By By Adrienne McKenzie
(This week The Atmore Advance spotlights 72-year-old Wayne Whatley. Whatley enjoys vising the Atmore SAIL Center with his wife, Joyce.)
Q: When and where were you born?
A: I was born in Uriah on May 15, 1935.
Q: Who were your parents?
A: Otis and Scrap Whatley.
Q: Where were they from?
A: From Uriah.
Q: Do you have any brothers or sisters?
A: I have one brother, Don. I had two others, they are deceased.
Q: Where does Don live?
A: In Booneville. He works in Atmore.
Q: Where did you attend high school and college?
A: I went to school in Crichton, that’s in Mobile County in the outskirts of Mobile. I went to school a little in New Orleans.
Q: Do you do a lot of traveling?
A: Not now. I did when the kids were young. We went to Disneyworld, Six Flags, Rhode Island, Smoky Mountains and St. Charles in Missouri.
I went to Germany when I was in the Army.
Q: When did you join the Army?
A: I was drafted in 1958.
Q: How long were you in the Army?
A: Nine months, I got out with a hardship release.
My mother was a single mother with three boys so I got out with a hardship discharge.
Q: Other than Germany, where did you travel when in the Army?
A: Arkansas and two trips to Fort Polk in Louisiana.
Q: What jobs have you held?
A: I worked in New Orleans at a box factory. I worked in Mobile at a box factory and worked for 21 years at Poser Business Forms in Fairhope. That’s where I retired from.
Q: Did you ever marry?
A: Yes.
Q: What’s your wife’s name?
A: Joyce.
Q: Do you have any children?
A: Two boys.
Q: Do you have any grandchildren?
A: Three boys.
Q: Where do you attend church?
A: We don’t go at this present time.
Q: What keeps you busy these days?
A: Not much of nothing. I come up here (Atmore SAIL Center) and I cut a little bit of grass. I used to go fishing, but don’t anymore.
Q: What is your favorite TV show?
A: “Law &Order” and “Prison Break.” I like any Westerns.
Q: What is your favorite food?
A: There’s nothing I don’t like. I really like oysters and shrimp.
Q: What advice would you like to give people on staying healthy?
A: Take care of yourself. See the doctor regularly and do what the doctor says.
(If you would like to recommend a senior to be spotlighted please contact Adrienne McKenzie at 368-2123 or e-mail her at lifestyles@atmoreadvance.com)