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March 2026 | Volume 14 | Issue 6
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‘A wonderful blessing’ Hunter Street Baptist’s Buddy Gray prepares to retire after four decades as pastor
At 3’8”, Jon Michael Ogletree is known as the world’s smallest professional piano player. Photo by Kelli S. Hewett.
The height of success: Hoover pianist balances life and faith as a CFO and the world’s smallest professional piano player
By EMILY REED
I
t’s a Monday afternoon, and the hallways of Hunter Street Baptist Church in Hoover are fairly quiet. A mom brings her three children to take music lessons; several women clean the sanctuary after a full day of worship the day before; a few high school boys walk together in conversation. Senior Pastor Buddy Gray has stepped out of his office, and as he walks the halls, he greets each person by name, engaging them in conversation and showing genuine interest in their activities. The walls of the building serve as a second home for him with one thing very clear: The people are his heart and the joy of his ministry. Soon, this routine of walking the halls of Hunter Street will come to an end as he prepares to officially retire this summer after pastoring the church for more than 40 years.
By KELLI S. HEWETT At 3 feet 8 inches tall, Jon Michael Ogletree of Hoover is accustomed to being noticed. As a certified public accountant, a CFO and the world’s smallest professional piano player, he has built a life where numbers and music intersect with a message of faith. Ogletree balances a high-level corporate finance career with an international reputation as a concert pianist. He has traveled to more than 30 countries — most of them for work as a musician and often as a cruise ship entertainer for the luxury cruise line Explora Journeys. “I’m not a little person who just happens to be good at the piano,” said Ogletree, 41. “I am a skilled pianist who just happens to be a little person. I don’t feel 3 foot 8 inches.”
See PASTOR | page A20
Hunter Street Baptist Church Pastor Buddy Gray has been preaching on this pulpit for 40 years. Photo by David Leong.
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