Elaine Fuller brought a deep appreciation for community heritage with her when she came to work more than 30 years ago at the Cullman County Museum.

After a career that has brought people together through history and heritage, and recognized by Alabama tourism officials, Fuller is set to retire, leaving her role as director of the museum at the end of July.

As the keeper of the community’s heritage, Fuller was on the frontline of meeting visitors to the area, including industrial prospects who would often arrive unannounced to learn more about the place where they were considering opening a new plant.

“Our motto here is, “Everyday is different,’” Fuller said. “You never know who will walk in. They may be from New York or Holly Pond, coming in for the first time to learn about our community.”

Fuller said through the years the city’s successful economic development efforts brought many guests into the museum, often from other states and countries.

“We often would be talking to people who were looking over the community to bring new jobs. Sometimes it would be the wives of the executive who came in while there were meetings going on with the economic development team, and other times they would come here before contacting or meeting the developers,” Fuller said.

Fuller also fondly remembers the visits from Betty Leeth Haynes and the late Alabama First Lady Janelle Folsom.

“They were always supporters and were here a lot. They were great friends of the museum,” Fuller said.

Through more than three decades of heading the museum, Fuller said she most proud of helping to bring the Smithsonian exhibit a few years ago to Wallace State Community College.

“That was something I was so proud to see, and the Bicentennial exhibit that Drew Green and others have worked so hard on,” she added.

Known for her serious approach to preserving and promoting the area’s heritage, former Cullman City Councilman Ernest Hauk credits Fuller with establishing an event — Oktoberfest — that carries a lot of community pride.

“Because of Elaine the community has an event that grew from a historical group project to a community-wide event. And it’s continued to grow,” Hauk said. “She was also handed the Strawberry Festival. You can just look around the museum and the programs that originate here and see the great capabilities Elaine brought with her.”

As a City Council member, Hauk remembered wondering what his working relationship would be like with Fuller. He found the answer quickly.

“I hoped we would work well together and found out right off how wonderful she is and hard she worked. And to my surprise, how funny she could be,” Hauk said. “She loved caring for this important part of our community and she has never stopped with her enthusiasm.”

Fuller’s husband, Wayne, saw firsthand the initiative of his wife when it came to preserving heritage and making an event unfold.

“I remember when she got involved with Oktoberfest, she would leave by 7 in the morning and come home at 10:30 at night,” he said. “She had to make sure everything was right and would stay with it until she felt it was that way.”

City Councilman Johnny Cook said Fuller was always doing what she enjoyed through the museum.

“The biggest thing about Elaine is this was not just a job, it was a passion,” Cook said, “She’s always had a heart for it.”