James "Mickey" Bryant Beaty Jr.

Family will be receiving friends on Thursday, May 30, 2024, from 4 until 6 p.m., at Kilgore-Green Funeral Home. Service will follow at 6 p.m., in the Kilgore-Green Chapel. Adam Hicks and Sam Dansby will officiate.

During Mickey's early years, his dad was in the service and they made their homes throughout the U.S. Eventually, his dad was employed in the space industry and Mickey attended high school at Littleton High School in Littleton, Colorado. While at Littleton, he played and lettered in football (linebacker), wrestling, and track. With his senior year came big changes as his dad was hired by NASA in Huntsville. Due to the lack of housing in the Huntsville area, Mickey moved in with his cousins in Eldridge and began his senior year at Carbon Hill High School where he was a two way starter for the football team. After football season, he transferred to Decatur High School, where he was one of their outstanding wrestlers.

After high school, Mickey was a member of the Florence State

College football team. He transferred to Auburn his junior year

and eventually to Alabama. At Alabama, he received his Bachelor's Degree in secondary education with majors in both biology and English. He later received his masters and Ed.S. from Montevallo.

Beaty began his coaching career in 1969 with a one year stint at Cordova High School. He went on to become Head Football Coach at West Morgan High School. In 1970, he was selected as Morgan County Coach of the Year by the Decatur Daily and led West Morgan to their first ever winning season. He left West Morgan to go to Winfield High School, where he met and still gives credit for the majority of his basketball knowledge to Coach Tommy Suitts. After a couple of years, he moved to Dora High School where he remained for nearly twenty years.

While at Dora High School, Beaty served in various coaching capacities. He was Head Basketball Coach from 1976-1979. He led the Dora Bulldogs to three consecutive years of County Championships. These were Dora's first basketball county championships in twenty five years. He then took a brief absence from coaching to be the best parent he could be to his two sons. After his absence from coaching, he came back and developed the Dora Junior High football program into a powerhouse. From 1981-1988, they had six undefeated seasons and played against Cullman, Mountain

Brook, Homewood, Vestavia, Pinson, Walker, Cordova, etc. During his tenure the team achieved a 58-4-1 record. Eventually, Beaty also acquired the ninth grade basketball team and won a couple of county championships, but was most

proud of being the only team from Walker County to ever play in a final four basketball junior high tournament. In 1988, Beaty started the first girls' basketball team in a Walker County school. They were 16-0 their first regular season defeating Mountain Brook, Vestavia, and Homewood.

After 1989, Beaty left Dora to become a school administrator. In the early 1990's, he became the Director of the Walker County Alternative School. While in that position, he became involved with school safety programs and was a member of the first safety task force of the Alabama State Department of Education. He developed the original safety plans for the Walker County Schools and spoke at AHSAA coaches' conferences about athletic safety plans. Beaty retired from education in 2008, to take on his proudest title BIG.

He enjoyed his grand parenting duties taking care of his nine grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, J.B. and Jimmie Ann Beaty; sister, Mary Ann Beaty; grandparents, John and Carrie Abbott and Frank and Elizabeth Beaty; father-in-law, Vonnie Pate.

He is survived by his loving wife, Vonda Pate Beaty; children, Dustin Beaty (Shannon), Saige Beaty (Meagan), Anna Sides Dawkins (Ricky) and Adam Sides (Kara); grandchildren, Maci Beaty, Jon Bryant Beaty, Hunter Poe, Brynlee Beaty, Dax Beaty, Bryson Dawkins, Adelyn Dawkins, Rylan Sides, Rhett Sides; brother, Rickey Beaty; mother-in-law, Marie Pate and a host of nieces, nephews and friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family request donations be made to the Mickey Beaty Memorial Scholarship Fund – Dora High School, PNC Bank.

Honorary Pallbearers will be the 1987 Dora High School Girls Basketball Team. Pallbearers will be Billy Robison, Billy Connor, Gary Dorsey, Elisha Gaines, David Muncher, Jerry Muncher, Richard Muncher and Eric Tolbert.