Foundation of Shelby County Hall of Fame Built with Influential University of Montevallo Alumni

November 1, 2025

The first two classes inducted into the newly created Shelby County Hall of Fame are significant in identifying the importance of the University of Montevallo within the 808 square miles consistently identified as one of the greatest places to live in the United States of America.

The inaugural class inducted in 2024 included a UM alum who played a large role in forging Shelby County’s reputation in Tom Walker ’75, founder of the American Village. The newest class inducted in October 2025 added three more individuals with UM connections who shaped the future of Shelby County in Ellen Corbett, a long-time UM employee who played a key role in founding Leadership Shelby County, Don Armstrong ’62, a U.S. Army National Guard veteran and long-time Shelby County Property Tax Commissioner, and Butch Ellis Jr. ’62, who has served as an attorney for Shelby County for more than 50 years.

Walker, who passed away in September, earned his bachelor of arts degree with honors in history and political science at the University in 1975.

Walker chartered the American Village in 1995. Walker conceived the idea of a campus during the 1980s to inspire youth to learn American history and civics education and prepare them to be good citizens and leaders. He led the design and implementation of the 188-acre campus where widely acclaimed programs have served more than 800,000 students from throughout the Southeast. American Village now draws thousands of public visitors each year.

In 2017 , Walker was one of only 16 citizens appointed by Congressional leaders to the United States Semiquincentennial Commission. The Commission is responsible for leading the  250th birthday celebration for the United States and commemoration of American Independence in 2026. He was unanimously elected as vice chairman of the Commission at its first meeting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Walker formerly served as special assistant to President Dr. John Stewart at the University of Montevallo. He is also a former vice chair of the UM Board of Trustees and was the founding chair of the Alabama Higher Education Partnership.

While furthering the mission of American history and civics education, Walker received numerous honors and state, regional and national awards. He is a past recipient of the American Bar Association’s highest national award for excellence in K-12 law-related education. He is the recipient of the DAR Medal of Honor and the SAR Gold Citizenship Medal, the highest national honors awarded by the National Societies of the Daughters of the American Revolution and of the Sons of the American Revolution, respectively. Walker was also selected as the “Birmingham Citizen of the Year” by The Women’s Committee of Birmingham.

Walker’s family continue his longstanding ties to the University today, with his wife Betty Walker graduating from UM in 1975, and two sons and a daughter who earned degrees from the University. UM Assistant Professor of Communication and Director of the Honors Program, Dr. Jeff Walker, graduated from UM in 2008, former UM Director of Sponsored Programs Matt Walker graduated in 2002, and Walker’s daughter Jane Herndon graduated with a master’s degree in education in 2006.

Corbett began her career at the University in 1963 as a circulation desk worker at Oliver C. Carmichael Library. She spent her time assisting students with research projects, writing assignments and literary questions.

Her ability to mentor students was quickly recognized and she moved into an administrative assistant position in the President’s Office, where she served five different UM presidents, Drs. Delos Culp, Kermit Johnson, James R. Vickery, John Stewart and Robert McChesney, over the next few decades.

One of the influential students Corbett mentored was Walker, who served as a special assistant to the president during his time at Montevallo.

Corbett also served as the first program coordinator, later known simply as director, for Leadership Shelby County. Under her leadership, a new class of up to 40 citizens were nominated and selected each year to go through a nine-month-long course to further their understanding of local government and encourage them to get involved.

Participants have gone on to become leaders throughout Shelby County, with some now holding public office or owning businesses, and others active in the school system, nonprofits, places of worship and more. Several class projects have included partnerships that fundraise for worthy causes or local students. Today, Leadership Shelby County now has a youth leadership program and offers scholarships, too. The program now has hundreds of graduates since its inception 31 years ago.

Armstrong, who passed away in March, earned his bachelor’s degree in business from Alabama College in 1962. The Wilsonville native left his hometown after school, joining the U.S. Army National Guard in 1963 where he served for six years before being honorably discharged.

Armstrong worked in private industry for nearly a decade in Georgia before returning to his roots in Shelby County to lead a career in public service. Armstrong was elected to the Shelby County Commission twice and played an important role in helping set the foundation for Shelby County’s thriving success in the early 1990s. Following his tenure as a Shelby County Commissioner, Armstrong was appointed as the Shelby County Property Tax Commissioner and served in the role for 20 years.

Armstrong’s guidance has been felt throughout Shelby County with his direction that no public projects begin until Shelby County possessed the funds to pay for the project in full, and the creation of the Shelby County Manager position, establishing the current form of municipal government.

Armstrong’s fiscal reform in Shelby County is credited with changing the course of the county for generations to come.

Ellis graduated from Alabama College in 1961 before becoming Shelby County’s first ever county attorney at just 24 years old. In addition to serving as the county attorney, Ellis has served as an attorney for the communities of Calera, Harpersville, Helena, Montevallo, Pelham, Westover and Wilton in Shelby County.

Over the years, Ellis represented clients in multiple areas, from estate planning to civil disputes to criminal cases. Ellis was elected to the Alabama State Senate in 1982, serving 10 years in office, before serving as chair of the Senate Judiciary-Criminal Justice Committee and as the senate floor leader. Ellis served as president of the Shelby County Bar Association, and is a member of both the Alabama Bar and American Bar associations.

Ellis also served as chair of the Fish and Game Subcommittee of the Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee. He was selected as one of five Outstanding Senators in 1990 by the Senate membership due to his unwavering commitment in his role.

Ellis also served as the chair of the University of Montevallo Board of Trustees for 23 years.