Clifton Hinds

Clifton Cullom Hinds, of Pinson, was born on February 12, 1921 in Hillman Hospital, in Birmingham, AL. He was preceded in death by his parents, John Clifton Hinds and Eula Odessa Cox Hinds; his sister, Christine Hinds Bentley; and his brother Marlin Cox Hinds. Cliff's family moved to Phil Campbell, AL, when he was five. His father, a rural mail carrier and a farmer, was a veteran of World War I, and carried the mail in a horse and buggy before he graduated to a Model T Ford. The family moved to Arab, AL, when Cliff was in the fifth grade where they joined a large family of maternal and paternal relatives. Cliff graduated from Arab High School in 1938 and attended Auburn University and Jacksonville State Teacher's College where he was president of the Junior Class when he was drafted during the latter part of his junior year. He entered the United States Army Air Force in June 1942. After processing at Ft. McClellan, he completed basic training at Keesler Army Air Force Base in Biloxi, MS where he picked up the nickname "Alabama". He was assigned to the 6th Photography Compilation Unit, 20th Air Force, receiving specialized training at Camp Lowery in Denver and Peterson Field in Colorado Springs. He was shipped to Hawaii and then to Guam where they compiled bombing maps from aerial photographs. After the war ended, he was stationed in St. Louis, Oklahoma, and Meridian, MS where they worked on maps of the world's petroleum reserves and other strategic areas. One project, mapping the hump of the Himalayas, was particularly memorable. A Staff Sergeant, he was discharged in Jan. 1946. Following the war, Cliff lived in Birmingham where he followed his father's example and worked for the US Postal Service for almost 50 years. He loved the Post Office and was well-liked by everyone, from the Postmaster on down. He was a practical joker and made sure that work was always fun and interesting. In the early 1960s, he and his brother founded Industrial Scrap Metals in Irondale, a company that he enjoyed for almost 30 years. Following his retirement at age 71, he continued working in the metals business, once again with his brother, at HRH Metals in Moody, finally retiring for good at age 80. Cliff was a lifelong Methodist and most recently attended Pinson United Methodist. He met his beloved wife, Betty Joyce Graham Hinds, at a gathering of West Woodlawn Methodist young adults, and they raised their two children at East Lake United Methodist. Cliff doted on his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Survivors include his daughter, Laura Carolyn Hinds Atkinson (Gene) of Tuscaloosa; son, Robert Warren Hinds (Susan) of Springville; grandsons, Jamison Warren Hinds (Sarah) of Greenville, SC, William Andrew Heath (Ceil) of Vestavia Hills, Robert Nathan Hinds (Natalie) of Springville; granddaughter, Shelley Alaine Moore (Stephen) of Moody; great-grandchildren, Jack Hinds and Maggy Hinds of Greenville, SC, Graham, Cole, and Eli Hinds of Springville, Andrew and Charlie Heath of Vestavia Hills, and Matthew and Lilly Moore of Moody. A graveside service will be held at 11:00am on May 6, 2015 at Jefferson Memorial Gardens East.