WHEREAS, Dr. Ethel H. Hall received a bachelor’s degree from Alabama A&M University (cum laude); master’s degrees from The University of Chicago and Atlanta University, and a Ph.D. from The University of Alabama, taught in the Hale and Jefferson County School Systems, was an associate professor at The University of Montevallo and The University of Alabama (named Associate Professor Emerita by The University of Alabama Board of Trustees in 1990 for outstanding contributions to teaching, research, and service); and

WHEREAS, Dr. Ethel H. Hall committed her entire professional career to the pursuit of educational excellence, both for herself as well as the students she represented as Alabama State Board of Education member for District IV for over 24 years.

WHEREAS, Dr. Ethel H. Hall served dutifully as a committed Board member from January 1987, and served as the first African-American to preside over the Board as its Vice President from July 12, 1994, to July 13, 2004, until the Alabama State Board of Education unanimously bestowed the title of Vice President Emerita upon her; and

WHEREAS, during Dr. Ethel H. Hall’s distinguished tenure on the Alabama State Board of Education, she supported (or worked for or advocated) the creation and implementation of new standards to improve teacher education programs; Character Education; the Alabama Reading Initiative; the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative; ACCESS - Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide; the Alabama Learning Exchange, or ALEX; the expansion of Advanced Placement courses to every high school in the state through Distance Learning; Annual Report Cards; Teacher Education Report Cards; the Educational Ruler; Principal and Superintendent Leadership Academies; Torchbearer Schools; Graduation Coaches; FIRST CHOICE; and the adoption of the Common Core State Standards; and

WHEREAS, among her many leadership roles, community involvements, and honors, Dr. Ethel H. Hall was an alumnus of Leadership Birmingham and Leadership Alabama; was President of the Board of Directors of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute; was named by the Birmingham Business Journal as One of the Top Ten Women Making a Difference; received the National Association of State Boards of Education Distinguished Service Award, the Peggy Spain McDonald Community Service Award, and the Mildred Bell Johnson Cahaba Girl Scout Council Award; and on December 2, 2010, was included on the first AT&T African-American History Calendar; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Ethel H. Hall was the recipient of well over 200 distinguished awards and was recognized for her life’s work by statesmen, classroom teachers, celebrities, and fellow State Board members, yet cherished most her family as she was a dedicated and devoted wife to her beloved husband, the late Alfred James Hall, Sr., and mother to Alfred, Jr. and Donna Delores; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Ethel H. Hall, a trailblazing pioneer in Alabama education, penned her autobiography My Journey: A Memoir of the First African-American to Preside Over the Alabama State Board of Education, leaving a documented legacy for readers to experience her most memorable challenges and anecdotes; and

WHEREAS, Dr. Ethel H. Hall passed away on November 12, 2011, after a brief illness:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, That the Alabama State Board of Education and the Interim State Superintendent of Education do hereby express their deepest gratitude to the legacy of Dr. Ethel H. Hall for her unselfish service and commitment to public education and her professionalism during nearly a quarter of a century on the Alabama State Board of Education and for bringing public education in Alabama into the new millennium; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That we do hereby honor the memory of Dr. Ethel H. Hall for her service to the schools, students, educators, and parents in the state of Alabama and for her advocacy of high standards, accountability, and overall elevation of the statewide mission of improving public education.

Done this 8th day of December 2011