The Valley Weekly

09/30/2026

Making Impact & Building Legacy

Dr. Earnest Davis: Opening Doors Through Education

In my continuing series on people who are Making Impact and Building Legacy in our community, I am pleased to recognize Dr. Earnest Davis, whose years of service have helped open doors of educational opportunity for countless individuals throughout Huntsville and North Alabama.

Dr. Davis has served for many years as President/Executive Director of the North Alabama Center for Educational Excellence (NACEE) in Huntsville. NACEE is an educational-access organization serving North Alabama, with roots in the federal Educational Opportunity Center movement. Its central mission is helping underrepresented individuals prepare for, enter and succeed in post-secondary education.

What makes Dr. Davis’s story particularly compelling is the challenge he faced when he assumed leadership. NACEE had lost its U.S. Department of Education funding in 2003 following an Inspector General audit. I was actually serving on the NACEE Board when Dr. Davis was hired as the new executive director. Under his leadership, NACEE regained federal funding in 2004. He did not simply inherit a successful organization; he helped lead it through recovery and into renewed service, expanding programs and opportunities throughout North Alabama.

Dr. Davis has devoted much of his professional life to helping students—particularly those who are underserved or may be the first in their families to pursue higher education—see college not simply as a dream, but as an achievable goal.

His work reminds us that education can change the trajectory of a life. Through college-access programs, mentoring, academic preparation and outreach, Dr. Davis and NACEE have helped young people and adults navigate pathways to post-secondary education. His commitment has also extended to our veterans, helping those who served our nation prepare for educational opportunities after military service.

But Dr. Davis’s impact reaches far beyond the walls of one organization. His record of community service reflects a remarkable commitment to education, leadership and opportunity. He has served, advised and supported the Delta Theta Lambda Education Foundation of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.; 100 Black Men of America–Madison County as an Educator Resource Partner; First Missionary Baptist Church as Chairman of the Board of Deacons; Huntsville Housing Authority; HEALS; Leadership Huntsville; the African American Chamber of Commerce, where he served as Board Chair; and the Beulah Ballard Toney Foundation. He is also a Life Member of the Alabama A&M University Alumni Association.

Dr. Davis has shared his knowledge through workshops and programs with the Sun Set Social Club and local chapters and members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. Just as importantly, he has maintained longstanding advisory and consulting relationships with some of our region’s most important institutions of higher education, including Alabama A&M University, J.F. Drake State Community and Technical College, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Oakwood University, and Calhoun Community College.

When you consider the breadth of those relationships, a pattern emerges: Dr. Davis has spent his career connecting people, education and opportunity.

There is something especially meaningful about leaders who do not need the spotlight to make a difference. Their names may not always dominate the headlines, but their fingerprints are everywhere—in the student who becomes the first college graduate in a family, the veteran who begins a new chapter, and the young person who discovers that someone believes in his or her potential.

That is impact. And when those individuals go forward to educate, employ, mentor and encourage others, that impact becomes legacy.

Dr. Earnest Davis has spent years opening doors so that others might walk through them. Huntsville is a stronger community because of leaders who understand that one of the greatest investments we can ever make is an investment in people.

Dr. Earnest Davis, thank you for making an impact and building a legacy—one student, one family and one opportunity at a time.

09/30/2026

This week’s edition of The Valley Weekly is available @ http://www.valleyweeklyllc.com/ValleyWeekly10022026V13N05.pdf.

09/30/2026

09/23/2026

Nelms Memorial Funeral Home
September 23, 2026
Funeral Announcements

Funeral service for Mr. John D. Martin will be held Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 11:00 AM at Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church. Interment will follow at Meadowlawn Garden of Peace. Mr. Martin will lie in repose at Hopewell M. B. Church one hour prior to funeral service time. Public viewing will be held Friday, September 25, 2026, from 9:00 AM-7:00 PM at Nelms Memorial Funeral Home Chapel.
Funeral service for Mr. Charlie J. Eutsey will be held Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 1:00 PM at Nelms Memorial Funeral Home with Elder Jerry Crutcher officiating. Public viewing will be held Friday, September 25, 2026, from 5:00-7:00 PM at Nelms Memorial Funeral Home.

Celebration of life for Mr. Alex Ewing will be held Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 2:00 PM at Madkins Chapel Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America.

Graveside service for Ms. Lielia Morris will be held Sunday, September 27, 2026, at 1:00 PM at Big Cove Cemetery with Bishop Carl Pruitt officiating.

Funeral service for Ms. Eula Mae Sledge will be held Sunday, September 27, 2026, at 1:00 PM at Nelms Memorial Funeral Home Chapel with Minister Bernard Parham eulogist and Pastor Marquis Thompson, officiating. Interment will follow at Meadowlawn Garden of Peace.

Funeral service for Mr. Charlie Brown will be held Sunday, September 27, 2026, at 2:00 PM at Blackburn Chapel Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America with Elder John Jude eulogist. Public viewing will be held Saturday, September 26, 2026, from 9:00 AM-6:00 PM at Nelms Memorial Funeral Home.

Funeral service for Ms. Regina Michelle Tyler Chumange is incomplete and will be announced later.

Funeral service for Mr. Leonard Watkins is incomplete and will be announced later.

“We Cannot Erase the Sting of Death, but We Can Make It Easier.”

09/23/2026

The Valley Weekly
Editorial: Dorothy W. Huston, PhD
September 25, 2026

Making Impact & Building Legacy: Karen Stanley

Legacy is not simply what we inherit. It is what we do with what has been entrusted to us—and how we use our gifts, opportunities and influence to make life better for others. Karen Stanley is doing just that.

A Huntsville native, Karen is part of a family whose business roots run deep in our community. As Vice President of Finance for Stanley Construction Company, founded by her late father, Thornton Stanley, she has helped carry forward a successful African American family business that has been part of North Alabama's economic landscape for more than six decades.

Karen's educational journey is equally impressive. She graduated magna cm laude from Vanderbilt University with a degree in chemical engineering, earned a master's degree in chemical engineering from MIT, and later received her MBA from Harvard Business School. Those accomplishments alone tell a story of excellence, discipline and determination.

But degrees and titles do not define legacy—service does. Karen has invested her leadership in Huntsville and beyond through business development, conservation, education, philanthropy and civic engagement. Her service has included leadership with the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber, the Huntsville-Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Land Trust of North Alabama, North Alabama Homeless Strategy Network, and Alabama's Forever Wild Land Trust. She has also provides leadership through her own podcast-Envision, Accelerate, Excel, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the Harvard Business School alumni community.

What stands out most is her commitment to using her success to help others succeed. Through philanthropy, scholarships, community service and advocacy for small businesses, Karen has demonstrated that achievement carries with it a responsibility to reach back and lift others.

At a time when our community is experiencing tremendous growth, we need leaders who understand that progress must include everyone. We need people who can sit at influential tables—and remember to make room for others. Karen Stanley is one of those people.

She inherited a proud family legacy, but she has not simply preserved it. She is adding her own chapter—one built upon excellence, service, generosity and community.

That is making impact. That is building legacy.

And that is a story worth telling.

Until next week,

Dorothy

09/23/2026

This week’s edition of The Valley Weekly is available online @ http://www.valleyweeklyllc.com/ValleyWeekly09252026V13N04.pdf.

09/19/2026

2026 AAMU Athletics Hall of Fame
Induction Ceremony
September 18, 2026

09/17/2026

Dr. Henry Panion, III: Making Impact & Building Legacy
Dorothy W. Huston, PhD
September 16, 2026

Dr. Henry Panion III: Taking Alabama Excellence to the World
Some friendships give you a front-row seat to greatness. For many years, I have had that privilege with my friend, Dr. Henry Panion III. Henry and I share two institutions that helped shape our lives: Alabama A&M University and The Ohio State University. We are both proud AAMU graduates who continued our education at Ohio State, and I have watched with tremendous pride as Henry carried the excellence nurtured on The Hill to concert halls and stages around the world.

And he is still reaching new heights! Henry will serve as conductor and arranger for Stevie Wonder's tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of the legendary album, Songs in the Key of Life. It is another extraordinary chapter in a musical relationship between Henry and Stevie Wonder that began more than three decades ago.

But Henry's story is personal for me. My late husband, Bill, and I traveled around the country with Henry and his lovely wife, Karyl, to attend many of his concerts with various artists. We watched our friend stand before orchestras and audiences in magnificent venues, bringing musicians, voices and instruments together to create something unforgettable. Those experiences are now precious memories—not only because of the music, but because Bill and I had the privilege of witnessing our friend live out his calling.

And while Bill is no longer here to make those trips with me, I certainly plan to continue the tradition and attend some of Henry's upcoming concerts! What better way to honor those wonderful memories than to keep showing up, applauding our friend and celebrating the extraordinary gifts he continues to share with the world?

Henry's career has been extraordinary. A producer, composer, arranger, conductor, educator and filmmaker, he has worked with more than 50 orchestras in the United States and abroad and with artists spanning classical, gospel, jazz, R&B and popular music. His work has earned Grammy, Emmy and Telly awards, and in 2023 he was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. And, of course, Bill and I were there!

Yet what I admire most is that Henry has never allowed success to become only about Henry. As a University Professor of Music at UAB and director of its Music Technology program, he brings his professional experiences back into the classroom. His students benefit from someone who does not merely teach music from a textbook but continues to create it, arrange it and conduct it on some of the world's most important stages. He continues to expose young people to possibilities they might otherwise never see.

That is legacy! Impact is what we accomplish during our lifetime. Legacy is what continues because we were here.

Henry Panion has certainly made his impact on music. But his legacy can also be found in the students he has taught, the young musicians he has encouraged, the opportunities he has created and the example he provides of what is possible when extraordinary talent is joined with education, discipline, humility and a willingness to reach back and lift someone else.

And yes, as a fellow Alabama A&M Bulldog, I take a little extra pride in his success. Henry's journey reminds us once again that the education and foundation provided by our HBCUs can prepare students not simply to enter the world, but to make their mark on it.

From The Hill at Alabama A&M, to The Ohio State University, to UAB, to concert halls and stages around the world, Dr. Henry Panion III continues to make beautiful music—and an even more beautiful legacy.

Congratulations, my friend! 🖤🧡

Keep conducting. Keep teaching. Keep opening doors. Keep making beautiful music. And keep showing the world what excellence looks like. I look forward to seeing you on the road!

Dr. Henry Panion III, you are truly Making Impact and Building Legacy.
Until next time,
Dorothy 💗💚