Induction Year: 2011

Elbert Allen “Larry” Drummond

  • October 4th, 2021

Elbert Allen “Larry” Drummond has been an integral part of the Drummond Company’s incredible success in his positions of vice chairman and chairman of the Executive Management Committee.

The company began in 1935, with the vision of H.E. Drummond, the family patriarch and an entrepreneur who made the decision to enter the coal business in his native Sipsey, Alabama.

Upon H.E. Drummond’s death in 1956, the business was carried on by his sons, who build upon their father’s vision for the company. By the early 1970s. Drummond Company had entered the export coal market and quickly became an industry leader, with foreign sales offices opening shortly thereafter.

A decade after its formation, Drummond Company, Inc. undertook a sizeable capital expansion program to establish itself as the largest surface mining company in Alabama. This was quickly followed by the acquisition of Alabama’s By-Products Corporation. Recognizing that there were significant opportunities in the low-cost, low-sulfur coal markets in Colombia, a decision was made in the late 1980s to expand offshore and secured extensive mining rights there. Larry Drummond has been a major force in advancing all these initiatives.

Today, Drummond Company employs 5,100 directly with revenues of $5 billion annually.

While the coal mining activities were expanded, Drummond’s land management activities led the company through joint ventures, inro real estate development in Florida, California, and Alabama.

Located near Lakeland, Florida, is Oakbridge, a 1,500-acre mixed-use development, and Drummond’s first venture into real estate development. This planned community has its own country club and golf course, as well as residential, retail, professional, and commercial spaces.

Located in Vestavia Hills, Liberty Park community is near Drummond’s home office in Birmingham. At nearly 4,000 acres, it is also the largest planned community initiated by the company, with seven residential neighborhoods, corporate offices, retail space, and the Old Overton Golf and Country Club, named by Golf Digest as American’s best new private course in 1994.

Rancho La Quinta is in the California desert near Palm Springs and is a 725-acre golf-oriented residential community with two golf courses which has received local, state, and national recognition.

Building on the success of Rancho La Quinta, Drummond Company purchased an additional 1,000 acres for a second development in California. Andalusia at Coral Mountain is in La Quinta and features a world-class championship golf course. Upon completion, Andalusia will include about 800 homes in a variety of sizes and styles, reflective of the Andalusia region of southern Span.

Drummond received a Bachelor of Science degree in commerce and business administration from the Culverhouse College of Commerce at The University of Alabama in 1965, and a master’s degree in accounting from UA in 1966, followed by a law degree from The University of Alabama School of Law in 1969.

He is a member of the Alabama Bar Association, the Board of Visitors of the Culverhouse College of Business, The UA President’s Cabinet, at The University of Alabama, and the United Way of Central Alabama’s La Societe Nationale.

He is a director of the Boy Scouts of America Black Warrior Council, the board of the First Commercial Bank, the selection committee of the Alabama Business Hall of Fame, the Walker Area Community Foundation, the Alabama Conservation and National Resources Foundation, and the American Family Business Institute. He is a member of the First Baptist Church of Jasper. He and his wife, Abbie Sue, have three children: Terri Renee Drummond Lyon, Scott Allen Drummond, and Patrick Lee Drummond. He enjoys hunting, fishing, and golf.

Ted M. Henry

  • October 4th, 2021

Ted M. Henry, chairman of the board of Henry Brick Company, was born in Selma, Alabama, the song of John Davis Henry and Evelyn Sherrier Henry.

His father left the lumber business in 1945 and founded the Henry Brick Company and for more than 65 years, family-owned Henry Brick has defined the brick marker’s art.

During Henry’s career, Henry Brick Company moved from manufacturing 26 million bricks in 1961, the year he returned from the Army to its peak year of production in 2006 when the company made 116 million bricks.

Henry attended Davidson College for three semesters before transferring to The University of Alabama where he earned a degree in industrial management in 1960. He began working for the company while a student, calling on customers in the Tuscaloosa area.

He has played a prominent role in the brick industry on a national level, serving for three years as chairman of the Brick Institute of America, the national organization for brick manufacturers. He became chairman of the BIA in 1995 and is the only person to serve three years in that position. Also in 1995, he was elected as a director of the National Association of Manufacturers, serving as the state’s small manufacturer representative. He was on the board for 10 years over a period of two terms.

“Brickyard,” the magazine of the Clemson Brick Forum and the National Brick Research Center, called Henry “THE Gentleman of the Brick Industry.”

He has been active in business organizations. He is past chairman of the board of Peoples BancTrust Company, Inc. of Selma, for which he served as a director for 40 years. He served as chairman of the board of the Selma-Dallas County Chamber of Commerce, as was a director of the Business Council of Alabama for 20 years, serving as a member of the BCA’s executive committee and as a district chairman. He served on the board of Leadership Alabama.

He and his family have been stalwart supporters of civic and cultural organizations and initiatives. He has served as a chairman of the Sturdivant Museum Association and as president of the Selma-Dallas County Historical Society. He served on the Alabama Historical Commission for 13 years, including a term as chairman. Henry and his family, through Henry Brick Company, established the Rose Garden Pavilion on the grounds of the historic Sturdivant Hall in Selma. The Greek Revival home built in 1853 has been one of Selma’s main tourist attractions.

Henry served as a co-chair of the fundraising effort for the new $6 million YMCA in Selma, built in 2005. He and his wife live in an 1893 Victorian home in the Old Town Historic District. He and the Henry Brick family also donated funds for the courtyard at the Performing Arts Center, led the effort to build a courtyard to honor company employees outside the Selma-Dallas County Public Library, and supported the renovation of the historic St. James hotel.

He has been a staunch supporter of education, serving for eight years as a trustee of Rhodes College. He currently serves on the President’s Cabinet at The University of Alabama.

Henry is a lifetime member and an elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Selma. He and his wife, Debe Denson Henry, have four children: William Davis Henry, Drew Morrow Henry, Christopher Dennison Henry, and Katherine Hope Patterson.

John J. McMahon, Jr.

  • October 4th, 2021

John J. McMahon, Jr. of Birmingham, has been the chairman of two companies in his career, both of which received global recognition for their performances.

McMahon, the son of John J. McMahon and Alma Gardner Bilbro McMahon, is a native of Birmingham. He earned an undergraduate degree from Birmingham-Southern College in 1965 and a law degree from The University of Alabama School of Law in 1968.

For 25 years McMahon worked for McWane, Inc. where he was president and chairman of the board. McWane operates 25 manufacturing plants, including 13 iron foundries, and produces iron pipes, valves, and fittings used to move water across North America. The company also produces other products such as propane tanks, fire hydrants, and fire suppression systems.

During his career at McWane, McMahon held numerous positions and was responsible for negotiating more than 25 acquisitions ranging from publicly held companies to small privately held companies. Under McMahon’s leadership, McWane played a significant role in the creation of the McWane Center Science Museum in Birmingham.

In 1999, McMahon founded Ligon Industries, LLC, a privately held manufacturing company with subsidiaries that produce a wide range of industrial products such as hydraulic cylinders, aluminum castings, and aluminum components for water and wastewater treatment facilities.

McMahon was a key figure in the creation of the Birmingham Airport Authority and served as chairman of the committee that supervised the renovation of the airport terminal, which led to an increase in air transportation service.

McMahon also was a pivotal figure in the establishment of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System and served as the organization’s first chairman of the board of directors.

His civic and business activities are far-ranging. He is a director of the National Bank of Commerce, Protective Life Insurance Company, ProAssurance, and Cooper/T. Smith Corporation.

He currently serves as a trustee of Birmingham-Southern College, the Hugh Kaul Foundation, and the Board of Trustees for The University of Alabama where he served three terms as president pro tempore and has chaired numerous standing committees including athletics, compensation, executive, finance, and investments. He is the Sixth Congressional District representative on the UA System Board.

Past activities include serving as director of the Alabama National Bancorporation, Birmingham Police Foundation, Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital, John H. Harland Company, and Opera Birmingham. He served as chairman of the United Way of Birmingham’s Alexis de Tocqueville Society. He is a member of the Alabama Academy of Honor and Rotary Club of Birmingham.

He and his wife Betty Thurman McMahon have three sons, John J. McMahon III, Joel W. McMahon, and David A. McMahon.

Drayton Nabers, Jr.

  • October 4th, 2021

Drayton Nabers, Jr. of Birmingham has been a successful business executive, a chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, an attorney, a civic leader, an author, and a man of faith.

Nabers was born in Birmingham, the son of Drayton Nabers and Jane Porter Nabers. He is a 1962 graduate of Princeton University and a 1965 graduate of Yale School of Law. He began his law career as a judicial clerk to United States Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black. HE returned to Birmingham to join the law firm of Cabaniss, Johnston, Gardner, Dumas, and O’Neal as an associate, 1967-1971, and as a partner, 1971-1978. It was at Cabaniss, Johnston that he began his association with Protective Life Corporation, an association that lasted for 40 years.

After 12 years at Cabaniss, Johnston, Nabers left his potations there to become general counsel at Protective Life Corporation, where he rose to the positions of president, chief operating officer, then the chief executive officer in 1992, and then chairman of the board.

Nabers led Proactive Life through a period of extraordinary growth. During the 10 years, he was CEO, Protective’s assets grew from $3.3 billion to $17 billion; during the same period, annual operation earnings per share grew from 69 cents to $2.39 and the market value of the common stock increased from $6 to $31.62 per share.

In 2002, when retired from Protective, he was appointed by Gov. Bob Riley to the post of finance director of Alabama. He served as the state’s finance director until 2004 when Gov. Riley appointed him to the state Supreme Court, to serve as Chief Justice.

In 2007, Nabers returned to the practice of law with the law firm of Maynard, Cooper & Gale, PC.

He is a director of Infinity Property and Casualty Corporation and ProAssurance Corporation.

Nabers has volunteered his time and leadership to a number of business, civic, educational, and philanthropic endeavors.

In addition to Protective Life, he has served on the boards of Parisian, Energen Corporation, National Bancorporation, and the National Bank of Commerce.

He is chairman of Cornerstone Schools of Alabama.

He also has served as chairman of Leadership Birmingham, United Way of Central Alabama, and the Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee for District 7.

Over the years, he has served in various capacities with Altamont School, UAB’s President’s Council, The Salvation Army, Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Alabama, the Alabama Region of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, and the Health Insurance Association of America.

He is on the board of directors for the Alabama Symphony, the Railroad Park Foundation, the Newcomen Society of Alabama, and the Alabama Christian Foundation.

Nabers has been a frequent speaker on the issues of ethics in business and has written two books relating to character and faithful obedience.

Each year he travels to Rwanda and Uganda to support ministries and teach.

Nabers and his wife, Fairfax, have three children, Drayton Nabers III, Mary James Nabers Doyle, and Fairfax Virginia Nabers Blount. They also have two granddaughters and five grandsons.

Edward Lee Spencer, Jr.

  • October 4th, 2021

Edward Lee Spencer, Jr. was born in Loachapoka, Alabama, the son of Edward Lee Spencer and Florence Rowell Spencer.

He graduated from Alabama Polytechnic Institute (Auburn University) with a B.S. degree In 1952 and earned a regular commission in the U.S. Air Force. In addition, he received a Fulbright Scholarship and studied in England for a year. After his military service, he began working at Spencer Lumber Company and thus embarked on a career in business that included lumber, construction, banking, and ranching.

During his years in the lumber business, he expanded his interest in construction and established Lee Electrical Supply, Spencer Heating and Air Conditioning, Auburn Millwork, and real estate development.

In 1975, Spencer join AuburnBank’s board of directors and in 1980 was named the chairman of the board. Ten years later, he became the bank’s seventh president and chief executive officer. Sine 1975, the bank’s assets increased from $2.8 million to almost $780 million by mid-2011. The bank now has branches in Auburn, Opelika, Phenix City, Hurtsboro, and Notasulga along with mortgage loan offices in Valley, Phenix City, and Mountain Brook. Two small communities, Hurtsboro in 1999 and Notasulga in 2001, came to AuburnBank because their only financial institutions were closing, and the residents thought a bank was imperative for the town’s survival. AuburnBank responded to their requests and established branches in both communities. This exemplifies Spencer’s philosophy that “If you do what’s right for the community, it’s right for the bank.”

AuburnBank has been recognized for the past six years in “U.S. Banker” magazine as being among the nation’s top 200 Community Banks, one of the few banks in Alabama to receive this recognition for outstanding financial performance.

When not being a banker, Spencer can often be found in Nebraska at his Bow and Arrow Ranch in the Sand Hills, where he has a cow/calf operation.

Spencer was appointed to the board of the East Alabama Health Care Authority in June 1982 and was elected chairman in 1990 serving in that position until 2008. He also served on the Auburn Industrial Development Board and is a past president of the Auburn Chamber of Commerce. He was one of the founding members and a director of the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art in Auburn. He is responsible for financing the restoration of the Auburn University Chapel which is the oldest building in Auburn. He provides several scholarships to the Auburn University Harbert College of Business, where he was a Lowder Visiting Executive. He is a lifelong member of the First Presbyterian Church of Auburn and has served in many capacities. He played an instrumental role in the development of the Presbyterian Community Ministry. This organization was established as a way for the church to aid those who need help with their homes, paying bills for critical survives, and other emergency needs.

Spencer has long been an advocate for affordable housing for low-income families and has been a guiding force in the community for the construction and financing of housing for many citizens of Lee County.

Spencer and his wife, Ruth Priester Spencer, have three children: E.L. Spencer III, Steve Spencer, and Sandra Spencer.

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