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Great News! Alumni & Friends of Semmes School, Inc. /aka Semmes Heritage Park is in the process of revising and updating the original Scrapbook of Memories that was published in the fall of 1996, now out of print. The goal is to have the new book, Semmes Scrapbook of Memories 2019 Legacy for the Future published and ready for sale by December, 2019. Great Christmas Present! This new book contains stories from the Past of Semmes, those now in the present, and gives a glimpse into the future. Just imagine what you see today, will become tomorrow’s history! Thank You to those who have been willing to share stories, and donate items making it possible for museum displays and our archives to continue to grow for future generations. New Members are welcome! Check out our Face book page-Semmes Heritage Park. Just a reminder, we are all volunteers! This is the new book cover that was created by Dr. Philippe Oszuscik 
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 Rusty Glover-Teacher-Leader- Senator, Legislator
Rusty (Benjamin Nash Glover III) was born April 17, 1966 in Mobile. He graduated from B.C. Rain High School. He attended Faulkner State Community College and The University of South Alabama earning a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education, M.A. in History and a M. Ed. in Secondary Education. He is a retired high school teacher, having taught history for twenty five years at Mary G. Montgomery High School located in Semmes. He has written a book, “A Treasure Chest of Hidden History.” This book was born out of the love of history and the desire to ignite curiosity and a love of history in his students. The book is a collection of, “Fun Facts and Serious Episodes That You May Have Missed In Your American History Class.” The presentation style is unique in that after each entry, credit is given to the source making it possible for the reader to do further research. It truly is a treasure that will peak your interest in history. Here is just one of those tidbits: The world’s first completely electric streetcar was running the streets of Montgomery in 1886. Salmond, John A., The Conscience of a lawyer: Clifford J. Durr and American Civil Liberties, 1899-1975. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press, 1990, p5. Political Experience
A man of Character committed to promoting family values, education, and freedom for the betterment of all.  The first City of Semmes Park, Semmes Honor Park, is a park to honor all veterans, was founded under the leadership of Mayor Judy Hale. Mayor Hale was the first mayor of the City of Semmes.
The beautiful landscaped Park is located south of Moffett Road at 4100 Wulff Road East, in the heart of Semmes. The park has an Amphitheater that is used for memorial services and other community activities. Comfortable benches provide a peaceful quiet place to sit and reflect upon the great freedoms we enjoy. American Patriotism has always been an important part of life in Semmes. There are numerous active and retired military that call Semmes home. Mary G. Montgomery High School has an excellent ROTC program. Listed below is a small representation of the many veterans that have served beginning in the War of 1812. War of 1812 -Indian Creek War in Florida Samuel Vickers was born in 1792 and lived in the Lott Road and McCrary Rd. vicinity near Box Road and fought in the Indian Creek War in Florida, and the War of 1812. American Civil War Perry W. Allen joined Company 1, 21st Alabama Volunteers and was in the Battle of Corinth and Farmington, the Siege of Fort Morgan. He was taken prisoner and sent to New Orleans for two months when he was transferred to Elmira Prison for 9 months. He was paroled June 15, 1865 returning to Semmes (Albritton Precinct) and marrying Tempy Malinda Pierce on December 7, 1865. He died in Semmes on January 10, 1911 and was buried in his Confederate Gray to honor his old comrades in Allentown Cemetery. World War I Harry Felton Poole John A. Lowery (Killed in Action) Clarence Hartsock-(Wounded) Dr. Leonard T. Lane-Army Medical Corp. Dual R. Tanner World War II Pollard Family -Five Sons Air Force- James (Jack) Pollard Army- Posey (Pete) Navy-Hiram Pollard, Edward Pollard, Thad Pollard Dodd Family-Five Sons Air Force-Steve Dodd Army- Bill Dodd, John Dodd Navy-Paul Dodd Marines-Joe Dodd Sources Scrapbook of Memories, 1996 Betsy Dodd-Dodd Family Nursery History Tom Dodd Jr. May 4, 1915-May 7, 2009  Tom Dodd Jr. is known worldwide for his many contributions to the Nursery Industry. He developed new propagation methods and introduced new plants into the trade. Many of the plants commonly used in southern landscapes originated through the careful research and development by Tom. He was especially fond of plants that were native to the southeast. However, Tom took many trips all over the world to other climates similar to the southeast in order to introduce something special to the industry. Many times the research plants would end up in the homes of friends, pastors or coaches homes all around the region. A trip to Auburn University will reveal hundreds, if not thousands of plants all around the campus given to them by Tom Dodd Nurseries. Over the years the nursery generously donated countless plants to universities, schools, churches and gardens all over the United States. A great legacy of Tom Dodd Nursery is all the beautiful plants that were grown in Semmes and donated or sold far and wide. Numerous honors have been bestowed on Tom Dodd, Jr. Among these are the Jackson Dawson Medal from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, the Garden Club of America Medal of Honor, He was an Honorary Fellow of Mobile College, Received the D. Todd Gresham Award of the American Magnolia Society, and is in the American Nurserymen Hall of Fame. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Auburn University. During World War II five of his brothers were serving in the military and he was needed at home to work on the family nursery. Another interesting story about his college education concerns that his first year of college was at Spring Hill College. Money was short, but the family being farmers had made plenty of cane syrup so he asked could he trade buckets of syrup for his tuition and so he did. Tom Dodd nursery has been operated by four generations of the Dodd family until it was sold in 2004 to Jack/John Williams who kept the family name. Elizabeth Betsy Dodd- Daughter, Auburn University College of Agriculture Directory Floating around in 1966 Raymond Byrd, a 1959 Semmes High School Graduate experiences weightless flight in a Zero-G flight, a parabolic flight experiment. In 1961 the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy announced the goal to be the first nation to land a man on the moon and bring him safely home. The Space Race was on. Much research and development had to take place to accomplish this goal. The Naval Aerospace Medical Institute (NAMI) in Pensacola Florida was doing research under the direction of Dr. Ashton Graybiel. Studies on the effects of weightlessness and acceleration on human balance, spatial orientation, physiology and performance helped prepare America's astronauts for manned space flights. Raymond became a research team member under the team leader of Dr. Earl F. Miller II, Team leader of the Physiological Optics Branch, in 1966 through 1972 participating with parabolic flight experiments to create short periods of weightlessness. Apollo 11 Astronauts, and many others; Such as Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins participated in these research projects in Pensacola prior to spaceflight.  Raymond Byrd |
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