Courage immortalized: Vina historical marker honors Congressman Carl Elliott
As the Bicentennial celebrations roll on, Franklin County continues to add to its list of historical recognitions. April 22 there will be an unveiling of a historical marker in memory of seven-term congressman Carl Elliott at the Vina Community Center at 2 p.m.
Elliott was born in Vina in 1913 to tenant farmers Will and Nora Elliott. He attended Vina High School and became valedictorian in 1930. He went on to attend the University of Alabama, where he became the president of the Student Government Association.
These achievements were just the beginning of what he would accomplish in life.
Elliott went on to law school at UA and was admitted into the Alabama Bar.
At the age of 34, he became a congressman and served for seven terms. He was a big proponent of education and worked to secure the National Defense Education Act.
He ultimately returned to a career in law. In 1990 he became the first recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for improving education and opposing racism. He published an autobiography entitled “The Cost of Courage: The Journey of an American Congressman” in 1992. In 1999 he passed away.
The ceremony Sunday will welcome prominent speakers like Rep. Johnny Mack Morrow, Mary Jolley and Julian Butler, who worked as aides to Elliott, and Carl Elliott III.
Everyone is welcome to attend and is also invited to visit the Red Bay Museum, where there is a display on Elliott, after the unveiling of the historical marker in Vina.
