By Staff
Most of us enjoy our small-town life in Brewton, but sometimes it takes an angel — or two or 12 — to remind us just how special our community really is.
Earlier this year, a park that Pearl Stallworth created was severely damaged by a fire that destroyed a pavilion there. The park serves as a memorial to Stallworth’s son and three of his friends who died in a horrific car accident more than 20 years ago.
After Stallworth made a public plea, a group of angels decided to help rebuild the pavilion.
Local pharmacist Danny Cottrell — no stranger to acts of kindness — kicked things off by partnering with the Brewton-Escambia Career Technical Center.
Cottrell got the materials, while the Career Tech Center supplied the labor. In addition to a donation from the Kiwanis Club, Bondurant Lumber offered a discount on materials, and other “angels” helped donate to the project, according to Cottrell.
Career Tech Center instructors provided the labor, with building instructor Gene Coleman acting as foreman. The pavilion was completed last week.
The park and pavilion act as a memorial to Wayne M. Stallworth, Sean Miller, John Miller and Thomas Miller, who were killed in a December 1987 car accident just as they were on the cusp of beginning their adult lives.
Stallworth and the Miller boys were full of promise — just the sort of individuals who would have helped out with a project such as the park rebuilding.
As much as the park is a tribute to their lives, the rebuilding project is a tribute to their promise as well.