Peck sees Madison challenged but climb to greatness
MADISON — Living in Madison has brought John Peck full circle.
Peck has worked as Public Relations Manager for Madison City Schools since December 2012.
His 25-plus years with “The Huntsville Times” had him covering Madison in the late 1980s when the city was grappling with severe growing pains.
“There was actually a referendum vote in Madison on whether to merge with Huntsville,” Peck recalled. “Madison not only voted ‘no,’ it was a resounding ‘no.'”
“That independence nurtured the movement a decade later to form its own school system. We see now what that has done for Madison,” Peck said.
A native of Huntsville, Peck graduated from Johnson High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Auburn University. His father was a career NASA engineer. His mother was a violinist and homemaker raising five children.
While serving as The Times’ state capital correspondent and living in Montgomery, he met his wife Emily who was a producer for APT’s “For the Record” news program. Before thoughts of ever living in Madison, Peck remembers covering Alabama Board of Education meetings and legislative issues involving the formation of Madison City Schools.
“It’s really neat being on this end of what I witnessed unfolding. To see how Madison has thrived through challenges and climbed to greatness is enlightening,” he said. “The citizens and leadership here are very forward thinking.”
In 2003, the Pecks left Montgomery for Huntsville to be closer to family (Emily is from Memphis). They relocated to Madison in 2010 for the same reason many families do — its quality of life, led by a superb school system.
Their son Stuart is a 2017 graduate of Bob Jones High School, while son Trevor is a sophomore at Bob Jones. Both played sports in Madison and joined youth programs at Asbury United Methodist Church.
John and Emily love Madison because it is safe and convenient to shopping centers, greenways and entertainment venues. Emily’s work as a part-time adjunct instructor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Calhoun Community College and online teacher for Alabama ACCESS provides scheduling flexibility for family outings and travel adventures in their RV.
Their dog Bodie loves Madison, too.
