Made From Scratch

Tech-savvy teen is building his own computer science career in small-town Alabama.

- Calvin Harper

Tuscumbia, Ala., is part of the greater Shoals area and it’s steeped in history. It’s the birthplace of Helen Keller, America’s First Lady of Courage, and the site of the first railroad west of the Allegheny Mountains.

It’s also a town that almost became something entirely different. In 1921, automobile magnate Henry Ford announced plans to build a “Detroit of the South.” Ford’s vision was to build a city that would encompass 75 miles of northern Alabama and employ 1 million workers. His aim was to purchase the nearby unfinished Wilson Dam and two nitrate plants from the U.S. government in order to produce nitrate fertilizer.

Spurred by Ford’s dream, the region boomed, with speculators moving in and buying up cotton fields to create housing divisions and farms to feed the expected workers and families. Unfortunately, negotiations stalled after three years and Ford withdrew his offer. The government would eventually finish Wilson Dam, build more dams along the Tennessee River, and gradually incorporate the area as part of the Tennessee Valley Authority — the nation’s largest public power provider.

Somehow, throughout all the changes in the region, Tuscumbia has managed to retain its identity. With a population of just 8,423, Tuscumbia remains the quintessential small southern town — filled with friendly, helpful people and a thriving industrial base that offers opportunity for those willing to work for it.

One Tuscumbia resident working hard to build his future is Jacob Manley, a senior at Muscle Shoals Career Academy (MSCA). Jacob, 18, is a friendly and very intelligent young man. He is also one of those fortunate few who seem to have always known what they want to do as a career.

“I always had my mind set on doing something with computers,” he said. “Computers are something I’m good at and enjoy working with.”