Titusville Titans August 2020
Our Neighborhood Notables
Titusville Titans
Do You Know Who is Living Next Door?
August 2020
THOMASENE SHAMBRAY
40+ YEARS
Ms. Shambray was the second of four children. “I was between the two boys. Then my parents had a baby girl when I was a teenager.” Her dad was a steelworker and her mom was a schoolteacher, until she left the profession to pursue her true calling full-time as a seamstress. She attended Center Street Elementary School and started high school at Ullman. “1969 was the first year of desegregation, so as a sophomore I was one of the pioneers to integrate Phillips High.” The following year she transferred to C.W. Hayes where she graduated in 1972. She served in the Army for 21 years traveling all over the world before retiring to civilian life back in Birmingham and in the old neighborhood. “I spent most of my military career in Germany. It was a great experience for the whole family. My son started school over there, and several of his classmates when he returned home had to give him extra work to challenge him.” She has had two marriages, upwards of 7 jobs, and a career as a financial clerk at VA Medical Center, and later, Liberty Mutual, where she spent another 20 years. Shambray is a member of Greater Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church and another church where she holds dual membership. She has six children and many grandchildren.
How has Titusville changed since you were a child?
There were children everywhere in the 1960s! The neighborhoods were full of families with children. We lived next door to Center Street Elementary, and the school playground was always busy with children playing basketball, swinging on the swings, or playing softball on the field. All the girls in the community were in the Girl Scouts and all the boys were Boy Scouts. There were so many children in Titusville we had four K-12 schools. Today, the community population barely supports one elementary and one high school. Titusville has aged. The children of the ‘60s left and did not come back, and we have had trouble attracting a new generation of young people. So, there are a lot of senior citizens who have different interests and needs.
What excites you about the future of Titusville?
It is still a beautiful neighborhood! Now, more than ever before, residents are cooperating to take care of it. The schools have good curricula. I want more families with children to move here to keep the neighborhood going.
Who were your role models growing up and who do you admire today?
My mother had so many qualities I admired. She was a multi-tasking woman. She made all the clothes for me and my brothers as children while working full-time at the factory making outdoor cushions. She pierced all the girls’ ears in the neighborhood. When I see some of them now, they remind me of that. She was the best country cook and taught me well enough to cook for the family when I was 10 years old. She also taught me to crochet, something I still enjoy today. I am working on 3 blankets right now. She had such a big heart; our house was the one where all the kids in the neighborhood loved to hang out because they knew they would always be welcome.
We did not own a TV until I was 12 or 13, so I did not have any TV favorites. But I loved the Temptations, Aretha Franklin, and Mahalia Jackson.
Today, I really admire Mayor Woodfin. I am amazed at how smart he is, to be so young. I believe he will go a long way in politics.
What do you wish for the Neighborhood Association?
I wish we would spend our NA funds to support the community. It is good that we purchased computers for the library. We could also have Alabama Power install lighting along the 10 alleyways in South Titusville and pay the minimal annual fee to keep them on. We could hire private contractors to cut the grass on abandoned properties rather than waiting on the city to do it. Last year Memorial Park asked each Titusville neighborhood association to donate a bench. That would be a great project.
How would you describe your style?
I am a quiet person, laid-back. That may be surprising, but even before the pandemic, I didn’t go out much. For example, right now I am doing family history going back five generations. Sitting at the computer doing that research is what I enjoy. I like working with my hands. I used to sew clothes, but it’s hard to find the equipment now. I also like to read the books of Stephen King novels. Do my kids think of me the same way? Yes, I think they do. They say my heart is a little too big, but I tell them if they know when you are blessed, you should always be there for others. I guess I picked that up where my mother left off.
What is some of the work you have done for the community?
I have been the South Titusville Neighborhood Association Secretary for eight years, sending out notices and announcements to the residents and recording minutes at monthly meetings. I attend the Citizens Advisory Board (CAB) meetings with the NA officers from across the city. I also serve as President of the Titusville Community Association, which includes the officers of all three neighborhoods. I go out regularly to see what needs to be done and then work with the city and other resources to get things fixed. I especially keep up with our older residents to try to get them what they need. Some of them have applied for the city’s roof repair program, but there is such a backlog; I try to make sure they keep their place in line. Overall, our biggest problems have been street paving (potholes), speeding, plumbing (flooding) and abandoned houses. And our biggest challenges have been getting the city to listen and then follow through on promises. It has been a tough eight years, but I feel like we have turned a corner. Communication with the city is much better, and they are much more responsive. I will call, but usually if I go to city hall, the next day or two they come out to assess the issue.
Know someone you would like to spotlight? Call The Titusville Development Corporation at 205-252-5526; or send an email to Titusville@bellsouth.net, include Neighborhood Notables on the subject line.
