Michael Sullins is a Cullman native who has a passion for history. His admiration for the community is deeply rooted by the arrival of his great-great-grandfather Nicholas Andreas Reuhl, who came to Cullman in the late 1800s.
Sullins attended Cullman City Schools before transferring to Fairview in middle school. He graduated from Fairview High School in 1989.
He went on to attend the University of Alabama at Birmingham for industrial distribution engineering, graduating in 1994. Then, in 2018, he completed his Management Internship Program (MIP) in Risk Control and Safety Management at the University of Wisconsin and proceeded to complete his Master’s in Business Administration and Advanced Safety Engineering in 2019.
He began working at the Cullman Electric Cooperative in 2011 and credited his work there as the motivation for his schooling in 2018 and 2019. Though he also mentioned his love of learning and reading contributed toward his continuous education.
“I’ve been a lifelong learner,” Sullins remarked. “It was an opportunity to expand my knowledge. I like to read a lot and anything science, history or involving electricity and business – I love to learn and expand my knowledge.”
He said the MIP was a great opportunity to learn how things work in the electric cooperative world.
Sullins has participated in several board, committees and commissions over the years:
- City of Cullman CATS 55 Board (PEG Station) chairman from 2001-2022
- Cullman County Historical Society president from 2007-2008
- Cullman Oktoberfest and Strawberry Festival Committee treasurer from 2008-2017
- City of Cullman Tree Commission chairman from 2019-2022
He is currently the chairman of the City of Cullman Planning Commission and he is on the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment and Appeals.
Sullins stated that since he has a love for history, one of his favorite things to do is read nonfiction – preferably about history or science. His favorite authors are H.W. Brands, Jon Mecham and Lindsey Chervinsky.
When he isn’t reading, he enjoys traveling and spending time with family and friends.
“We still have dinner with my family every Sunday,” he said.
While Sullins attended Fairview Middle School he was assigned by his teacher, Bob Moody, to report on an influential historical figure. Sullins noted that the entire seventh grade class was recorded on VHS.
“I decided to do it for Colonel Cullmann. My teacher stated that throughout all the years that no one had chosen something local like that,” Sullins recounted. “I did that because I remember my grandmother telling me stories as a kid about her grandfather who came here with Colonel Cullmann. And how that changed his life, changed his direction and changed our family’s direction. So I have been very passionate about history.”
His love for the past and his history in Cullman grew his love for the community. Sullins joined the Cullman County Historical Society in the early 2000s. He went on to be the Cullman County Historical Society president from 2007-2008. He continues to lead Cullman’s April Walking Tours and conducted Cullman’s first walking tour.
“We’ve done that for over 20 years,” he said. “We’ve done a little bit of everything – church tours, walking tours and bus tours.”
Sullins said his involvement in the Historical Society led to his participation in Cullman Oktoberfest prior to its being managed by Cullman Parks, Recreation & Sports Tourism. In 2011, he was chosen as the festival’s Burgermeister. He was the first Burgermeister to tap a keg of beer following Cullman approving alcohol sales.
“All of that said, the history of Cullman has been a very important part of who I am. It is something that has been instilled in me with my grandparents and me asking questions in order to learn about our family,” Sullins reminisced.
His great-great-grandfather Nicholas Andreas Ruehl came to Cullman in 1873. Ruehl settled on 40 acres in east Cullman and built log cabins for himself and his cousin, Henry Graf. This land is now referred to as East Point.
Sullins noted a fun fact about the building of their houses. When Ruehl and Graf bought the land, they dug a well and built Ruehl’s cabin on the wrong side of the property line. This led to them purchasing the adjacent property, and that became Graf’s home.
Following this, the cousin built an additional log cabin and a German-style “bank barn” which are now on display at Peinhardt Living History Farm.
The historic Weiss Cottage displayed in downtown Cullman was actually given to the City of Cullman by the Ruehl family.
Ruehl was the founder of Cullman’s St. John’s Church.
Sullins gave credit to his parents, step-father and grandparents for telling him stories of his family’s history and influencing his love for and devotion to Cullman.
“Because of them, I have had a strong desire to be respectful of the past and honor it in a small way. Every board I’ve been on – we don’t make a single penny on that. It is out of the goodness of our hearts,” Sullins explained. “It’s an opportunity to give back. I feel that my heart is in the right place because this is where my family started and this is who I am today. I feel as though I am standing on the shoulders of giants who build this community. I want to make sure it’s here for those who come after me.”
Michael Sullins was appointed to the Cullman City Planning Commission for a full, six-year term on Monday, March 6, 2023. (Cullman Tribune file photo)
