What’s something you’ve always wanted to do?

“Go to New York and see ‘The Lion King.’ I saw a snippet of it when I went to Disney World. It’s an inspiration to me. I was fascinated by the animals, the cast members and the interaction with the community. I felt refreshed after I saw it. I really loved it – family coming together in a time of adversity. Family, that’s the key. My grandmother was 103 when she passed. She passed away four years ago. She was the backbone of our family. She instilled in us family values, family holidays, family traditions and her cooking. She turned her recipes over to her granddaughters and we cooked the item that she gave us, and she would inspect it or taste it and say, ‘That’s right, that’s wrong,’ or ‘Do it again.’ She was beautiful. My daughter just retired from the Army for 25 years. She and her husband have my first grandchild. We did a picture of my grandbaby with her great-great-grandmother, five generations of us. She was born right before she passed.” – Gwendolyn Andrews of Maplesville

Gwendolyn Andrews appreciates being in a close community like Maplesville. (Tamika Moore / People of Alabama)

Andrews grew up in Maplesville and loves the community and people.

“In a time of need, we all come together – no questions asked. We just do what we’ve got to do, neighbors helping neighbors. We have a great football team. Go MHS! It’s got a hometown feeling. It’s got a community atmosphere.”

These are the faces and stories of people from all walks of life who call Alabama home. People of Alabama is a Red Clay Media and Alabama NewsCenter partnership.