Monday, January 22, 2024

How the Yankees Took Florence - Part I

 


by

Mitch Gann




His name is William Dickerson Jordan. You can just call him Dick.


His parents moved to Florence, Alabama, after World War II, expecting a real estate boom. Barksdale Jordan and Jessie Dickerson Jordan may not have found the boom they had anticipated, but nonetheless the couple prospered and by 1950 had opened their own real estate company.


An interesting side note: Barksdale, of Lamar County, and Jessie, of Selma, pronounced their surname as “Jurdan.” As an adult, Dick has always used the pronunciation of “Jordan.”


Dick was the middle of their three children, born in 1944. He attended Coffee High School where he played on the football team along with his lifelong pal Joel Anderson Sr.  After graduation in 1962, he attended Auburn University where he met his first wife, Charlotte Jernigan of Falls Church, Virginia. The union produced two children, William Eidson Jordan and Ella Gaines Jordan Llevat.


Back home in Florence after graduation from Auburn in 1966, Jordan began his career at the M.J. Carter Insurance Company. He first ran for and was elected to the Florence City Commission in 1979. When the commission form of government changed to a city council, Jordan was on the inaugural panel representing District 2 in 1984.


After he was elected to the old Florence City Commission, Jordan began to write various insurance policies for the city. The Alabama Attorney General Charlie Graddick stated at the time that there was no ethics violation in the practice.


Jordan and his first wife divorced, and he soon married Etta Kay Williams. Then Jordan hit a blip in his council career. By 2000, Florence mayor Eddie Frost was seriously ill. Jordan was next in line to succeed him.


When Frost died in March 2001, Council President Dick Jordan became mayor. It was a position that Jordan proclaimed he had never wanted; nevertheless, he was now in the public eye more than ever. During the next election cycle, Jordan chose to run for his old council seat representing District 2, saying that serving as a full time mayor interfered with his work at the Carter Agency and ultimately cost him money.


Things may have returned to normal for Jordan in his career, but his second marriage was not on such an even keel. Soon Dick and Etta Kay parted ways.


Dick then met Elizabeth Stockard Watts. She was twice married and divorced, as he was. Libby, as she was known to her friends, was looking for a better job, and Dick was there to help. With his assistance, Libby found a home on the University of North Alabama Board of Trustees. About the time of their marriage, Libby began work with Florence Arts & Museums.


Libby became the only Director of Cultural Tourism that Florence ever had…courtesy of Dick. She then went on to become the director of the Rosenbaum home…courtesy of Dick. It was there that she met a volunteer named Brian Murphy…





Monday, November 20, 2023

This is What's Wrong with Florence

 


What's wrong in Florence? Here's a few clues...

1. It involves a male who's grossly overweight.

2. It involves a female who looks and dresses like a male.

But you can get rid of this dubious pair in less than two years. Even if you have to elect Bill Griffin, just do it!


The Tatler


Friday, August 25, 2023

Young Betterton is a Thug

 


Now our mayor's grandson has beaten up someone. Is Andy Betterton to blame? Well...he raised him as we understand it.

Christopher Betterton is now 23. Obviously he's responsible for his actions but just as I'll always be a major influence on my three daughters so will Andy and his moral tenets, if he has any, be a huge force in Chris' life.

Andy needs to resign pronto! It's not too late to take Chris in hand and make something of him. Florence doesn't need a mayor like Andy Betterton. We can't take two more years of him!


The Tatler

Monday, September 19, 2022

"First Grandson" in More Trouble

 


Bored? You can always play "Let's Count the Pot Leaves in the Mayor's Grandson's Tattoo." Or you could speculate where Christopher Jackson Betterton was going at 3:00 am after losing his shirt.

At least this time it's just a DUI.

Three more years, three more years.


The Disgusted Tatler

Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Save Florence - Send Andy Betterton to Montgomery

 

Andy Starts New Career as Intersection Window Washer


So, all of you who voted for Steve Holt are saying about now "We told you so." You who voted for Andy Betterton are ashamed to admit it. Have faith. There may be an answer.

His old campaign page from running for the state house is still up. Yes, really. And he's still collecting money for some sort of campaign. Renewed copyright and everything:


Andy Goes to Montgomery


So let's see if we can't get Sister Kay to appoint him to something down there, as in a lifetime job. Wouldn't we all be so much better off?


The Tatler

Thursday, October 7, 2021

Two Women Fight Over Man's Body?!!!

 



Those who know me in real life know that I've been married 30 years. Gorgeous has only been married for 20 since she takes a decade off her age and doesn't want people to think she married at 13. The day we said "I Do" we agreed that she would make all the small decisions and I would make the big ones. After 30 years of marriage I'm amazed to say there have so far been no big decisions.

There have been three daughters that we love dearly. Have there been arguments? We're human, so yes. Have I ever thought about leaving her and our girls? There's not a "No" loud enough to answer that. I've worked with many men who left their wives and were soon sorry. How hard is responsibility to understand? 

Like almost everyone in the Shoals, I've been disturbed by recent events, but it seems to get worse each day. This morning on Facebook I was bombarded by links to a woman who says she is Nick Risner's fiancee. She says he and the mother of his daughter are divorced. She was denied his body to bury and is now prevented from going to the funeral.

I'm totally amazed by this. Why would this woman make such an admission and why would his ex-wife even want to bury him? Props to his bravery, but a D- on his ability to lead a family.

My wife says she hopes our girls get a husband like me. I'm flattered, but I'm more or less hoping they decide to stay single. No grandchildren, but at least they won't be used and abused by someone who promised to take care of them until death.


The Shoals Tatler


Friday, October 16, 2020

Tuesday, August 18, 2020

Who Is Brian Murphy & What the H*** Is a Marxist for Jesus?




When my middle daughter tells me she wants to go to an Indigo Girls concert, I say "Great. How much this time?" But she responds it's free. That should set off a huge red flag.

Free is my preferred price, but after a little snooping I decide she doesn't need to be where a riot could break out no matter how remote the possibility. But that's not the point. This quick look at Project Say Something's free program turns up "Marxists for Jesus."

What the h*** is that, and who is that? It's City of Florence employee Brian Murphy holding that sign. Sure my business degree covered Marxism, but it's been a while, a long while. I had to do research into just what this bozo stands for. Why is this guy whose salary I essentially pay campaigning for Marxism? 

Yeah, I know. It's on his free time so he can have at it. I just gotta ask where the Florence Human Resources Department digs these people up?

The Shoals Tatler

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

Kate Boggus is a Very Lucky Girl




I have three daughters, one at UAH and two in Florence City Schools. I love them all very much. I've lived through mediocre grades and a lot of back talk, but I've never thought that one would ever behave in a dishonorable way. 

Everyone familiar with Kathleen (Kate) Boggus. It's a sad story:

On April 26, 2018 four families lives were forever changed. What started out as a average teenagers hanging out with friends resulted in tragedy because of Kathleen Boggus’s choices and actions. Kaylee McGee, Tyler Nelson, Coby Hines and Braden Turner were mislead that night. The kids were told by Kathleen Boggus that she was taking them to Sonic, her treat, while all along she knew what her true intentions were and that did not involve Sonic. Her plan was to take the kids to the “Hills” to scare them. The “Hills” is located on County Road ‪30 in St.‬ Florian, Florence Alabama. This is a known hill that kids jump for “thrills”. Kathleen’s Intentions were to scare the kids by making the jump. We have audio video where Kathleen clearly lies to the kids about where they were going.

When they reached the stop sign at County Road 30, the kids knew where they were at. They begged and pleaded saying they did not want to do this!!! They repeatedly begged Kathleen to let them out of the car. She refused, locked the doors and accelerated without hesitation. It has been documented by Officer Wilson that Kathleen was at approximately 82MPH at the hills incline and then ramped her car 30ft in the air. At the cars landing, the front passenger side axle broke, this caused the car to continue accelerating speed, veering to the left. The car took out a metal fence and a cattle gate, hitting a tree dead on at approximately 112MPH. By the time the car came to a stop, 3 lives were gone.

Kaylee McGee was the only survivor in the back seat of the car driven by Kathleen Boggus that night. I can only imagine what she went through physically, mentally and emotionally knowing that her best friends were gone. Kaylee was unconscious for approximately 37–42 minutes. Upon waking up, Kaylee was disoriented and unable to move. Tyler Nelson’s resting place was on top of Kaylee. Kaylee was pinned in the floorboard behind Kathleen seat. Kaylee’s first memory upon waking was Kathleen hollering for her to call 911. Kaylee couldn’t get her bearings so Kathleen then said, “Pitch me your phone”. Kaylee had very limited movement but somehow pitched her phone over the seat. How Kathleen caught it, I have no idea.

At this point, 911 was called by Kathleen. I have heard the 911 call and it’s very sketchy and extremely misleading. Kathleen was taken by ambulance to what was then ECM But later transferred by ambulance to UAB Hospital per her parents request. Kathleen’s injuries were never life threatening. Kaylee was airlifted to Huntsville Hospital. Her injuries was a broken C1, C2 and C9 vertebrate, Left femur was broken in half, 9 broken ribs, fractured pelvis, 7 broken teeth, deep laceration in the bottom of her mouth and a severe concussion. Kaylee has undergone 5 Major surgeries. She has had 2 cranial halos, and a Odontoid screw placed to secure C2. This screw lies 1/8 inch from her brain stem. Her C1 was missing bone so she had to have 5 inches of bone removed from her here to reconstruct C1 and 3 more screws placed. Kaylee has only 50% range of motion in her neck and a titanium rod in her leg, stretching from her pelvis to her knee along with several pins.

This is only her physical injuries. She suffers greatly emotionally and mentally. She is in therapy every week and is under the care of a psychiatrist. She has been diagnosed by her psychiatrist at Integrated Behavorial Health Center with having severe PTSD and suicidal tendencies. She battles insomnia and nightmares still to this day from that night. She struggles with survivors guilt
.

I try to look beyond the basics. Ever read House of the Arrow? The detective solved the murder because the murderess had only friends of a lower class. In other words, she had this big time passion to be the tops and she had to surround herself with lessers to accomplish that. Look at Kate. She's supposedly "rich." She went to Florence High. Yet she's with three average Joes from Wilson. 

In case you didn't hear what happened, she got probation. I can't say what I would have wanted if it had been one of my daughters, but ya see, one of my daughters wouldn't have done that.

More to come, probably.


The Tatler

Monday, December 16, 2019

Quad-Cities Daily is Great, but...





Last year I reviewed two of the three local news sites: the Shoals Insider and Pen-N-Sword. Someone recently asked why no review of the Quad-Cities Daily. Sheer laziness!

I love the QCD. I love the Event Photos and I love the jail reports (don't we all just love to see who's in the lockup?).

I highly recommend the QCD, but...

About those page hit numbers? Jail rosters, birth records, animals needing homes? All those categories require two clicks before you get to the page you want. So, guess what?

The QCD says it has 18 million page hits racked up. But if you consider at least three categories take two clicks, and if we say those three categories make up at least 1/3 of the content, that would lower the number to 15 million. It's quite possibly even lower. 

Dishonest or just good business? No, matter. The QCD is one of two must reads in local news and I highly recommend it!


The Shoals Tatler