Franklin County resident Mattie Hamilton has been chosen as the Russellville Senior Center’s Senior of the Month for the month of March.
The 76-year-old Hamilton was born in Colbert County and grew up in Leighton. She went to Leighton Training School before moving to Tuscumbia and was a resident of Colbert County for many years.
After holding down several jobs in Colbert County, Hamilton met her husband, Silas Hamilton, and finally moved just a tad farther south away from her Colbert County roots.
“I married a man from here so I moved up here,” she said.
Hamilton came to the area in 1982 and said she has enjoyed her time here.
“I really like the people, and I’ve enjoyed coming to the Senior Center,” she said.
And apparently the people at the Senior Center have enjoyed her coming there as well, especially since Hamilton volunteers as a food service worker for her friends there.
“She is a very valuable asset to the Center as a volunteer,” said Cathye Garrison, director of the Senior Center. “We are really glad that she comes down her with us.”
Spending time at the Senior Center is one of Hamilton’s main pastimes these days, but she said her favorite hobby used to be traveling.
Hamilton has six children, Brenda Joyce, James Edward, Earl Anthony, Lloyd Christopher, Kelvin Lynn and Shalanda Lachelle. Two of her children, James Earl and Brenda Joyce, served with the military and worked for the Army, which required her to travel to see them a lot of the time.
Most notably, she has been to Germany, Paris, Seattle and most all the United States.
“I really loved Seattle,” she said.
“I went swimming and saw the sights.
“Germany was really different and I couldn’t speak their language, but they took me to Paris on that trip and I really took to Paris. I liked it there.”
In addition to her six children, Hamilton also has eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.