MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Governor Kay Ivey joined state leaders and guests to celebrate three new members inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor, recognizing their service and lasting impact on the state.
The governor praised this year’s class, saying the 2025 inductees represent a wide range of leadership and accomplishment.
“Our class of 2025 inductees hail from different backgrounds, but each of their contributions is profound,” Ivey said. “One offers unparalleled leadership in public service, another furthered life-saving medical research, while a third bravely and humbly empowered the rights of his fellow man.”
Civil rights leader Dr. Bernard LaFayette Jr., a native of Tampa, Florida, became one of the most influential activists of the Civil Rights Movement. As a student at the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, he helped organize sit-ins and later joined the 1961 Freedom Rides that arrived in Montgomery, where he was attacked and later jailed in Jackson, Mississippi. LaFayette went on to work with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., co-founding the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and serving as national coordinator for the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign.
“To receive such an honor, and especially in Alabama, has meant so much to me in terms of my own personal history,” LaFayette said. “You’ve made Alabama so outstanding in terms of the contributions that Alabama has made.”
Gov. Kay Ivey and University of Alabama at Birmingham President Ray Watts. Credit: Hal Yager/Governor’s Office.
Dr. Ray L. Watts, president of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has spent much of his life advancing education, healthcare, and research in his home state. A Birmingham native, Watts earned his bachelor’s degree in engineering at UAB, later attended medical school, and trained in neurology before returning to lead the university’s Department of Neurology. In 2013, he became UAB’s seventh president and is now its longest-serving leader. Under his tenure, UAB has seen record enrollment, major growth in research funding, and an expanding economic impact across Alabama.
“Treat others the way you’d like to be treated,” Watts said. “Put yourself in their shoes and always do the right thing. Always do what you say you’re going to do, because people are counting on your words and your actions.”
Former Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson was also honored for his lifelong commitment to public service and community development. A Mobile native and longtime business executive, Stimpson spent more than three decades in the lumber industry before being elected mayor in 2013. His administration focused on fiscal reform, infrastructure improvements, and a vision known as “One Mobile,” aimed at uniting the city and spurring growth through transparency and collaboration.
“One of my favorite devotionals is from John Maxwell, and he reminds us that commitment precedes resources,” Stimpson said. “When leaders commit fully to a vision that aligns with God’s plan, He provides what is needed to see it through. Because we stayed focused on the vision, which is grounded in faith and service, God opened doors and brought together thousands of hands and hearts to create One Mobile.”
The Alabama Academy of Honor, established in 1965, recognizes living Alabamians whose service and achievements bring great credit to the state. Membership is limited to 100 living Alabamians in addition to all living governors.
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