Hi, I am Billy Hatcher and I graduated in 1959.
I currently live at Drummond Switch (Empire) and have for the past 34 years. I have been retired since July 2001. I really love and enjoy each day that I wake up and see my ceiling; lets me know that I’m still alive. I am truly thankful for each day that I have on this wonderful place we call earth. I have been married, but am not currently and do not plan on it in the future!
I worked for the State Department of Transportation for 14 years and then as a federal civil service employee assigned to the Alabama Army National Guard. I worked a total of 42 years and think that I have earned the right to retire.
As you can see from my picture I enjoy my two hobbies; wood working and making wine from my muscadines, blueberries and blackberries that I grow. I had two favorite teachers and they were Mrs. Josephine Andrews and Mrs. Eunice McMichen. (I think that I remember Mr. Andrews calling Mrs. Andrews “Madame Queen”).
I didn’t realize it as a youngster but as I grew older and matured I realized how much class these two ladies exhibited all the time. Although I failed two of Mrs. McMichens classes and had to go to summer school two different summers and take a correspondence course to get enough credits to graduate at 17 years old I always thought the world of her.
I remembered the times that I would be over on Red Star hill and if Mr. Andrews was outside he would talk to us and would invite us in to see his trophy room. This was a thrill for all of us children because none of us knew a professional baseball player.
Mr. Gant inspired me to graduate by telling me that I would wind up in prison before my 18th birthday. I now admit that I was really mean and got into a lots of trouble. (By the way I never did go to prison).
Wallace Reed and Gary Hyche convinced me that I needed to play football and I tried.
Two of my worst memories from football is the time Corner beat us 55-0 and the other one was the free-for-all when we hosted Parrish at the old Watkins Field. My best memories are being given the opportunity to play and when we won.
My best memory of high school was when I found out that I had enough credits to graduate.
I want to be remembered as someone who never “put-out” my fellow citizens.
I have been to a few foreign countries and let me tell you folks, there is no place like Walker County, Alabama (HOME).