Induction Year: 2015

Alma Gates Scroggins

  • September 28th, 2021

In high school, Alma Gates Scroggins’ father thought she was too tenderhearted to fulfill her ambition of becoming a social worker. Believing she wouldn’t be able to say no to people, he talked her into becoming an accountant instead. Yet as CFO of CNN, Scroggins had to say no to some of the media’s most familiar faces – far from the role her father might have envisioned.

Scroggins is a native of Greensboro, Alabama, graduating from Greensboro High School in 1965. She went on to graduate magna cum laude from The University of Alabama’s College of Commerce with a degree in accounting in 1969.

Scroggins was in the Alpha Chi Omega sorority, serving as chapter president. She credits this as being her first experience with running a business. In recognition of her hard work and academic aptitude, Scroggins was tapped for Alpha Lambda Delta, Beta Alpha Psi, and Beta Gamma Sigma.

After working for a year at Dudley, Hopton-Jones, Sims & Freeman in Birmingham, Alabama, Scroggins left the accounting firm to work for Turner Broadcasting System (TBS) in Atlanta, Georgia. When she started, the company had 300 employees, one TV station, five radio stations, and nine outdoor advertising plants. Being involved at the ground level of Turner and being exposed to Ted Turner’s vision of growing a company and leveraging its assets, Scroggins received invaluable training and insight to help continue its success.

When CNN launched on June 1, 1980, there were doubts, particularly in the eyes of the accountants, as to whether it would succeed. When Scroggins was called in from the Turner side and named vice president of CNN Financial Administration in late 1981, CNN was facing costs far beyond original projections Working with journalists to consider cost alternatives to covering news, Scroggins became a trusted colleague and stabilizing influence. With cost controls and procedures in place, and the network’s growing acceptance in the news industry, CNN became profitable in 1985. Promoted to CFO and senior vice president, Scroggins was the first female member of the CNN executive team. She served 30 years, retiring in 2000 as executive vice president of the CNN News Group, which in her 18 years at CNN had grown to encompass CNN, Headline News, CNN Radio, CNN International, CNN Newsource, CNN Airport Network, CNN/Sports Illustrated, and CNN En Español.

Scroggins received several awards honoring her accomplishments. In 1993 she received the Media Award from the Culverhouse College of Commerce. She was appointed to the inaugural UA’s President’s Advisory Board in 1999 and received The University of Alabama National Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumna Award in 2003. Scroggins is a lifetime member of the Board of Visitors for the Culverhouse College of Commerce and is one of the initial members of its Faculty Enhancement Foundation.

Scroggins served as the chair of Buckhead Christian Ministries, a consortium of churches reaching out to the working poor. She was treasurer of Peachtree Road United Methodist Church and chair of their Board of Trustees. She is a founding partner and treasurer of a Christ-centered nonprofit women’s charity, One Hundred Shares, Inc. Created in 2007, OHS has awarded more than $1 million in grants in Atlanta, with a vision of expanding this concept to other communities.

Scroggins currently serves on the executive team of the Women’s Initiative at Peachtree Road. The organization provides restoration in the form of housing, medical and counseling needs, spiritual encouragement, and education to women facing reentry into society from incarceration and from the sex trafficking industry.

She is married to Lee Andrew Scroggins, Jr., has three stepchildren: Elizabeth, Lee, and Charlie, and seven grandchildren.

J. Smith Lanier II

  • September 28th, 2021

Smith Lanier II attended Auburn University in 1945 and 1946 before transferring to the United States Merchant Marine Academy where he obtained a degree in mechanical engineering and a commission in the United States Navy

After completing his education, Lanier Joined his aunt’s West Point, Georgia insurance firm in 1950, known then as Lanier Insurance Agency His initial career was cut short when he was called to serve in the Korean War on active duty as an engineering officer aboard the USS Ault DD698.

Upon returning from service, he purchased the insurance agency. In the early 80s, the agency was incorporated under the name of J. Smith Lanier & Co. Today, the company is recognized nationally as one of the oldest and largest insurance brokerage firms in the United States. Lanier served as chairman and CEO of the agency until 1998 and Chairman Emeritus until his death in December 2013. His nephew, D. Gaines Lanier, is now chairman and CEO.

Lanier was a founding director of many companies, five being publicly traded, including Interface, Inc, SouthernNet, and Powertel, Inc (formerly lntercel, Inc and now T-Mobile). He received numerous honors for his business prowess including being named Georgia’s Small Business Person of the Year in 1997 and the National Small Business Person of the Year in 1998.

Not only was Lanier an exceptional business leader, but a philanthropist as well. He led the capital campaign to build the state-of-the-art Center for Therapeutic Recreation at the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation. The Center named its lodge the J. Smith Lanier Lodge in his honor. Since 2005, J. Smith Lanier & Co. has been the signature sponsor for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation’s Charity Golf Classic and has raised more than $2 million for the Foundation.

J. SmithLanier & Co. also donated $50,000 toward the Haitian relief fund and has built numerous houses throughout the years for Habitat for Humanity and The Fuller Center for Housing. Lanier was a strong advocate for education at all levels, being a founder of Springwood School in Lanett, Alabama, and serving as Trustee on several boards, including the United States Merchant Marine Academy, LaGrange College, and Oglethorpe University Atlanta Christian College (now Point University) and Auburn University were causes dear to his heart He was key in re-establishing Point University under its new charter and relocating it from East Point to West Point, Georgia. They honored Lanier by naming their Academic Center in his memory. At Auburn, Lanier served on the first Dean’s Advisory Board of the College of Human Sciences. The college presented him with its International Quality of Life Award – at the United Nations Headquarters – and later the Auburn University Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award.

Lanier also had a hand in politics He served as a county chairman on the state executive committee of the Alabama Republican Party and was elected as a presidential elector in 1964. He was also a delegate to two Republican National conventions.

One of Lanier’s highest achievements was becoming an Eagle Scout He credits the Boy Scout Oath and the twelve Boy Scout laws as one of the foundations of his personal and business life. Lanier was a seventh-generation member of Spring Road Christian Church in Lanetti where he served as Chairman of the Board, Elder, and Trustee. According to his wife, his favorite scripture was Proverbs 3:5-6. ‘Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. In ALL thy ways acknowledge HIM and HE will direct your paths.’

He is survived by his wife Betty, three daughters, eight grandchildren, and two sisters.

Marvin Mann

  • September 28th, 2021

Marvin L. Mann graduated from Samford University in 1954 with a bachelor’s degree with majors in accounting, economics, and office management. He earned an MBA with majors in marketing and economics from The University of Alabama in 1958. He graduated from Northwestern University’s International Executive Program in Switzerland in 1980 and was president of the class.

Mann joined IBM in Mobile, Alabama in 1958 as a computer systems account executive. He ultimately became a Vice President at IBM. Among Mann’s greatest achievements was his role in something commonplace around the world today – the Universal Product Code. While Mann was manager of IBM’s Store System Business unit, the UPC was developed in cooperation with major retailers and manufacturers IBM gave the UPC to the industry. In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the first successful contributions to the UPC. Mann played a key leadership role in the success of the UPC and was the keynote speaker at this event.

Mann served as president and CEO of the Satellite Business Systems Company, a large partnership of IBM, Aetna Casualty, and Comsal. He managed the company and later led the sale of the company and merger with MCI Corporation. He served as general manager of the IBM typewriter business where he and his team laid the foundation to transition from typewriters to computer printers. He was president of the IBM Information Products Division that developed and manufactured typewriters, printers, and copiers. ATMs and other banking systems, and numerous other worldwide businesses.

After his retirement from IBM in 1991, Mann worked with the private equity firm, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, in the purchase of IBM’s desktop printer and typewriter business. He was chairman, CEO, and investor in the newly founded company, Lexmark International. Lexmark became a highly competitive, high-growth computer printer company listed on the New York Stock Exchange operating in more than 150 companies. Mann retired in 2010 as Chairman Emeritus of Lexmark for life.

Mann served as a member of the board of independent trustees of Fidelity Investments for 13 years, the last five years as chairman of the board. He also served on the board of directors of M.A. Hanna Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, and Imation, Inc. in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Upon retirement, Lexmark established a $250,000 scholarship fund in Mann’s name at The University of Alabama. He continues to support the scholarship fund and the university in numerous ways. He and his wife, Frances, endowed the Frances Marvin Mann Center for Ethics and Leadership at Samford University. His charitable service encompasses numerous worthy causes. In the early days at Lexmark, a number of the employees and managers were helping to build Habitat for Humanity houses. With Lexmark’s support, the employees built a house each year and have helped with additional houses for more than 20 years.

Mann was presented with an honorary Doctor of Commerce degree in 1993 and named Alumnus of the Year by Samford University in 1993 and 2004. In 2006, Samford presented him with the Ethics-in-Business Award, an annual award known as the Marvin Mann Ethics-in-Business Award at The University of Alabama. Mann is a member of the president’s cabinet and the Board of Visitors for the Culverhouse College of Business.

Mann served three and a half years in the Navy as a Navy Exchange Officer. He and his wife, Frances, were married for 53 years and have two children, Tara and Jeff; two granddaughters, Leah and Olivia; and two great-granddaughters, Madeline and Charlotte.

William Michael Warren

  • September 28th, 2021

William Michael (Mike) Warren, Jr. is a longtime resident of Birmingham, Alabama, but is originally from Texas. He attended high school in Auburn, Alabama, and graduated from Auburn University with honors in 1968. Three years later, he received his Juris Doctorate degree from Duke University

Warren served as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force for one year, then for the next 12 years worked for Bradley, Arant, Rose & White in Birmingham, Alabama. He left in 1983 to Join Alabama Gas Corporation where he became president a year later. He became a director of Energen Corporation, the parent company, in 1986, rose through the ranks to chief executive officer and chairman. Warren led the company through a 10-year streak of expansions, transforming it from a simple utility provider to a pioneer in nontraditional natural gas extraction. Under Warren’s leadership, the energy company was one of the first to work with the state on researching and extracting coalbed methane in Alabama’s Black Warrior Basin. During his tenure, Energen’s stock outperformed the S&P 500 Index by a factor of 7 to 1.

In 2007, Warren retired from Energen and became president and CEO of Children’s of Alabama, a position that he currently holds. Warren had served on the Children’s of Alabama board for more than 20 years, serving two years as chair. While at Children’s, Warren led the hospital through a $400 million expansion of the hospital and physically connecting it to the University of Alabama at Birmingham medical facilities. He continues to be responsible for one of the organization’s most important charges-raising between $8-10 million yearly to supplement the medical costs of Alabama’s sickest children. Children’s of Alabama is currently one of the largest pediatric facilities in the United States. Warren’s other professional affiliations include past chairman of the American Gas Association, past chairman of the American Gas Foundation, past chairman of the Southern Gas Association, and past executive committee member of the Gas Technology Institute. He also has served as a board member for Protective Life Corporation, Royal Cup Coffee, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and AEGIS Insurance Services, Inc.

As for civic involvement, Warren has a long list of accomplishments under his belt. He has served as the chairman of United Way of Central Alabama, Children’s Hospital, Leadership Alabama, Leadership Birmingham, Metropolitan Development Board, Business Council of Alabama, Campaign for Alabama, Forward Alabama, Alabama Symphony Association, and the United Negro College Fund Campaign. He also served as a board member for Economic Development Partnership, Health Services Foundation Board, National Conference for Community and Justice, and president of the Birmingham Area Heart Association. He also has been involved in education, serving on the Mountain Brook School Board, Birmingham-Southern College Board of Trustees, and the UAB President’s Council.

Warren is the recipient of a plethora of prestigious awards and honors. He received most recently the Auburn Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015, the Vulcan Gamechanger Award, and the Alabama Appleseed Brewer/Torbert Award. He was named the American Heart Association Heart Ball Honoree and CEO of the Year by Birmingham News. Mike Warren was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor in 2004. He also received the Brotherhood Award from the National Conference for Community and Justice and was bestowed an Honorary Doctorate of Law degree by Birmingham-Southern College.

He is married to his high school sweetheart, Anne McLeod Warren, a University of Alabama alumna, M.S. Social Work 1983. They have a son, Bill, two daughters, Laura and Amy, and 10 grandchildren.

Samuel Ginn

  • September 28th, 2021

Samuel Ginn, considered a pioneer of the telecommunications industry with more than four decades of experience, is a 1959 graduate of Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering. Ginn also holds an honorary doctorate degree from Auburn and was awarded a Sloan Fellowship to the Stanford Graduate School of Business in 1969. He is the namesake for the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University.

Following a brief service with the Army Signal Corps, he began his career as a student engineer in 1960 at AT&T He rose through the ranks in management and operations, becoming vice president of network operations for AT&T Long Lines in 197 7, and was appointed president and CEO of PacTel, a regional Bell operating company in 1988. While with Pac Tel, Ginn led the company’s networking of the Los Angeles Olympics with cellular phones, which was one of the most extensive cellular projects to date during that time.

In 1994, Ginn launched AirTouch Communications, an early cellular phone company and a spin-off from PacTel, which became the third-largest Initial Public Offering (IPO) in U.S. history. He grew the company to develop in both domestic and global markets, eventually pushing it to become the second-largest global cellular company. One by one, AirTouch won cellular licenses in growing overseas markets, and by 1998 it had more than 20 million customers abroad. The company sold for $65 billion in 1999 to Vodafone, where Ginn assumed the position of chairman in the United Kingdom. During his tenure, Vodafone merged with Verizon to create Verizon Wireless. Ginn retired from Vodafone in 2002.

Presently, Ginn serves on the board of directors for The Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, California, and is also an overseer at Stanford Hoover Institution. He created the Ginn Family Foundation in 2005 and serves as chairman of the board. He is the founding director of OnDot, a startup company positioned to reduce credit card fraud.

Ginn has served on the corporate boards of Franklin Templeton, CH2M Hill, First Interstate Bank, Pacific Telesis Group, Safeway, Transamerica Corporation, Vodafone, AirTouch Communications, Chevron Corp, and Hewlett-Packard. He also served as chairman of the California Business Higher Education Forum, and the California Business Roundtable. Ginn is an angel investor and adviser to multiple Silicon Valley startup companies.

In 2001, he donated $25 million to Auburn University, which was used for the development of the wireless engineering degree program that helped vault Auburn into the nation’s elite wireless research and teaching institution. Auburn named the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering in honor of his gift. Ginn was also awarded an honorary doctorate degree in 1998 from Auburn and served on the university’s board of trustees from 2005 to 2013. The university also presented him with its Lifetime Achievement Award. He was inducted into the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 1992 and in 2014 was inducted into the Wireless History Foundations Hall of Fame-one of the industry’s highest honors.

Ginn is a native of Anniston, Alabama, and is married to Ann Vance Ginn, and together they have three children and six grandchildren. The couple resides in Hillsborough, California.

William Hulsey

  • September 28th, 2021

William C. Hulsey is a University of Alabama alumnus and holds an honorary doctorate of law from Birmingham Southern. He is the former CEO and current chairman of Arlington Properties, Inc., a development, construction and management company specializing in multifamily housing for 46 years with projects currently under construction in Virginia, Tennessee and Florida.

Hulsey attended Kentucky Military Institute where he graduated in 1956. He later went on to pursue a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from The University of Alabama, graduating in 1961.

Hulsey went to work for his father and uncle in the mortgage banking business when he graduated from college. In December 1976, he joined Arlington Properties. The company, which was founded in 1969, began as a small construction firm specializing in multifamily and commercial properties and has since transformed into a vibrant and diverse company while under Hulsey’s leadership. He currently serves as the chairman of Arlington Properties, Inc. and Arlington Construction Services, LLC. The latter construction company currently has upscale apartment projects under construction in Virginia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Florida. Arlington Properties has future projects planned in Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi and Louisville, Kentucky.

The management division of Arlington currently operates 53 communities in eight states from Virginia to Florida and from the East Coast to Texas.

Other business affiliations for Hulsey include being a former director of SouthTrust Corporation, Allied Products Company and All Seasons Travel, Inc.

Hulsey holds and has held several civic offices. He is currently a member of The University of Alabama’s National Advisory Board and President’s Cabinet. At Birmingham Southern College, he was a past member of the board of trustees and is its former vice chairman. He has served as chairman of the Birmingham Area Chapter of the American Red Cross and Eye Foundation Hospital, Inc. He also served as president of the Rotary Club of Birmingham and the Civic Foundation Club, Inc. He is a past member of the board of trustees for the Birmingham Symphony Association; past board of trustee member for the Birmingham Children’s Theatre and served as past member of the Birmingham Area Board of Governors of the Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.

For Hulsey and his wife, art is a passion, especially late 19th and early 20th century American Art. In 2008, they endowed the William Cary Hulsey Curatorship of American Art at the Birmingham Museum of Art. They have acquired and donated several pieces of art to the museum, including Rembrandt Peale’s Portrait of Miss Pratt.

James C. Lee, III

  • September 28th, 2021

James C. Lee, III, “Jimmy,” currently serves as Executive Chairman and Owner of Buffalo Rock Company, one of the largest privately held, family-owned Pepsi franchises in the United States.

Jimmy began his career with Buffalo Rock Company, working summers, at the age of 12. After graduating from Auburn University in 1970, he spent one year working with Pepsi-Cola Company. He then came to work for Buffalo Rock Company on a full-time basis in 1971. Jimmy ultimately became the fourth generation Lee to manage the business and is currently involved at a strategic level with company operations as Executive Chairman.

As a Birmingham resident, Jimmy concentrates his efforts toward community involvement. With his encouragement and support, Buffalo Rock makes significant contributions to the community through sponsorship of charitable events, including donations of time, services, and product. In addition, a civic project with which Jimmy has had a passion for is Bent Brook Golf Course. The 27-hole facility was the first privately-owned public course in Birmingham that offers residents an upscale alternative for public golf.

In 2015, Jimmy was inducted into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame and received Auburn University’s Jefferson County Distinguished Alumnus of the Year. Jimmy was also the recipient of the 2013 Alabama Newcomen Award and was named the 2011 March of Dimes Citizen of the Year.

Jimmy is currently a member of the Alabama Beverage Association, Board Member of the Mike Slive Foundation, Board Member of the Coach Safely Foundation, Board Member of the UAB School of Medicine’s Board of Visitors, and Board Member of the Lord Wedgwood Charity. Jimmy is also the Past Director of the Birmingham Business Alliance, Past President of Children’s Hospital Foundation Board, Past Chairman of the Board of Children’s Hospital of Alabama, Past President of the Alabama Beverage Association, Past Board Member of the American Beverage Association, Past President of the Vestavia Park Foundation, and Past President of the Auburn University Athletic Development Council.

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