anne grew up with a strong passion for art, painting since early childhood. She attended an English finishing school and originally planned to study art in Paris, but the outbreak of World War II disrupted her plans.

Living in rural Suffolk near the Great Ashfield airfield, Anne initially tried to volunteer for the British Red Cross. Her application was rejected purely because of her mother's Austrian nationality. Undeterred, she applied to and was accepted by the American Red Cross as a "Donut Dolly," serving coffee, donuts, and a sympathetic ear to lonely or homesick American airmen.

Her artistic talents were quickly noticed. She began by painting large wall murals inside the base's Aero Club and Officers' Club. Soon, the bomber crews began begging her to paint the nose art on their B-17 Flying Fortresses, as well as custom-designed insignias onto their leather A-2 flight jackets.

The base commander, Lt. Col. Elliot Vandervanter, recognized that Anne's vivid, imaginative artwork (ranging from Disney characters to beautifully drawn pin-up models) was a massive boost to the crews' morale. He went so far as to write to the local British Labour Exchange to secure a special war-work deferment so she could remain stationed at Great Ashfield. Because she wasn't official military personnel, she wasn't allowed on the base bus; instead, an MP would personally drive her to the remote aircraft hardstands in a jeep.

When she got there the attractive 24-year old cheerfully translated the ideas and whims of the crews into striking and beautiful nose art, often perching on piles of bombs so she could reach the fuselage. From Disney characters to half-naked ladies Annie painted whatever the crews asked for, often having to go back and paint a few more clothes on when the order came to cover the ladies up some! Dragon Lady" sported a fearsome dragon, "Off Spring" had a cartoon baby, "Madam Shoo Shoo" and "Satan's Mate" carried sexy ladies. In addition to the huge nose arts painted on the aircraft, Anne also embellished dozens of A-2 jackets with miniature masterpieces.

After the Americans departed, Anne resumed her formal art education at Oxford and continued painting for the rest of her life. She married Commander David Gordon, and even attended a 385th Bomb Group reunion in 1975. In the 1990s, she made an appearance on the British archaeology television program Time Team, demonstrating her original wartime painting techniques. She passed away in 1999.

The aircraft named in her honor was a legendary, highly resilient Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress (Serial Number 42-97280, serving with the 550th Bomb Squadron, marked as SG-O).

When the factory-new B-17G arrived at the base, it had already been given the stateside nickname "Haybag" (slang of the era for a plain or difficult woman) by its ferry crew chief, Ed Hallisey. To turn the joke around, an unknown ground crewman painted "Annie" underneath it. The crews persuaded Anne Haywood to give the plane a fresh look. She painted a striking self-portrait on the nose—depicting herself holding a paintbrush, a sketchbook, and a steaming mug of coffee, accompanied by the caption "Good Ole Gal!"

The Plane

Haybag Annie was an exceptionally lucky and rugged combat veteran, completing an astonishing 105 combat missions over occupied Europe without being shot down. This grueling service included surviving no fewer than seven dangerous daylight bombing raids against the heavily defended synthetic oil refineries at Merseburg, Germany—a target notorious among aircrews for its intense, deadly anti-aircraft flak.

Ironically, after surviving the entire air war over Europe, the aircraft met its end while trying to return home to the United States after the war ended. On June 19, 1945, while stopping over at RAF Valley in Wales, the pilot, Dick Ettling, touched down safely on the runway but suffered a total brake failure.

To slow the bomber down, it veered off the runway, crossed a ditch, and collided heavily with a coastal earth revetment built to hold back the Irish Sea. While the airframe was completely destroyed and written off as damaged beyond repair, the aircraft saved its crew one last time: all 10 crew members and 10 passengers walked away from the crash entirely safe, though they had to hitch a ride home on a different plane.

Hartselle Giver:  1st. Lieutenant  William Rudolph SmithOur next Hartselle Giver is William Rudolph Smith.  He went by R...
06/03/2026

Hartselle Giver: 1st. Lieutenant William Rudolph Smith

Our next Hartselle Giver is William Rudolph Smith. He went by Rudolph and many in our community probably have never heard of him or his service in WW11 as a pilot of a B-17 Flying Fortress. Rudolph was the son of Rev. Frank T. and Mary Smith. He attended Morgan County High School where he played football and ran track. In a track meet with Cullman, MCHS won 58-40 with Smith scoring 20 of our points. Smith was voted Most Popular Boy by his classmates his junior year. After high school, he worked at Cooper-Wells and starred on their softball team. Several clippings are included about his prowess on the field with numerous homeruns, some for very long distances.
When WW11 began, Rudolph entered the Air Force in September of 1940 and began pilot training. He got his wings in 1943 and was sent to an air base in England as a member of the 8th Air Force, 385th Bombardment Group. The 8th Air Force conducted precision daytime air raids against Germany and German held territories. Early in WW11 our fighter planes did not have the range to es**rt bombers all the way to targets in Germany. The German Air Force, the Luftwaffe, would wait until the fighter planes had to return to base and then attack the bombers. The casualty rate for our bombers was horrific. In 1943, the average survival time for a crew member of our B-17’s that were bombing Germany was 11 missions. A total of 26,000 crewman were killed in action and 28,000 became prisoners of war. The Air Force had a total of 12,731 B-17’s in action during WW11 and lost 4, 735 of those. The Air Force modified the engines on its P-51 fighters and they entered the war late in 1943. These fighters had the ability to es**rt the bombers all the way to German targets and greatly reduced the casualty rate.
The Air Force, particularly for the 8th Air Force, had a policy that heavy bomber crews were officially finished with their tour of duty after 25 missions. Only about 25 per cent of the 8th Air Force crews reached this limit. Around 75 per cent were killed, severely injured or captured.
This is what Rudolph Smith faced as a bomber pilot and all the pilots and crews knew the odds. In spite of this, they performed their duties courageously. Rudolph Smith piloted his B-17 on missions for over 250 hours. He earned 3 Bronze Stars for Normandy, Northern France and German campaigns. He also received the Distinguished Flying Cross with 4 Oak Leaf Clusters for extraordinary achievement, courage, coolness and skill while bombing Germany. Many of the pilots at Smith’s air base had noticed that a lot of fellow pilots got shot down on their 25th mission. One of Rudolph's sons, Fred Smith, told me that his dad, who was not yet married, volunteered to fly missions for several of his friends that had wives and families and were facing their unlucky 25th mission. They were given credit for the flights and sent home. Fred said his dad rarely spoke of his time overseas.
Fred shared with me that his dad did mention getting to fly a famous B-17 named “Haybag Annie” after Annie Haywood. Annie was a 24-year- old girl that did the nose paintings found on most of the B-17’s. I will do a short article on her.
Rudolph survived his missions and came home where he married Evelynn Jean Goad on December 10, 1944. He and Evelynn had 3 sons, Fred, Jim and Tom. He worked as a manager of Western Auto Stores. Rudolph’s story and his survival against such great odds is amazing. He deserves recognition as a Hartselle Giver and we wish to remember and thank him and his family for his service. It is impossible for us to totally imagine what had to go through his and his fellow pilots minds and those of the crews as they faced their small odds of surviving for 25 missions. Yet, they overcame their fears and carried out their missions. General Omar Bradley said: “Bravery is the capacity to perform even when scared half to death.” And perform Rudolph and his fellow crew members did and, for that, we are forever indebted to them.

Address

307 College Street NE
Hartselle, AL
35640

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