Annie McReynolds Rives
Published 12:00 am Sunday, May 4, 2003
Annie McReynolds Rives, of White Hall, died Thursday, April 24, 2003, in Mont-gomery.
Services were at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at Unity Baptist Church in White Hall. Burial followed in the church cemetery with Pastor Albert Whiting officiating and Bell Funeral Home directing.
Survivors include a daughter, Rosa R. Moore, of Montgomery; a brother, Thomas (Nancy) McReynolds, of White Hall; two grandsons, Derick (Deidra) Moore, of Fayetteville, Ga., and Anthony Moore, of Montgomery; a great-granddaughter, Raven Maria Moore, of Fayetteville, Ga.; nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends.
Robert Aaron
Robert Aaron, 50, of Hayneville, died Wednesday, April 30, 2003.
Services were at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at Bougahoma Baptist Church with the Rev. E. Green officiating. Burial followed in David Gordon Cemetery with Bell Funeral Home directing.
Cleosis Benison
Cleosis Benison, 39, of Forkland, died Monday, April 28, 2003, at a Demopolis hospital.
Services were at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at the Lloyd Chapel Baptist Church, Forkland, with the Rev. Clayborn May officiating. Burial followed in the church cemetery with Larkin and Scott Funeral Home directing.
Hubert Daniels
Hubert Daniels, 59, of Jefferson, died Friday, April 25, 2003, at a Demopolis hospital.
Services were at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 3, at First Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church in Jefferson, with the Rev. Edmond Charleston officiating. Burial followed in Scott Memorial Cemetery in Jefferson with Larkin and Scott Funeral Home directing.
Mary Frances Tipton
Mary Frances Tipton, 68, of Montevallo, died Friday, May 2, 2003.
Services are 11 a.m. Monday, May 5, at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Montevallo. Burial will follow at Old Live Oak Cemetery in Selma, with Rockco Funeral Home directing.
Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, May 4, at Rockco Funeral Home in Montevallo.
A member of one of the pioneering families of Old Cahaba and Selma, Miss Tipton was the daughter of the late Francis Clark Tipton and Nettie Vincent Spivey Tipton of Selma.
Born and reared in Selma, she spent much of the past 50 years in Montevallo, first as a student at what was then Alabama College (now the University of Montevallo), and later as a librarian, educator, author, actress, church worker and community leader.
A graduate of Parrish High School in Selma, she received her bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of Montevallo in 1957. As a college student she was active in theater, College Night and the Student Government Association. She served as SGA treasurer and was SGA president in 1956-57. After graduating from Montevall she received a master’s degree in library science from Florida State University in 1966.
Miss Tipton began her career as a 10th-grade English teacher in Florida but soon developed an interest in library work, which led to 28 years of service in that field. In 1963, she joined the Carmichael Library staff at Montevallo as periodicals librarian, and subsequently became reference librarian, head of public service and director.
During that period, she was active as a member of committees, including the Dancy Lectures Committee, Hallie Farmer Lectures Committee, Faculty Council and College Night. Students twice dedicated College Night to her. Upon her retirement in 1991, she was awarded the rank of associate professor and director of libraries emerita. That same year, she was named Montevallo’s Distinguished Alumna, the highest honor presented by the UM National Alumni Association.
In 1991, she received the Alabama Library Association’s Citation of Exceptional Service Award in recognition of her enduring contribution to the development of library service in Alabama. During her career, she held a number of leadership roles in the ALA, including tenures as secretary, vice-chair and chair of the College, University and Special Libraries Division and as associate editor of the Alabama Librarian. Miss Tipton was selected as Montevallo’s representative to the Network of Alabama Academic Libraries and was a member of the Executive Council. She also was an active member of the Society of Alabama Archivists. Her work with Montevallo’s archives led to several published works on the university’s history.
She was the author of Years Rich and Fruitful: University of Montevallo 1896-1999, UM’s centennial history. She also co-wrote a number of readers’ theater presentations about the history of the university and, in 2002, wrote a script commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the UM National Alumni Association.
A leader in community-theater activities, she was a past board member of Montevallo Main Street Players, and had most recently starred in two MMSP-produced plays, Grace and Glorie and Dearly Departed.
Her acting debut was in You Can’t Take It With You, and that part was a springboard to starring roles in ‘Night Mother and her acclaimed one-woman performance of If I had a dog, I’d name him Spot, with irony, performing as Flannery O’Connor. She was also former chair of the community-theater division of the Alabama Theater League.
Miss Tipton was a member of the board of the Friends of the Parnell Memorial Library and was a member of its building committee. She was also a former member of the steering committee of Shelby County’s Young Authors Committee.
In addition, she was active in the Montevallo Branch of the American Association of University Women, which presented its Pathfinder Award to her last year. Miss Tipton was a member of the St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church’s Women of the Church and was a volunteer at the American Village. She was an active member of the Montevallo Garden Club.
She was a preceded in death by two aunts, Helen Tipton and Josephine Tipton.
Survivors include cousins Rebecca Spivey Pickens, of Collierine, Janie Russell Connelly, of Bossier City, La., Marion Arthur Ward Jr., of Pennington, Evelyn Ward Sullivan of Meridian, Miss Ruby Russell Rapier, of Wimberly, Texas, Alice Spivey Gordon, of Selma, and M. Andrew Plummer, of Birmingham; god-daughter Belinda Chee of Davis, Calif.; and two loving dogs, Daisy B. Tipton and Peaches Tipton.
Memorials may be made to Parnell Memorial Library Foundation, 545 Main Street, Montevallo, and St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 935 Plowman Street, Montevallo.