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John's Journal... Entry 66, Day 5

click to enlargeDollarhide's President

EDITOR'S NOTE: Earnest W. "Rainey" Collins, 88, has been president of Dollarhide since 1988.

Question: What does being president of Dollarhide mean to you?
Answer: The members elected me. We all set the rules, and then we all go by the rules. Many newspapers have written articles about abiding by the rules of hunting, and Dollarhide abides by them. We try to be good sportsmen.

click to enlargeQuestion: How has Dollarhide changed?
Answer: We've lost a lot of young people to other sports. We don't have as many young people dedicated to hunting as we used to. Everybody had a son and that son had a friend. But now, kids have something going on all the time. Fifty years ago, they couldn't go to football or basketball games every weekend, or watch TV and/or surf the Internet. Consequently, we had everyone down here in past years.

Question: What does the future look like for Dollarhide?
Answer: Dollarhide will perpetuate. We have enough members to keep it going for a long time. I want Dollarhide known as the hunting reservoir of southern traditions. We've got outsiders who come in and help us, and I think from a membership and hunting standpoint, Dollarhide remains in good shape.

click to enlargeQuestion: What do you miss about the old days?
Answer: We still have a good time fishing and hunting out on our deer stands, but we don't have the same storytellers, like professional athletes and all-American legends, that we once did coming to the club. Some of our hunters come in and tell pretty good stories and perhaps even lie and embellish a little. Good stories work well for the crowd.

click to enlargeQuestion: What did you do before you became president of Dollarhide?
Answer: I went into the Army and National Guard and came out as a General. Afterwards, I decided that Tuscaloosa needed a laundry, so I helped run the Northington Laundry, which once cared for the Northington Hospital in Tuscaloosa. Then I was elected Mayor of Tuscaloosa for two terms. After I was elected president of Dollarhide, I figured I had gotten as high as I could go.

 

 

 

Check back each day this week for more about Dollarhide ...

Day 1 -Dollarhide's Beginning
Day 2 -Dollarhide Traditions
Day 3 -Dog Hunting at Dollarhide
Day 4 -Information about Dollarhide
Day 5 -Dollarhide's President

John's Journal