A Life Rooted in Mentone

In the town of Mentone, Alabama, Rob Hammond is more than just a public official. He’s a steward of the town’s past, present, and future. And his story begins, fittingly, at a summer camp.

In the summer of 1961, an 11-year-old Hammond traveled to Mentone for the first time from his home in LaGrange, Georgia. His destination was a summer camp founded two years earlier by Coach Malcolm Laney, a former head football coach at Woodlawn High School in Birmingham and assistant football coach at the University of Alabama.

That summer marked the beginning of a lifelong connection to Mentone. “I remember coming up Lookout Mountain and thinking, ‘Whoa, this is a pretty big hill here,’” says Hammond. Struck by the natural beauty of the area, Hammond relished the Sunday hikes to the brow for picnic suppers and to watch the sunsets — a very different spectacle than anything he had seen back home.

It was the camaraderie with boys from Birmingham, Tuscaloosa, and other areas that really impacted Hammond. “I was introduced to new activities and experiences, and came home with much more self-confidence,” he says. ”I developed friendships with boys and counselors from many different places, and many of these friendships are lifelong.”

Hammond would attend Camp Laney for five summers as a camper. He returned as a junior counselor at age 16, and then as a counselor.

Hammond graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1971 and then set his sights on a law degree from Cumberland School of Law at Birmingham’s Samford University.

It was during this phase of his career that Hammond heard news that would change the trajectory of his life. A friend told him that Coach Laney was considering selling the summer camp that had been such an important part of Hammond’s upbringing. He called and set up a meeting with his former camp director.

“When the opportunity came up, it was really a pretty easy decision for me to leave law school and pursue a career in camping,” says Hammond. The call of the mountain was strong, and Hammond could envision himself as director of the camp.

With help from his mother with the down payment and owner financing from Coach Laney, Hammond acted quickly and bought the camp in 1974. He was only 23 years old.

“It was a lot different from being a camper or a counselor,” he admits. “You have the physical plant you’re responsible for, the parents to deal with, the sick kids … all the problems. That was a lot of management for a young fellow.”

But help was on its way — lifelong help. San Neel, the daughter of a family that attended the same church Hammond’s family attended back in Georgia, was looking for an internship for her Master’s degree at the University of Georgia. Hammond was looking for someone to work in the camp kitchen. It was a perfect match — so much so that she became San Hammond, marrying into the business and becoming a key part of the operation, running the kitchen and office and helping with groundskeeping.

His work developing young people at camp translated well to education. After purchasing the camp, Hammond taught for five years at Darlington Lower School in Rome, Georgia, during the camp off-season.

A Call to Serve

Hammond’s first step into public service came when Mentone’s Sam Cash asked him to serve on the North Lookout Mountain Fire Protection District board. He was later encouraged to run for a seat on town council. He was elected in 1984, and served as a councilman until an unexpected need arose.

“Mayor Sam Barrett got sick and couldn’t continue serving,” Hammond recalls. The other council members asked him to step into the role, appointing him to fulfill the unexpired term. He ran for mayor during the next cycle and was elected, serving in the seat until 1992.

One of the biggest challenges Mentone faced under Hammond’s watch was the town’s aging water system. “One 4th of July, the town was completely out of water,” he says. “A main line burst and drained the town’s water tank dry.” He worked with the National Guard to deliver drinkable water to the town in trucks and tankers as the line was repaired and the tank slowly refilled.

“That was a long Fourth of July weekend,” he recalls.

It was also during this period that Hammond helped rally the community against a proposed landfill near the East Fork of Little River, knowing it could have a detrimental impact on the water quality. “The topic of the first Town Hall meeting was ‘does Little River need protecting,’” Hammond recalls. “Out of that and subsequent meetings, the Friends of Little River was formed.” Under the leadership of Des Disney and many others, the river was eventually designated an Outstanding National Water Resource, the highest level of federal protection.

Back in the Saddle

When his first full term came to an end, Hammond decided not to run for reelection. His children were older and involved in more activities, and he was traveling a good bit promoting the camp and hiring staff.

A decade and a half later, Hammond found himself in a new phase of life, one that allowed more time for him to give back to his community. He ran for and was elected mayor in 2004, a seat he has held since.

This second era of public service has seen significant transformations for Mentone. One accomplishment Hammond is most proud of is the replacement of a dangerous bridge on Highway 117. The process took 15 years to complete, and he still remembers the turning point that brought progress. “We took a school bus and a semi-truck, and put them on the bridge side by side to show how tight it was,” he recalls. “That was our campaign poster.”

With the help of Rep. Nathaniel Ledbetter and Sen. Steve Livingston, Mentone was able to establish a Community Development District, allowing alcohol sales in a portion of town. “That created more opportunities for local businesses,” Hammond says. “It really helps restaurants and convenience stores stay profitable.”

Walkability has been a priority for Hammond. Through a combination of grants and town resources, new sidewalks invite local residents and visitors alike to stroll through town and visit shops. When the next phase of the project is complete this summer, a sidewalk and two crosswalks will connect the town from Moon Lake Library to the intersection of Highway 117 and Scenic Drive/County Road 89.

Public service has improved as well. The town has partnered with the summer camps to purchase new police vehicles. A surplus program supplements those efforts, keeping reliable vehicles on the road. Mentone joined the state retirement system, which helps attract and retain quality staff. “We’ve got a great team at Town Hall,” Hammond says.

Preserving Mentone’s
Character

Perhaps Hammond’s most emotionally resonant work has centered around the former Moon Lake Elementary School. As a resident, business owner, and mayor, he knew how important the school was to the community. After its closure in 2021 due to declining enrollment, the county board of education deeded the property to the Town of Mentone, and Hammond has worked with partners and agencies to repurpose the site as an arts and retail hub for the community. It now hosts Northeast Alabama Community College classes, a large public art installation, shops, galleries, a restaurant, and an amphitheater.

Along with the school property came the Moon Lake Library, which has since become a municipal library and a key asset of the town. Operations are overseen by a municipal board as well as the Friends of Moon Lake Library community group.

The introduction of high-speed broadband internet powered by FTC’s fiber has been a major upgrade for the town. “Everyone’s excited about fiber,” Hammond says. “This level of broadband allows more residents to work remotely, and helps businesses do more for their customers and operations. We appreciate FTC for their work to expand service throughout our area.”

A Town Built on Community

For Hammond, the heart of Mentone isn’t its attractions or amenities — it’s the people.

“I can’t imagine another community out there with a greater sense of volunteerism and community service,” Hammond says. “Many new people have moved into our town over the past decade, and they have joined our long-time residents in serving the community.” These groups include many active organizations, including the St. Joseph’s food bank, MERF, Friends of the Library, Little River Arts Council, Rhododendron Garden Club, Mentone Arts Center, North Lookout Mountain (Mentone) Volunteer Fire Department, and DeSoto Rescue Squad. “These groups give our town its character and keep it thriving.”

Hammond’s name will be on the ballot for another term as mayor. “I’m running for one more term because we have some projects I would like to see finished,” he says. “I want to see the school property renovation completed, along with our sidewalk project. And I want to work toward more grants to improve our Brow Park.”

Indeed, that would be a full-circle moment for Hammond, whose love for Mentone began 64 years ago, walking to the brow and watching the sunset with Coach Laney and fellow campers from across the state. Those moments not only changed the trajectory of his life, but would have a major impact on the Town of Mentone as well. Y