GOOD NEWS
Colony Senior Center
Celebrated 45 Years in February
By Kelly Wheeler
The opportunity doesn ’ t always arise where an individual can really delve into the history or birth surrounding a local senior center .
Especially not one that is around the same age as the interviewer and has a variety of participants willing to share their senior center stories — members ranging in participation from 2 to 22 years .
However , this proved to not be the case when I , almost 46 years old , visited the Colony Senior Center in March — a local full-time senior center that just turned 45 years old earlier this year .
Randall Shedd , state representative for District 11 who also served as the director of the Commission on Aging , said Colony holds a special place in his heart because he was serving as a Cullman County commissioner when Colony became a Senior Center .
“ If I remember correctly , Eula Demonia was the first senior center manager at Colony Senior Center ,” Shedd said . “ I always enjoyed visiting
Colony Senior Center , where I was always welcome and made some great friends .”
Shedd shared that he was just recently sad to learn that Rufus Graves passed away .
“ We always talked about how that his given name was the same as my grandfather ( Rufus Garrett ),” said Shedd . “ Honestly , I just always looked forward to seeing the ladies from Colony at our Senior Shindigs and Senior Day at the Fair . They were always entering the Best Bonnet Contests and had some of the most beautiful ones .”
The anniversary of the opening of the Senior Center in 1978 was fabulously celebrated through the efforts of the newest Senior Center manager , Rhonda Brewer .
Brewer has been a COA employee for several years , but just recently changed positions within the county to officially become Colony ’ s full time Senior Center manager in February — a big month at the center with it being Black History Month and the senior group ’ s 45th birthday .
16 | SUMMER 2023 CULLMAN COUNTY SENIOR MAGAZINE