Applications for the MC Hall of Honor Class of 2025 will be open from January 1 - April 1, 2025.
Montgomery County Hall of Honor
Class of 2023
Ralph C. Bostic
Ralph C. Bostic was a person that cared about his community and the people who lived in it. He exemplified high moral character, and his reputation as a compassionate leader precedes him in Montgomery County and the surrounding counties. He worked on many local and county-wide initiatives aimed at improving the lives of everyone. Mr. Bostic was very supportive of Brutonville Concerned Citizens, Inc., a non-profit organization that, among other things, renovated parts of the old Brutonville School into a community center, a Head Start Program facility, and a multipurpose meeting space. Mr. Bostic was the first black person to be elected as a County Commissioner in Montgomery County. During his time in office, he was a strong advocate for education and was a driving force in the development of the Montgomery Teaching Fellows Scholarship Program. He served as President of the Montgomery County N- double A-C-P, Chair of the County Board of Elections, a founding member and President of the Esquires of Montgomery County, and on First Bank’s Board of Directors. Mr. Bostic helped the county grow and be a desirable home for its citizens.
Jim Evans
Since nineteen fifty-three, when he came to Montgomery County, Jim Evans has immersed himself in his community, connecting with people, identifying needs, and helping facilitate positive change. As an Appalachian State Teaching College graduate, Mr. Evans valued education and the role it played in promoting success. He took this philosophy to the classroom during his teaching career in Montgomery County at Mt. Gilead School where he taught for nineteen years. He also coached several sports and was a member of the PTA. Mr. Evans was driven by a strong desire to make a difference in his students’ lives. From the leadership role he played in the development of the Mt. Gilead Recreation Program, to the care he and his wife Kate provided to the residents at Evans’ Rest Home for twenty-four years, to his forty years of service on the Board of Directors of the Montgomery County Public Library, Mr. Evans has shared his life with and served his community in so many ways. His interests have been many – healthcare, education, preservation of community history, and his church – and his service to Montgomery County unsurpassed; a trait he values from his time while serving our country in the United States Army.
Even before coming to Montgomery County in the late nineteen sixties, Russell J. Hollers, Jr. was a leader. After Law School and a four-year stint in the United States Army as an officer in the Judges Advocate General’s Corps at Fort Sam Houston, Mr. Hollers began his forty-five plus, year career as an attorney in Troy, North Carolina. A history of philanthropy, community involvement, and service defined Mr. Holler’s life in Montgomery County. He was one of the founding members of the Montgomery Fund, an affiliate of the North Carolina Community Foundation. Mr. Hollers also served on the Board of Trustees for Montgomery Memorial Hospital, on the Corporate Board of Directors of FirstHealth of the Carolinas, and as the inaugural chair of the FirstHealth Montgomery Foundation. He and his wife, Anna, gave many hours and countless financial resources to this organization. Mr. Hollers once said, “Be kind and you will never regret it. People remember you for that quality more than others.” This was the philosophy he lived by and shared with fellow citizens.
Russell J. Hollers, Jr.
Ruth B. Morris
is a Montgomery County native with a desire to give back to the community. After graduating from college, Mrs. Morris spent her long career with Montgomery County Schools. She led the way in the district’s Technology Department and established the school system’s first computer network, bringing computer technology to the school system’s students. Mrs. Morris has served her community in many ways. She is a member of Trinity United Methodist Church. Her involvement in civic organizations have been numerous: Montgomery Community Theater, Child Study Club, and the Troy Woman’s Club, to name a few. She has been an active member of the Montgomery Community College Board of Trustees, the FirstHealth Hospice Foundation Board, and the Montgomery Fund Board. Mrs. Morris and her husband, Jackie, have worked as a team on many charitable initiatives and were honored in two thousand and twelve with both the Montgomery Fund Humanitarian Award and the Governor’s Order of the Long Leaf Pine Award. Mrs. Morris’ most extensive contribution to Montgomery County has been as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Montgomery County Council on Aging. She has worked with a variety of partners to distribute thousands of pounds of food each week to those experiencing food insecurities in Montgomery County. This very demanding responsibility demonstrates Mrs. Morris’ extremely strong commitment to the people of Montgomery County.