This week I sat down with Richard Martin in his office on the Square to talk about his life and community service in Athens.

Richard was born in what was the old Powers Hospital, formerly located on the corner of Pryor and Jefferson streets. He was the baby and had three other siblings — Freddie, David and Mamie.

Their father owned the Martin Hardware and John Deere business from 1916-1958 here in Athens. He sold the first John Deere tractor in 1933 to the Williamson Family.

Richard graduated from Athens High School and attended Florence State Teachers College, which is now known as the University of North Alabama. After one semester, he came back to Athens and worked at the post office. His father then convinced him to join the army.

“It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said. “It taught me to be disciplined.”

After working a few other jobs when he got out of the military, he eventually sold insurance for Mutual of New York and has done so for 50 years. His company is AXA advisors and his business partner is Leslie Mitchell.

For those of you who know Richard you know that he raised his three children on his own from the time they were 5, 8 and 12. He also has seven grandchildren.

Richard Jr. is a superintendent for Martin and Cobey Construction. Temple is an attorney and Lee is married to Jon, who is from Britain. Jon graduated from the University of Nottingham with an engineering degree. He now works for IBM on a new program called Watson.

Richard is an Eagle Scout and a member of First United Methodist Church in Athens. He is on the boards of the Limestone County Parks and Recreation, Historical Society and Athens-Limestone Community Association.

He was a driving force behind the Rails to Trails initiative, which is known to most as the Richard Martin Rails to Trails. The 10-mile trail is for walking, jogging, bicycles and even horseback riding.

As a member of the Athens-Limestone Community Association, Richard has worked on the renovation of the Fort Henderson/Trinity School complex and the new Pincham-Lincoln Community Center. The group plans to turn the former band room into a museum featuring memorabilia and photographs.

More recently, he’s been active in having the bell taken down from the Limestone County Courthouse so it can be displayed publicly. If you would like to contribute to any of these community projects or would like more information, contact him at his office.

In other happenings, the 9/11 remembrance service held last Sunday on the Square was very nice. I would like to congratulate those who were given an award Tuesday for their service at the annual Athens-Limestone Tourism Breakfast. It was a lovely breakfast and very enjoyable.

Some of you may know about the “full tummy project” that Friendship United Methodist participates in. This project helps children who do not have food on the weekends or holidays when school is out. The last school year, the church gave away 6,786 bags of food. If you would like to contribute to this wonderful ministry, visit friendshipumc.org/fulltummy for the list of items they need and more information.

Upcoming events include:

• Constitution Day will be celebrated Monday at 11 a.m. on the campus of Athens State University. The free event will be held in McCandless Hall and the Sandridge Student Center;

• The Vietnam Veterans of America on Elm Street will host a spaghetti lunch from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and dinner from 5-7 p.m. The cost is $7 and includes spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, dessert and a beverage;

• The Mental Health Center of North Central Alabama Foundation will host its fourth annual golf tournament Thursday at Canebrake Club in Athens. Registration begins at 11:30 a.m., lunch at noon and the tournament begins at 1 p.m. For more information, contact Suzanne Linnemann at 256-497-6044 or email SuzanneLinnemann@charter.net;

• The second annual Power of Pink Pageant will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, at Cedar Hill Elementary School in Ardmore. The pageant is open to girls ages 1-19. Proceeds benefit the Liz Hurley Breast Cancer Fund. For more information, email powerofpinkpageant@gmail.com; and

• The town of Elkmont will commemorate the Battle of Sulphur Creek Trestle on Saturday, Sept. 24. To learn more about the battle, visit the Athens-Limestone County Tourism Center in downtown Athens.

If you have any news to share or a special event in your life, please email me at agibbs@my.athens.edu or write to me at P.O. Box 553 Athens, AL 35612-0553. I hope to hear from you soon.

One more thing — when you finish reading this article, please call your mother and tell her you love her. I sure wish I could call mine.