 | JULIA WALKER RUSSELL |
The following biographical sketch was compiled at the time of induction into the Academy in 1975.
Julia Walker Russell's dedicated work as an educator and philanthropist has enriched the lives of
the people of Alexander City for more than four decades.
Born in Attalla in 1907, she moved to Alexander City in 1929 when she married Thomas D. Russell.
Entering spiritedly into the Russell family's tradition of service to the town, she organized a score
of activities to benefit the employees of the Russell Mills and their families. By 1951, when when
she was named the Alexander City Woman of the Year, she had compiled an impressive record of
civic achievement.
For instance, during the wartime teacher shortage, she taught without pay at the Russell Mills
School, and after 1945, served as its superintendent. In her spare time, she helped found the
Alexander City Library, was chairman of the annual Russell Mills Christmas ball, volunteered at the
Russell Hospital, and directed the youth work at the First Baptist Church of Alexander City. In
1953, she founded a must-admired ecumenical place of worship, the Church in the Pines at Lake
Martin.
As a continuing ambassador of good will for Alabama's cotton crop and textile products, she
frequently entertains textile leaders in her home, and has served on the Alabama Cotton Promotion
Committee and the Alabama Maid of Cotton promotion.
In addition, Huntingdon College, from which she graduated in 1928, has always claimed a great deal
of her attention. In 1954, the college honored her loyalty and "distinguished service to homemaking
and civic culture" by giving her its Alumni Achievement Award. From 1955 to 1957, she served
as the president of the Alumni Association, and in 1963, was honored by the dedication of the Julia
Walker Russell dining hall on the Huntingdon campus. In 1970, she became the first alumna to
receive an honorary degree in the history of the college when she was made a Doctor of Humane
Letters and cited for her "zealous contribution to education."
Never one to rest on her laurels, Mrs. Russell is currently the vice president of the Huntingdon board
of trustees, and in addition to her work as public relations officer for the Russell Mills, serves on the
Woman's Committee of the Spain Rehabilitation Hospital and the Committee for Self-Study of the
Southern Association of Colleges.
She is active in the work of the U.S. Daughters of 1812, the Magna Charta Dames, the Daughters
of the American Revolution, and the Colonial Dames.
The Russells live at Russwood in Alexander City and are visited frequently by their three daughters
and eleven grandchildren.
Updated: March 14, 2007