Gerald Love by Tom Sorrells

Tom Sorrells

Viewed: 4595

Posted by: RStokes
Date: Sep 23 2016 6:22 AM

GERALD LOVE-The story of the Southeast Alabama Youth Services is the story of Gerald Love and vice versa. Back in the  1960s and 70s the juvenile age was 16. I was an adult probation and parole supervisor while attending law school. I had a number of 16 and 17 year olds on my caseload. Because only a few large cities had juvenile facilities, I would interview these teens in an ancient jail that looked like a dungeon. The nearest detention facility that would take our kids was 200 miles away in Baldwin County near the Gulf. The amazing thing I observed about Dothan and the Wiregrass was how private citizens would go into action and create answers to problems. Meetings were held people such as Sue Byrd and A.A. Middleton, then Chairman of the County Commission, along witch many others lead a movement to provide a detention center for the Wiregrass. Gerald Love was brought in and given the task of creating something out of nothing. SAYS became his life. He built it up slowly, bringing in young men such as Rick Everitt and mentoring them. Over the years he called me constantly and we traveiled every where seeking support, expanding the mission to include group homes. Now SAYS stands as a great testimony as what can be done when citizens care and a man, such as Gerald Love is willing to devote his entire life to making a dream come true. Today, the Judges in Baldwin County sebe some of their juveniles here to Dothan. He has been my friend. I could see his agony trying to find a way to get his daughter a heart transplant and how he shared th pain of others. I am so glad that we decided to put Gerald’s name on the administrative building at SAYS so the citizens of this area will not forget that Gerald lived among us, and what he accomplished while he was here.

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