Schools receive books for bicentennial

Throughout Franklin County’s celebration of Alabama’s Bicentennial, there will be several opportunities for people to learn about the state and its people and places. This supply of knowledge is something Chris Ozbirn, head of the Bicentennial Committee for Franklin County’s Bicentennial Celebration, is passionate about. Through a project with Tricia Montgomery, Ozbirn is getting the chance to take more educational resources to all six high schools in Franklin County.

“I think it’s so important for children to learn about our local history,” Ozbirn said. The way she hopes to help them learn is through a set of 45 books, each of which tells about an important person from Alabama.

Each high school in Franklin County will receive a set of these books at the Bicentennial Kick-off Feb. 6.

“When Tricia approached me about it, I knew it was the perfect thing to go along with the bicentennial,” Ozbirn said.

The 45 biographies are a set from Seacoast Publishing titled “The Alabama Roots Series.” According to Ozbirn, Montgomery needed an entity to apply for a grant to be able to purchase the books.

“What better way than to go through the archives and support the bicentennial?” Montgomery said.

Ozbirn wrote the grant and applied for it through the Franklin County Community Development Commission.

According to Montgomery, she had been in talks with Rick and Linda Hall before Rick’s passing about adding his autobiography to the collection.