Folks in central Alabama who saw David Culberson in his black-striped ref uniform would instantly recognize him. He refereed hundreds of high school football games since the 1960s.
For 25 years, he was an official with the Alabama High School Athletic Association. He worked Friday night lights.
Culberson, a Sylacauga native, died at his home in Birmingham at age 83.
With him died a wealth of knowledge of the music of the 1950s and 60s. He was a leader in the Magic City Boppers and the Birmingham Record Collectors with their annual record show, which draws Oldies music lovers from across the Southeast.
Culberson died November 10, 2025 after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
He grew up in Sylacauga, graduating from B.B. Comer High School. It was there in the 1950s that his love for music was born.
Sylacauga locals can recognize:
Earl Lewis, Bobby Hallmark, Jabo Craddock, Jack Bennett, Dale Layton, Gary Maddox, DQ owner Roy Wilson, Mike Elrod, Christine Campbell, Jetty Ellison, Jean Mizzell. What a generation.
David Culberson is seen near the middle in the white B.B. Comer football jersey with number 41.
David then went to Jefferson State Community College. He served in the Army Air National Guard in Montgomery and ultimately moved to Birmingham to pursue a career in computer programming. It was there he met his wife of 58 years, Cheryl Bragan Culberson.
He worked for UAB Health Information Systems for 40 years, programming the network for the entire hospital.
He and wife Cheryl enjoyed many trips to their favorite spot, “The Hangout” in Panama City, Florida. That same music.
“No one could tell a story better than David. His mind was a vault of details from growing up in Sylacauga in the 50’s to recalling every detail of an Auburn football game to knowing every Oldies song, writer, and the year it was produced,” according to his obituary.
Services for David Culberson were held on Sunday, November 16. He was interred in Evergreen Memorial Cemetery in Sylacauga.
“The day the music died,” Don McLean sang in”American Pie” (1971).
Jim Zig Zeigler is a contributing writer for Yellowhammer News. His beat includes the positive and colorful about Alabama – her people, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former State Auditor and Public Service Commissioner. You can reach him at ZeiglerElderCare@yahoo.com
