The Albertville High School Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame began in 2011. Dr. Al Ratcliffe created a team comprised of representatives from the chamber, the ACS Foundation and the school system with the intention to create a program to highlight some of the great alumni who had graduated from AHS and gone on to be standouts in their profession, contributors to their community and in many occasions, have impacted the world through their achievements. Besides developing a sense of community and school pride, this event is also a tool to inspire current AHS students in their educational and professional goals.
Since its inception, the Hall of Fame has inducted 67 members and continues to inspire students to dream big today!
Meet the 2025 Honorees
Joyce Bishop
Joyce Bishop, whose given name is Hilda Joyce Cryar, was born on October 26, 1950, to Burley and Helen Cryar in Guntersville, Alabama. Within a few years, Joyce was joined by two
sisters, Beth Ann Todd and Mildred (Millie) Jean Carroll.
Joyce was raised on a farm in Alder Springs. She attended Alder Springs School from first through sixth grades. After completing sixth grade, Joyce began attending Albertville High School. She graduated from AHS in May of 1968. In high school, Joyce participated in student government, Junior and Senior play productions, Beta Club, Aggierama school newspaper, and Future Homemakers of America. She was awarded DAR Good Citizenship and Best All-Around Student honors.
After graduation, Joyce attended Jacksonville State University, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education, home economics in 1971. After finishing at JSU, Joyce married Verbon Ronald (Ronnie) Lowery and moved to Demopolis, Alabama, where she began her first teaching position at Demopolis Junior High School as a 7th- and 8th-grade science and math teacher. After Ronnie was transferred to Greenville, Alabama, Joyce also taught at Greenville Elementary.
Joyce and Ronnie welcomed their first child, Wade Hampton Lowery, on April 12, 1977. In 1979 Joyce and her family moved back to north Alabama, where their daughter, Melissa Anne McKee, was born in 1980. Two weeks after Melissa’s birth, Ronnie was diagnosed with leukemia and died a short two years later.
After his death, Joyce began pursuing a teaching job in the area. In 1985, she was hired as a teacher assistant at Big Spring Lake Elementary School in Albertville. While serving as a teacher assistant, Joyce attained a Master's Degree in Counseling and Guidance from JSU. With her new degree, she accepted a position at Arab Junior High School as a counselor. During this time, she met Edward Bruce Bishop. They married in 1989.
Joyce later accepted a position as a counselor at Evans Elementary and Big
Spring Lake Elementary in Albertville. Earning an Education Specialist degree in Administration, she became the principal at Big Spring Lake for 12 years and then at Alabama Avenue Middle School in 2002. She was later promoted to the position of Assistant Superintendent, where she retired in 2013.
Paul McAbee
Paul Ralph McAbee was born on December 24, 1955, in Fort Payne, Alabama. He was the only child of Paul Willard and Jewell Yancy McAbee. Paul and his mother moved from Fyffe to Albertville in 1963 after the untimely passing of his father due to a work-related accident.
Paul was an outstanding three-year starter as linebacker, offensive guard, and deep snapper for the Aggie football program from 1971 to 1973. In his senior season, he suffered an ACL knee injury that ended his playing career.
Paul graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics in 1978. He earned a Master's of Mathematics from Alabama in 1981 and an administration certification in 1990.
As the Aggie head football coach, “Coach Mac” retired from coaching as the second-winningest coach in school history. After an 8-2 season in 1998, Paul retired from coaching to go into administration.
In 2002, Paul became Principal and Athletic Director at AHS for the next 14 years. During this time, he led the school through a devastating tornado that hit the campus and the construction of a new school building, gym, football stadium, and lunchroom.
In 2015, Coach Mac’s jersey number was retired at Albertville High School. He was only the third person to receive this honor in school history.
Paul retired in 2016 and lives in Albertville with his wife, Karen. Their daughter, Danza, also an Albertville High School graduate, resides in Dallas, Texas, with her husband, David.
Dr. Christopher J. Thrash
Dr. Christopher J. Thrash, 2001 Albertville High School Salutatorian, is an internal medicine physician based in Santa Barbara, California. He graduated summa cum laude in Chemical Engineering from Auburn University in 2005. He earned his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Alabama School of Medicine in 2009. He then completed a combined Internal Medicine–Pediatrics residency at UCLA, where he also taught medical students.
Since 2014, Dr. Thrash has practiced in Santa Barbara with privileges at Cottage Hospital. He has served in various leadership roles, including Department Chair of Internal Medicine and a Medical Executive Committee representative. He also serves on nonprofit boards, such as the Visiting Nurses Association and Hinchee Homes, which serves individuals with developmental disabilities.
Dr. Thrash met his wife, neonatologist Kathy Chung Thrash, MD, at UCLA. They have three kids, Noah, Leah, and Olivia, and a French bulldog named Thunder. Dr. Thrash is passionate about mentorship and service, from caring for the local community to volunteer work abroad. He’s excited to connect with Albertville students about science, medicine, and giving back.