A bit of Buddy's Story
William Ester Rodgers, aka "Buddy", aka Captain Curly Rodgers was born January 12, 1922 in Decatur, Al, the son of an L&N Railroad employee.
Buddy served his Country in WWII as a pilot with the highly decorated 365th Fighter Group out of Richmond, VA. During the last years of the War (1944) he personally flew the famous journalist Edward R. Murrow in his P-47 Thunderbolt over the Rhine River near Cologne, Germany. Murrow later reported: "This is Ed Murrow in Paris.
And this is going to be mostly about Captain Curly Rodgers, a short, smiling fighter pilot who flies with the 365th Fighter Bomber Group and who thinks train-bustin is the best fun ever invented by anyone...as fighter pilots go,
he's old - 23."
Murrow wanted to fly with Rodgers, in part because he had the only P-47 in the Air Force because he was defending the Allies' amphibious landing, as well as the only remaining bridge on the Rhine river.
Wanting to prevent the Allies from crossing the Rhine, the Germans were intent on destroying the bridge. As Murrow and Rodgers flew over the river, a German aircraft swooped toward the P-47. "he was twice as fast as we were," Rodgers said. "I knew if we ran, he'd get me for sure, so I bluffed him." Rodgers ducked toward the German aircraft, as if he were going to ram it. The German bit on Rodgers' bluff and flew away.
He says all in all he was fortunate to be able to fly 120 combat missions and walk away from each one including two missions as an escort for troop carriers during the D-Day invasion at Normandy.
Ultimately, Rodgers rose to the rank of Major in the Air Force. He stashed away 25% of his military pay in an account that allowed him to buy 130 acres from three Cullman County landowners.
Years after his fighter pilot days with the Air Force were over, Rodgers was helping to map an area of northern Cullman County when he flew over a heavily wooded and picturesque deep gorge atop Lacon Mountain.
Months before, while conducting a similar mapping fly-over in Colorado, Rodgers happened upon a beautifully wild area known as Seven Falls. "at the time, I thought Seven Falls was one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. When I flew over this gorge in 1960, I was amazed at how similar it was to Seven Falls. Finally my curiosity got the better of me and I made a trip back here, this time on the ground so I could get a closer look."
Climbing down one of the steep bluffs which tower over the gorge below, Rodgers came upon the small creek which gently meanders its way through the canyon. "Standing there in the midst of all that natural beauty - the mountainside, the trees, mountain laurel and creek - I suddenly lost all interest in flying, and knew it was time I stood on solid ground." It took him a year, but he finally convinced the three landowners who held property along Hurricane Creek to sell him their parcels.
Word spread quickly of his intentions. Buddy said "while I'd be out there working, neighborhood kids who had come down all the time to play in the creek would sit and watch me. They told me I was crazy to think people would pay to come out here to this".
Selecting the route of the parks hiking trails came naturally to him as he explored the area. He cleared trails and built footbridges over dropoffs and spots where water running off the rock formations forms minature streams and waterfalls feeding into Hurricane Creek. He said "about eight months out of the year the water is flowing pretty good, and I wanted to make the trails so that no matter where you walked, you could hear the falls running".
Buddy never intended this to be an amusement park. He said "this is the kind of place for people who love the outdoors." This feeling is what finally led him, after 40 years, to donate his beloved park to the State of Alabama Wildlife & Fisheries. He was assured that the park would stay essentially the same; a place for families & for kids to play, a place for nature lovers. The City of Cullman Parks and Recreation has been awarded the lease on the park and has invested heavily in its restoration and on improvements while maintaining the original feel and intention Buddy wanted.
Buddy currently lives in bachelor quarters with his sister in Hartselle, AL., though his presence is still felt here in the park. The fruits of his labor are evident to all who visit his park. People still come around and ask for "Buddy" or "Curly", he was known to chat for hours with visitors - he was a Buddy to many and a Hero to all.
William Rodgers is a "Tru-Blue Hero". He lived his life in the Service of others, as a WWI fighter pilot & as architect / engineer / caretaker of the most wonderful place on earth...
Hurricane Creek Park.
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