Pillars of the Community: 75 who shaped 75 years of Vestavia Hills

Vestavia Hills turns 75 in November, and the city will mark the milestone with a community celebration on Thursday, Oct. 2, at City Hall. The event replaces the usual Public Safety Community Night Out and will feature music, food, games and opportunities for neighbors to connect.

Throughout the year, the Vestavia Voice has highlighted the people, decisions and milestones that helped shape the city’s growth — from its early development on Shades Mountain to the annexations of Liberty Park and Cahaba Heights. That work continues online at vestaviavoice.com (Read the stories here).

This month, the series turns to the individuals and groups who brought those moments to life. In this cover story, the Voice honors 75 people and groups who helped shape the city’s identity across generations. It is not a ranking. Presented in alphabetical order, the list spans civic leaders, educators, coaches, business owners, volunteers and others whose work made a lasting impact.

This is by no means a definitive list. We could have easily selected 7,500 people, but these are some notables who caught our attention during the year as we researched the city’s history.

Taken together, these short profiles reflect a simple idea — that Vestavia Hills became Vestavia Hills because people showed up, gave back and left it better than they found it.

Adams, Verner: Founding mayor who helped stand up city government after the 1950 vote. He guided early ordinances and budgets, built public trust in meetings and minutes and set civic norms that anchored Vestavia’s first decade.

Alabama’s winningest high school football coach led Vestavia Hills High for 43 seasons. He built a consistent program, won two state titles, mentored young coaches and turned Friday nights into a unifying civic ritual.

Ayres, J. H.: First fire chief who organized the city’s initial department from scratch. He recruited and trained early crews, set readiness standards and helped protect new neighborhoods spreading along Shades Mountain’s ridges and valleys.

Bachus, Spencer III: Sixth District Congressman with Vestavia roots whose committee work elevated regional priorities in banking and infrastructure. His constituent focus connected neighborhood concerns to federal policy during decades of metropolitan growth.

Baxley, Lucy: Statewide officeholder who called Vestavia home while serving Alabamians. She championed seniors and consumers, kept accessibility at the forefront and showed how Over‑the‑Mountain experience could shape practical statewide policy.

Belles, Vestavia: Teen ambassadors who welcome visitors, host ceremonies and serve at civic events. The program teaches poise and service, then sends graduates into leadership across schools, neighborhoods and local nonprofits.

Boone, Pat: Former councilor and longtime city attorney whose steady counsel guided annexations, school system milestones and complex development agreements. His institutional memory helped the city navigate growth without losing its neighborly tone.

Brasell, Beverly: Vestavia Hills High School theater and speech educator who built a powerhouse program. She staged ambitious shows, coached forensics champions, mentored future artists and turned school productions into community events families planned around.

Byrd, Charles: Postwar developer who restored George Ward’s estate, reopened the gardens and invested in early shopping centers. His projects seeded a commercial core that sustained residential growth and gave Vestavia a gathering place.

Cahaba Heights community leaders: Neighborhood advocates who rallied after storms, then worked through annexation. They integrated services, strengthened small-business corridors and ensured the area’s identity felt at home inside the city.

Chamber of Commerce founders: Business organizers who formalized advocacy and recruitment along U.S. 31. They built a durable partnership with schools and City Hall, keeping the local economy resilient through changing retail eras.

Clark, William: Founding superintendent who launched Vestavia Hills City Schools in 1970. He set academic standards, recruited early principals and created a school culture families moved here to join.

Cloud, Emmett: Real estate and civic catalyst tied to the pre‑incorporation country club era. His energy connected neighbors, encouraged festivals and reinforced the case for cityhood around shared amenities and gatherings.

Coggin, Frances: In 1976, Frances Coggin was the first woman elected to serve on the Vestavia Hills City Council. She resigned that role in 1979 to serve as the city’s senior accountant clerk and then later served as the city treasurer.

Curry, Ashley: Mayor and former FBI agent whose focus on public safety, infrastructure and customer‑service culture steadied City Hall. He has guided reinvestment, supported departmental excellence and emphasized clear communication with residents.

Downes, Jeff: City manager since 2013 who modernized operations and budgeting. He championed capital projects, strengthened school partnerships and normalized performance metrics that made city services more transparent and accountable.

Dunn, Sammy: Vestavia Hills High School baseball legend. Over 27 seasons he went 647-146, won nine 6A state titles from 1991 to 2000 including seven straight, and earned 1998 national coach honors — a standard of preparation and pride.

Educators, Vestavia Hills High School Hall of Fame: Teachers and administrators whose classroom craft and coaching shaped college‑ready graduates. Their daily excellence made Vestavia’s schools the city’s heartbeat and its most enduring brand.

Franks, Floyd: Professional midfielder and Vestavia Hills High School alum whose career highlighted Vestavia’s deep soccer culture. His youth clinics and outreach helped inspire the next wave of players and coaches.

Freeman, Todd: Superintendent steering enrollment growth, facilities and instructional innovation. He widened arts and career and technical education options, emphasized student safety and strengthened partnerships among classrooms, families and City Hall.

Friends of the Library founders: Volunteers who raised funds, recruited members and broadened programs. Their advocacy helped a modest collection mature into a beloved civic anchor for readers of every age.

Goodson, Gladys: First Garden Club president who mobilized beautification and civic fundraising. Her organizing energy built volunteer capacity that later made the 1976 temple relocation possible.

Grace, Jack: Mayor who guided late‑1970s service expansion and amenities. He kept neighborhood quality of life front‑and‑center during steady growth and left durable improvements in everyday city services.

Grammer, Rick: Soccer coach at VHHS for 44 years, is the state's all-time winningest soccer coach with record of 633-158-50. He retired with four state championships, had one season in which the Rebels ended with a No. 1 national ranking and was inducted in the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame.

Guillot, Robert: Second mayor who professionalized operations and broadened the tax base. He supported early park investments that welcomed young families and strengthened the city’s long‑term finances.

Gwin, Robert: First city attorney appointed at the inaugural council meeting. He drafted ordinances, reviewed contracts and translated civic hopes into legal footing for a functioning municipality.

Hagedorn, Lucian: Library board chair who helped steer the first major expansion. He widened access to collections and programs and set governance habits that carried the library forward.

Hammond, Chris: Major League pitcher and Vestavia Hills High School alum whose career spotlighted Vestavia athletics. He returned to support youth camps that emphasized fundamentals, perseverance and hometown pride.

Hancock, Josh: Big‑league pitcher and Vestavia Hills High School alum whose ascent reflected a nationally respected high school program. His story inspired younger athletes across parks and travel teams.

Hatchett, George: VHHS basketball coach for 35 years, with state titles in 1992 and 2009. Retired in 2016. AHSAA Hall of Fame in 2011. Braasch-Hatchett Court honors him and longtime girls basketball coach Fran Braasch.

Haynes, W. O.: Foundational police chief who built the department from a one‑officer operation into a modern force. He set training standards and a community‑trust ethos the city still prizes.

Humphreys, Tom: Chaired the 1981 committee that launched the Chamber of Commerce. His bridge‑building linked merchants and City Hall and strengthened advocacy for local business corridors.

I Love America Day volunteers: Community teams who grew a simple celebration into a signature city tradition. Music, flags and fellowship turned July evenings into a Vestavia ritual.

Kaufman, Smylie: PGA Tour winner and broadcaster — Vestavia Hills High School alum raised in Vestavia Hills. His national profile highlighted the city’s junior golf pipeline and community support for youth sports.

Kittinger, Jo: Children’s author and literacy advocate. Her books, school visits and civic work amplified reading culture in classrooms and family rooms across the city.

King, Louise: First town clerk who kept precise minutes and records, stabilized early operations and gave residents transparent access to their new city government.

Leadership Vestavia Hills founders: Civic‑training architects who built cohorts in finance, planning and service. The pipeline they created continues to supply prepared volunteers for boards and commissions.

Liberty Park master planners: Designers, developers and city partners who blended homes, offices and schools into a cohesive district. The project broadened the tax base and expanded Vestavia’s sense of place.

McCallum, Charles “Scotty”: Two‑term mayor and former university president who advanced sidewalks, parks and civic land acquisitions that residents use daily. He strengthened ties among schools, neighborhoods and capital planning.

McCauley, Charles: Architect whose early shopping center designs shaped U.S. 31’s look and feel. His work helped establish a recognizable commercial corridor as the city grew.

Miles, David: Longtime Pizitz principal who championed Living History Day and experiential learning. He connected classrooms to community and left traditions students remember.

Mote family: Early Shades Mountain settlers whose homesteads predated incorporation. Their presence anchored community life and church, then gave way to streets and addresses residents still know.

Ostergren, Sylvia: First city librarian, hired in 1969. She launched public library services, built welcoming programs and set a service culture that later flourished at the Library in the Forest.

Papajohn, Michael: Actor and Vestavia Hills High School alum whose film career and campus visits connected Hollywood grit and hometown mentorship. He encouraged students to pursue creative paths with discipline.

Pizitz family (Isadore and Hortense): Retail philanthropists whose land gifts enabled school sites. Their legacy lives daily at Pizitz and in the high school campus that anchors community life.

Reid, Grace: Library director whose long stewardship modernized collections and outreach. She strengthened partnerships and positioned the system for the leap to a forest‑framed, LEED‑gold home.

Reynolds, C. Pat: Three‑term mayor who expanded services, championed seniors and laid groundwork for successful annexations and chamber partnerships that broadened opportunity citywide.

Robinson, Leonard: First Library Board chairman who helped open the city’s public library. He set governance habits and volunteer pathways that sustained growth.

Scates, J. T.: Mayor during crucial transition years who kept the city on a steady course while preparing for the growth spurts that followed.

School board, founding members: Leaders who established an independent district, negotiated transitions and recruited principals whose leadership defined campus culture.

Schools Foundation founders: Parents and partners who created a permanent endowment for academics and teacher grants. Their fundraising turned community pride into sustained classroom support.

Sicard Hollow Athletic Complex champions: City and community leaders who realized a multi‑field vision that broadened youth sports capacity and brought regional tournaments to Vestavia.

Smyre family: Shades Mountain pioneers — notably Edgar Smyre — whose road building and landholding influenced early neighborhood patterns, place names and access to Ward’s estate.

Speir, Charles: Early civic hand whose committee work, budgeting chops and consensus building steadied governance as the young city matured.

Sports volunteers, youth programs: Coaches and commissioners who taught teamwork and citizenship while building a powerhouse recreation culture on diamonds and pitches.

Terrell family (Leonard and Rosa): Proprietors of the 1926 general store — Rosa ran daily operations. They provided goods, credit and a gathering place that knit early neighbors together.

Tipton, Kay: Vestavia Hills High School math educator and mentor whose rigorous instruction and encouragement launched thousands of students toward technical fields and confident problem solving.

Todd, community of merchants Developer Jesse Todd, who developed the retail center, and: shopkeepers who sustained Vestavia Village through retail cycles. They kept storefronts active, sponsored teams and maintained a friendly Main Street energy.

Towns, Margaret Saxon: Volunteer leader across beautification, seniors, hospital service and the historical society. Honors like the Golden Eagle Award recognized decades of cheerful, steady citizenship.

Tucker, Taneisha: Library in the Forest director who stewards a LEED‑gold cultural hub. She expanded outdoor learning and built partnerships that widened access countywide.

Vance, Robert: Early city attorney who later served as a federal appellate judge. His life and assassination in 1989 left a lasting moral imprint on civic duty here.

Vestavia Country Club founders: The pre‑incorporation golf and riding community that drew families together, justified cityhood and anchored neighborhood identity around shared recreation.

Volker, Joseph: UAB’s first president and regional builder in medical education whose service connected Vestavia to metropolitan ambition, innovation and care.

Waggoner, J. T. “Jabo”: Long‑serving state legislator representing Vestavia interests. His committee leadership has supported infrastructure and education priorities with tangible local dividends.

Wald sisters: Edna Wald, Mildred Wald and their sister Pearl Marcuse sold family land that became Wald Park. Opened in 1962, the complex anchored city recreation, the civic center and community traditions. 

Wald Park renewal team: City staff and citizen advisors who executed multi‑phase upgrades — ballfields, aquatics, play — rejuvenating a beloved public space into a modern, inclusive campus.

Ward, George: Former Birmingham mayor whose hilltop estate and classical temple inspired the city’s name and image. His showman’s vision left Vestavia an enduring landmark.

Warren, community readers Board member Buell Warren and the: early library volunteers who shelved books in tight quarters, ran story hours and helped the system grow into a welcoming civic landmark.

Weaver, Rusty: Council member and mayor pro tem who married neighborhood coaching roots with City Hall stewardship, emphasizing transparency and teamwork in daily decisions.

Wheeler, David: State representative from Vestavia whose legislative service and constituent focus connected neighborhood needs to the State House.

Whiting, Marvin Yeoman: Historian and author of “Vestavia Hills, Alabama: A Place Apart.” His scholarship preserved the city’s memory and gave residents a shared story.

Williams, Bill G.: Council member for two terms and decades-long planning and zoning committee volunteer who helped steer growth. WWII Navy veteran and Auburn alum, he lived in Vestavia more than 50 years. 

Wuska, Andrew Timothy: Engineer and civic volunteer who supported Friends of the Library and Men’s Garden Club — modeling service and mentorship across decades.

Wuska, Sara: Council member, founding school board member and Vestavia’s first female mayor. She championed education, senior services and responsive government.

Zaragoza, Butch: Former fire chief and two‑term mayor who emphasized customer service reforms and infrastructure upgrades. He empowered departments to deliver resident‑first results and helped rebuild trust in City Hall.