The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-12-16
THIS IS 4 STORY
 OF BOY DREAMER Built The School That Started
 Roanoke's Growth HAD BEEN DREAM OF YEARS Roanoke Is Now One of Most Prosper ous Little Towns in State and Is
 Noted for Fine Churches.
 Successful School.
HAD BEEN DREAM OF YEARS
By WALTER HARPER.

More than half a century ago boy dreamer roamed the wild hills of east Alabama. He was uneducated and un- trained--a child of the wilderness. but the Great Almighty had touched his brain and his soul with the wand of inspiration. His dreams were noble. They encompassed the welfare of hu- manity.
 His dreams were practical They seemed impossible to those to whom he related them but did not seem impos- sible to him. He lived to see them crystalize into living tangible real ities.
 Thic boy dreamer had but small op- portunity for education. There were no schools to speak of in his community. The country was wild and undeveloped A great majority of the people were rough mountaineer pathfindcrs in new and untried wilderness.
 Near the boys home on a small knoll among the mountains stood a wayside grog shop. The proprietor sold grocer les, some dry goods and liuuors It was the popular rendezvous for the moun- taineers in the surrounding country. A postofficeA was established at the grog shop and the boy was employed to carry the mail. In this way he had access to copies of weekly newspapers that came to the office. A little reading developed the fine qualities of the boys mind. He began to dream.
 Would Build School.
 Some day he would build a fine school on the knoll occupied by the grog shop. He would give other boys a better op- portunity for education than he had en- joyed. Around and about the school building he built in his dreams a thriv- ing city, where there would be culture and those other things that make life agreeable. He had a very indistinct idea of what these things should be but he saw a better condition than existed in the wilderness and about the grog shop
 As he grew older he grew in wisdom As he grew in wisdom he saved pennies Pennies grew into dollars and dollars grew into real estate holdings
 When he came to maturity the boy dreamer had accumulated quite neat property as wealth was counted in that section at that time.
 Then he proceeded to put his dreams into execution. He built the school house on the very spot that mad been occu- pied by the grog shop. It was consid- cred the finest building of any descrip- tion in east Alabama and was pointed to with pride by everyone who saw it. 1t was really a credit to the commun- ity.
 School Is Success. Teachers were employed and pupils from q Dd II xvac cess. Some years after the building was destroyed by fire. But in the mean time town had gradually grown up about the school house. It was a pro- sressive and prosperous town. Trade came from several of tNe surrounding counties. Large supply stores were es- tablished and the town became one of the best in east Alabama. The boy dreamer had acquired most of the land in the vicinity and was rapidly becom- ing powerful financially.
 When the school burned down he called on the town authorities to help him rebuild. This was nothing but right the town should be the principal ben eficiery. The desired cooperation was readily granted and a large brick struc- ture took the place of the old frame building. An additional brick building has since been erected. The two build ings cost $3o,0O0 and today this is one of the finest institutions of the kind in the state.
 Dreamer Is Dead.
 The boy dreamer died less than a year ago at ripe old age. He was mourned by the entire state. He s, ood high in the councils of the people and as a financier and business man. He lived and died in the town that he planned in his boyhood dreams.
 Mai W. A. Handley was perhaps the only man who lived to zee his earliest dreams materialize in such definite form. They were big dreams, but he was a big man and was able 10 build up to ~them.
 Roanoke, the city that Major Hand ley built in his dreams and later finished with his hands and brain, is one of the most prosperous towns in the state. It has a population of about 2500 and is steadily growing.
 F. P Nichols, a prominent insurance man and public spirited citizen, Is the present mayor His administration Is progressive and many public improve ments are being made under his direc- ton.
 The town owns its water and electric lighting plants. There Is a fertilizer plant, cotton mill, oil mill, ice plant and blaming mills
 Has Fine Churches.
 Roanoke has the finest churches of any city of the size in the state. The Methodists and Baptists have just com pleted new buildings. The Baptist church cost $30,OO0 and the Methodist $22,0O0. The Presbyterians and Christians also have good churches.
 Roanoke has two railroads, the Gen. tral of Georgia and the Atlanta, Bir- mingham and Atlantic.
 Prof. w. H. McDaniel is principal of the public school Eight teachers are employed in the various departments. The average attendance is something over 4O0 This is the school that captain Handley dreamed that he should build when he was yet boy and there was no physical prospect of even a village at Roanoke.
 M,rot Not "Plav PoltticS."