Living Forward
By sharing his life experiences, Coach Vess Hollingsworth has become an invaluable mentor to students around Jasper.
Words by Anna Vaughn | Images by Al Blanton
Wise King Solomon once wrote, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; And lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and He shall direct thy paths.”
Today, this wisdom stands the test of time and is a core truth that Vess Hollingsworth holds dear.
Life became tough for Vess at an early age. After his father died in a farming accident, Vess and his family learned to move forward from this enormous loss. Moving to Hamilton to be closer to family, Vess and his brothers participated in sports while the boys’ mother worked to make ends meet. With the help of close family and friends, the Hollingsworth family was able to survive and become stronger.
“I think sometimes having those hardships, even as a youngster, can grow you up quickly,” Vess says. “We saw the things our mom had to struggle for, but we never lacked for anything. Our mom made sure we had a great childhood. (She) had a strong faith in God, and she raised us to do the same.”
Throughout high school and college, sports were an integral part of Vess’ life. Playing football, baseball, and basketball kept him busy. Not wanting to place any added financial burden on his mother, Vess and his brothers worked to earn college scholarships.
Vess played basketball at Walker College in Jasper under legendary coach Glen Clem before transferring to Athens State University to complete his basketball career and college education.
“Coach Clem was a huge influence in my life,” Vess said. “He taught me so many things other than basketball. ‘Attention to detail’ is what I can still hear him say to this day. That is one of the biggest things I’ve taken from Coach Clem and use to this day.”
After graduation, Vess began working in sales, but this proved to be a challenge.
“I tried something different for a while, but it was harder than I thought. I just kept coming back to sports. It was the only thing that felt right,” he says.
When a coaching position opened at Bevill State Community College in Fayette, Alabama, Vess decided to take a shot at it. It was here that his purpose in life was confirmed.
Over the years, Vess has held several coaching positions throughout Alabama and South Carolina. Today, he coaches at Jasper Junior High School and Jasper High School, teaching physical education and assisting with girls’ basketball and golf.
Along the way he’s helped mentor kids who have experienced a similar loss as he did as a child.
“I’ve gotten to share with these kids the ways that I got through things, which was through the Lord, through prayer, and having good people around me. I just feel like coaching is the best place I could’ve done that,” he says.
By choosing to live forward and pay forward the kindness he has been shown, Vess is truly living out God’s purpose in his life. 78