Progress teaches heritage

Published 9:32 am Wednesday, February 27, 2013

In today’s edition of The Brewton Standard, you’ll find a little something extra to enjoy.
The 2013 Progress edition is included in this issue and with it you will find stories of the things that have given our community life a rich, wonderful history.
As we began planning this edition several months ago, we sat down to discuss what matters most in this community. The topic just kept coming back to the things we value the most around here — our heritage.
Story ideas were discussed and images of the wonderful stories we would encounter during the journey to today’s special section were enough to give us the motivation to undertake this huge task.
Along the way, we were the students of a community that is great at being a teacher.
Through the stories we decided would make this edition a wonderful keepsake for many, the reporters and staff at The Brewton Standard learned a lot about the heritage of the community, the long family histories that weave the fabric of our community, and the quality of the people we see every day.
As you thumb through the pages of Progress today and in the days ahead, I hope that you’ll take a moment and really think about the words on the pages and the pictures that bring a story to life.
Living through our heritage is a great tool to learn about ourselves, our community and even our shortcomings.
You’ll learn — as we did — that the people of this community are what keeps it alive. And, likely as not, it’s the older generation that has kept things going, growing and thriving in this community and others like it around the region. Those same elders are the ones who continue to tell the stories of their youth to the youth of today. Through those stories they are teaching wonderful lessons to an unsuspecting generation.
If you gain nothing but pleasure from today’s special addition, we have succeeded in our job. But, if you learn something about your community through the stories and heritage of others in the pages, our time as students of the people has been more than fruitful by revealing the wonders of our community.
Enjoy.