09/25/2025
An announcement from the American Village Citizenship Trust.
It is with heavy hearts that the Trustees, administration and staff of the American Village share the sad news that our founder and President Emeritus, Mr. Tom Walker, left this life early on the morning of September 25th, 2025. The day is significant as it is the Grand Opening of what Mr. Walker considered the crowning glory of the Montevallo, Alabama campus - a replica of Independence Hall from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Tom Walker was the Founder and President Emeritus of the American Village, chartered in 1995. In the late 1980s he conceived the idea of the American Village to be an American history and civics educational campus to inspire and prepare young people for their roles as good citizens and leaders. He led efforts to build the 188-acre campus just south of Birmingham, AL in Montevallo, and to design and implement its widely-acclaimed and engaging history and civics programs. As of May, 2025 the campus has served over eight-hundred thousand students from throughout the southeastern United States since it's opening and draws thousands of public visitors each year.
In 2017 Tom Walker was one of only sixteen citizens appointed by Congressional leaders to the United States Semiquincentennial Commission. The Commission is responsible for leading the Nation’s 250th birthday celebration and commemoration of American Independence in 2026. He was unanimously elected as Vice Chairman of the national commission at its first meeting in Philadelphia. He earned his B.A. with Honors in History and Political Science at the University of Montevallo and his M.A. in Political Science at Mississippi State University, and In December, 2020, Walker was conferred the Honorary Doctor of Laws by Troy University. He also received numerous other honors and state, regional, and national awards.
The American Village Board of Trustees, the Lucille Ryals Thompson Chapel Board, Village staff, and friends of the Village mark his passing both with grief and joy as he will be sorely missed while we celebrate his vision and unwavering commitment to our community, to Alabama, and to the nation.
