Honoring a library icon January 16th 2011
by Jennifer Cohron - The Daily Mountain Eagle
Several years ago, the Sumiton City Council voted to make across-the-board budget cuts. The city's library was one of the programs affected.

Mayor Petey Ellis and the council members then had to decide who would "tell Mrs. Ellison."

Dorothy Ellison is petite and soft-spoken -- hardly an imposing figure. However, the 94-year-old has been a tireless advocate of the local library system for more than three decades.

Until recently, Ellison presided over the boards of the Sumiton Public Library as well as the Carl Elliott Regional Library. A reception will be held Sunday from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at the Sumiton Public Library in honor of her retirement.

CERL director Sandra Underwood said Ellison's presence on the boards will be greatly missed.

"Our appreciation for Mrs. Ellison's service cannot possibly be adequately expressed. She has served as the cornerstone of the Carl Elliott Regional Library System Board of Trustees through crisis and growth and we are sorry that she is leaving. Her guidance and leadership has constantly moved public library service forward," Underwood said. MORE

For Photos of the reception, click here