Folks often call him Speedo, but his real name is Mr. Earl, but you can call him Wendell if you like. Wendell Earl (Speedo) and Judy Stowers love to spend time with friends and are always up for a good joke, hence the name Speedo for Earl.

“I earned that name back when the Cadillacs had the hit song,” said Earl. “I guess it kind of stuck.”

Call him whatever name you want, just don’t call him late for dinner. When it comes to community service, well that’s no joking matter.

Stowers is a well-known name in Luttrell. What began as a family fireworks business in 1948 evolved through the years into one of the largest fireworks distributors in the area.
The business, started by Bethel Reed and Mary Lee Stovers, changed hands a few times before Judy and Wendell Earl Stowers took it over in 1972. The building had no heat and air or restrooms when the couple first came on the scene. Through the years, those essentials were added, along with a great deal of square footage during three different additions.

“Consumer fireworks were all we sold,” said Earl. “Our items were tested before we got them and then we would shoot and test them again before we put them on the shelf for retail. We carried around 500,000 items in peak season.”

Growing up Earl learned how a successful business operates by working in his parent’s grocery store. When Earl left his job at Knox Rail Salvage to become an entrepreneur, both he and Judy worked at the Luttrell post office while running other businesses; Earl as a substitute mail carrier and Judy as Assistant Postmaster. They also owned a storage trailer business. At one point in time, the two worked three jobs simultaneously.

“I’d come in from the post office, we’d drive to Sweetwater for our convenience store business and we had the business in Luttrell too,” said Earl. “One day I came home tired and decided to let the Sweetwater business go.”

Never one for sitting still, Earl has also spent time as a school bus driver and long haul trucker. In their heyday, the Stowers owned three separate fireworks stores as well as other businesses. Despite past tragedies and worsening health issues, the Stowers tried to keep the doors of their last operational fireworks business in Luttrell open as often as possible during the fireworks seasons. That is changing due to continuing poor health for both Earl and Judy.

Rather than focusing on what has become a daunting schedule of doctor visits and surgeries, the Stowers prefer to talk about their history of community service in Union County, especially to the city of Luttrell.

Earl served as mayor in Luttrell in the 1960s and both of the Stowers spent time as council members in the city. During their busiest years, the couple was active in their community and church while running their businesses.

One of their former hobbies was raising and selling Weimaraner pups. At one point, they cared for twenty-two of the special breed. These days the two spend a lot of their time chasing active five-month-old pup, Lucky.

“Lucky’s as fast as a roadrunner, has the teeth of a piranha and a tongue like a frog,” said Earl. “He keeps us pretty busy now.”