James Herman Faulkner, Sr."James Herman "Jimmy" Faulkner, 92, a native of Lamar County and a resident of Bay Minette, died Friday, Aug. 22, 2008 at Oakwood Nursing Home after a lengthy illness.He received his advanced education at Freed-Hardeman Junior College, Henderson Tenn., in 1933-1934,and the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo., in 1834-1936. He was a member of the Bay Minette Church of Christ for 72 years and served as Elder and treasurer for 50 years. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army Air Corps., serving in World War II and attained the rank of first lieutenant while serving as pilot and flight instructor from 1943-1946.Upon returning from military duty, he was elected an Alabama State Senator, serving from 1950-1954. He was chosen Most Outstanding Freshman Senator in the Alabama Senate in 1953. He also ran two campaigns for governor. A Resolution passed in 1992 by the Alabama State Senate and House of Representatives most highly commending him for his outstanding personal achievement. At age 20 he arrived in Bay Minette and purchased the Baldwin Times Newspaper. He was elected mayor of Bay Minette and served from 1941-1943, the youngest mayor in America at the time. He was founder and president of Loyal American Life Insurance Company of Mobile in 1955; president and director of Gulf Area Insurance Agency in Bay Minette; owner of a chain of seven radio stations in Alabama and Georgia from 1958-1978; president of Faulkner Phillips Media, Inc., from 1985-1997; director of Baldwin National Bank, Robertsdale from 1963-1976 and First National Bank, Fairhope, 1976-1979 and vice chairman of the board, David Volkert & Associates, Inc., 1984-2008. Faulkner became a member of the Board of Directors of Alabama Christian College, Montgomery, serving as chairman of the board from 1963-1989. In April, 1985, the college was named in his honor, Faulkner University, and now has additional campuses in Huntsville and Mobile. He also was instrumental in acquiring a two-year college for Baldwin County, later named Faulkner State Community College in his honor. The main campus is in Bay Minette with additional campuses in Fairhope and Gulf Shores. He co-published two books and was the subject of two biographies. He has had two additional books published, including compilations of his newspaper columns spanning 72 years. Faulkner received many awards during his lifetime including eight honorary doctorate degrees. Among the awards are "Person of the Century" by the North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce in 2000 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 by the Alabama Press Association. During his life he was a world traveler, touring more than 100 countries. He was preceded in death by his parents, Henry L. Faulkner and Ebbie Johnson Faulkner, his first wife, Evelyn Irwin Faulkner and his brother, Dr. Thurston L. Faulkner. Survivors include his wife, Karlene Faulkner; two sons, James H. (Beverly) Faulkner Jr and Dr. Henry Wade (Ann Blackburn) Faulkner; eight grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. A private funeral service will be held Wednesday, Aug. 27 at the Bay Minette Church of Christ. Private graveside services were in the Bay Minette Cemetery. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday at the L.D. Owen Performing Arts Center at Faulkner State Community College in Bay Minette. Pallbearers were H. Wade Faulkner Jr., James H. Faulkner III, Jay Blackburn Faulkner, Dr. Paul M. Taupeka, Steve Todd, Andy Stewart and Floyd Harrison. The family requests memorial donations be made to the James Herman Faulkner Scholarship Funds at Faulkner State Community College, 1900 South Highway 31, Bay Minette AL 36507 or to Faulkner University , 5345 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery, AL 36193. Arrangements are by Norris Funeral Home, Bay Minette." Source: (5) Transcribed by Dawn Conway. Please visit our main page at Genealogy Trails: Baldwin County, Alabama |