CULLMAN, Ala. – A group of senior adults was honored Sunday, Aug. 20, 2023, with induction into the 2023 class of the Alabama Senior Citizens Hall of Fame during a ceremony in Montgomery. Among the 10 permanent inductees, two of them proudly call Cullman home.
“This is the one major event in Alabama each year where individuals are formally honored and recognized for their selfless advocacy and dedication to serving older adults in their community,” said Jean Brown, commissioner of the Alabama Department of Senior Services. “We are proud to celebrate the achievements of the Alabamians selected for the Senior Citizens Hall of Fame awards.”
Peggy Harris
Peggy Harris is a well-known mover and shaker in the Cullman community, particularly for advocating for children’s education and the overall well-being of area seniors. Harris retired from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System as a county agent in 1995 after 31 years of service and has not sat still since.
Harris’ volunteer experience is robust; she has served on several nonprofit boards for many terms, nearly all in leadership roles: Pilot Club of Cullman, Cullman Pilot Light Home Board, United Way of Cullman County, Cullman Area Chamber of Commerce, Cullman County Commission on Aging Advisory Board, Cullman Community Development Committee, City of Cullman Tree Commission, National Association of Retired Federal Employees and Cullman Chapter of the Alabama Retired State Employees Association.
Harris has been a key, driving force in fundraising for the Leukemia Society, Red Cross, Cullman County Public Library, Margaret Jean Jones Center, and local senior centers.
Over her lengthy career of serving and advocating for the public, Harris has received many awards and accolades; notably, Harris was a part of the Cullman Community Development Committee, which received a Superior Service Award in Washington, D.C. in 1984; an Award for Excellence from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System in 1984; the ARSEA Angel Award in 2002; the Pilot International Pearl Sparks Service Award in 2019; and the ARSEA Eagle Award for Distinguished Service in 2021.
Frank Brown Jr.
Frank Brown Jr. has dedicated his life and career to caring for the elderly and disabled, leading to major breakthroughs in Alabama’s nursing home industry. Brown earned his nursing home administrator license in 1976, and has been improving the standards of elderly care for over 47 years.
Brown has served as chairman of the board for the Alabama Nursing Home Association for nine terms and acted as a key leader in making Alabama one of the first states to have all nursing homes equipped with fully automated fire sprinkler systems.
His volunteer resume is stacked; he has volunteered on several state and nonprofit boards: Certificate of Need Board for the State Health and Planning and Development Agency, Alabama Statewide Health Coordinating Council, Alabama Medicaid Advisory Commission, Alabama Sheriff Youth’s Ranch and Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
Throughout his career, he has owned and operated seven skilled nursing care centers, an assisted living facility and an inpatient psychiatric hospital that specialized in the care of geriatric patients through his company, USA Healthcare.
Upon Brown’s retirement, the Alabama Nursing Home Association and the Alabama Nursing Home Association Education Foundation endowed a nursing scholarship in his honor at the University of Alabama School of Nursing.
Visit www.alabamaageline.gov for more information on the Alabama Senior Citizens Hall of Fame or the Alabama Department of Senior Services.
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