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The Julien E. Marx Foundations Trust Mission Statement

The Julien E. Marx Foundation Trust is a testamentary trust created under the Last Will and Testament of Julien E. Marx.  Its existence is perpetual and its aims are to further the goals of local charities and institutions which are consistent with the manifest intent of Julien when he created this testamentary trust.

The Trustees receive and review grant applications during the calendar year.  Once a year, at the discretion of the Trustees, generally in December, it will act upon those applications.  The Trustees may also, in their discretion invite the grant applicants to personally appear before the Trustees and provide additional information to the Trustees needed in order for the Trustees to make decisions n order to provide funding for the Foundations charitable projects for which funding is requested.

In making it decisions the Trustees must consider the available funds, any relationship that may exist between the particular grant application and the declared intent of Mr. Marx in creating the Trust.  Their decision as to providing funding shall be at the absolute discretion of the Trustees and shall be final.

Our Trustees

Billie Diane Blackwell

Administrator

Scott A. Browning

Trustee

David Cherniak

Trustee

Earl Hollingshead

Trustee

Mike McAleer

Trustee

Willam T. Youngblood

Trustee

Billie Diane Blackwell

Billie was born in Mobile Alabama to Sterling and Alice Bond Blackwell. Upon graduation from Murphy High School she began her banking career at First National Bank of Mobile and retired from AmSouth Bank after 25 years of service in various positions in banking. Then she went on to manage a successful campaign for a State of Alabama Senate candidate.

Billie joined the Greater Gulf State Fair as the Ticket Office Manager and was later appointed Fair Manager where she was responsible for the daily operations of the Fairgrounds as well as overseeing the annual agricultural fair. She served as a District Director of The Association of Alabama Fairs and retired from the Fair after 38 years.

Billie has served the community in various civic organizations including The American Institute of Banking, United Way of SW Alabama, American Red Cross, Keep Mobile Beautiful and Career Women of Mobile.

Billie Blackwell joined the Julien E. Marx Foundation Trust as Administrator in 2016.

Scott A. Browning

Scott is a native of the State of Virginia but has lived in the Mobile area for over 26 years.  Scott obtained his Bachelor’s Degree from Wake Forest University in 1989 and worked as a commercial banker with Southern National Bank (now BB&T) in North Carolina for two years before entering law school at the University of Alabama.  He graduated from the University of Alabama School of Law in 1994.  He practiced law with the firm of Johnstone Adams in downtown Mobile until 2010 when he became General Counsel of Infirmary Health System, Inc.  Scott’s practice has been transactional in nature focusing primarily on health care law, corporate law, financial transactions and real estate.  Scott has served as a Trustee of the Marx Foundation since late 2017.

David Cherniak

David was born in Athens, Georgia, moved to Mobile at the age of seven and has lived here continuously since then.  His father was the rabbi at the Springhill Avenue Temple and his mother a middle school math teacher at Sidney Phillips Junior High School.  He has one sibling, Judy Plecko, who, before retirement was Director of Social Work at the Marcus Foundation Hospital, adjunct of the Emory Hospital System in Atlanta, Georgia.  He is married to the former Gladys (Pinkie) Kahn of Birmingham, a middle school science teacher at St. Paul’s Episcopal school.  They have been married since 1964 and have three children:  Seth, a financial advisor and manager of Jeffrey Matthews’ Mobile office and its branch recruiter; Veronica O’Brien, of Roswell, Georgia, the North American General Counsel for Andritz, USA; and Vickie Schucart, who is Director of Operations for Congregation Beth O’moor in St. Louis, Missouri.  They have six grandchildren.

David attended the University of North Carolina and the University of Alabama, receiving his AB degree from the University of Alabama in 1963 and his LLB degree in 1965.  He has practiced law continuously in Mobile since January 1965.  He was a member of the law firm of Gallalee, Denniston and Cherniak until April 1984 when he joined the firm of Johnstone Adams with whom he practiced until his retirement from that firm in February, 2018.  Since that time, he has served of counsel to the firm of Speegle, Hoffman, Holman and Holifield.  His practice has been multidisciplinary, both litigation and transactional in Real Estate and Construction with a subspecialty in Marine Construction and Ship Repair.  He has long held an AV rating from Martindale Hubbell and has for years been listed in Best Lawyers in America being selected as Mobile’s Lawyer of the Year, numerous times, in Real Estate, Real Estate Litigation, Construction and Construction litigation.  He served as Julien Marx’s attorney as well as being Julien’s close friend since meeting one another in the third grade.

David has been active in civic affairs over the years, serving as president and board chairman of Mobile’s Azalea Trail, president of the Friends of the Mobile Public Library, president of Mirror Lake Racquet Club and a board member and counsel to the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army.  He is a member of the Downtown Mobile Lions Club.  He sees his service as a trustee of the Marx Foundation as an opportunity to help continue the charitable good works performed by Julien Marx and his parents in the community.

Earl Hollingshead

Born in Mobile, AL on April 15, 1947.

Attended public schools in Mobile County, AL. Graduated C.F. Vigor High School in 1965. Attended Jones Community College, Ellisville, MS 1966-1968. Attended the University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS 1969.

Member of and registered as a Registered Petroleum Landman, American Association of Professional Landmen (AAPL) since 1985. Has worked as a landman buying land, oil and gas leases, mineral rights and royalties for more than 35 years.

Currently:
President of Parawon Corporation owns and manages mineral rights, leases, and oil and gas royalties in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, and New Mexico.

Managing Member of Mobile Operating, LLC, owns and manages Mineral rights, leases, oil and gas royalties, and real estate in Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas.

Managing Member of Bienville Properties, LLC, owns and manages real property in Mobile and Baldwin County, Alabama.

Administrator of Farmscape Ventures, LLC, botanical extractors processing CBD oil from Hemp.

Managing member of Vessel Holdings, LLC, a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Trustee for Julien E. Marx Foundation Trust and Julien E. Marx Marital Trust.

Past:
Chairman of the Board, The Northern Gulf Group, provides direct sales and marketing; market research, and planning logistics.

President of Home Claim Services, LLC. Services provided claim filing assistance to property owners with defective building materials.

Married to Phyllis W. Hollingshead for 49 years. One son Kevin M. Hollingshead who is married to Jillian H. Hollingshead, two granddaughters, Elsie Louise Hollingshead (Age 8) and Marnie Elizabeth Hollingshead (Age 6).

Mike McAleer

Mike McAleer, a native Mobilian, was a long-time employee and mentee of Julien Marx.  Even after leaving Julius E. Marx, Inc. to found The McAleer Tunstall Company, he and Julien continued to collaborate on numerous projects.  Mike is a graduate of McGill-Toolen High School, Spring Hill College and the University of Alabama with a degree in Real Estate.  He is married to the former Rene Brody.  They are the parents of two daughters, both students at Auburn University.  Mike and his business partner, David Tunstall, manage the Marx Trusts’ shopping centers and rental properties and are greatly responsible for the high occupancy rates those properties now enjoy.

William T. Youngblood

Bill was born in Birmingham, Alabama, and attended Vestavia Grammar School and Shades Valley High School.  He then attended the University of Alabama (majoring in Philosophy) and received a BA degree and a JD degree from the University of Alabama School of Law.

From there, Bill moved to Mobile after law school. He taught for 3 years at a junior college now named Bishop State Junior College (history, business Law,)

Bill invested in various small businesses, Survival Industries Unlimited, (Survival Kits), Wingate-Monk Wooderies (Peace-Sticks), an energy management company (Quality Energy Systems) which transferred heat from HVAC systems to water heaters in restaurants and hospitals, The Large Tennis Ball Company, etc.

He went to work for Roberts Brothers, Realtors in commercial real estate.

During this period he participated in leasing for the development of Springdale Mall, warehouses in various industrial parks, and brought numerous office tenants from the downtown area out to the suburban areas including major law firms. He helped convince the City of Mobile into building Fort Conde as a bi-centennial project and then leased and sold many buildings in that area of downtown.

He formed Youngblood-Marx, with Julien Marx and began various joint ventures, including residential development, built Condos, acquired and developed a subdivision in Daphne which led to giving the City of Daphne a 38-acre parcel along Mobile Bay, formerly part of the original French settlement and site of Andrew Jackson’s famous speech before the war of 1812 for an Environmental Park.

He acquired various interests in shopping centers which he has leased and managed for the past 48 years.

He is married to Susan P. Youngblood, professor emeritus of Philosophy at the University of South Alabama. They have one child, Elizabeth Brittain Youngblood, who is currently employed by Youngblood Real Estate located in Pinebrook Shopping Center, Mobile, AL.

He is a member of various Civic and Social Clubs and is a mediocre golfer with eternal hope to improve.