Seventeenth Regent (1999-2004)
Ellen M. Carroll, the daughter of Dr. Joseph H. Carroll and Grace Miller, was born in Pittsburgh, graduated from the Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, Connecticut, and attended Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. In 1953, she married James M. Walton, who served as president of the Carnegie Institute and Library, director of Gulf Oil, and vice chairman of Heinz Endowments.
Past Regents
Mount Vernon's Past Regents
The Mount Vernon Ladies' Association's Regent serves as the head of the board. Each woman is action-oriented and works to preserve and restore George Washington's Mount Vernon.
Honoring Washington's Death
Elected Vice Regent for Pennsylvania in 1991, Mrs. Walton brought a particular flair for fundraising to the Association. She had been active in civic, educational, and cultural circles in the Pittsburgh area, and, in 1990, the Western Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Society of Fundraising Executives named her its Outstanding Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year.
In December 1999, shortly after her election as Regent, Walton presided over the bicentennial reenactment of George Washington’s funeral. This production involved over two years of research, approximately 4,000 visitors, and three hours of live coverage on C-SPAN. She then turned her attention to what she called, “the most significant expansion of programs and facilities in the Association’s history,” which included a new orientation center, education center, and museum. The Mount Vernon Inn restaurant and retail complex also needed to be expanded and renovated. She noted that the Vice Regents would “need to raise at least $60 million to fund the construction and outreach programs currently on the drawing board."
Mrs. Walton accepting the National Humanities Medal on behalf of the Association in 2003 from President George W. Bush for dedicated service to the nation. MVLA.
Expanding the Interpretation
For the rest of her tenure, undeterred by a 30 percent decline in attendance following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Mrs. Walton oversaw fundraising activities for the new facilities. These same years saw the reopening of George Washington’s gristmill, archaeological study at the site of his whiskey distillery, and groundbreaking for the new facilities. Despite the exceptional challenges of this period, the Association exceeded its initially stated capital campaign goal, raising $83 million by the time she handed the reins to her successor. Mrs. Walton resumed her role as Vice Regent for Pennsylvania and was elected Vice Regent Emerita upon her retirement in 2007.
Named a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania in 1991, Walton served on the national board of the Smithsonian Institution and as a trustee of the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation.
Steve Anderson, president of the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, Mrs. Walton, Reynolds Foundation Chairman Fred W. Smith, and Mount Vernon Executive Director James C. Rees hold a copy of a 1792 painting of the Mansion by Edward Savage. MVLA.
Washington's Gristmill and Distillery
Visit our fully functioning reconstructions of George Washington's Distillery and Gristmill.
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