By NEAL WAGNER / Managing Editor

ALABASTER – Lifetime Alabaster resident Bobby Joe Seales may be stepping down soon as the president of the Shelby County Historical Society, but he isn’t stepping away from his passion for history.

“Alabaster and Shelby County are my home. One of the first things I plan to do (after retirement) is to do a pictorial history book of Alabaster and Siluria,” Seales said during an Oct. 12 Alabaster City Council meeting, noting he plans to complete pictorial history books on Pelham and Columbiana afterward.

“It sounds like you aren’t very good at retiring,” Alabaster Mayor Marty Handlon said, drawing laughter from about 10 of Seales’ family members in the audience.

After serving as the president of the Shelby County Historical Society and director of the Shelby County Museum and Archives in Columbiana, Seales will step down from the positions on Nov. 1. During his tenure with the Historical Society, Seales has helped grow it to more than 900 members – the largest historical society in Alabama.

As a result of his service to Shelby County and Alabaster, Handlon presented Seales with a proclamation and a key to the city during the Oct. 12 council meeting.

“I wanted to invite him and his family here and let him know how much we appreciate him and what he has done for Shelby County and the city of Alabaster,” Handlon said.

During his time with the Historical Society, Seales has “taken a mass of record books and unorganized files and created a well-organized collection of records, documents, digitalized oral histories and research-finding tools for the community to use,” read the proclamation.

Handlon said Seales “has brought honor to his family, friends and this city.”

When Alabaster opened its new city hall in 2013, Seales helped to research and create decorations for the building’s lobby showcasing the city’s founders.

“Thank you so much for this honor,” Seales said. “I will cherish this.”