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By ANNA GRACE MOORE | Staff Writer

Tickets for the Shelby County Hall of Fame event on Thursday, Oct. 10 are limited and can be purchased by emailing alec.etheredge@shelbyccountyreporter.com.

Known as a straight arrow, Judge Conrad Murphree Fowler’s unwavering integrity epitomizes him as the pillar of truth and justice in Shelby County. Born on Sept. 17, 1918, in Montevallo, Conrad was raised in Columbiana and graduated from Shelby County High School.

He later attended the University of Alabama, where he studied business and participated in the Million Dollar Band (playing tenor saxophone), Omicron Delta Kappa, Jasons and the Crimson and White staff. After graduating in 1941, Conrad attended the University of Alabama Law School, but his studies were interrupted by WWII.

Conrad joined the U.S. Marine Corps, serving as a captain and leading men into battle throughout invasions in the South Pacific. He later received numerous honors such as the Purple Heart and two Silver Stars for his service in Guadalcanal; Bougainville, Guam; and Iwo Jima.

Despite being highly decorated, Conrad never boasted about himself or his accomplishments.

“He was very, very good at deflecting attention away from himself and towards others,” Randy Fowler, Conrad’s son, says. “If you wanted him to talk about his role in Alabama politics, for instance, he would maybe say a sentence or two about himself, and then he’d start talking about his good friend, Howell Heflin.”

U.S. Sen. (D-AL) Howell Heflin and Conrad were lifelong friends, having studied law together at the University of Alabama and served in sister companies in the U.S. Marine Corps.

“Dad always told a story on Howell,” Randy says, chuckling. “When Howell got wounded [in WWII], he was like 6’8 and probably weighed 350 pounds. The medics–there were four of them–tried to carry him out on a stretcher, and they were struggling. Howell just said, ‘Put me down, put me down. I can walk better than y’all can carry me!’ He walked back to the beach, where he got on a craft that took him back to the ship.”

Randy says his father always told that story with pride, bragging on Howell for still being able to get up and walk himself to safety. Funnily enough, Conrad would hardly ever talk about his own injury in Iwo Jima.

During battle, Conrad was hit by grenade shrapnel to his lower leg, and he nearly lost his ability to walk. He was awarded the Purple Heart for his valor, but Randy says his father found it better to uplift those around him than his own self.

In 1946, Conrad was honorably discharged as a major but continued to serve in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, finally retiring as a colonel. He married his college sweetheart, Virginia, that same year, and Howell served as his best man.

After getting married, the couple moved back to Tuscaloosa, where Conrad received his Bachelor of Laws degree. They then moved to Columbiana, and Conrad began practicing law with Handy Ellis in 1948.

In 1953, Conrad ran for the 18th Judicial Circuit, becoming elected as a circuit solicitor. He served in this position until 1959.

“He campaigned county-wide, door-to-door on a bicycle every time he ran for public office,” Randy says. “He would drive to neighborhoods–there weren’t as many then as there are now–get on his bike, ride the neighborhood, knocking on every door and talking to everyone who was at home. He did this every time he ran for circuit solicitor and three times for probate judge.”

One of Conrad’s proudest political accomplishments was his service in prosecuting criminals during the Phenix City Clean-Up in 1954. Then known as “Sin City,” Phenix City was notorious for its criminal syndicate’s local governmental control, which perpetuated illegal alcohol manufacturing, gambling and prostitution.

In 1954, James Albert Patterson ran for Alabama attorney general to create order in the city, but he was shot dead outside of his office, illuminating the city’s corruption. Conrad served as one of several prosecutors, and within a year, the city became “cleaned up” of crime.

“One of my earliest childhood memories was going to Phenix City to visit dad,” Randy says. “They put us up in a home at Fort Benning. Next door in the house was President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s son, who was an officer at that base. His family, my brother and I would play with David Eisenhower, who at the time was our age and later grew up to marry Julie Nixon, President Richard Nixon’s daughter. When we were there, they took care of us.”

After this success, Conrad ran and became elected as the Judge of Probate and Chairman of the Shelby County Commission–a role he served in from 1959 to 1977. Conrad helped lead efforts to establish county-wide preparations for private and governmental development, leading to the creation of a new county government center.

“Planning and zoning was very important,” Randy says. “He wanted the locals to be able to control the future use of their property, so long as that control and the rampant development that ensued was done properly and to everyone’s advantage.”

Conrad’s accolades during his time in office include serving as the president of the Alabama Association of Probate Judges (1968); the president of the Alabama Association of County Commissioners (1970); and the president of the National Association of Counties (1969-1970). President Lyndon B. Johnson even appointed Conrad to serve on the Commission of Health Facilities.

From 1967-1977, Conrad served on the Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations, having been appointed by Presidents Johnson and Nixon. He also served as chairman of the Alabama Constitution Commission from 1970-1976.

“He took the appointment to be the chairman of the commission that rewrote a part of the Alabama constitution,” Randy says. “The state government took the opportunity to amend the judicial article of the Alabama State Constitution and modernized the Alabama court system to the point where it was recognized at the time as one of the best judicial systems in America. I appreciate it because it’s the court system that I’ve practiced law under for the last 50 years.”

Conrad went on to serve in countless roles, focusing on serving his constituents by advocating for their needs. He served as the chairman of the Alabama Committee for Humanities and Public Health from 1973 to 1976.

From 1968 to 1969, Conrad served as president of the Alabama Lung Association, and from 1981 to 1982, he served as president of the American Lung Association. In 1979, the Alabama Lung Association awarded Conrad with the Heacock Medal Award, and the American Lung Association inducted him into its hall of fame that same year.

Conrad went on to serve as a member of the Associated Industries of Alabama; the Public Affairs Committee of the Alabama and the Georgia Textile Manufacturers Associations; and the National Alumni Association of the University of Alabama. Conrad also served in the United Methodist Church his entire life and eventually became a lay leader and delegate for the Southeastern Jurisdictional Conference.

Conrad became inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor in 1981. It was in 2006 that he would speak at his last membership meeting, taking the time to eulogize Howell and his service to his country.

“That was one of the highlights of dad’s life–being able to go there one more time and talk about his friend,” Randy says.

On Jan. 1, 2007, Conrad made his heavenly debut, leaving behind a legacy spanning more than five decades of political and community service to his constituents. Because he valued people’s needs more than his own, Conrad will forever be remembered for his character–a model for future generations.