By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
For many years, Mayor Ronnie has been participating in the Read Across America program, and most times he is seen in the iconic Dr. Seuss Cat In The Hat hat. For as many times as we have covered this wonderful event over the past nearly 15 years, I learned something new… I had always ASSUMED that Mayor Ronnie was the actual owner of the Cat’s hat, and come to find out that Helen Carter started reading for Read Across America before Ronnie ever did, and he only borrows it. However, Mayor Ronnie is sole owner of his personal Tigger and Pooh Bear ties, and sports them interchangeably for the occasion.
By way of history, National Read Across America Day is always celebrated on March 2, which happens to be Dr. Seuss’s birthday. The point of the day, besides to honor the impact that he had on reading, is to celebrate and encourage literacy. Reading to kids is one of the best ways to teach or improve literacy, and this year Mayor Ronnie read to kids at Lindsay Lane Christian Academy and Little Tots Preschool on Hwy 31. Two of his favorites, which happen to not be Dr. Seuss books (which he genuinely loves) are Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, by Eric Litwin, and There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly, by Simms Taback. They are well-worn, coffee-stained, and thus, well-loved. One of his favorite moments from this year’s Read was a discussion on pets. Of course, there were the predictable stories regarding of Fido and Fifi at home discussed in the context of Pete the Cat, and as the kids talked about their pets, one little boy piped up and confidently announced that he had two donkeys. The class got real quiet, and the mayor wasn’t sure what to say next. After all, who has one pet donkey, let alone two, in Athens, AL? Turns out, these were no imaginary pets; pictures confirmed that they were real, and the kid became the King of Kool, at least amongst his classmates.
Mayor Ronnie mentioned that after 28 years of service to Limestone County and the City of Athens, Kim Glaze is going to be retiring to help take care of an aging grandparent and to enjoy a grandchild. Twenty-four years of her career were spent with the City, and she will be sorely missed. These are going to be some tough shoes to fill.
Mayor Ronnie had been serving as the local Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 511’s treasurer, and laughed as he told of his shock about having to write the check for some mysterious honorary plaque, only to turn the plaque over and find that he had been voted the Veteran of the Year.
March 10 will be the State of the City Address, and this year will be held at 8 a.m. at the Alabama Veterans Museum, 114 W. Pryor St., due to the renovation of Carter Gym which is currently underway.
Lastly, this past week Leak City was home once again to utilities workers from all over the lower 48 as well as Alaska, and we are considered to have one of the finest training facilities of this kind anywhere.
We talked about our blessings as well as our vulnerabilities, mindful of the fact that if it were not for His mercies, we would indeed be utterly consumed. It was then time to pray, so we did, and once again it was time for Ronnie to roll.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
