Brian Emory didn’t grow up here, but every time he passed through town he knew it’s where he wanted his family to live.

Emory, 38, met his wife, Heather Woodcock, when they both attended Mississippi State University. He was from Madison and she was a Meadville girl.

When they’d visit her family, they’d stop in Brookhaven. Every time they stopped in Brookhaven, Emory would fall a little more in love with the place.

“We have always wanted to live in Brookhaven,” he said. “Going through town to Meadville to visit my in-laws, we always knew we wanted to raise our kids here. It’s a great place to live. It still has that Mayberry feel and that appeals to me.”

Emory took a job at Brookhaven Academy a little over three years ago as director of development and that brought them to his adopted hometown to live. They joined Easthaven Baptist Church before their house in Clinton was even sold, he said.

In his job, he spends about 90 percent of the time fundraising for the private Christian school and the rest of the time he’s working at marketing and public relations. Being on the campus allows him the luxury of seeing his girls throughout the day.

The Emorys have been married almost 17 years and have three daughters — Cameron, Chloe and Zoe. In the fall, they’ll be in ninth, second and first grades respectively.

Heather Emory teaches psychology at Hinds Community College and commutes an hour one way. That means dad gets to spend more time with their daughters.

“I get to see them all the time. It’s awesome,” he said. “My oldest sometimes gets embarrassed when I holler at her across the hallway or see her in the lunchroom. The other two always run up and hug me no matter how many times they see me. It’s really cool.”