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10
December 2004
REMARKS BY DR. VICKI HAWSEY, PRESIDENT, AT THE WALLACE STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE RECEPTION HONORING EVELYN BURROW
Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen, honored guests, dignitaries, and friends and family members of Wallace State Community College. We are delighted that you joined us today and we welcome you for what is an historic day for Wallace State.
Today marks the beginning of a new era for Wallace State, an era in which we begin to achieve our vision to become the center for cultural arts in this community and in this region. It is an era where we at Wallace State will focus anew on the fine and performing arts, the heart of cultural life in thriving communities such as ours. Today is the day we honor college benefactors, community members who have given of their time, influence and resources to see this College thrive and prosper.
He was born in 1911 and she was born in 1920. On November 11, 1937, Ottis M. Burrow took the hand of Mary Evelyn Hamilton and began a journey that lasted almost 65 years. Ott, as he was known to those who knew and loved him, was a devoted husband to his bride Evelyn. Both of them born of modest means and reared with the strong work ethic of Cullman natives, they applied that work ethic throughout their lives, working hard and saving slowly. After a significant injury, Ott became an entrepreneur, a very successful one, as owner of the Palomino Restaurant and Motel. Ott and Evelyn worked many long hours to assure the Palomino’s success, and the memories of that venture are still told today by Cullman Countians. There are stories of coconut pies and delicious dinners that fed hungry travelers far and wide, stories of politicians making deals around morning coffee, and stories of wandering immigrants who were trying to find their way in a new land. They all found comfort and respite within the walls of the Palomino and the hospitality of the Burrow family. The Burrows expanded their entrepreneurial ventures by building the Holiday Inn, which was consistently one of the top 10 Holiday Inns worldwide. This designation was quite an honor, considering the national competition, and this honor was again attributable to the Burrow’s values of hard work and frugality.
Ott’s portrait is displayed in the lobby and was unveiled earlier this year.
Ott became active in politics and economic development, one of the original Flying Fifty that was heralded for negotiating the location of the King Edward Cigar Factory in Cullman. We all remember that story well. In the early 1960s, Ott’s political influence with Governor George Wallace led to one of the most significant decisions ever to impact economic development in Cullman County, the location of the George C. Wallace State Trade School of Cullman County here in Hanceville. Approved by the Legislature in 1963, Wallace State has become one of the largest and most reputable higher education institutions in the state, for the work ethic demonstrated by Ottis and Evelyn Burrow is also demonstrated in the faculty and staff who are committed to every single student’s success. Since 1963, Wallace State has enrolled 300,000 students, and today serves approximately 7,000 students every semester. Today, Wallace State returns millions of dollars annually to the economy of this region.
Evelyn Burrow was Ott’s cherished bride through 65 years of his 91 year life; he adored her until the day he passed away in 2002. After their retirement in the early 1980s, Ott and Evelyn traveled extensively, affording them an opportunity to expand Evelyn’s valuable collection of fine art and antiques. Evelyn Burrow has acquired Tiffany lamps, Faberge eggs, Baccarat crystal, and Limoges china. She has one-of-a-kind Marshall Mitchell and Remington sculptures. She has developed one of the most extensive collections of unusual horse figurines in the world, a total of 1,260 unique and rare horses. Evelyn had a particular fondness for Meissen, Capo di Monte, Dresden, Wedgewood, and Majolica porcelain, collecting some of the most rare and valuable pieces in the world. Remarking on the collection last week, the renowned appraiser said, “I believe that the Burrow collection of porcelain and bronzes is ranked in the top five in the world in diversity and quality. Each piece is perfect in quality and fifty percent of the collection is one of a kind.”
And Ott enabled Evelyn to diversify that collection throughout their married lives. The one thing he said, however, was that in all the 5,000 rare and unique pieces in their museum, she only owned 4,999 of them. The one thing he claimed for himself was the portrait of Mrs. Evelyn riding their beautiful champion Tennessee Walker mare, Ebony’s Leading Lady.
Today, we honor Ottis Burrow for his legacy to Wallace State. Today, we honor Mrs. Evelyn Burrow for contributing the entire contents of her museum to Wallace State Community College for the furtherance of the cultural arts in this community and region. Today, we honor Mrs. Evelyn Burrow for planning her estate in such a way as to assure that the legacy of Ottis and Evelyn Burrow will continue throughout your life and my life, our children’s lives, and for as long as this College stands. Countless lives will be forever transformed through her generous gifts to this College and to this community. Mrs. Burrow, on behalf of Wallace State Community College and on behalf of Cullman County, we thank you for your generous spirit of giving.
Would the members of the Cullman County legislative delegation come forward to present a Resolution of the Alabama House of Representatives honoring Mrs. Evelyn Burrow’s contribution to this college. The resolution will be presented by Representatives Neal Morrison of District 12 and Jeremy Oden of District 11 of the Alabama House of Representatives.
On behalf of Mr. David Byers, and members of the Alabama State Board of Education and Chancellor Roy Johnson of the Alabama College System, I am also honored to present this State Board resolution of the Alabama State Board of Education honoring Mrs. Burrow’s contribution to this College. (See below.)
Please join me in honoring Mrs. Evelyn Burrow.
Thank you Mrs. Burrow. In the spring, hopefully in April, we will be having a groundbreaking ceremony of the site of the new building containing the Ottis and Evelyn Burrow Center for the Fine and Performing Arts and the Evelyn Burrow Museum. Plans for this building are underway and we are extremely excited about the future.
This building will house state-of-the-art classrooms for teaching and learning, the museum, and art gallery, a community theatre, meeting rooms, and recital halls. Mrs. Burrow, thank your for helping us to make this dream a reality.
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Kristen
Holmes
Media Relations
Wallace State Community College
P.O. Box 2000
Hanceville, AL 35077
256/352-8118
E-mail: Kristen.Holmes@WallaceState.edu
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