EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second installment of a four-part series profiling this year's inductees for the Greater Huntington Wall of Fame. Today's profile is on Stella Fuller.
Stella Fuller was born Dec. 4, 1883, on a farm on Guyan Creek near Glenwood. She graduated from Marshall Business College and then worked for a law firm in Welch, where she supervised a group of stenographers. She married Elmer Fuller in 1907, settled in Huntington and had one son, Bob.
She joined the Salvation Army and began her career as a volunteer, later becoming their part-time secretary. Her humanitarian instincts blossomed as a volunteer in November 1918, when a nationwide influenza epidemic paralyzed Huntington.
Fuller attained the title of "Envoy Fuller" in the Salvation Army and headed a new branch that opened at Johnson's Lane in Huntington, where she built a recreational program with the assistance of the WPA Program of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal, consisting of softball and basketball teams.
Twenty-five years later, on Jan. 10, 1943, she opened the Door of Hope and Friendship at the Stella Fuller Mission, welcoming people of all ages and religious backgrounds to join. Under her leadership, the settlement expanded into the area's largest haven for the deprived and homeless.
On Oct. 14, 1980, Stella Fuller Day was proclaimed by the mayor of the city of Huntington to acknowledge her 60 years of service in helping the poor and disadvantaged. She died a year later.
ABOUT THE WALL OF FAME: The Wall of Fame was established in 1986 and includes famous Huntingtonians from comedian Soupy Sales to former Marshall football coach Bob Pruett. It is located inside the Big Sandy Superstore Arena.
EVENT INFO: The induction ceremony will take place Thursday, Oct. 2, at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena. A reception begins at 6 p.m., followed by dinner at 7 p.m. and the ceremony at 8 p.m. Reservations for the event are required. Reservations can be made by e-mailing City of Huntington Foundation President Maxine Loudermilk at loudermilkm@cityofhuntington.com or by calling her at 304-696-5522. Tickets for a corporate table are $1,000 or $500 for a half-corporate table. Individual tickets are $50.
Here's a look at the profile schedule:
WEDNESDAY: Bob E. Myers
THURSDAY: David Tyson
