Dear Editor,
My name is Gary Stone. I was born in Eufaula, Alabama in 1952 where my mom is from. My dad (from the Alexander City area) met my mom in 1948 and married her in Georgetown (Georgia?) at the courthouse in June 1948. She was age 16 and he was 21. After I was born we lived there in Eufaula for about 3.5 years and then moved to Opelika. We lived in the Pepperell Mill village housing across the street  from the now Golden Corral.     My dad had three jobs; a tree trimmer-surgeon. sold snow cones, and was a weaver in the textile mill there. He was a very good weaver but liked the outside the best.
I loved getting over in my mom’s lap and steering the car while we went through the two ponds of water near the mill. I never knew what the ponds were about and why they were there until a few days ago when Mis Edna Ward told me the story behind them.
I really enjoyed living in Opelika as a youngster. My dad moved us back to his home town area right before I was school age for the first grade.
I don’t remember the date because of being so young but he was hired to cut a tree down and haul it off in front lawn of the present courthouse in Opelika . The timing was probably somewhere between 1957 maybe up to 1962 when he got this job.
I remember my mom saying and showing us the picture in the Opelika newspaper of my dad cutting down that tree. I don’t remember where it was on the front page or inside the paper.
Now that I’m age 65 I thought it would be a part of history to give to my three grand children if I could find that picture for them of their Great granddad cutting down that tree.
Hopefully there is someone who knows the date of this tree being cut down. Dad’s name was T.J. Stone. I loved going in the dime store I call it as a boy  downtown there. That was my favorite store as a little boy.
I still love the area in Lee County. It has grown so much and joined together with Auburn more than ever. I wish my dad had stayed there. We would have been about in the middle of my grand parents in Eufaula and my dad’s people in Alexander City. We still come down to visit also most every month.
If anyone  knows the date of the tree cutting please contact Miss Edna Ward. I have been looking at the film in the Library but haven’t seen it yet.. Again I love Lee county and have been thinking about moving back there and practicing my many years of being a master barber.
Gary Stone
Editor’s note: If anyone knows the approximate date the last tree or trees were cut from the front of the courthouse please contact either Mrs. Edna Ward and 745-6713 or this paper.