About Arlis Saxon

This is a photo of Arlis Saxon, and her granddaughter Gwyn Ridenhour. It was taken in 2006, when she was 90 years old. "Mama Saxon" was born in 1916 and lived most of her 90 years in Alabama. She was raised on a farm with several siblings, and had wonderful stories to share about a time and way of life very different than our own. Her family used to travel in a horse-drawn buggy and for a brief time, a Model T Ford that was quickly sold after her father ran it off a mountain road (she claimed he wasn't a very good driver).

She grew up in a world so different from the one we live in now. But she moved and adjusted with the passing decades, and created many new stories with her 2 daughters, 4 grandchildren, and 5 great-grandchildren. She loved practical jokes, and would go to extreme measures to get the last laugh. She loved playing cards, fishing, and working in the garden. Her pantry was always full of her canned vegetables.  

But perhaps most importantly, Mama Saxon enjoyed her life.  She was not one to regret or complain about life's difficulties. She lived for the now, and loved people where they were without expectations or judgment. These are the traits that I, her granddaughter, most loved about her, and will take with me throughout my life. Though Mama Saxon was not necessarily an environmental activist (although she did love nature very much), her positive, go-getting nature and happy spirit inspired the work of the Saxon Project.