Induction Year: 1994

Joseph M. Farley

  • October 26th, 2021

Joseph M. Farley of Birmingham is a well-known attorney and retired Alabama Power Company executive.

He attended Birmingham Southern College, then transferred to Princeton University where he earned a degree in mechanical engineering. He attended graduate school at The University of Alabama’s College of Commerce and Business Administration and completed his formal education with an LL.B. degree from Harvard Law School. He was a member of the law firm of Martin, Balch, Bingham, and Bouldin before joining Alabama Power, where he advanced to president and director. He has held a number of positions with Southern Company, including president, CEO, and director of Southern Nuclear Operating Company. He has served as president of the Alabama Chamber of Commerce and as president of the Rotary Club of Birmingham. He has been active in a number of educational and health care causes. He is a member of The University of Alabama President’s Cabinet and a member of the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration Board of Visitors.

Mary Goss Hardin

  • October 26th, 2021

Mary Goss Hardin is a pioneer in the grocery business and was the first woman in the United States to open a food store franchise with the Piggly Wiggly Company.

The Pell City native attended Woodlawn High School in Birmingham and Howard University, now known as Samford University. After opening her first grocery, she ultimately owned 15 Piggly Wiggly/Warehouse Market stores across North Alabama. She has served as president of the Piggly Wiggly Operator’s Association, the first woman to do so, and served on the Piggly Wiggly Distributing Company’s board for more than 30 years. In 1980, she became the first woman to receive the Grocers’ Spotlight Grocer of the Year Award. She has been active in a number of civic organizations, including the Gadsden chapter of the American Red Cross and the board of directors of the March of Dimes and the Salvation Army. She has been a staunch supporter of religious institutions and has established permanent endowments for scholarships for theological students at Emory University. She has aided the New Orleans Baptist Seminary, where the Hardin Student Center is named in her honor.

William D. Harrigan, Jr.

  • October 26th, 2021

William D. (Billy) Harrigan, Jr., built Scotch Lumber Company into the third-largest employer in Clarke County and one of Alabama’s leading lumber producers.

The Fulton, Alabama native graduated from Barton Academy in Mobile and earned an LL.B. degree from Georgetown University Law School. He joined the company in 1931, a year after the mill had been destroyed by fire. He oversaw the rebuilding of the mill and under his leadership, Scotch pioneered several types of state-of-the-art logging equipment that improved the productivity of the operation. He made sure the company followed modern timber management and wildlife preservation practices and instituted myriad employee relations programs. He helped establish the Alabama Forestry Association, served as a director of the Southern Pine Association, and was a director of the National Forest Products Association. At one point, he held a controlling interest in the Tropicana Hotel in Las Vegas. He often helped patients who could not afford medical care and sponsored college education for several people who otherwise could not have afforded them. The Alabama Legislature on August 16, 1976, approved a memorial resolution mourning his death and citing him as an outstanding leader in his company and community.

Edward Lewis Lowder

  • October 26th, 2021

Lowder was born in Cortelyou in Washington County, Alabama, where he graduated from high school at age 16. He enrolled in Alabama Polytechnic Institute, now Auburn University, where he earned a degree in Agricultural Science. Lowder was a county agent until 1942 when he was called into the United States Army and served in several major World War II European campaigns. In 1946, he started the insurance company, from which he retired in 1980 as executive vice-president and CEO. The insurance company was the state’s largest and had become a model of success. He also became chairman of the board of First Commerce Corporation in New Orleans, which he rebuilt into one of the most successful banks in the state. He served on a number of civic and charitable organizations and contributed generously to Auburn University and The University of Alabama College of Commerce and Business Administration. Auburn University conferred upon him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

Lewis Manderson, Jr.

  • October 26th, 2021

Manderson, a native of Cordova, Alabama, attended classes at The University of Alabama before embarking on his professional career, which began as a car salesman in Tuscaloosa. He began his advertising career in 1955 when he began work with Creative Displays, Inc., which he acquired with the help of two local backers in 1959. He soon began aggressively acquiring similar companies and over the next twenty years bought more than 40 companies through the northeast and southeast. He sold the business in 1983 but continued in business as CEO of Creative Leasing, a successful vehicle and equipment leasing company he had organized in 1976. He also became president of Manderson and Associates, a private investment company in Atlanta, and formed and served as chairman of MGH Management, Inc., an Atlanta consulting, and management firm. In 1990, he founded Cordova Capital Inc., a venture capital fund. He has served the advertising industry in various roles and has compiled a noteworthy record of service in business and civic affairs. A foundation bearing his name supports a number of charitable and educational institutions. He is on The University of Alabama President’s Cabinet and the College of Business Board of Visitors. He chaired the Capital Fund Campaign for the College of Commerce and in 1984, the Manderson Foundation made a $1 million commitment to The University of Alabama to promote quality education for business and management. The College of Business named its graduate division the Manderson Graduate School of Business.

M. Louis Salmon

  • October 25th, 2021

Maurice Louis Salmon was a prominent attorney born in Mobile, Alabama. He attended The University of Alabama School of Commerce and Business before entering the U.S. Army in 1943 and serving in the European Theater of Operations. After completing his military service, he enrolled in The University of Alabama School of Law where he earned his LL.B. Following his admission to the bar, he moved to Mobile where he joined the firm of Smith, Dukes, and Buckalew as an accountant. Two years later, he moved to Huntsville and began practicing law with Watts and Salmon. His legal career in Huntsville spanned 43 years. He served on the boards of several organizations and made several notable contributions to civic and fraternal groups, including the Huntsville Rotary Club. He was active in the Republican Party and ran as the Republican candidate for State Attorney General in 1958. He served his alma mater as a member and president of the Law School Foundation, as president of the Law School Alumni Association, and was a member of the President’s Cabinet. He was instrumental in establishing the University of Alabama in Huntsville Foundation. UAH in 1988 conferred upon him the honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

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