Seven inductions made to the Shelby County Hall of Fame during second annual ceremony
Published 10:21 am Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Judge Mike joiner received a Cornerstone Award and was inducted into the Shelby County Hall of Fame's class of 2025 on Thursday, Oct. 23. (Photos for the Reporter/Jeremy Raines and Neal Wagner)
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By NOAH WORTHAM | Managing Editor
MONTEVALLO – Applause echoed throughout Liberty Hall at American Village as the family members of Don Armstrong accepted a Cornerstone Award on his behalf during an emotional moment at the second annual Shelby County Hall of Fame ceremony.
Seven inductees were solidified in the annals of Shelby County history for their tremendous impact during the second annual installment of the Shelby County Hall of Fame on Thursday, Oct. 23.
The ceremony, which was presented by Central State Bank and put on by Shelby County Newsmedia, Inc., featured a formal night of celebration with a cocktail hour, plated dinner by Tre Luna and a special ceremony to commemorate each inductee. Jim Dunaway served as the night’s emcee.
“Congratulations to each of our seven inductees tonight,” said Alec Etheredge, president and publisher of Shelby County Newsmedia, Inc. “The impact that they’ve had on Shelby County and continue to have—what they built, the foundation they’ve set—is second to none.”
Before formally beginning the induction ceremony, Etheredge took a moment to remember American Village founder Tom Walker, a Shelby County Hall of Fame class of 2025 inductee, who passed away on Sept. 25 at 71 years of age. A commemorative photograph of Walker receiving his Cornerstone Award was presented to American Village CEO Col. Alan Miller and Chief of Staff Mike Jones on behalf of Walker’s wife, Betty.
“He’s really the reason we’re able to be in this room tonight,” Etheredge said. “A true pioneer, visionary in all aspects of life. What he was able to do and create here at American Village was truly special.”
Throughout the evening’s ceremony, a video presentation introduced each inductee in the class of 2025 and provided a historical overview of the person’s lasting impact on others and the county as a whole. Afterward, the inductee or family members representing the inductee came forward to receive a Cornerstone Award.
“It’s a true cornerstone—it’s a unique design,” Etheredge said. “The cornerstone really kind of sets the foundation (and) the foundation is set by these people and the impact that they’ve had and continue to have. We’re excited to be able to present those tonight.”
Historical information on each new inductee was provided by the Shelby County Historical Society and an audio-visual display will be created for the Shelby County Museum and Archives in Columbiana, where they will also display each inductee’s video. Proceeds from the ticket sales to the Shelby County Hall of Fame will go toward supporting the Shelby County Historical Society.
“The inductees in the Shelby County Hall of Fame class of 2025 were selected not just because they were successful in their profession or occupation but because they went above and beyond to contribute their skills and talents to the citizens of Shelby County,” said David Nolen, president of the Shelby County Historical Society. “What they accomplished individually and as a group has been a great benefit to Shelby County.”
The first individual to be inducted into the Shelby County Hall of Fame class of 2025 was Don Armstrong.
A Wilsonville native, Armstrong was born on Aug. 15, 1940, and served Shelby County in numerous ways until his death on March 6, 2025. A 1953 graduate of Shelby County High School, Armstrong earned a degree from Alabama College—later renamed the University of Montevallo—and served in the U.S. Army National Guard for six years before being honorably discharged.
His professional career included work with U.S. Steel and nine years with USS Agri Chemical in Albany, Georgia. Armstrong served as a Shelby County planning commissioner from May 1985 to March 1986, as the commissioner for Shelby County District 9 from January 1991 to August 2005 and as the Shelby County property tax commissioner from September 2005 to March 2025. It was during his time as a Shelby County commissioner that Armstrong established the basis for how Shelby County is operated today.
Joel Elwyn “Ned” Bearden marked the second individual to be inducted into the Shelby County Hall of Fame’s class of 2025.
Born in 1909, Bearden lived to the age of 90, making a difference in several facets of life in Shelby County. Alongside his brother, Merrill, Bearden created Paramount Jersey Dairy Farms with 29 cows in 1929 at the age of 22 in Helena. He worked for 70 years as a dairy farmer and served as the president of the First Bank of Alabaster.
Bearden was elected to the Shelby County Commission in 1968 and served for 12 years. He also served on the Shelby County Farm Bureau and the Shelby County Board of Education. The Pelham High School football stadium was named Ned Bearden Stadium in his honor.
The third inductee into the Shelby County Hall of Fame was Jackson Campbell.
Campbell was born in 1874 as the child of sharecroppers who were likely descendants of enslaved people. After graduating from Tuskegee Institute, Campbell moved to Shelby County in 1907 and created the Campbell Academy, a private school, which paved the way for the education of Black residents. In 1913, Campbell opened a second location near the Shelby County Ironworks.
In 1925, Campbell opened the Shelby County Training School, which marked the first upper-level education school for Black students in the area after he raised $8,500 to purchase 13 acres alongside Highway 47. After nearly 40 years in education, he passed away in 1946.
Ellen Corbett was the fourth person to be inducted into the Shelby County Hall of Fame for the evening.
Initially born in Fayette, Corbett grew up in Bluff, where she developed the skills that she took with her to Montevallo in 1955. In 1963, after spending time raising her daughters, Corbett was hired at the Oliver C. Carmichael Library, where she worked at the circulation desk, assisted students with research projects and grew as a mentor. After five years, she was hired administrative assistant to the president, where she served several generations of University of Montevallo presidents.
Corbett served as the coordinator of Leadership Shelby County from its start in 1994 until 2006. The program has influenced and shaped leaders across the county with hundreds of graduates.
The fifth inductee into the Shelby County Hall of Fame was Frank C. “Butch’ Ellis.
Born and raised on his family’s dairy farm in Columbiana, Butch attended Shelby County High School before studying at the University of Montevallo. He briefly transferred to Auburn University before changing career paths and returning to UM. In 1964, he graduated at the top of his class at the University of Alabama School of Law and soon after began practicing law.
At just 24 years old, Ellis became Shelby County’s first-ever county attorney. Since then, he has served as a city attorney for Calera, Harpersville, Helena, Montevallo, Pelham, Westover and Wilton. In 1982, he was elected to the Alabama Senate, where he served for 10 years in office, including as Senate floor leader and chair of the Senate Judiciary-Criminal Justice Committee. Ellis also served on the University of Montevallo Board of Trustees for 23 years and served as president of the Shelby County Bar Association.
For the second year in a row, the Shelby County Hall of Fame welcomed joint inductees with this year’s ceremony honoring Karl and Mildred Harrison.
Karl and Mildred first met over a game of cards and dated for three years before getting married in June 1937. Karl began practicing law in Columbiana in 1936 and served in the Alabama Senate from 1939-1943 and in the Alabama House of Representatives from 1947-1955. Karl also served as president of the First National Bank of Columbiana. Karl was also responsible for the creation of the Karl C. Harrison Museum of George Washington.
Mildred was hired as the first field consultant for the Alabama Public Library Service in 1939. One year later, she was hired as Shelby County’s first-ever librarian. When Shelby County created its own library board, she was selected to chair it in 1946, a position she held for 51 years. In 1970, Mildred was appointed to the Alabama Public Library’s state executive board, where she served from 1971 to 1975 as board chair. The Shelby County library and local library system are named in her honor.
The seventh and final inductee into the Shelby County Hall of Fame’s class of 2025 was Judge Mike Joiner.
Joiner grew up in Indian Springs and earned a bachelor’s degree in history at Samford University and his juris doctorate from Cumberland School of Law. He got his start in law at a small practice in Alabaster before running for the newly created circuit judgeship in 1992, which he won, taking office in January 1993. In 2005, Joiner became the presiding judge and continued to serve until January 2011.
In 2002, Joiner established the Shelby County Drug Court and helped to train others to establish similar systems in other courtrooms, with 65 of Alabama’s 67 counties now having drug courts. In 2011, Joiner was appointed by Gov. Robert Bentley to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, where he served until 2019 and as the presiding judge on the court of the judiciary from 2013-2018. Joiner also co-founded and served as president of the Alabama Association of Drug Court Professionals and served on the executive committee of the Circuit Judges Association and the Alabama Public Safety and Sentencing Coalition. Joiner retired from the Court of Criminal Appeals in 2019 and stayed retired for two weeks before returning to the Shelby County Drug Court.
As each Hall of Fame 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.
With the second annual Shelby County Hall of Fame complete, work will begin on the selection of the next set of inductees in the class of 2026 as the annual ceremony hopes to continue honoring the life, legacy and service of Shelby County’s most impactful leaders.
“We are truly in the position we are today as a county because of the foundation that they set,” Etheredge said. “And we get to build from that.”
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