Decades-old family films resurface, spark memories Revel legacy
Published 12:47 pm Thursday, September 19, 2024
A vintage desktop mail holder features the Revel Oil Company information and the iconic Gulf Oil symbol.
Marriage certificate for Mr. and Mrs. Siegel Max Revel who were married in 1928. WWII Draft registration card for S.M. Revel. Photo courtesy of ancestry.com.
WWII Draft registration card for S.M. Revel. Photo courtesy of ancestry.com.
Back of draft card registration form. WWII Draft registration card for S.M. Revel. Photo courtesy of ancestry.com.
Found in the Sept. 8, 1932 issue of The Luverne Democrat is a feature article entitled "Editor strolls among his new Luverne neighbors". Written by J.L. Kimbro. Photo courtesy of ancestry.com.
Obituary for Siegel’s father, Alonzo Holliday Revel. Photo courtesy of ancestry.com.
An excerpt from the Sept. 8, 1932 issue of The Luverne Democrat from a feature article entitled "Editor strolls among his new Luverne neighbors". Written by J.L. Kimbro. Photo courtesy of ancestry.com.
Wedding annoucement for Mr. and Mrs. Siegel Max Revel who were married in 1928. Photo courtesy of ancestry.com.
S.M. Revel (left) talks with Jay Lewis (right), former anchor and editorial director for WSFA.
Nine reels of processed movie films, postmarked between 1951 and 1955, are recently returned to The Luverne Journal archives. Photo by Lanell Smith.
Obituary for Revel's father in law, William R. Sikes. Photo courtesy of ancestry.com.
Decades-old family films resurface, spark memories Revel legacy
By Haley Mitchell Godwin
A remarkable piece of local history resurfaced at The Luverne Journal recently, sparking intrigue among readers.
Nine reels of movie films, postmarked between 1951 and 1955, were recently returned to the Journal after being stored for years by a sister newspaper, The Selma Times-Journal. The films, identified as belonging to S.M. Revel of 214 Glenwood Road in Luverne, depict family moments ranging from vacations to life events like “Billy’s second birthday” and “Aunt Lonie’s Party.”
The reels are believed to capture treasured memories from a bygone era.
In response to the Journal’s recent call for information, several former and current community members shared their memories of Revel. Among them is Jack F. Granger, a Luverne native with deep family ties to the area.
Granger’s family operated Granger Wholesale in the 1950s and 60s, later transitioning the business to a building material and hardware supplier before closing in the 1980s. The family later moved to Birmingham, where they established Granger, Thagard & Associates, an auction marketing firm now specializing in real estate.
Granger fondly recalled Revel..
“Mr. Revel owned the ice-cold, spring-fed swimming pool before the city took it over,” Granger shared. “He handled bookkeeping for many local merchants and was a capable, well-thought-of man. As a kid, you learn a lot by listening, and Mr. Revel was always spoken of fondly.”
Paula Mitchell Hudson of Brantley also recalled Revel, whose company delivered gas to her father’s country store in the Springhill Community.
“He was a very thoughtful man,” Hudson said. “Every Christmas, he would bring my mother a present, just as he did for all his customers.”
Siegel Max Revel was born in 1907 to Alonzo Holliday and Lillie Ophelia Revel. Revel’s father was born in South Carolina in 1877 and the 1900 census listed his father’s occupation as “General Merchant.”
Revel grew up in Luverne on First Street. He married Agnes Sikes June 10, 1928 when he was 20 and she was 19. They were married at the home of the bride ‘s parents, William Robert and Johnie Lee (McCrae) Sikes, with Baptist preacher Rev. O. P. Bentley as the officiant.
According to the wedding announcement in the June 13, 1928 edition of The Luverne Journal and News, it was a “sweet and impressive” wedding where Mrs. Steve Hicks beautifully played the wedding march.
By 1930, Revel had begun working as a sales agent for Gulf Refining Company, later becoming a distributor in Luverne. Revel co-owned a dry-cleaning business with H.B. Cope and he also owned the Luverne Mineral Springs, which according to J.L. Kimbro, editor of The Luverne Democrat in 1932, was “a property that is of great potential value due to the medicinal qualities of the water.”
Found in the Sept. 8, 1932 issue of The Luverne Democrat is a feature article entitled “Editor strolls among his new Luverne neighbors”. J.L. Kimbro, who had recently become the editor and publisher after being the editor for The Florala News and The Opp Weekly News, profiled several business and prominent citizens in this segment.
“S. M. Revel is one of the most versatile business men in Luverne,” Kimbro said. “Mr. Revel is a public-spirited citizen and although enjoying great success, is not the type of person about whom it is said that he got his wealth by penny pinching. He has served as chief of the Luverne fire department since its organization, displaying untiring energy and devotion in this capacity. His various interests affect directly and indirectly a large number of people in this community, and without his activities as a businessman, a vacancy of no small proportions would exist in Luverne.”
Revel was involved in many aspects of civic life and was known for his contributions. He served in World War II, enlisting in 1943 and returning to Luverne after his discharge in 1945.
After Revel’s first wife passed away, he later married Wilma Mills (Farrior), a beloved bank teller and community volunteer who continued to honor his legacy and remained active in the community until her death in 2017.
Anyone with information that could help reunite these films with the Revel family is encouraged to contact The Luverne Journal at (334) 382-3111 or email news@luvernejournal.com.
Dates and facts were obtained from public records available on ancestry.com .
