Carl Elliott, a former United States Congressman from Jasper, Alabama, was honored for his participation in the passage of the historic National Defense Education Act of 1958, which made a college education accessible to all, regardless of race or economic status.
Congressman Elliott persevered despite the fact that his stands were anathemas in the conservative climate of Alabama at the time. Ultimately, they cost him his career. Soon after receiving the Profile in Courage Award in 1990, he used a portion of his prize money to complete his memoirs. His book, The Cost of Courage: The Journey of an American Congressman, was published in January 1992. He died in 1999.