Four Inducted into 2014 Educator Hall of Fame at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Four educators were recently inducted into the The University of Alabama College of Education Educator Hall of Fame.

Marian Loftin, Dr. Joseph B. Morton, the late Dr. Marcus L. Roberts Jr., and the late Dr. N. Joyce Sellers were inducted as the 2014 members of the Educator Hall of Fame.

The University of Alabama College of Education Board of Advisors established the Educator Hall of Fame to honor the accomplishments of distinguished leaders and dedicated supporters in the field of education.

JOYCE SELLERS

The late Nona Joyce Sellers was born in Oct. 5, 1949, in Holt. She graduated as valedictorian from Holt High School in 1968.

Sellers began her career in education in 1974 at Maxwell Elementary School as a reading teacher. Later that year, she became a classroom teacher at Hillcrest Junior and Senior High Schools. In 1982, she became the first female assistant principal in Tuscaloosa County at Tuscaloosa High School. In 1986, Sellers became principal of Holt High School. She remained there until 1990 when she became principal at Hillcrest High School. From Hillcrest, she went on to serve as the first female superintendent of the Tuscaloosa County School System from 1994 until her retirement in late 2003.

As superintendent, Sellers oversaw the expansion of Tuscaloosa schools with the construction of Tuscaloosa County High, Taylorville Primary, Brookwood Middle, Echols Middle, Davis-Emerson Middle, Northside High, Northside Middle, and numerous building additions and renovations. During this time, Sellers served as an adjunct professor at The University of Alabama, helping train and inspire future educational leaders. She established the Education Excellence Foundation in 1994, a non-profit organization to benefit education in Tuscaloosa County.

Sellers was also a source of leadership to much of Tuscaloosa County. She was a part of numerous organizations: Leadership Alabama, the Alabama Council of the National Beta Club, the XXXI Society at UA, and many others. She also assisted in the Tuscaloosa Public Library’s Strategic Plan and the Tuscaloosa County Vision Planning forums. In her dedication to the Tuscaloosa youth, Sellers served as curriculum chair for Forerunners sponsored by the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce. She also helped to create programs that combated drug abuse by young people through Task Force for Drug Free Schools, and the West Alabama Drug Conference.

Additionally, the Holt High School Library is named after her; she has received the Holt High School Lifetime Achievement Award and was inducted into the Holt High School Hall of Fame. She received the Kermit Johnson Outstanding Superintendent Award, the Tombigbee Girl Scout Council Women Committed to Excellence Award, the Soroptimist Woman of Distinction Award, the Mollie Allen Advocate for Children Award from the Tuscaloosa County council of PTAs, the Northport Citizen of the Year, the Truman Pierce Leadership Award, the Betsy Plank Distinguished Achievement Award, and she was named one of the pillars of West Alabama by the Community Foundation of West Alabama. The N. Joyce Sellers Award was established by the Alabama State Department of Education to recognize outstanding school superintendents each year. Joyce also received the Capstone Education Society Outstanding Contribution to Education Award.

MARCUS L. ROBERTS JR.

The late Dr. Marcus L. Roberts Jr. grew up in rural Etowah County on a small farm with parents who valued education. When he graduated from Altoona High School as valedictorian in 1944, he was told that Jacksonville State Teacher’s College was offering a scholarship to any valedictorian. He wanted to be a teacher since second grade, so he accepted the full scholarship of $25 per term.

Because he distinguished himself at JSU, he had three job offers upon graduation. His supervisor encouraged him to take the job at Tuscaloosa High School. In 1947, Roberts began his teaching career and touched many lives serving as the chair of the business education department and teaching business and typing until 1954.

One morning while teaching, an office runner interrupted his class with a phone call from John McLure, dean of the UA College of Education, who offered Roberts a job. In 1954, Roberts was appointed registrar and instructor in the College. As registrar, Roberts registered the first black student, Autherine Lucy, while an angry mob gathered outside Graves Hall in an attempt to prevent her from attending class. He served as acting head of curriculum and instruction (1972-1973, 1983) and as acting dean (1981 -1982). Roberts worked closely with the State Department of Education to enhance and strengthen teacher education. He served as assistant dean for Student Services and teacher certification officer until his retirement in 1987.

The honors bestowed on Roberts during his career included the Kappa Delta Pi Faculty Appreciation Award, Phi Delta Kappa Professional Educator of the Year Award, Alabama Association of Teacher Educators’ Distinguished Service Award, Penny Allen Award (UA), Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award (UA), the College of Education Society Outstanding Contribution to Education Award, the Alabama Association of Rehabilitation Facilities Community Service Award, and the National Retired Teachers Association of AARP National Retired Educator Award for the state of Alabama.

MARIAN A. LOFTIN

Loftin’s dedication to the well-being of children and youth is apparent in her lifelong commitment to advocate for children and families at the local, state and national level.

Loftin grew up in Birmingham, the oldest of 6 girls, and attended The University of Alabama where she met and married her college sweetheart, Jim Loftin. She spent the first 20 years of their marriage as mother of four and classroom teacher, two “vocations” that she cherished. Her classroom experience and her teacher training made her realize family and community experiences determine the well-being of children throughout their lives.

When Loftin left the classroom, she was employed by The University of Alabama in external affairs in the Dothan Regional Office, then as assistant director of government relations in Tuscaloosa and Montgomery. She returned to Dothan as executive director of the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce. When appointed by the governor to be director of the state of Alabama Department of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention/The Children’s Trust Fund of Alabama, she left the position at the Chamber.

Actively involved in child and family concerns, Loftin served on the founding board of the Alfred Saliba Family Services Center in Dothan, the first “one-stop” for human services in the state. Other counties stepped up to meet the needs of their communities using that model. There are now 13 Family Resource Centers located throughout the state in the Alabama Network of Family Resource Centers.

In 2004, Gov. Bob Riley appointed Loftin to his Task Force to Strengthen Alabama Families. At the state level, she serves on the boards of the Alabama Network of Family Resource Centers and the Children First Alliance of Alabama. She was the first recipient of the Alabama Child Champion Lifetime Achievement Award, which now bears her name.

In 2007, nominated by Riley, Loftin received the National Health and Human Services Commissioner’s Award for Outstanding Work in Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect in Alabama. She has been named Distinguished Alumna of The University of Alabama (1988), Outstanding Alumna, Troy University Dothan (1993) and Distinguished Alumna of John Carroll Class of 1954 (1999). She is also member of the Order of The XXXI and Women of the Capstone at The University of Alabama.

She and her husband earned the Henry and Julia Tutwiler Distinguished Service Award and the ODK Summercell Award from The University of Alabama.

JOSEPH B. MORTON

Dr. Joseph B. Morton was born July 20, 1946, in Birmingham. He grew up in Pleasant Grove and graduated from Hueytown High School. His first university experience was at Auburn University, where, in 1969, he earned his Bachelor of Science in secondary education. After graduating, Morton taught in the Jefferson County School District. In 1972 he decided to go back to school. As a graduate research assistant at The University of Alabama, he earned his master’s in 1973 and his doctorate in 1974, both in educational administration.

When Morton was only 27, he became the Sumter County Board of Education superintendent. He remained in this position for four years and then went on to become the superintendent for the Sylacauga City Board of Education. In 1995, Morton became the deputy state superintendent of education for the Instructional Services of Alabama Department of Education.

On July 13, 2004, Morton was selected by the Alabama State Board of Education to be Alabama’s 36th state superintendent of education. He served in this capacity for seven years. Prior to the appointment as state superintendent of education, he served for eight years as deputy state superintendent of education.

In these roles, Morton guided the creation and implementation of the Alabama Reading Initiative; the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative; the Alabama Connecting Classrooms, Educators, and Students Statewide (Distance Education) Initiative; and First Choice (a new graduation plan for Alabama’s students).

While Morton served as state superintendent of education, Alabama showed significant academic gains in reading and math assessment scores with Alabama’s fourth graders scoring at the national average on the National Assessment of Educational Progress for the first time in Alabama history. Alabama is considered a national leader in student nutrition during his superintendency. In 2008, Morton was given a national award by the State Educational Technology Directors Association: the “State Policymaker Award.” In 2010, Alabama had the largest gain in the nation in Advanced Placement enrollments and students scoring 3-5 on AP exams and had the third highest gain in the nation on increasing the high school graduation rate.

Morton retired as state superintendent of education on Sept, 1, 2011. On Feb. 1, 2012, Morton became the chairman and president of the Business Education Alliance of Alabama.