Class of ’48 friends reunite
The days were simpler in the late 1940s when Russellville High School classmates Elmer T. Hovater and Fred Underwood spent their time going on double dates and enjoying the peace of the town.
More than 70 years later, the two friends reunited over a lunch at 43 Grill to discuss the old days after not seeing each other for more than 15 years.
“Fred called me up one day and wanted to meet,” Hovater said. “I took him to lunch with his grandson, and we just talked about a lot of different memories.”
The two friends graduated from Russellville High School in 1948 before both attending Auburn University. After college, Underwood moved to Decatur to become an architect, and Hovater remained in Russellville to tackle a variety of different business ventures.
After lunch at 43 Grill, Hovater said he and Underwood toured the town, even stopping at the old house Underwood grew up in for him to take a picture in front of it.
Underwood lives in Decatur, where he is a retired architect. Hovater lives in Russellville and owns an angus cattle farm. He attends First Baptist Church in Russellville.
