Troy native STEVE FLOWERS was a page in the Alabama Legislature at age 12 and worked at the Capitol throughout high school. At the University of Alabama, he served in the Student Senate and graduated in 1974 with a degree in political science and history. At age 30, he was elected State Representative from Pike County. He was reelected four times and retired in 1998 with a perfect attendance record for 16 consecutive years. His House colleagues honored him as outstanding freshman member in 1982, most ethical member in 1988, and most outstanding member in 1992. In 2002, Flowers began writing on Alabama politics. Today his weekly column appears in more than 60 newspapers. In addition, his weekly radio show on Alabama politics is heard statewide on Alabama Public Radio, and he is the political analyst for the University of Alabama Radio and TV Network. Flowers has also analyzed Alabama politics for state, national, and international television audiences on CBS, PBS, ABC, and the British Broadcasting Network. Flowers has been an up-close participant and observer of the Alabama political scene for more than 50 years and is widely considered the ultimate authority today on Alabama politics and Alabama political history.