1 of 82

Seven historic community members were solidified in the annals of Shelby County history during the induction ceremony of the inaugural class of the Shelby County Hall of Fame on Thursday, Oct. 10. (For the Reporter/Jeremy Raines)

By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor

MONTEVALLO – The American Village’s Liberty Hall was filled with applause as members of the community gave a standing ovation to Tom Walker while he crossed the room to accept his Cornerstone Award and placement into the inaugural class of the Shelby County Hall of Fame.

Seven historic community members were solidified in the annals of Shelby County history for their remarkable impact on others during the induction ceremony of the inaugural class of the Shelby County Hall of Fame on Thursday, Oct. 10.

The ceremony, which was presented by Central State Bank and put on by Shelby County Newsmedia, Inc., featured a remarkable night of celebration in a formal setting with a cocktail hour, plated dinner and a special ceremony to honor each inductee.

“I hope you all enjoy tonight for what it is, and that’s to celebrate all these people who have made such a drastic impact to get us to where we are at this point in Shelby County,” said Alec Etheredge, president and publisher of Shelby County Newsmedia, Inc.

During the ceremony, a video presentation introduced each inductee and provided a historical overview of the person’s lasting impact on others and the county as a whole. Afterward inductees or family members representing the inductee came forward to receive a Cornerstone Award.

“It’s designed to look like the cornerstone of a building and that is because the people that we’re honoring and the people that we hope to continue to honor in the future, they’re the building block—they’re the cornerstone of what has helped build Shelby County into what it is today,” Etheredge said.

Historical information on each inductee was provided by the Shelby County Historical Society and an audio visual display will be created for the organization’s museum in Columbiana where they will also archive each inductees video.

“We were so happy to be a partner in this program,” said David Nolen, president of the Shelby County Historical Society. “It’s just providing us with a new opportunity to do something additional to preserve history. All of these individuals that we honor tonight had a great impact on people in Shelby County.”

The first individual to be inducted into the inaugural class of the Shelby County Hall of Fame was George Dailey.

Dailey was originally from Atmore, Alabama and ended up serving Shelby County in a variety of roles. In 1965, Dailey became the principal of Prentice High School which was Montevallo’s only all-Black high school. During that period, Dailey fought for integration and in 1968, freedom of choice led to Black students having the opportunity to pick which school they could attend. In 1970, Prentice High School merged with Montevallo High School and Dailey became an assistant principal.

In 1984, Dailey was elected to the Montevallo City Council—marking him as the first African American to sit on the City Council. Dailey went on to run for the Shelby County Commission where he was elected to represent District 2 in 1990—marking him as the first African American to serve on the Shelby County Commission.

Jim “Peanut” Davenport marked the second individual to be inducted into the Shelby County Hall of Fame.

Hailing from the area of Siluria, which would eventually be incorporated into Alabaster, Davenport began his path to baseball greatness at Thompson High School before going to attend the University of Southern Mississippi. Davenport joined the San Francisco Giants and made his major league debut on April 15, 1958 at the age of 24. During the team’s debut, Davenport played 134 games that included 111 hits of which 12 were home runs. Jim batted 41 runs, earning an overall batting average of .256.

Over the course of his 13-year career with the Giants from 1958-1970, Davenport played 1,501 games. Jim was a career .258 hitter, making the All-Star team in 1962 and he was also the recipient of a Gold Glove award that year. At the time of his retirement, Davenport held the record for most games played at third base for the Giants. In 2006, Davenport was inducted into the Alabama Sports Halls of Fame.

The third inductee into the Shelby County Hall of Fame was Conrad Fowler Sr.

Fowler Sr. was born in Montevallo on Sept. 17, 1918 and was raised in Columbiana where he graduated from Shelby County High School. After graduating from the University of Alabama in 1941, Fowler Sr. attended the University of Alabama’s Law School but his studied were interrupted by World War II which led to him joining the U.S. Marine Corps as a captain leading men into battle through the South Pacific. Fowler Sr. later received multiple honors, including the Purple Heart, two Silver Stars for his service in Guadalcanal; Bougainville, Guam and Iwo Jima.

After earning a law degree and moving back to Columbiana, he practiced law with Handy Ellis in 1948. Fowler Sr. went on to help in the prosecution of criminals during the Phenix City Clean-Up of 1954. Later on, Fowler Sr. was elected as the Judge probate and Chairman of the Shelby County Commission where he served from 1959 to 1977.

Ada Datcher Sanders was the fourth person to be inducted into the Shelby County Hall of Fame that evening.

Born in 1881, Sanders is a third-generation midwife—having descended from slaves. Sanders began learning about the profession during the ‘30s and officially became licensed in 1940. Sanders was passionate about her role as a midwife in which she served for more than 40 years. She single-handedly delivered around 300 babies, including all of her grandchildren and the majority of her nieces and nephews.

During the ceremony, Ralph and Marcia Sears were jointly inducted together during the Shelby County Hall of Fame for their combined impact on the community.

Both were graduates of the University of Nebraska and moved together to Montevallo in 1948. Ralph taught radio and public speaking at Alabama College and Marcia started the Meadowlark Nursery School out of their home. Ralph became involved in radio broadcasting and was elected to the Montevallo City Council in 1956. In 1967, Ralph and Marcia purchased the Shelby County Reporter from Luther Fowler. Ralph oversaw the financial and publishing side of the business while Marcia became the newspaper’s editor and ran the newsroom. In 1972, Ralph was elected at the mayor of Montevallo where he served six terms in office over 24 years. In 1981, Marcia became the first-ever female president of the Alabama Press Association and earned the APA’s Lifetime Achievement award.

The sixth inductee of the Shelby County Hall of Fame’s inaugural class was Justice Patricia “Patti” Smith.

After graduating from The Jones Law School at Faulkner University in 1976, Smith was hired as the assistant district attorney for the 18th Judicial Court in 1977 before being named the district court judge by Gov. Fob James in 1980. She served in the role for 25 years and was reelected in 1986, 1992 and 1998.

As someone with a heart for children, Smith worked to found the Developing Alabama Youth program in Alabaster in 1983. The DAY program has gone on to help hundreds of at-risk youth in Shelby County. In 1996, Smith founded Friends of the Court, Inc/Court Appointed Special Advocates of Shelby County. In 2004, Smith was elected to the Alabama Supreme Court where she served one term before retiring in 2011.

The seventh and final inductee of the evening into the Shelby County Hall of Fame was Tom Walker.

Walker is a native of Albertville, Alabama and eventually came to Shelby County to attend the University of Montevallo where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in history and political science with honors before earning his Master of Arts in political science at Mississippi State University.

After obtaining his master’s degree and working in Northport, Alabama, Walker returned to the University of Montevallo where he assumed the position of assistant to the president. It was during that time back on campus that Walker first came up with the idea to create a historical camp based on American History which would eventually come to fruition as the American Village. The American Village was chartered in 1995 before fully holding its grand opening ceremony on Nov. 30, 1999.

Known for its historical reenactments and programs, the American Village in Montevallo attracts thousands of visitors each year and has served just shy of a million people since its inception. Walker served as the first president of the American Village from its opening to his retirement in March 2022.

As each inductee and honoree’s family came forward to accept their respective Cornerstone Award, they were met with enthusiastic applause from the community members in attendance.

Now, with the inaugural Shelby County Hall of Fame Ceremony complete, organizers look toward next year with the hopes that the event becomes an annually staple that continues to honor major figures in the county’s rich history.

“We hope that this becomes a long-standing tradition,” Etheredge said. “This is just the beginning.”

More Montevallo

Shelby County Football Show: Week 9

Week 9 Predictions: Thompson and Hoover square off for region title plus 10 other games

Local bands take home trophies after success at the Lake Martin Invitational

Civil/Uncivil discourse: American Village to hold historical debate