Feb 2002 Page 9

He lived all 89 years on the same family farm, near Snead, Ala. Starting with 100 laying hensand selling eggs door to door, Debter developed a successful egg business that lasted more than 50 years and grew to 500,000 laying hens.
     In the early 1930s, quality eggs were hard to come by in Alabama. Eggs were shipped into Alabama from the Midwest, and the quality was not good. Debter saw an opp-ortunity in supplying metropolitan customers with eggs much fresher than they could buy in the grocery store. His business continued to grow, and in 1942, he began contracting with other farmers selling them feed and buying their eggs.
     When Debter moved into wholesale, he ran up against less expensive, lower quality eggs being shipped into the state. In order to give Alabama producers a chance to compete, Montgomery law-makers passed an egg inspection law insuring better eggs for con-sumers and a fairer market for everyone. Ross Debter was instrumental in seeing that law passed.
     With the move to wholesale and retail

routes, Ross Debter and Son Eggs continued
to grow. Among his many customers over the
years were Bruno's and Food World markets.
The business that began in the mid-1930s
with 250 Rhode Island Red hens grew to a
complex housing 240,000 birds in 1970.
Debter was the first producer in Blount
County to put in an egg cooler and grader and
one of the first to put in cages.
In 1980, Debter was inducted into the
Alabama Poultry Hall of Fame. He was also a
longtime member of the Alabama Poultry &
Egg Association.
Surviving are son and daughter-in-law
Glynn and Bobbie Debter, Snead; daughter
and son-in-law Ann and Ronnie K. Tidwell,
Altoona; and grandchildren James Debter and
Perry Debter, both of Snead; Sherri Alldredge,
Susan Moore; Tracie Hamrick, Macon, Ga.;
Doug Haynes, Henagar; and Anita Latta,
Oneonta. In addition to his parents, he was
predeceased by wife Eva J. Debter.

    On Thursday, January 3, an early
morning fire broke out at Brock Miracle
Eggs in Fairview destroying the office, processing plant and one poultry house.
     "Volunteers from five fire departments responded to the blaze, which was reported at 4:47 a.m. by a truck driver who was parking to make a pickup when the business opened," Fairview Fire Chief Doug Williams said.
     "Firefighters arrived to find the fire well under way. A downed power line and sparks from its power pole prevented trucks from going too deeply into the complex until the power was cut," Williams said. "Firefighters were able to save three of the five poultry houses. A fourth was partially saved, with most of the layer hens still alive, "Williams