Category Archives: Recent Posts

Recent Posts

Shirley Owens

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Shirley Owens died on June 30th. She worked in the Financial accounting group at Inverness. Her title was Senior Work Management Analyst. She worked at the company for over 40 years retiring in 2021.

Will Gates

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William A. Gates passed away June 20, 2022 at age 66 after a short illness. His wife, Dr. Lillian M. Mitchell, was with him at the time of his death at Tidewell Hospice House, Lakewood Ranch, Florida. They had retired to Bradenton, Florida one year ago.

Mr. Gates was born in Florence, Alabama and lived his early years in Tuscumbia, Alabama. He was predeceased by his parents James Buford Gates and June Moss Gates. He graduated from Deshler High School in Tuscumbia, and the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and later from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) with a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering specializing in Fluid Dynamics.

Will had a thirty-year career with Southern Company, starting as a co-op student from 1975 until 1978. During his Southern Company employment, he was associated with Alabama Power Company, Southern Nuclear Operating Company, and Southern Company Services Inc. He was the top pump engineer at Southern Nuclear Operating Company and was chosen by the president of Southern Nuclear to document the work of Dr. Elemer Makay, preeminent pump expert and researcher in Yardley, Pennsylvania, from 1992 through 1996. Will met his wife, Lillie, while living in Yardley.

Mr. Gates was a nationwide respected pump expert and assisted many nuclear power plants, coal plants, dams, and gas plants in troubleshooting and providing recommended design modifications to increase efficiency and safety in their operating systems. More recently, Mr. Gates was the Senior Vice President of Engineering with Arnett Engineered Solutions in Palmetto, Florida until December 2021. He was employed with M and M Construction Company in Wetumpka, Alabama as lead engineer and executive Vice President of Engineering from 2012 until the time of his death.

William is survived by his wife, Lillian Mitchell Gates; brothers, Steve Gates and his wife Cindy: and Mark Gates; brother and sister-in-law, Dr. Alan and Eileen Brackup; godson, Thomas Hamilton Hardy; nephews, Robert and Shane Brackup and Tyler, Chase and Bucko Gates; nieces, Julia Brackup and Leah and Channing Gates.

A celebration of life service will be held at Good Shepherd Chapel at Fair Haven Retirement Community, 1424 Montclair Road, Birmingham, Alabama 35210, Saturday, July 9th at 1 PM. Masks will be required to enter the building.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Project, PO Box 758516, Topeka, Kansas 66675 in Will’s memory. Memories and condolences may be left for the family online at www.MFHcares.com.

Click here to link the AL.COM obituary.

Next Meeting July 11, 2022 (Updated Parking Information!)

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Date: July 11, 2022
Location: Alabama Power Building Auditorium
600 18th Street North
Birmingham, Alabama

Time: 1:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Lifestyle Speaker: Amy Capps,
Service Dogs of Alabama

Keynote Speaker: Paula Marino
Executive Vice President
Southern Company’s
Technical and Project
Solutions (T&PS)

SPEAKERS – JULY 11, 2022 RETIREE MEETING

Lifestyle:
Our Retiree Lifestyle speaker will be Amy Capps with Service Dogs of Alabama. Service Dogs of Alabama (SDA) is dedicated to providing medical and psychiatric assistant dogs to children, adults and veterans with disabilities.

SDA places dogs for diabetic and seizure alert, autism, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and stability and wheelchair assistance. SDA trains facility dogs for school interventions involving counseling and learning disabilities. SDA also trains dogs who can assist children when they are testifying in court.

Keynote:
As executive vice president of Southern Company’s Technical and Project Solutions (T&PS), Paula Marino leads a workforce of approximately 1,700 individuals across the areas of new generation and environmental strategy development, major project design and construction execution, technology due diligence, power delivery engineering and O&M support.

Marino began her Southern Company career in 1993 and progressed through various roles in distribution, transmission, fossil-hydro generation and nuclear generation. She served as the assistant to the president of Southern Company Generation and managed multiple departments within Engineering and Construction Services (E&CS), including environmental and retrofit projects supporting Alabama Power. Marino also served as vice president of engineering at Southern Nuclear.

Hope to see you there!

Parking information: (Updated 7/8/2022)

Parking for the meeting will be in Lot #5 ONLY which is located on the corner of 17th Street North and 6th Avenue North. This is behind the Alabama Power Building. You will enter the parking lot from 6th Avenue North. A gate is at the entrance to the parking lot. An Alabama Power Security person should be at the gate to open it for you.

Parking lots #1 and #2 will not be available due to street closings to support the World Games. Streets that will be closed are 17th Street North to 25th Street North and avenues north of 6th Avenue North. 6th Avenue North will be open.

You will enter the Alabama Power Building through the main entrance on 18th Street North. Go to the Welcome Desk where you will be given a temporary pass to go to the Auditorium.