‘All we did was done fully’

THARPTOWN — Glenda Amelia Aycock-Long has lived many chapters, each distinct, each demanding, each shaped by her willingness to say “yes” to the next thing placed in front of her.

But long before the jobs, the travel and the years spent running businesses that drew people from across the country, she was simply one of two Franklin County twins who grew up together. She and her sister, Brenda, shared almost everything.

Glenda grew up in the Tharptown community and later attended college, though she chose not to return after her first year.

Brenda went back and eventually earned her teaching certificate, later teaching at East Franklin School. But before any of that took shape, the twins made a leap that neither could have predicted.

One afternoon, after finishing college, they stopped by the bank and noticed a hiring notice posted for the FBI.

They applied, took and passed the required test, and were hired before ever leaving Alabama. For Glenda, who had never been beyond Franklin County except for occasional trips to Tennessee, it was a turning point.

After 65 years of marriage, Glenda Aycock-Long lost her husband, Dan, in October.

The two boarded a train in Sheffield and rode to Washington, D.C., where they moved into an apartment on Connecticut Avenue.

Their work in Washington placed them in the Fingerprint Department and Records Division at a time when every inquiry had to be handled by hand.

Glenda remembers visiting the White House and the Pentagon, seeing several sitting presidents and working in the same building where J. Edgar Hoover presided.

Hoover took a particular interest in Glenda and later took a photograph with her at her wedding.

While they were working in Washington, Glenda met with Dan Clayton Long, whom she had dated a couple of times back home before he served two years in Korea.

After returning, he contacted her mother to find out where Glenda was living. He soon traveled north to Maryland, bringing winter clothes for the twins. Before long, the two were engaged.

Glenda and Dan married in Silver Spring, Maryland, on April 8, 1960, in a small ceremony at First Baptist Church.

After roughly a year with the FBI, both sisters transferred to Huntsville and began working at the Redstone Arsenal.

Glenda’s duties again involved record keeping, though this time with work connected to IBM and NASA during the Apollo era.

Her co-workers included others who were expecting children. Glenda’s daughter, Dana, was born while she was still working at Redstone.

During these years, Dan worked as a welder. His skills kept him in steady demand, including work on replica rockets displayed in Huntsville.

He welded at the top of the structures without modern safety gear, climbing beams with only a welding line and helmet. He never failed a welding test and often could name his price for jobs.

By the early 1970s, Glenda and Dan were ready for a change. In 1973 they bought Fisherman’s Resort at Wheeler Dam, a 65-acre property spanning the Lauderdale County side of the water.

They moved onsite and began running a full operation that included cabins, a restaurant, a tackle shop, boat rentals and more than 100 boat slips.

The resort became a gathering place for fishermen from across the country. Major tournaments were held there, and visitors arrived from Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Mississippi and beyond.

The area was known for smallmouth bass, and the resort developed a reputation as a reliable source of information on when the fish were biting.

Glenda kept detailed notes and often wrote updates for newspapers such as the Birmingham News. Out of state anglers called to ask for advice. Some became long-term friends.

Dana grew up in the middle of it all, weaving through campsites, joining different families at their evening campfires, and forming friendships with children who returned year after year.

“I had friends from everywhere,” Dana said. “I was an only child, and all those people felt like siblings.”

She remembers moving easily between campers, roasting marshmallows at one site, then walking a few steps to join another family.

By the late 1970s, the Longs decided to lease the resort and move toward a new chapter. They later sold it to Wayne Lash, who continues to operate it. Lash Seafood runs on the property, and many original features remain.

Glenda still keeps a camper there, and the site holds decades of memories for the family.

After moving from the resort, Glenda and Dan opened Long’s Antique Mall in Elgin in 1987. The business grew into a regional destination, housed in large metal buildings on U.S. 72.

Dana worked alongside her parents for a time and learned to identify wood types and inspect pieces for hidden damage. She helped examine items at auctions when Glenda and Dan wanted a second set of eyes.

“She knew every kind of wood when she was little,” Glenda said.

The antique mall operated for more than 30 years before the Longs sold the buildings to a roofing company. The business left Glenda with a house full of cherished keepsakes, including a large collection of glass chickens-on-a-nest.

In the mid-2000s, Glenda and Dan transitioned into retirement. They built their Tharptown home in 2008 on land the family had owned for decades.

Dana remembers helping run the antique business until the final years, after which her parents settled fully into life on the farm.

Glenda enjoys the ponds, the open space and the quiet. She also enjoys going to church. She attends Tharptown Baptist Church, where her sister’s son, Chip Martin, serves as pastor.

Glenda also finds joy in her granddaughter, Lauren, and great-granddaughter Lorrie Clayton, who both live nearby.

“I love this place,” she said. “I’ve had a good life here.”

After 65 years of marriage, Glenda lost Dan in October. She speaks of him with warmth, recalling his work ethic, his humor and his pride in seeing his grandchildren.

Dana remembers him saying near the end that he had done everything he ever wanted to do. Glenda agrees they shared many good years.

From Franklin County to Washington, D.C., from the Apollo program to a lakeside resort, from bustling auctions to quiet afternoons on the farm, each season built on the last. And through all of it, she carried the same things she began with — curiosity, determination and a love for people.

“Everything we did, we did it fully,” she said.