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Judy Merritt was president of Jefferson State Community College for almost 35 years. Her legacy as a community leader continues to bring accolades eight years after her death in 2014.

Living in Chelsea at the time of her death, Merritt, whose vision led to the opening of Jeff State University’s Shelby Hoover Campus in 1993, was inducted into the Birmingham Business Hall of Fame at an event at The Fennec, Birmingham. was one of the people August 25th, 3 of them are now dead.

Others inducted into the Hall of Fame are:

► Kirkwood Balton, Booker T. Washington Insurance Co. (deceased)

► Thomas Jernigan, Marathon Corp. (deceased)

► Claude Nielsen, Coca-Cola Bottling Company United

► David Wood II, Wood Fruitticher Grocery Co.

► John Wood, Wood Fruitticher Grocery Co.

Guinn Robinson, Director of Economic Development at Jeff State University, has named Merit to the Hall of Fame created by the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham to honor those who have demonstrated strong leadership and outstanding service to the Birmingham area. .

Robinson said he was very excited, but not surprised, that the Hall of Fame committee selected Merritt for the Hall of Fame.

Merritt was the first woman to many in her life, he said.

She was the first woman appointed president of a two-year university in Alabama (by former Governor Fob James in 1979) and the first woman to serve as chairman of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce in 1993. rice field.

In the early 1980s, she became the first woman on the board of directors of Bruno’s Grocery Store chain, and in 1993 became the first female board member of Energen Corp. She was also Southtrust’s only female board member. bank company.

“She was an amazing person,” said Robinson. “What a legacy, what a mark, what Judy made.”

She was a remarkable person. What a legacy, what a mark, what Judy made.

guinn robinson

It’s not just that she’s taken on these positions that she’s notable. That’s what she did to them, Robinson said.

First of all, he said, the world of higher education is big business.

Merritt had a vision of extending the State of Jeff beyond the Jefferson County boundaries. When she became president of Jeff State University, there was only one campus in northeast Birmingham. Under Merritt’s leadership, the college expanded into Shelby, St. Clair, and Chilton counties. More than 5,000 students attend Shelby Hoover her campus near Valleydale Road.

Second, Merritt was very smart, said Robinson. “She was one of the most strategic minds I’ve ever known.”

According to Robinson, she had the ability to identify problem opportunities and develop plans to address them. This is the same skill used in business. She also had an amazing ability to understand people’s talents and place those talents in the positions where they would be most used, he said.

It was Merit who brought Robinson, the former mayor of Pell City, to Jeff State University in 2006 to handle community and government relations.

Merritt also had a passion for serving other people, Robinson said. “Judy Merritt was a leader on a daily basis,” he said.

Although she had a PhD, she hated being called a doctor and insisted that people simply call her “Judy”. Robinson said he appreciated the idea behind winning the award because it helped him advance in college, but he didn’t like to focus on the award and kept most of the plaques in hallway storage. sent to the location.

Merritt, he said, was childless and considered the Jeff State students his own children and was committed to improving the lives of others.

Born in Jacksonville, Alabama, Merritt was the only daughter of two longtime educators. Her father, Lawrence Miles, was the dean of admissions at Jacksonville State University. Her mother, Beatrice Davis Miles, was a teacher.

Merritt entered the University of Alabama at age 16. She was an alpha her chi her omega sorority member and an active leader in campus activities, but it was at college that she met her husband Thomas her merit her junior . She then received her master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Alabama.

Merritt began her career as an admissions counselor at what was then Jefferson State Junior College in 1965, the year the college opened. She often said that this is her favorite job because it allows her to interact directly with her students. She then moved with her husband to Miami, Florida, where she served as Vice President of Student Affairs at Florida International University.

After being named President of Jeff State in 1979, she was very active in various regional and national organizations. She has served on the Board of Trustees of the Association of American Community and Junior Colleges and on the Executive Council of the College Board of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. She also served on the board of the Alabama Business Council and was associated with many community and civic groups.

Since her death, the annual Judy M. Merritt 5K Memorial 5K has helped honor her legacy by providing scholarships to students in need.

Merritt is currently one of 131 members of the Birmingham Business Hall of Fame.

Birmingham is arguably Alabama’s economic engine, said Honora Gasings, executive director of the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham.

“There’s been an incredible amount of work done here,” Gasings said. “This is a community steeped in a lot of history. Hearing really shows how close-knit we belong to a community and how everything we do has a ripple effect. We are unaware of how much we contribute to benefiting and making things better.”

Other new hires for this year include:

Kirkwood Barton

Born in Birmingham in 1935, Barton was former Chairman and CEO of Booker T. Washington Insurance Company and founder of J&B Medical Supply and J&B Management and Electric Supply, named after his wife, Juanita Barton. Barton received his bachelor’s degree from Miles College in 1957 and two years later he began working for AG Gaston. He earned his master’s degree in business administration from Sanford University in 1970 and, before retiring in 2001, in Gaston’s business he managed WENN-FM and became chairman and CEO of Gaston’s Insurance Company. became.

Thomas Jernigan

Born in Atmore in 1928, Jernigan was the founder and CEO of Marathon Corporation. A career in playground equipment development. Jernigan founded several companies during his career, including Plantation Patterns, United Chair Co., Quick Marts, and Winston Furniture. Jernigan was one of the founding directors of Central Bank and Trust Co. (previously he was Compass Bank, now he is PNC) and was a director of Superior Bank.

Claude Nielsen

A native of Evergreen, Nielsen received a bachelor’s degree in economics from South University in 1973 and a master’s degree from the University of Virginia in 1975. Nielsen joined the Coca-Cola Bottling Company in 1979, where he held a series of operational and managerial positions until 1991, when he was appointed CEO. In 2003 he served as chairman. In 2016 he stepped down as CEO and continued as chairman. Nielsen served as president of the American Beverage Association and the Coca-Cola Scholars Foundation. He also served on the Board of Directors of The Coca-Cola Bottlers Association.

David Wood II

David Wood II took over leadership of Wood Fruitticher with his brother John at a young age after the death of his father. At the time, the company had annual sales of about $10 million. Over the next 38 years, they grew the company to $400 million in annual sales. Wood II he graduated from Lead Birmingham and now he is in the Leadership Alabama class. He has worked for the Birmingham Airport Authority, the Boy Scouts of America, and the Food Bank of Central Alabama. Since his retirement, he has flown more than 60 flights for the Veterans Airlift Command organization, which transports injured veterans to and from hospitals across the country for needed treatment.

John Wood

David’s brother, John Wood, retired from Wood Fruticher in 2017. He is a member of the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham and has held leadership positions in the Presbyterian Church of America. When he’s not mentoring four generations, the owner of Wood Fruitticher spends time with his five generations of 19 grandchildren.

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