Happy 100th Birthday, Jim Sledge!

Rebekah Sheats Contributor Today, Oct. 4, is the hundredth birthday of Dr. Jim Sledge. For a full century, the world has been blessed with the presence of this man. One hundred years is a long time. To set things in perspective, Jefferson County was founded in 1827. Jim’s life has spanned more than half of our county’s history. When he was born in 1924, Hwy. 90 was a quiet dirt road. Children rode their bicycles around the courthouse circle for fun since there wasn’t much traffic to compete with. Jim has seen a lot of changes in his lifetime. He grew up in the days of Prohibition, when alcoholic beverages were illegal and bootleggers were a common member of society. In his childho