ELBERTA, Ala. — Rod Love’s daughter, Pattie, puts it this way concerning her father.

“He has been in business for over 30 years and still rises before the sun comes up every day, puts one foot in front of the other, and goes about life in the same determined manner of a man half his age just starting out in the world.”

With such admiration, little wonder Pattie Love calls her father “a humble man, who is extremely extraordinary.”

Rod, 69, is of the opinion his daughter was behind the letter of appreciation he received recently from the Town of Elberta. Mayor Marvin Williams brought the letter by, read it and presented it to Rod.

In the letter, the mayor and town congratulate Rod on his birthday (Jan. 22), his years of doing business as Dixie Woodworks, and his contributions and support of the town.

According to Rod, he operated his business out of his garage for four years but for the past 20 Dixie Woodworks has been on Elberta’s “main drag,” namely 12686 Chicago St.

“If it’s made out of wood, we’ll do it,” Rod said of his business, which he describes as making everything from cabinets to entertainment centers and repairing and refinishing.

Pattie’s description of what her father does isn’t quite as understated as her father’s: “My father creates custom built furniture, cabinetry, yacht interiors, just about anything built from wood. Very high-end, very coveted for his signature; often asked to sign his work for its value alone.”

According to Pattie, at age 2 her father fell ill with polio.

“He was not supposed to walk or possibly survive and spent months in an iron lung, a year in the hospital, and had about 15 surgeries before early high school.”

Pattie says her father hated leg braces, so, at an early age, he cast them aside.

Today, besides working in wood, Rod likes to read and study history, philosophy, physics and mathematics. He says history is his favorite subject, more specifically Civil War history. Pattie said her father was a math and philosophy major at the University of Alabama prior to going into construction, then the woodworking business.

Rod said he was surprised and gratified to receive the town’s letter of appreciation.

Pattie, who lives in Springfield, Mo., is gratified as well concerning the recognition.

“He’s such a wonderful guy. This makes me very happy,” she said.