Opportunity to unite around our founding principles
Alabama People: Alan Miller
About Alan: Named president and CEO of the American Village in 2022. He came to the Village after serving as chief assistant district attorney for Alabama’s 18th Circuit in Columbiana. A retired colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, he served both in the United States and overseas, including with Marine Forces Europe and Force Headquarters Group. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Tulane University and law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law. He heads the 188-acre non-profit campus in Montevallo which includes more than 20 historically inspired buildings from the Revolutionary War period, and is staffed by actors in period costumes who entertain and inform visitors, especially school children, with historical interpretations.
The American Village has been designated the state’s official celebration capital for America’s 250th birthday. It seems like the ideal place to be the official Semiquincentennial Celebration Capital for the state of Alabama, doesn’t it?
It is indeed an honor for us, and all the credit goes to Tom Walker, our founder. The vision he had to establish this campus and the education that takes place here, it’s just gotten more and more important over the years. All you have to do is walk around this campus and the entire place is a testament to Tom’s vision and perseverance. This year in particular, it’s an opportunity for us to appeal to folks across the state as the celebration capital, but also to really raise awareness for what we do here. We (want to) bring students to the campus of American Village and give them an appreciation for the founding of our nation. We’re probably the only country in the world that celebrates a birthday. Because we have this defining moment where these principles were beautifully written for us to stand behind, not just in 1776, but for the rest of our history. Especially now, it’s vitally important for us to look back at our founding principles of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and seize this as an opportunity to unite around those founding principles once again.
What’s your favorite part of your job here?
One of my favorite things is being able to walk around campus and see the students out here, and I’m always thinking in the back of my mind, there’s always going to be a handful of students who are coming to us from really difficult circumstances. The thing I love about what they learn, is that no matter how challenging your circumstances are, there is no lid to your future potential. We want them to think beyond what they think their limitations might be. After all, things didn’t get much darker than they did for our founding fathers.
How is that theme carried out at the Village?
We just started a high school program that incorporates the oval office. On the president’s desk is a replica of the famous coconut husk that President Kennedy kept on his desk. (After his boat was sunk by a Japanese destroyer in 1943, Kennedy and his crew were stranded. He scratched an SOS message into a coconut shell, which was delivered to Allied scouts by local islanders. They were rescued as a result and he kept the coconut as a paperweight during his presidency.) That is a reminder that things can be difficult but they can be overcome. That’s my favorite theme at American Village: Challenges are coming, but you can overcome them.
