'Bama Beginnings
ALICEVILLE,ALA.
ESTABLISHED:1903
POP.: 2,465
AREA: 4.5 squaremiles
STUDENTSATTENDING ALICEVILLE HIGH: 527
NEAREST BIG CITY:Birmingham (83 miles NE)
ALICEVILLE'SCLAIM TO FAME "Probably Walter Jones," says Jones. "I finally got akey to the city [on June 23]. It was a great accomplishment. Also, for a coupleof years [2004-06] they had up a billboard of me." The billboard featured apicture of the 6'5", 315-pound Jones and said, he grew up in aliceville andboy, did he grow up!
HOW TO PASS THETIME "Oh, man. It's a really small town and very family-oriented. It's atown where, if you see people outside having a good time, you can just walk upand enjoy them. There's really not a lot to do other than hang with yourfriends."
HOW JONES HASLEFT HIS MARK His donations to the high school have paid for football uniformsand equipment, and funded the athletic department's Walter Jones Fieldhouse(below left).
LOCAL EATERYAdam's Wings-now called Calvin's (right), after an ownership change in2003-"It's a little wing joint, and the wings were just good. Everyone intown loves them."
BEST VIEW"It's from the bridge over the railroad tracks. You get a view of the wholetown. [Before the bridge was built], when the train came through, you couldn'tget from one side of town to the other."
SIGHTS TO SEE"In World War II they had sheds there where they put POWs [CampAliceville]. They also redid this plantation house in the middle of town, sothere's some historical stuff everybody likes."
LOCAL KNOW-IT-ALL"My mother-in-law Marrion Woods. [Jones married his Aliceville Highsweetheart, Valeria, in 1997.] She goes all over town and knows people. Theycall her M.D. [her middle initial is "D"]. She doesn't have a job.She's just in on everything in town. She's good people."
FOUR PHOTOS
KARIM SHAMSI-BASHA (3, ALICEVILLE LANDMARKS); BILL FRAKES (JONES HEAD SHOT)
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