Behind the smiles, good times with friends and family, and leisure activities is a couple rooted in service to others and the community. Bart and Melanie Dawson married 31 years ago. Before meeting Melanie, Bart was destined to be a lifelong bachelor. Melanie and Bart were set up on a blind date by mutual friends. On the first night Melanie jokingly said, “You’re going to fall in love with me and you’re going to marry me!” After a year and a half courtship, he asked Melanie to marry him on Christmas Eve. They raised three children, two sons, who became U.S. Marines following in their grandfather’s footsteps, and a daughter, who is a nurse practitioner and has given them two grandchildren. Along the way they served community.

Bart is a general contractor in eight states and works for SouthernCat in disaster restoration and reconstruction. Hurricane Michael, which hit the panhandle October of 2018, eventually brought the Dawson’s to Panama City Beach for good. “After the Hurricane passes, SouthernCat is on site working within eight hours. Usually, we put a temporary roof on a hotel, power it up and take over all the rooms for the work crews to live.” Bart’s hurricane experience started with Hurricane Opel in Destin in 1995 as well as Hurricanes Katrina, Laura, Sally, Ian and a host of others. SouthernCat has assisted others who serve in the military. They rebuilt a number of buildings at Tyndall Air Force Base after Hurricane Michael and the Naval Air Station in Pensacola Fla., after Hurricane Sally.

Working throughout the eastern U.S., Bart has had the heavy-hearted experience of seeing death and destruction after a storm. Melanie too stepped into the storms, metaphorically, as a nurse. “I started out in burn and trauma, and then worked several years in the emergency room, and critical care, but I ended my career with same-day surgical unit.” Melanie’s career spanned from 1986-2021. While Bart was living in a hotel in Panama City working Hurricane Michael, she helped him find a home to better his living conditions. “I told Melanie, ‘I found the perfect neighborhood, it’s called Bay Point. You’re going to love it,’” he said. In 2020, Bart became a Floridian and Melanie followed in 2021 after concluding her career.

Bart was raised in Gadsden, Ala., and Melanie in Asheville, N.C. Bart graduated from the University of Alabama and all three children have attended the University. While attending the university, Bart served as the mascot—“Big Al.” Donning an elephant costume, Bart had the distinction of presenting President Ronald Reagan a college Letterman jacket that said, “the Gipper” in recognition of the president’s Hollywood days.

Prior to moving to Bay Point, the couple ran a wedding venue at their family's 234 acre farm in St Clair County Ala. “It was a working farm with donkeys, cows and chickens,” said Bart. Their daughter decided to get married there. After the wedding, vendors urged them to go into business. So, in addition to their regular jobs, Bart and Melanie hosted about 22 weddings a year for a number of years. It was complete with chandeliers hanging from the trees, church pews in nature and an added barn pavilion. Many toils and much cost went into providing their daughter with a perfect wedding. “We wanted to provide our brides and their family who were getting married at our venue with a very elegant and affordable wedding. Melanie would say to the bride and her family, 'have fun. It’s a celebration. There's greenery all over this farm. You can cut it and decorate with the wildflowers.'”

Now with three grown children, Melanie spends her days locally in community groups. She plays weekly on a ladies’ tennis team called the Ball Blusterers in Bay Point. They compete against other teams throughout the panhandle. Monthly she has Bay Point in-home “girl time.” They call themselves “Booze and Babes.” Bart and Melanie both participate in the Krewe of Dominique Youx, volunteering their time to be pirates in parades to bring cheer to families catching tossed beads. Both are active in the Bay Point Yacht Club and enjoy live music around town. They supported the Panama City Symphony fundraiser, Renaissance to Rock-n-Roll, furthering music education. “On some Saturdays we go to the Burgunbarrel to listen to a gentleman play violin,” said Melanie.

For more rowdy moments, Bart gathers at Bay Point’s Bar 72 or Deck Hand Social with the guys to watch Alabama football on the big screen. The couple worships at St. Bernadette Catholic Church. Bart and Melanie also walk and bicycle Bay Point together. In his twenties, Bart bicycled from Savannah to Los Angeles completing about 3,000 miles in 44 days. Melanie walks about four to seven miles a day. Among all the local activity, they still find time for travels like Dublin for their 30th wedding anniversary and Toyko to visit their youngest son who was stationed near Okinawa, Japan. But it’s here among their friends of southern heritage and traditions where they find community. “I love it here,” said Bart. “It reminds me of home.” Melanie chimed in, “I have to say, I’m happy here.”