Henry Ellis Donaldson, son of Marion Ellis and Lizzie Belle Grimes Donaldson, was born September 5, 1914, in the newly constructed home at 105 East Ida Avenue. Two older sisters, Cleone (1903- 1986) and Foye (1906-1929) were born in Curtis where the Donaldson family operated a cotton gin, a sawmill and a mercantile business. Henry Ellis attended
Opp Schools until senior high, when he transferred to Alabama Military Institute in Anniston. He graduated AMI in 1931 and married Vermelle Evers in 1932 and to this union was born Miriam Evers Donaldson, M.D. (USAF Colonel Retired) in 1933.
In 1920 Henry Ellis’ father moved the family cotton gin from Curtis to Opp. Following graduation in 1931 Henry Ellis began working with his father as bookkeeper in the office of the gin and warehouse, with a salary of $40 a month. After a few years as bookkeeper, H.E. began buying into the business as a partner and it became the M.E. Donaldson & Son Gin and Warehouse.
In the thirties, forties and fifties, ginning season was big in Opp. Many old-timers can remember the bales of cotton completely blocking the east end of Covington Avenue as the cotton was sampled and graded before being moved into the warehouse. The gins ran day and night, and many farmers brought their cotton to the gin at the end of the day to get in line for ginning, and then spend the night sleeping on the cotton, returning to the fields by daylight ready to reload. The cotton bales once sampled and graded were often sold as soon as possible to the Opp Mills or to brokers in Montgomery.
During the “hay day” of cotton, Henry Ellis was recognized as an industry leader. He served as President of the Southeastern Cotton Ginners Association and was selected by that organization to receive the Horace Hayden Award for outstanding service to the cotton industry and was a delegate to the National Cotton Council.
In 1945, Henry Ellis founded the Opp Peanut Company with William Y. Walton, who had been with Southern Cotton Oil Company in Andalusia. Opp Peanut Company developed Opp into a hub of peanut buying and shipping for this area. Opp Peanut Company was sold to Anderson’s Peanut Company in 1955, and H.E. remained fully committed to the cotton industry and continued the legacy of at least three generations of the Donaldson family in this field. Henry Ellis was a leading participant in a group effort to develop a local market for cattle and hogs. This effort led to the organization of Farmer’s Co-Op in 1945.
Henry Ellis was an active member of the Chamber of Commerce from its organization in 1947 until his death in 1988, serving as its president in 1951-52. He was a Deacon in the First Baptist Church for many years and was also superintendent of the Sunday School for at least ten years. Henry Ellis was for many years a very active part of the Opp Rotary Club and was elected a Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary’s highest award.
In 1952 Henry Ellis and other shareholders were instrumental in organizing Opp Broadcasting Company. WAMI’s call letters, an acronym for “Where Agriculture Meets Industry” was a contribution of the Donaldson’s. Henry Ellis served for many years on its Board of Directors and in position of leadership, including chairman of the board.
H.E. played a significant role in the establishment of the Opp Country Club. He assisted in the procurement of the land and the building of the golf course and the transformation of an old farmhouse into the first club house.
Always an advocate for education, H.E. took a special interest in the establishment of the MacArthur Technical College and made many trips to Montgomery in support of its becoming a reality. He assisted in obtaining the land and served on its Advisory Board from its inception. He was particularly committed to the establishment of the Heavy Equipment Department.
The commitment of Henry Ellis and his father to Agriculture as the backbone of Opp and the surrounding area was of the greatest magnitude. Neither of them ever forgot or failed to consider that farming provided the basis for all business and industry that improved the standard of living for everyone here. As agriculture prospered, so did the business and the textile mills and the sewing factories, service businesses and retailers. In his later years, after the closing of the gin, Henry Ellis owned Opp Farm Supply. He was very happy there, since that place served as a general meeting place for the many friends that he saw seasonally and daily. His friends meant everything to him, as did the town of Opp. Wherever Henry Ellis Donaldson was known, so was his hometown of Opp, Alabama. He was an ambassador like no other. Henry Ellis Donaldson (September 5, 1914- March 21, 1988) is buried in the Opp City Cemetery. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2008.
