At 85 years old, Philip Anderson still remembers the project that challenged him, surprised him and, ultimately, became one of his proudest accomplishments.
“I’ve enjoyed my adventure with TARCOG,” said the board’s longest serving member. He was first appointed to the board after being elected to the Dutton Town Council in the early 1990s.
More than 20 years ago, Philip was approached by former TARCOG Executive Director Bob Culver with an idea: create a custom, handcrafted wood map of the region. Philip had never done anything quite like it before.
“Bob came to me and asked if I would do it,” he said. “I hadn’t ever done nothing like that.”
With the help of a TARCOG employee who created scaled patterns for each county, Philip got to work—right out of his garage.
“We cut each county to scale, then picked out the wood to make it,” he said.
Each piece was carefully selected and shaped from a variety of hardwoods, including oak, walnut, maple, hickory and poplar. The result was a one-of-a-kind piece where no two counties looked the same, each with its own natural grain and character.
“When you look at it, each county is different,” Philip said.
The project also pushed him to try techniques he had never attempted before, including routing intricate details like river lines into the wood.
“I’d never done routing like that,” he said.
There was one material in particular that stood out. It’s called shittim wood. When he was first telling his wife about the wood, she got onto him for using bad language. His sister-in-law was present and shared that the wood is talked about in the Bible, so it was okay.
Philip said he later learned there is a widely believed local legend that the shittim wood tree, from which was built the Israelites’ Ark of the Covenant, grew in only two places in the world–the Holy Land and our uniquely blessed Monte Sano Mountain in Huntsville.
Aside from the history lesson, Philip remembers working with the unfamiliar wood with a name that caught him off guard—but a finish he never forgot.
“When you start sanding on it, it doesn’t look like much at first,” he said. “But then it turns bright yellow, and when you finish, it’s just beautiful.”
The entire project took about six months to complete.
At the time, Philip wasn’t taking on much work, but the opportunity gave him a renewed sense of purpose.
“I wasn’t doing much woodworking any longer, but Bob wanted it. I’m proud I did,” he said.
Woodworking had long been a hobby for Philip. Over the years, he built furniture for his home, including marble-topped end tables and a TV stand using materials sourced from family connections.
“It was so much fun to build,” he said.
Beyond his craftsmanship, Philip’s life has been defined by resilience. Diagnosed with a medical condition more than 40 years ago, he retired early—but never stopped finding ways to stay engaged.
“If you don’t keep your mind working…” he said, trailing off with a knowing smile.
Today, he reflects on a full life with gratitude.
“Great life. Can’t complain.”
And in the lobby of TARCOG’s new building, right behind the reception desk is a lasting reminder of that life’s work—a handcrafted map, built county by county, piece by piece, by someone willing to try something new.
At 85 years old, Philip Anderson still remembers the project that challenged him, surprised him and, ultimately, became one of his proudest accomplishments.
“I’ve enjoyed my adventure with TARCOG,” said the board’s longest serving member. He was first appointed to the board after being elected to the Dutton Town Council in the early 1990s.
More than 20 years ago, Philip was approached by former TARCOG Executive Director Bob Culver with an idea: create a custom, handcrafted wood map of the region. Philip had never done anything quite like it before.
“Bob came to me and asked if I would do it,” he said. “I hadn’t ever done nothing like that.”
With the help of a TARCOG employee who created scaled patterns for each county, Philip got to work—right out of his garage.
“We cut each county to scale, then picked out the wood to make it,” he said.
Each piece was carefully selected and shaped from a variety of hardwoods, including oak, walnut, maple, hickory and poplar. The result was a one-of-a-kind piece where no two counties looked the same, each with its own natural grain and character.
“When you look at it, each county is different,” Philip said.
The project also pushed him to try techniques he had never attempted before, including routing intricate details like river lines into the wood.
“I’d never done routing like that,” he said.
There was one material in particular that stood out. It’s called shittim wood. When he was first telling his wife about the wood, she got onto him for using bad language. His sister-in-law was present and shared that the wood is talked about in the Bible, so it was okay.
Philip said he later learned there is a widely believed local legend that the shittim wood tree, from which was built the Israelites’ Ark of the Covenant, grew in only two places in the world–the Holy Land and our uniquely blessed Monte Sano Mountain in Huntsville.
Aside from the history lesson, Philip remembers working with the unfamiliar wood with a name that caught him off guard—but a finish he never forgot.
“When you start sanding on it, it doesn’t look like much at first,” he said. “But then it turns bright yellow, and when you finish, it’s just beautiful.”
The entire project took about six months to complete.
At the time, Philip wasn’t taking on much work, but the opportunity gave him a renewed sense of purpose.
“I wasn’t doing much woodworking any longer, but Bob wanted it. I’m proud I did,” he said.
Woodworking had long been a hobby for Philip. Over the years, he built furniture for his home, including marble-topped end tables and a TV stand using materials sourced from family connections.
“It was so much fun to build,” he said.
Beyond his craftsmanship, Philip’s life has been defined by resilience. Diagnosed with a medical condition more than 40 years ago, he retired early—but never stopped finding ways to stay engaged.
“If you don’t keep your mind working…” he said, trailing off with a knowing smile.
Today, he reflects on a full life with gratitude.
“Great life. Can’t complain.”
And in the lobby of TARCOG’s new building, right behind the reception desk is a lasting reminder of that life’s work—a handcrafted map, built county by county, piece by piece, by someone willing to try something new.
At 85 years old, Philip Anderson still remembers the project that challenged him, surprised him and, ultimately, became one of his proudest accomplishments.
“I’ve enjoyed my adventure with TARCOG,” said the board’s longest serving member. He was first appointed to the board after being elected to the Dutton Town Council in the early 1990s.
More than 20 years ago, Philip was approached by former TARCOG Executive Director Bob Culver with an idea: create a custom, handcrafted wood map of the region. Philip had never done anything quite like it before.
“Bob came to me and asked if I would do it,” he said. “I hadn’t ever done nothing like that.”
With the help of Mike Thrasher, TARCOG’s former finance director, who created scaled patterns for each county, Philip got to work—right out of his garage.
“We cut each county to scale, then picked out the wood to make it,” he said.
Each piece was carefully selected and shaped from a variety of hardwoods, including oak, walnut, maple, hickory and poplar. The result was a one-of-a-kind piece where no two counties looked the same, each with its own natural grain and character.
“When you look at it, each county is different,” Philip said.
The project also pushed him to try techniques he had never attempted before, including routing intricate details like river lines into the wood.
“I’d never done routing like that,” he said.
There was one material in particular that stood out. It’s called shittim wood. When he was first telling his wife about the wood, she got onto him for using bad language. His sister-in-law was present and shared that the wood is talked about in the Bible, so it was okay.
Philip said he later learned there is a widely believed local legend that the shittim wood tree, from which was built the Israelites’ Ark of the Covenant, grew in only two places in the world–the Holy Land and our uniquely blessed Monte Sano Mountain in Huntsville.
Aside from the history lesson, Philip remembers working with the unfamiliar wood with a name that caught him off guard—but a finish he never forgot.
“When you start sanding on it, it doesn’t look like much at first,” he said. “But then it turns bright yellow, and when you finish, it’s just beautiful.”
The entire project took about six months to complete.
At the time, Philip wasn’t taking on much work, but the opportunity gave him a renewed sense of purpose.
“I wasn’t doing much woodworking any longer, but Bob wanted it. I’m proud I did,” he said.
Woodworking had long been a hobby for Philip. Over the years, he built furniture for his home, including marble-topped end tables and a TV stand using materials sourced from family connections.
“It was so much fun to build,” he said.
Beyond his craftsmanship, Philip’s life has been defined by resilience. Diagnosed with a medical condition more than 40 years ago, he retired early—but never stopped finding ways to stay engaged.
“If you don’t keep your mind working…” he said, trailing off with a knowing smile.
Today, he reflects on a full life with gratitude.
“Great life. Can’t complain.”
And in the lobby of TARCOG’s new building, right behind the reception desk is a lasting reminder of that life’s work—a handcrafted map, built county by county, piece by piece, by someone willing to try something new.
TARCOG Board Member and Dutton resident Phillip Anderson