Ever since he was in the 6th grade, Dr. Jim P. Sandras wanted to be a dentist. He was born and raised on the West Bank of New Orleans where he graduated from Archbishop Shaw High School in 1977. He went straight into pre-dentistry at the University of Louisiana in Lafayette where he graduated with a degree in Biology and Chemistry in 1982. That same year he was accepted into the L.S.U. School of Dentistry. Four years later he earned his dental degree and started his own dental practice in the New Orleans area at the age of twenty-six. Six years later, even though his practice was doing extremely well, Dr. Sandras decided he did not want to raise his family in New Orleans. So he sold his house and practice and moved 60 miles east to the beautiful, coastal town of Pass Christian, Mississippi located on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. In just a few months his new dental office was completely booked solid with patients. For the following fifteen years Dr. Sandras operated one of the most successful dental practices on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. That is until August 29th, 2005, when Hurricane Katrina in eight hours completely destroyed the entire region along with the spirit of it's people. Even after seeing the total destruction of 80% of every structure in his town, Dr. Sandras stayed positive that everything would be back to normal in just a short time. After six months of living in a disaster zone and seeing no sign of improving living conditions, he accepted the hard reality that life on the Gulf Coast would never be the same. He knew it wouldn't be easy, but he decided it was in his family's best interest to move north, away from the Gulf of Mexico.

At that point he could've literally moved anywhere in the country. After weeks of research, prayer and visiting dozens of cities, he chose Tuscaloosa. Being a huge sports fan he loved the idea of living and raising a family in a college town. But it wasn't just the Capstone, or the beautiful rolling hills or picturesque lakes that made him want to call "T-Town" his new home. It was the genuineness and friendliness of the people.