December 2022 | Volume 13 | Issue 9
MOUNTAIN BROOK’S COMMUNITY NEWS SOURCE VILLAGELIVINGONLINE.COM | STARNESMEDIA.COM
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SERVING MOUNTAIN BROOK, HOMEWOOD, HOOVER, TRUSSVILLE, VESTAVIA HILLS, AND THE U.S. 280 CORRIDOR
A change in the weather Art on display created by members of the St. Vincent’s Art Therapy group, part of the Bruno Cancer Support Services group. The exhibit is on display at the Library at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens through the end of December. Photo by Leah Ingram Eagle.
Bruno Cancer Center artists featured at Birmingham Botanical Gardens By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE A special group of local artists' works are on display at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ Library at the Gardens. Several artists who are part of the Art Therapy Program at Ascension St. Vincent’s Bruno Cancer Center have their pieces hanging in the hallway entrance to the library. Their pieces include acrylic, oils, watercolors and mixed media. An opening reception was held on Nov. 4, and the art will be on display until the end of the year. Louis Josof, an oncology counselor at Ascension St. Vincent’s in Birmingham, had the idea for the art therapy program, which launched in 2015. Soon, donors found out about the project and wanted to support the effort. Then, the art therapy group received a grant from Forstall Art Supply and was awarded supplies to keep the project going. Josof said there have been
See ART THERAPY | page A26
After 35 years at WVTM-13, meteorologist Jerry Tracey retires By LEAH INGRAM EAGLE
H
ad it not been for a coworker informing him of a job opening, Jerry Tracey may have never moved to Birmingham. After graduating from Penn State University, Tracey spent a decade working at AccuWeather in State College, Pennsylvania, before making three moves in two years. His first stop was at WINK-TV in Fort Myers, Florida, then The Weather Channel, before joining WVTM in 1987 when he was 34 years old. He wanted to get back into local TV because he enjoyed the local connection and interacting with viewers. Although he wasn’t planning to leave The Weather Channel so soon, a friend brought in a newspaper and showed him a job opening for a meteorologist in Birmingham and urged him to apply. She told him the city was a great place to live and raise a family. He made the call to WVTM and spoke with then-news director Tom Roberts, who asked him if he could come for an interview the same week. He had his highlight tape and resume in hand, but it wasn’t far into their meeting that Tracey was in Roberts’ office discussing a contract. The rest is history. “We were in Pennsylvania one year, the next year we're in South Florida, the next year we're in Atlanta and then we're here,” Tracey said. “I do feel though I'm very fortunate this happened the way it did. It's really a God thing because I didn't plan this. I didn't have a roadmap that I would wind up in Birmingham, Alabama, someday, and if Mary hadn't come in with that article, I never would have known about the opening.” At the time, Tracey and his wife, Kathy, had two young children and after several moves,
INSIDE
Sponsors............... A4 City......................... A6
Jerry Tracey, WVTM’s chief meteorologist, stands in the weather station on Nov. 9. Tracey is retiring in December after 35 years at the news station. Photo by Erin Nelson.
they were ready to settle in one spot. They lived in Cahaba Heights for several years before moving to Mountain Brook, where they have lived in the same house since 1991. Their children, Stephen and Michelle, attended Cahaba Heights Elementary for several years, and both graduated from Mountain Brook High School. They both live nearby, and Tracey looks forward to spending more time
Business................ A8 Community........... A11
Schoolhouse........A16 Events..................A20
with them and his grandchildren, who range in age from 3 to 13, after his retirement.
DECADES OF WEATHER COVERAGE
Without hesitation, when asked about the worst weather day Tracey has experienced, he
Sports.................... B4 Opinion................. B10
See TRACEY | page A24
Metro Roundup... B12 Calendar............... B14 facebook.com/villageliving
Cheers to 30 Years
Basketball Preview
Mountain Brook Schools Foundation celebrates milestone.
Spartans building toward another strong year.
See page A16
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