280 Living
July 2015 | Volume 8 | Issue 11
neighborly news & entertainment
A life’s legacy
A park in progress
Read about the life of Steve Hanna, the owner of Hanna’s Garden Shop.
See page A18
Calling all fans
Master plan and state budget affect Oak Mountain’s future By SYDNEY CROMWELL A new sci-fi convention is coming to U.S. 280 this month. Learn more about how to attend inside.
See page B14
Results of a new master plan for Oak Mountain State Park could soon turn into action. However, it’s too early for park officials to say what amenity upgrades the master plan might bring about, especially while specifics for the park’s funding are still uncertain.
Kelly Ezell, the Oak Mountain State Park superintendent, stands at the entrance to Oak Mountain State Park. She has been involved in the assessment process identifying the park’s needs and “wish list.” Photo by Sydney Cromwell.
Planning for the future The master planning process has included a public survey with more than 3,000 responses and nine specialized teams assessing the park on foot, mountain bike and horseback. Shelby County Chief Development Officer Chad Scroggins said these teams have mapped out around 104 miles of trails and studied
the park’s infrastructure, buildings, parking, restrooms and amenities, as well as use by visitors. Their goal is to see what needs improvement and what could be added to better the park. All these assessments will be finished and prioritized by the end of July, and Scroggins
See PROGRESS | page A29
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A nurse in Vietnam Veteran reflects on her war experiences
By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE All Pat Fiol ever wanted was to be a nurse. She didn’t expect to live out that calling in the jungles of Vietnam. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, as Pat Luers in 1944, she was the first child to a WWII veteran and pharmacist father and high school graduate mother. A younger brother would join the family 10 years later. In 1965, Fiol earned her degree from the Bethesda Hospital School of Nursing. After graduation, she got on-the-job training to
become an intensive care unit (ICU) nurse. The next year, there was an all-out call for medical personnel to back up U.S. troops in Vietnam. A 20-year-old Fiol answered. “I was single and there was no reason I couldn’t go, so I signed on the dotted line,” she said. After completing training at Fort Sam Houston Hospital in Texas, Fiol deployed to work with the 36th Evacuation Unit in Vung Tau, South Vietnam, 35 miles
See VIETNAM | page A31
Pat Fiol currently lives at Danberry at Inverness and remains active in her community after a lifetime of nursing and service. Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle.