Father’s Day for Wally Hellums is a proud reflection upon his five children and the joy they bring to him and his wife, Charlotte.
“Children are a delight. Charlotte is an only child, and I was raised as though I was an only child,” he said. “We were lonely as children. We wanted our children to have brothers and sisters to rely and depend upon throughout their lifetimes.”
The Hellums’ children are Beth, 13; Mac, 10; Samantha, eight; Catherine, seven; and Patrick, one and a half.
According to Hellums, life is interesting with five children.
“For example, a few weeks ago, we had three children playing ballgames at the same time in different places. I took Samantha to Mantachie; Charlotte took Beth to Fulton; and their grandmother, Helen McDowell, took Mac to a game here in Red Bay,” he said.
Hellums takes parenting as a very serious life commitment.
“We are stressing three things in raising our children. First, when each child is ready, our goal is that they have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” he said. “Second, we stress scholastics and education. It is very important in this age to have a good education.
“And third, we are striving to instill a drive in the children to make something of themselves. We expose each child to different things they may be interested in doing with their life. We hope to help each child discover their God-given talents and interests.”
The Hellums children are busy. Beth participates in several athletic activities and band. Mac plays baseball and participates in the Royal Ambassadors at the First Baptist Church. Both Beth and Mac play hand bells at church. Samantha plays softball. She and Catherine also participate in the children’s choir at church.
The Hellums family strives to find time for activities that contribute to a feeling of togetherness. Church, swimming, and just enjoying peaceful time together at home are important to the family.
Hellums is a pharmacist and operates Hellums’ Drugs in Red Bay. He is also Supervisor of Pharmacy at the Red Bay Hospital and often works 12 to 15 hours a day.
He started his work as pharmacist at the hospital in August, 1989 and has found the work to be “professionally rewarding.”
According to Hellums, working at the hospital, “is a different type of pharmacy versus retail pharmacy. For example, learning space-age technology such as the Lamner Flow Hood to maintain sterility of all intravenous solutions has been exciting.”
Hellums is also on the Red Bay Airport Authority. He is proud that Red Bay will soon have a helicopter pad north of the hospital that will be lighted for night use.
Hellums credits his wife, Charlotte, with being the organizer and the one who keeps the family going. Charlotte is a guidance counselor at Tishomingo High School.
Birds and antique cars are Hellums’ leisure pursuits. The Hellums family has five birds. Peaches, a two-and-a-half-year-old parrot, makes his home in the drugstore, often entertaining customers with his antics. Hellums enjoys telling stories about Peaches.
“We’re Alabama fans. Possibly from the radio, Peaches picked up the ‘War Eagle’ cry from Auburn, but Beth worked with Peaches to change the phrase to ‘Roll Tide,’” he said.
As Father’s Day approaches, Hellums faces a sadness realizing his father is gone, but finds joy in his children and the rich heritage they ensure.
“He’s the greatest. I enjoy taking walks with him,” Samantha said.
“I like him because he gives me hugs at night before I go to bed,” said Catherine.
“He’s real nice. I enjoy going out with him and seeing places,” said Mac.
