The Southern Star (Alabama)

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The Southern Star is the newspaper of Ozark, Alabama and one of the oldest newspapers in the Wiregrass area. It is a weekly publication and new editions are delivered every Wednesday.

OZARK -- Two years after the Civil War, a former Confederate soldier with no journalism experience decided to start a weekly newspaper.

Joseph A. Adams didn't do too badly in his venture because the Southern Star is still around and still owned by his descendants.

That adds up to 140 years of ownership by the same family during two world wars, depressions, recessions, social upheaval and political shenanigans.

An anomaly in an era of constant change, the Southern Star has survived 14 decades of ups and downs and continues to provide weekly reports to nearly 5,000 subscribers.

"I'd like to think that we have created a niche in Dale County," said Southern Star Publisher Joseph H. Adams, the great-grandson of the founder. "We also feel that we are the conscience of our community."

Adams, 74, said he has been told that the Southern Star is the fourth-oldest family-owned newspaper in the United States, making the recent anniversary and his leadership of 50 years even sweeter.

"Joe's family certainly proves that once newspaper ink gets in your veins, it's hard to stop," said Carol Pappas, chairwoman of the Alabama Press Association's Board of Directors. "A record of 140 years in the same family is amazing, but it tells the story of community journalism at its best."

Much of the newspaper's history was published in a special report late last month. It also includes the accomplishments of its publisher and his half century at the helm.

A University of Alabama journalism school graduate and former sports editor of the Crimson White, Adams' leadership at the Star began during the Eisenhower administration.

Like most publishers and editors of weekly newspapers, Adams often has been a one-man band -- doing just about everything needed to get out more than 2,600 editions of the Star along with countless special sections and commercial printings.

Adams describes himself as "computer illiterate" and prefers to write his high school football stories, editorials and other articles by hand on yellow notepads. Somebody at the paper types them into the computer.

He still enjoys walking the sidelines or keeping track of plays from the pressbox during Carroll High School football games.

Years ago, he took notice of a young football player who showed promise. It was Bobby Bright, who became a lawyer and, last week, was elected to his third term as mayor of Montgomery.

"Bobby was a pretty good little pass receiver," said Adams, whose longevity at the Star was cited by Bright in a special resolution.

The mayor said Adams had witnessed and recorded "all of the sweep of history in the Wiregrass in an excellent professional manner."

Politics aside, Bright likes to remember Joe Adams the sports writer, who took several photos of him during football games, including one that showed him making a touchdown catch against Enterprise.

"Those of us who grew up in rural Dale County all looked forward to reading the paper every Thursday," Bright said Friday afternoon. "If you could get your name in the Star you were really something."

Ozark Mayor Bob Bunting echoes Bright's sentiments. He calls Adams and the Star "important assets for the community."

"Joe Adams is a greater promoter of economic progress for Ozark than any man I know," said Bunting. "He goes out of his way to do what he can to make our town a better place in which to live."

A great-grandfather who has been following and writing about Alabama politics since Gordon Persons was governor, Adams even found a way to use his newspaper to get himself out of a jam with his future wife.

He and Dorothy Adams were about to have their first date in late December of 1957, but he showed up two hours late.

When he finally arrived at her house, his date's relatives wondered what happened to him. So did she.

"When I told them I had just been out on a moonshine still raid, they looked at me and had to have been thinking: 'what kind of fool has descended on us?'" Adams said, with a smile.

The more he insisted it was all true, the more skeptical his date's relatives seemed to become. They were convinced a week later when the Star was published.

"It's right here," Adams said, as he opened a bound volume of old Star copies and turned to the Jan. 2, 1958 issue with a front page headline saying "1,100 gallon still raided."

During their courtship, the two discovered an interesting fact -- both were born on April 1, a few years apart. He admits he's older than his bride. They celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary next year.

Adams began working at the paper at the age of 12 when he learned how to run a hand-fed folder. He started writing sports as he got older.

At the University of Alabama, Adams was sports editor of the Crimson White, the student newspaper, and became friendly with Gay Talese, who preceded him in that position and would become one of the country's most celebrated authors.

Adams also had a chance to follow Alabama's legendary "Rocket 8" basketball team that won the Southeastern Confrence championship. One of his favorites on that team was George Linn, who later become a state prosecutor.

After a stint in the Army, Lt. Adams returned home to resume his civilian duties at the Star. He quickly learned that he might have been a military officer, but that didn't amount to much when it came to commanding a weekly newspaper staff.

"I was still full of the Army's ways and soon began to try and tell daddy what he should do, how he should do it and when he should do it," Adams said, referring to John Quincy Adams Jr., who was publisher at the time.

The boss took it for three weeks, Adams recalled, and then let his son have it after he had his fill of "suggestions."

"One day I was bearing down pretty hard," Adams recalled. "He slammed his fist down on the desk and said: 'You're not in the damned Army anymore ... you're working for me.'"

John Quincy Adams wasn't just Joe Adams' father. He was his idol, adviser, boss and working partner. John Q., who was with the Star for 53 years, died in 1992.

Weekly papers such as the Southern Star are experiencing the same challenges as daily newspapers these days and Adams said it seems to get tougher by the year because of competition from a variety of sources.

He also wonders if the Adams family will be able to continue operating the Star. At the moment, no immediate relative has stepped forward to indicate a desire to keep the 140 year tradition alive.

"We might sell the paper one day, but nothing has been decided along that line," he said. "Right now, we're happy to continue publishing the Southern Star the way we have for so many years."

Reference: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070902/NEWS02/709020331/1009/rss04