SPECIAL TO THE REPORTER

Frank C. &8220;Butch&8221; Ellis Jr. of Columbiana, who served as chairman of the University of Montevallo Board of Trustees for 19 years, became the university&8217;s second recipient of the honorary doctor of laws degree.

The first was presented to former board chairman, the late Wales W. Wallace Jr., with whom Ellis practiced law for many years.

Ellis was presented the degree at Montevallo&8217;s spring graduation ceremonies May 6 on the lawn of Flowerhill, the president&8217;s home.

Dr. Robert M. McChesney, Montevallo&8217;s president, and Anna Blair, secretary of the Board of Trustees, presented the degree to Ellis.

The occasion marked McChesney&8217;s last commencement ceremony as president. He will retire Aug. 1 after 14 years of service to the university. McChesney served as commencement speaker.

McChesney commended Ellis for his &8220;wise and skillful leadership,&8221; as he called the former board chairman &8220;a trusted admiral at the university&8217;s helm.

&8220;Excluding my wife, if I had to say who has been my most important partner, clearly it would be Butch Ellis,&8221; McChesney said.

Ellis stepped down as chairman of the board in February; he continues to serve as a Montevallo trustee. His current term runs through Jan. 19, 2008.

&8220;I have been a member of the board for 23 years, and I didn&8217;t mean to stay that long,&8221; Ellis said. &8220;It truly changed my life.&8221;

He said receiving the doctor of laws degree from his alma mater &8220;is an honor I will cherish the rest of my life. This is a wonderful place, and I have a deep feeling for it in my heart.&8221;

A Montevallo trustee since 1983, Ellis said he has been attending board meetings regularly for more than three decades, having served as the board&8217;s legal counsel since the early 1970s.

The senior partner with the lawfirm of Wallace, Ellis, Fowler and Head in Columbiana, Ellis earned his bachelor&8217;s degree from UM and his juris doctorate degree summa cum laude from the University of Alabama School of Law.

The 1994 recipient of the UM Distinguished Alumnus Award, Ellis was a member of the Alabama Senate from 1983 until 1994.

He served as chair of the Senate Judiciary-Criminal Justice Committee and was senate floor leader. He also chaired the Fish and Game Subcommittee of the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee.

He was one of five Senate recipients of the meritorious public service award presented by the Montgomery Advertiser in 1991 and 1993, and he was one of five &8220;Outstanding Senators&8221; selected by the Senate membership in 1990.

Ellis has served as county attorney for Shelby County for 30 years and also serves as city attorney for the cities of Pelham, Helena, Calera, Westover, Wilsonville and Wilton.

He is past president of the Shelby County Bar Association and is a member of the Alabama Bar Association and the American Bar Association.

Ellis is married to the former Diane Bentley, a 1963 UM graduate.

They have three children, Kelly Ellis Davis, who graduated from UM in 1993; Christy Ellis Brasher; and Corley Ellis; and five grandchildren. Ellis&8217; mother, Christine, is a 1943 UM graduate.

During his commencement address, McChesney told students he was privileged to share their day with them, albeit with bittersweet feelings, as his 14 years at Montevallo draw to a close.

McChesney spoke of the challenges the graduates will face in their lifetime, but spoke of how they are well prepared to face and conquer them.

&8220;Your life&8217;s journey is young,&8221; McChesney said. &8220;You have yet much more to learn than you presently know. Your education has only begun. Nonetheless, you graduate today well prepared to begin your life&8217;s work.&8221;

McChesney addressed the need for a new state constitution, challenging graduates to change a document that will determine the state&8217;s future.

&8220;Among the most embarrassing distinctions of our great state is the fact that we have the most regressive, antiquated, cumbersome &8212; indeed, the worst &8212; state constitution in America and perhaps in the world,&8221; McChesney said.

&8220;Thus far, the leaders of my generation have failed to even develop a draft of a new constitution equal to the challenges of the 21st century. You can … you must

… do better.&8221;

McChesney closed by calling on graduates to &8220;act nobly,&8221; and forge a new trail.

&8220;You are limited not by your abilities, but by your vision,&8221; he said. &8220;A great deal is riding on your efforts.&8221;

He conferred degrees on about 275 students