Lola Boyd
Education Legacy Lives On
With Outdoor Education Center
Representative Robert Aderholt
cuts ribbon to formally dedicate the Lola Boyd Outdoor Education
Center and Wildlife Area.
Photos by Dwight Hayes
One of two outdoor classrooms
located along the 1,500 walking trail which meanders through the
wildlife area.
October 9,
2008
Lola Boyd, the beloved
teacher of thousands of students, would be proud of the outdoor
education center which bears her name according to Jerrell
Smalley who spearheaded the development of the project.
The outdoor classroom and wildlife sanctuary was a dream of
Boyd's and is located on land that she donated for the site.
A formal dedication of the center was held Thursday afternoon.
"Lola Boyd loved children
and teaching," Smalley told the group of 30-40 who turned out
for the dedication. "She was able to attend one class held
at the center before she died and she was so excited."
Smalley added.
Boyd donated the land,
which was located behind her life long home, to the City of Arab
a few years before her passing. She also donated her home
and the funds to have it moved to the Arab Historical Complex
located in the Arab City Park after her death. The home
was restored and a dedication was held for the home in November
of last year.
Lola Boyd was an educator
in the Arab city schools for over 40 years and lived in the home
where she was born her entire life. She enjoyed watching
the numerous birds, squirrels and other small animals which
inhabited the area behind her home. Wishing to preserve
the beauty of the area, she contacted Smalley while in her mid
nineties and asked him to help with her vision. The result
is a permanently preserved tract of land to be used to educate
youth and homeowners about the benefits of preserving wildlife
areas among the subdivisions which spring up in cities.
The outdoor education
center covers approximately 5 acres, has two outdoor classrooms,
a 1,500 foot walking trail, wooden bridge and observation deck,
and small wetlands area. The entire area is handicapped /
wheelchair accessible.
A pavilion capable of
sheltering approximately 50 people was built with a $60,000
grant secured by Alabama Congressman Robert Aderholt.
Additional funding and/or in-kind work was provided by Alabama's
Mountains, Rivers & Valleys Resource Conservation and
Development, Marshall County Soil and Water Conservation
District, the Arab Board of Education, and the City of Arab, the
Alabama Cooperative Extension System and the Sate Association of
RC& D Councils.
The center is located
between Adam Boyd Drive NE and 8th St NE.
|
