“Opportunity is like a man with long hair in front and completely bald in back. When it is coming toward you, you can reach out and grab a good hold because the hair is long. However, when it is moving away from you, your hand just keeps slipping off the slick bald head.” These were the opening words of my remarks on this special occasion. Of course, these words sprung from my deceased mama, Ola Mae Sanders.

The occasion was the dedication of the $26 million Alabama Criminal Justice Training Center at Wallace Community College Selma. The six-building complex is something to see, something to experience. And it grew out of an opportunity seized.

The first person to mention the concept of a Criminal Justice Training Center to me was Dr. James Mitchell, President of Wallace Community College Selma. He said over the phone that it would be good for law enforcement, good for Alabama, and good for Wallace Community College. He also said some people had come to see him and would be coming to see me. I could hear the enthusiasm in his voice. I could see the vision springing from his words grounded in his head and heart. It was opportunity coming toward us.

The first persons to meet with me concerning the new Training Center were Capt. Glenda Deese and Andre Reid. Deese, now retired, was head of the old State Troopers Training Center located at Craig Field near Selma. Reid is a former State Trooper who consults with the Alabama State Troopers. As Deese and Reid talked, I saw the vision, I saw the possibilities. It was opportunity coming toward us.

At the time, the old Training Center was run down. I always thought that higher ups in the State Troopers allowed it to run down because they desperately wanted to move the Center out of Selma. I had done everything possible to prevent such a move for years. I knew that if a modern training center was established at Wallace College, we would never have such a struggle again. And opportunity was coming toward us.

The year before, State Rep. Richard Lindsey, who chairs the Education Budget Committee in the House, and I, as Education Budget Chair in the Senate, had blocked a capital spending plan by Gov. Bob Riley after an intense struggle. We succeeded partly because we promised a bond issue the following year that would provide far more money for capital improvements than Gov. Riley proposed. At the time, I had no idea that it would help solve a long-standing problem. That was opportunity in the making.

After meeting with Deese and Reid, I immediately met with Rep. Lindsey. He saw the advantages to Alabama for a training center. We figured the project at $14 million and hoped that Gov. Riley would include it in his version of the bond issue, but he did not. Still, Rep. Lindsey and House Speaker Pro Tem Seth Hammett grabbed a good hold on this opportunity as it was coming toward us.

Col. J. Christopher Murphy, head of the Alabama State Troopers, shared his vision separately with Rep. Lindsey and I. Then Gov. Riley shared his vision separately and asked that the money be placed in the bond issue. I readily agreed since I was already determined to do so. The hold on opportunity kept getting stronger and stronger.

The amount for the Training Center kept growing. It became a training center for correction officers as well as state troopers. Then it became the Criminal Justice Training Center for all law enforcement. Gov. Riley and Murphy envisioned a state-of-the-art training center. At first it was three buildings but eventually became six buildings. The price almost doubled.

Now, we were dedicating this $26 million complex. It would not only serve Alabama State Troopers and Corrections Officers, but law enforcement throughout Alabama, the Southeast United States and indeed the country. It was truly state of the art. It was truly striking. It was truly impressive. It truly exceeded anything we had envisioned. It was truly opportunity timely seized.

This effort illustrates the power of seizing opportunity as it’s coming toward you. The old folk called it “Striking while the iron is hot.” It is also an illustration of the power of partnership: Wallace Community College, State Troopers and the Department of Corrections; legislative leaders and governor; local and state government; college president and state senator; and so on.

Without the power of partnership, this moment would not have been possible in spite of good timing. We are all better off because opportunity, partnership and determination came together at the right place and time.

Timing is critical in any endeavor. However, good timing alone does not insure success. But timing plus preparation and collaboration tilt the odds in our favor. That’s what brought about the Training Center.

State Sen. Hank Sanders represents Dallas County in the Alabama Legislature.