Halley the Heron
A children’s book brings a father’s environmental mission to life on Pensacola’s Bayou Texar
By Cynthia Reeves / Photos by Kate Treick Photography
“I am a humble heron, a bird that likes to walk in the shallow water by the shore.”
In the beautifully illustrated children’s book “Hally the Heron at Home on the Bayou,” written by Carol Myers and illustrated by her sister Leslie Scott, Hally tells his story about life on Pensacola’s Bayou Texar. The bayou holds a special place in the family’s history.
The book is dedicated to their dad, the late Philip A. “Hally” Payne, who lived in East Hill on the bayou when he was a young boy.
“We want kids to value what our dad valued as a local. He enjoyed living on the water, sailing, fishing and exploring,” Myers said.
In the mid-1970s, the family moved to the East Pensacola Heights side of the bayou during a period of high pollution in the waterways of Pensacola. Myers believes the development of Cordova Mall and the surrounding area led to stormwater runoff that collected in the bayou. Pollution resulted in fish kills and swimming bans. It threatened wildlife — the blue herons, dolphins, ospreys and pelicans.
Payne, a dentist, made it his life’s work to return the bayou to the pristine, magical place he remembered as a child.
“Our dad was instrumental in bringing the woes of the bayou to the attention of the Pensacola City Council, where he attended meetings for 35 years,” Myers said.
They called him “The Bulldog” because he wouldn’t give up on his mission to clean up the bayou. Through his efforts and those involved in the Bayou Texar Foundation, the city purchased street sweepers to mitigate stormwater runoff.
After Payne died in 2005, the City Council honored the environmentalist with a new street sweeper with his name on the front. The bridge over Bayou Texar was also named the Dr. Philip A. Payne Bridge.
Myers wrote the book while caring for her mother before she died three years ago. She and Scott would look out at the bayou from their family home and see the impact of their father’s work.
“We would call it the nature show. A blue heron would visit the dock every day. The birds are kind of an indicator of the health of any ecosystem,” Myers said.
The thriving wildlife inspired the sisters to share their father’s legacy.
“So now the birds are back and the fish are back, and there’s dolphins in the bayou, and it’s great,” Scott added.
Scott painted the illustrations and presented them to Myers as a surprise for her birthday. She used Neocolor permanent wax pastels to create soft yet colorful portraits of the heron and his critter friends on the bayou.
“It was really a big gift for me that I could be a part of it. So, it was a two-way street there,” Scott said.
The story seems to be a simple day in the life of the blue heron, but it is actually a loving tribute to a man and his mission.
“I think he would just get the biggest kick out of the fact that we are kind of continuing his mission because in this story, we’re trying to expose kids to the things in Pensacola that we think are of value —the natural beauty,” Myers said.
She sees the heron character as her father’s essence living on.
The story ends with Hally the Heron looking out over his bayou home with pride — just like Payne did when he worked tirelessly to preserve it.
“Today my life is full. I look forward to another day standing watch over my beloved bayou home.”
Myers has more stories about Hally and his adventures that she hopes to publish one day. Her goal is to use a portion of the proceeds to continue to protect the bayou.
