Marla Jones, Managing Editor
DEKALB COUNTY, Ala.-- Don Stout recently announced he will seek election for House District 24, which is currently being held by Nathaniel Ledbetter.
Stout, a native of DeKalb County, is a graduate of Auburn University with degrees in Math and Physics. He also is a graduate of Athens College with a degree in American History.
Don Stout is married to Martha Harris Stout. Their children are Suzanne Parcelewicz and Richard (deceased). The Stouts have five grandchildren.
After college, Stout was employed in the Aerospace Industry for thirteen years before returning to Fort Payne as co-owner of The Gas House. When Stout retired, The Gas House, now known as GH Metal Solutions, had grown from nine employees to 282 employees.
Stout proudly participated in the Boy Scouts, earning his Eagle Badge in 1956. In 2017, he received the Heart of an Eagle Award, from the Greater Alabama Council BDA for exhibiting “compassion for the community through leadership, character, and integrity.”
As a member of the Lions Club, Stout was honored by Lions International, given the Melvin Jones Award, named for the club’s founder, signifying the “highest form of recognition and embodies humanitarian ideas consistent with the nature and purpose of Lionism.”
Stout is no stranger to service, serving on numerous boards and committees including:
- Four years as the President of DeKalb County Republican Breakfast Club
- A four-year term on the Board of Directors for the Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce
- A 14-year term as President of the Mary Weatherly Library Foundation, an organization whose only purpose is to raise funds benefiting the DeKalb County Public Library
- Advisory Board for the Northeast Alabama Community College
- A five-year term on the Board of Directors of Landmarks of DeKalb County, Inc., an organization devoted to “saving our history for future generations” through historical archives and heritage sites.
- Served in various areas of leadership of PTO and Band Boosters in the Fort Payne City School System
In 2008, Stout was named Business Leader of the Year by the Fort Payne Chamber of Commerce.
In 2021, the DeKalb County Republican Party presented an award to Stout in recognition of many years of dedication to the party.
If elected, Stout has numerous political goals including:
- Setting a 2- consecutive term for the Alabama Senate and House.
- Voting against giving the Porch Creek Indians (PCI) a monopoly on gaming, allowing them enough money to run the State.
- Voting against giving the PCI the right to chose locations of a casino while denying the local citizens a voice in that decision.
- If lottery bill is passed, Stout believes that all profits should be divided between funding scholarships and treatment for mental health patients.
- If a casino becomes a reality for out area, Stout states that he will work with local law enforcement to deal with the added crime that accompaies such sites.
“I seek no personal gain and have no special interest other than that which is good for the people of DeKalb County,” stated Don Stout. “I will not accept any contribution from the gaming industries.”
The Republican Primary will be held on May 24, 2022. If needed, a Run-Off will be held on June 21. The General Election will be on November 8, 2022.
