Judy Gale (Hobson) Sandlin is one of those women that just doesn’t quit. If you’re familiar Alexandria, or the DeKalb County Fair, you are familiar with Judy, or at least some of the work she has done.

Judy was born in Liberty to Wilson and Lela (Moser) Hobson. She attended Liberty Grammer School, and later graduated from Liberty High School, and would later attend Cumberland University for one year.

In 1961, Judy would marry Kenneth Sandlin and together would set up housekeeping in Alexandria. They would have four children, Chris, Kennetta, Thomas, and Kellie. Today, Judy has three grandchildren, Harrison, Wilson, and Grant, all living in Alabama.

Judy is an active member of the Alexandria Church of Christ,

Over the years, Judy has been active in commerce in and around DeKalb County. Along with her family, she helped operate the Alexandria Locker Company in the 1970s, a meat locker business that stored meats for local farmers and families that didn’t own freezers at the time.

“People didn’t have freezers back then, not like they do now. If you had a hog, we would store it and help salt it down. We would store beef for people too. It was located where the drive-thru is now, between the old bank and the pharmacy on the square.”

After working there, Judy said she went into direct sales, working with companies like Norvell’s selling custom fit bras and lingerie, then she worked with a company out of Cleveland, Tennessee, selling handbags, luggage, and products that were monogrammed.

“I traveled across the country selling monogrammed items. I would set up as a vendor at horse shows and different events. The furthest I ever went was New Mexico, but I would go to the Carolinas and Ohio and Texas and places.”

After that job, Judy began importing items from Thailand. “I would sell jute products, and would go to the Opryland Hotel to their Christmas craft shows and sell there. I did that for several years.”

Sadly, her husband Kenneth passed away suddenly in 1995. The death was a shock, but Judy managed to stay busy and would go on to open Sandlin’s Eatery in Alexandria in 1997, a small restaurant that was popular in town for over seven years. Together with her son Chris, they served sandwiches and lunch specials to their loyal clientele. Chris would also pass away suddenly, and Judy would sell the business in 2004.

Her husband Kenneth had been greatly involved in the DeKalb County Fair, and after his death, Judy took a seat on the Fair Board. “I think I first served in 1997, and I’m still on the board today. I was the Fair Board President, I think in 1999, and served that position for almost 20 years. I’m currently the vice president.”

Volunteering with the fair isn’t her only community service. Judy has served as a board member of the Alexandria Seniors Center since 1994, and was chairman for about 10 years. She is also an active member of the Alexandria Lions Club since 1996, and is a supervisor with the DeKalb Soil and Water Conservation District.

If that is not enough, Judy is also on the board for a grant for the beautification of Alexandria, was a member of the Smithville/DeKalb Chamber of Commerce, a graduate of Leadership DeKalb and won the legacy award during that time period.

Among Judy’s pastimes are cooking, card games, and dancing, and said she’s known for her Juju’s Fried Chicken. She says she grows a small garden every year, and until recently raised chickens. She also loves traveling and said she has visited six of the world’s seven continents, with Antarctica being the only one left. “I’ve been to the Falkland Islands and New Zealand, so I’ve been close, but I didn’t go.”

“I climbed the Great Wall of China, and have been all the way to the South Pacific and South America. I’ve also visited 48 states, including Alaska and Hawaii. I think I’m missing Idaho and Oregon. I just can’t remember going to either one of them. I never dreamed a girl from Liberty would get to do all that stuff, but I did it.”