Raymond J. Harbert

• November 20th, 2024

Raymond Harbert’s lifelong entrepreneurial pursuits began early, at age 15, when he founded Penbryn Hill Catering. Undeterred by his initial lack of a driver’s license, Harbert enlisted other drivers to travel to and from client houses, deliver food, and park guest automobiles at events. This tendency to energetically pursue opportunities, learning as he went, continued throughout his life. For instance, when he initially entered Auburn University as an engineering major, he did not plan to switch to business, pursuing interests in real estate and finance and eventually earning a bachelor’s in industrial management. And when he took his first job after graduation as a computer programmer, he did not anticipate that a few short years later, in 1990, at the tender age of 31, he would be promoted to president and CEO of Harbert Corporation, a multi-billion-dollar diversified conglomerate.

From a young age, Harbert had shown interest in investments and finance. He eagerly followed his father’s (John Harbert, the founder of Harbert Construction Company) investment stories at the dinner table, and once found, as a teenager, his father’s copy of Joseph Wechsberg’s The Merchant Bankers, which led to a fascination with 19th century merchant banks and trading houses: Rothschild, Warburg, Baring, Schroeder, and J.P. Morgan & Company. So after the sale, in 1993, of Harbert Construction Company, the original company started by his father 50 years before, Harbert launched Harbert Management Corporation, the first multi-alternative asset investment management firm in Alabama. The new company would manage all Harbert Corporation’s assets for a percentage fee, and Harbert Corporation, in turn, would provide a $3 million line of credit, secured by any eventual inheritance the younger Harbert might receive.

Naysayers warned that nothing like this had been yet attempted in Alabama, and indeed, that neither Harbert nor his small team had ever managed or worked for an investment firm. Harbert, however, who started as a caterer and then worked as a computer programmer, did not see why he could not be a successful investor, and was willing to bet his inheritance on it. After all, he believed in curiosity, and letting it drive lifelong learning. And possibly more importantly, he believed in persistence, often quoting the Benjamin Franklin proverb that “Energy and persistence conquer all things.” As his business partner Charles D. Miller put it, Harbert “had the courage to make tough decisions and chart a new course which ultimately led to the formation of Harbert Management Corporation.” In the end, despite some difficult years, including the successful weathering of 2008’s Great Recession, Harbert and Ben Franklin proved the naysayers wrong: Today, Harbert Management Corporation oversees ten different investment strategies from eight U.S. and four European offices with over $8 billion of assets under management.

Harbert serves on the boards and executive committees of the Robert Meyer Foundation, Children’s of Alabama, and Birmingham Business Alliance, and is chairman of the Newcomen Society of Alabama. He is also a trustee emeritus of Auburn University, where the college of business is named for him following a transformative gift in 2013. He previously served on the board of the Alabama Trust Fund and is a past member of Leadership Alabama. In 2006, Harbert was awarded the regional Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award for Financial Services, and he was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor in 2015. Friends describe Harbert as both a fierce negotiator in the boardroom and a committed mentor outside of it, encouraging interns, new employees, and children of friends to “find their passion” as he found his.

Raymond and Kathryn Harbert are active philanthropists, having made significant gifts both in time and capital to numerous organizations including Auburn University, Red Mountain Theatre, Children’s of Alabama, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and United Way of Central Alabama, where they were awarded the United Way Tocqueville Society Award in 2018.

The Harberts have three children and nine grandchildren and live in Birmingham, Alabama.

Thomas H. Lowder

• November 20th, 2024

In 1946, Thomas Lowder’s father was asked by the Alabama Farm Bureau to create an affordable fire insurance company for rural residents of the state. Edward Lowder launched Alabama Farm Bureau Insurance Company with just $10,000 and a secretary. You may now know the company as ALFA. As boys, Thomas and his brothers, James and Robert, watched their father create businesses from the ground up, with the insurance company as a foundation.

When teaching his sons about business, Edward often compared it to football. “He’d tell me that touchdowns are your long-term goal, but then, you have first downs to work toward in between, which are your short-term goals,” Thomas told Birmingham Business Journal. Edward also taught his sons to maintain strong ties with banks and lenders. But Thomas learned just as much on the job. The self-described “saleman of the family,” he recalled, in a Wall Street Journal article, “tagging along summers with an apartment agent who always carried two things in his pocket when showing units to a prospective tenant: a piece of chalk, to cover up any scratches in the paint, and a can of aerosol spray to freshen the air.”

These early experiences prepared Thomas Lowder for the leadership role that he would later assume. He is the former chairman and chief executive officer of Colonial Properties Trust, a New York Stock Exchange-listed, multi-family-focused real estate investment trust, with commercial assets in the Sunbelt region of the United States.

After graduating with honors from Auburn University with a Bachelor of Science degree, Lowder assumed the leadership role at Colonial Properties Trust in 1976. He took the business public in 1993. With Lowder as CEO, the company grew from $475 million in total market capitalization to $5.3 billion before he retired from active management in 2006 to care for his wife, Jarman, who was suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s.

Lowder returned as CEO in December 2008 to lead the company after the financial recession and Wall Street crisis. After 20 years as a public company, Colonial Properties merged with Mid-America Apartment Communities in 2013 and later Post Properties, Inc. to create one of the largest and most successful apartment real estate investment trusts on the NYSE with a market capitalization over $16 billion. Lowder continues to serve on the board of Mid-America Apartment Communities.

Active in his community and beyond, Lowder serves or has served as a member or chair of several boards, including Children’s Hospital of Alabama, the University of Alabama Health Services Foundation, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts, Quarterbacking Children’s Health Foundation, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, the American Red Cross, and United Way of Central Alabama, among others. Lowder and his wife, Susan, whom he married in 2012, are active in philanthropic efforts to find a cure for Alzheimer’s, ALS, and other neurological diseases, which took the lives of each of their spouses.

Lowder holds an honorary doctorate of humanities from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and an honorary doctorate of law from Birmingham-Southern College.

He has three daughters and Susan has three sons. They live in Birmingham, Alabama.

Dixon Brooke, Jr.

• September 29th, 2022

When F. Dixon Brooke, Jr. first visited Birmingham-based EBSCO Industries in 1970, a periodical subscription service provider to schools and libraries, he toured the Title Information Department and found the company’s database of titles was kept manually on Rolodex cards. When Brooke joined the company as a management trainee in 1973, EBSCO had begun to embrace technology. When Brooke became its third President and CEO of the company in 2005, EBSCO had become the largest supplier of information services in the world.

Today EBSCO’s reach spans an array of industries: it has a leading presence in outdoor products, real estate, manufacturing and distribution, and insurance and information services. EBSCO is consistently ranked in the top three largest privately-held firms in Alabama.

A Birmingham native, Brooke was born in 1948 and attended Marion Military Institute. He then completed his BBA degree at Auburn, graduating in 1970. After graduation, he worked for First National Bank of Birmingham and completed their management training program.

In 1973, Brooke joined EBSCO and later became a regional general manager for the Southeastern U.S. In 1981, he helped establish a new regional office in Sydney, Australia. Then, between the years of 1981 and 2003, he was instrumental in acquiring several competitor subscription agencies for EBSCO. Over the years, he assumed positions of increasing responsibility, culminating in his role as CEO from 2005 until retirement in 2014. As CEO, Brooke led EBSCO through the Great Recession, executing organizational re-engineering in a way that allowed EBSCO to emerge from the crisis stronger. During his time at EBSCO, Brooke was a member of EBSCO’s Founder’s Club, a member of EBSCO’s Lifetime 100% and 200% Sales Clubs, and awardee of the 1982 ESS GM of the Year award. He was named a Top Executive in Birmingham Business Journal’s Inaugural Power Book in 2008.

Brooke is personally committed to improving the quality of life in Birmingham and around the State. He has served as Chairman of the Birmingham ASO and led an Endowment Campaign to assure the Symphony’s continued success. In addition, Brooke led a transformational campaign to fund a new entrance and plaza at the Birmingham Zoo. Further, Brooke has received recognition for his leadership and support from numerous educational institutions, including Alumnus of the Year by Marion Military Institute, Distinguished Alumnus by the Altamont School, and Lifetime Achievement by McCallie School in Chattanooga.

Brooke serves on the Board of Directors of various organizations, both public and private. He is a long-term and Founding Director of Synovus Bank of Birmingham, as well as a Director of its holding company, Synovus Financial Corp. In addition, Brooke serves on the Boards of EBSCO Industries, Inc. and McWane, Inc.

Brooke married the former Dell Stephens in 1970, and they have three children: F. Dixon Brooke III, Nelson O’Hara Brooke, and Carter Brooke Vann, and seven grandchildren.

As avid outdoor enthusiasts and environmental stewards, the Brooke family worked with TNC & Forever Wild Land Trust to preserve and protect from development over 1,600 acres of EBSCO-owned land adjacent to Oak Mountain State Park in Birmingham. The addition of the land expands the size of the park to over 11,000 acres.

Michael A. Mouron

• September 29th, 2022

When Michael A. Mouron graduated from The University of Alabama in 1972 and began his career as an accountant, student housing was the farthest thing from his mind. But in 1980, he began working in development for a construction firm in Montgomery, Alabama, and became aware of a new model of condo that was housing for college students but an investment for their parents. Little did he know that this experience would plant a seed that eventually grew into Birmingham-based Capstone Development Corp, whose “leased by the bed” model of student housing revolutionized the business.

Mouron became the head of the development arm of Birmingham firm Polar BEK in 1985 and began building apartments near college campuses, which were easier to finance than condos. He worked for Polar BEK for five years but left in 1990 to launch his own development company, along with three other co-workers. The company, Capstone Development, focused on college student housing.

Capstone began its management operations in 1991 when it rolled out the “lease by the bed” model. Unlike traditional arrangements, where students and parents are responsible for the entire leased unit, this new model made them responsible only for one bed. This way, if one or more of the residents defaulted on the rent, the others would not be liable. Because of the success of this model, Capstone grew rapidly. From 1990 until Mouron’s retirement as chairman in 2012, Capstone developed about $3 billion in student housing communities both off and on campuses.

When Mouron retired, he divided Capstone into four “successor companies,” with ownership given to the various division heads — his family retained ownership of one. However, retirement did not slow him down much. He began investing in real estate projects that interested him personally. For instance, he bought a vacant building in his hometown of Mountain Brook, Alabama, renovated the property then leased it to Little Hardware, a Mountain Brook staple. He renovated the Federal Reserve Building in downtown Birmingham. Then, in 2021, he developed the Valley Hotel in Homewood, Alabama. He also restored the historic Birmingham Greyhound bus terminal, where the Freedom Riders once disembarked during the Civil Rights movement.

A strong sense of civic duty caused Mouron to establish The Mouron Family Foundation. He is a member of The University of Alabama’s President’s Cabinet and UA’s Adapted Athletics Board of Visitors. In 2017, Mouron and his wife Kathy made gifts totaling $4 million to support the construction of Stran-Hardin Arena, a $10 million multi-purpose facility for the University’s Adapted Athletics program. Furthermore, the couple are co-chairs of UA’s $1.5 billion Rising Tide capital campaign.

He also supports many other organizations, including serving on the boards of First Horizon Bank Birmingham, the City of Mountain Brook’s Planning Committee, and the Lakeshore Foundation’s Advisory Council.

Mouron married Kathy Neugent in 1976, and they have three sons: Drew, Christopher, and Lewis, and eight grandchildren.

Kemmons Wilson, Jr.

• September 29th, 2022

C. Kemmons “Kem” Wilson, Jr., was brought up modestly, despite his father’s success in founding the Holiday Inn chain of hotels. Now the Vice Chairman of the Board of Kemmons Wilson Companies, with interests in hospitality, real estate development, private equity and aviation. Wilson continues his father’s legacy of impressive success coupled with personal modesty and commitment to service.

Born in 1946 to C. Kemmons and Dorothy Wilson, Wilson attended The University of Alabama, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration in 1968. Wilson also attended the Harvard Graduate School of Business in 1979 in its Owner/President Management program. He also served in the U.S. Navy.

He became actively involved in the management of family business in 1971. The company developed hotels, apartments, condos, office buildings, shopping centers and warehouses nationwide. Wilson also built the first Factory Outlet Mall in the U.S.

In the decades since, the company has diversified and manages or owns hotel properties across Alabama, including Embassy Suites in downtown Tuscaloosa and the hotel at Alabama’s Gulf State Park. This latter property was an outcome of litigation related to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster — a settlement with BP allowed for the construction of a lodge focused on environmental sustainability. Attorney Cooper Shattuck, who was involved in the litigation, said, “[The Lodge at Gulf State Park] would not have been possible without the insight, know-how, and dedication of Kem Wilson. Kem was an invaluable consultant who made the vision and this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity a reality. And the continued success of the Lodge shows just how right he was.”

Furthermore, the Kemmons Wilson Companies portfolio includes Valor Hospitality Partners, which provides a comprehensive approach toward lodging from the conceptualization and design of new buildings to the management of existing properties. The firm has active and passive stakes in many other companies including Central BBQ, Billy Reid, Tecovas, the Memphis Grizzlies, WISEACRE Brewery Co., and SpaceX.

The family also oversees a vast Vacation Ownership network called Holiday Inn Vacation Club. It owns and operates 30 world-class resorts and recently received the J.D. Power Award for Outstanding Customer service.

Committed to generosity and civic engagement, Wilson is a member of The University of Alabama’s President’s Cabinet and Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors, a former trustee of Furman University, and chairman of the board of the Kemmons Wilson School of Hospitality and Resort Management at the University of Memphis. He was also a member of the board of directors of Regions Financial Corporation.

Wilson is a man of deep faith, and he serves on the board of directors of Campus Crusade for Christ, DownLine Ministries, and Baptist Hospital Foundation. For the past 25 years, Wilson has intentionally invested in the next generation through mentoring, discipleship, and fostering stewardship. He has started numerous ministries and planted a church where he serves as an elder.

For all his contributions, he has been named Memphis’ “Philanthropist of the Year” and “Mentor of the Year.”

In his spare time, Wilson likes to hunt, fly fish, hike, and play golf. He also likes to cheer for the Crimson Tide football team. He
is married to the former Norma Thompson, and they have five children: Caruthers (Carey) Wilson Snider; Kemmons Wilson III; Katherine Wilson Blackney; McLean Thompson Wilson; and Elizabeth Wilson Pelly. They have “20” grandchildren.

William Hansell Hulsey

• October 26th, 2021

William Hansell Hulsey, the son of John Balus and Gabriella Celestia (Hansell) Hulsey, was born in Carbon Hill, Alabama, in Walker County, on May 2, 1901. After graduating from Carbon Hill High School, he moved to Birmingham where he became one of the city’s leading investment bankers and real estate developers, as well as one of the city’s most dedicated citizens, known for his civic and philanthropic activities.

Even as a youth, William Hulsey (most often called “Bill” or “Bubba”) was a budding entrepreneur. For example, he would buy raw peanuts, have his mother parch them, and then sell them on the streets of Carbon Hill.

To satisfy his insatiable curiosity and interest in the financial world and his burning desire to succeed in his own business, he left Carbon Hill the day after graduation from high school to go to Birmingham to pursue his dream. He immediately obtained a job receiving and distributing water meters for the Birmingham Water Works. His astuteness, hard work, and winning personality earned him rapid promotions as well as the attention of several businessmen whose offices were near the Water Works.

In the late 1920s, Bill Hulsey was offered and took a position with Alabama Home Building and Loan Association, a company that was suffering in the throes of the depression. Subsequently, he became vice president and chief executive officer and was able to stabilize Alabama Home and then arrange for the sale of the assets. He became part-owner of the purchasing company, Garber and Cook, which became Garber, Cook, & Hulsey, Inc. in 1937, with Bill Hulsey as sole owner.

Shortly after embarking on what would prove to be a long and successful career, Bill Hulsey put aside his business aspirations to serve as a major in the Army Air Force during World War II. After his discharge, he returned to Birmingham where his unending ambition and desire to excel led him to almost unparalleled success in the Birmingham corporate community.

Bill Hulsey served as president of Garber, Cook, & Hulsey, Inc. until 1978 when he became Chairman of the Board and his nephew, William C. Hulsey, assumed the presidency.

Garber, Cook, & Hulsey, Inc. was primarily involved in the mortgage loan business. In 1947, Realty Mortgage Company, another loan servicing business, was purchased. Under Bill Hulsey’s direction, the two companies developed one of the largest loan servicing portfolios in the Southeast, also being active in residential and commercial property development throughout Alabama and northwest Florida. The loan servicing was sold in 1969 with Realty Mortgage Company. Garber, Cook, & Hulsey, Inc. became a holding company involved in various real estate development and other financial interests in the Birmingham area.

In 1946, Bill Hulsey was elected to the Board of Directors of the Bank for Savings and Trusts, which was merged with Birmingham Trust National Bank in 1963. He continued to serve on the Board of BTNB and its successor, SouthTrust Corporation, until his retirement in 1979, at which time he was elected to Director Emeritus status.

Bill Hulsey’s executive leadership extended beyond the real estate and financial worlds. He served as chairman of the board and was active in the operation of various firms, including Ingalls Iron Works Company, Ingalls Shipbuilding Corporation, Utopia Cleaners and Dryers, Southern Carpet, Beaver Construction Company, and Computer Services Corporation. He was also a director of Master Packaging and Equipment and Allied Products Company.

Bill Hulsey’s accomplishments in the business world were matched by his contributions to the civic and cultural activities in the community. He gave generously of his time, means, and talents in keeping with his belief that one should not always be on the receiving end of society, but should give equally.

In fulfilling his self-perceived obligations, he was an active member of the Birmingham Rotary Club, serving a year as its president and subsequently as chairman. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Community Chest (United Way) from 1948 to 1965, serving a term as chairman of the annual fund drive. He served as chairman of the Capital Fund Drive for the Birmingham YWCA in 1948 and continued on the YWCA Board of Trustees until 1981.

Bill Hulsey was one of the organizers of the Eye Foundation Hospital and served on the Board of Trustees for many years. He made numerous contributions to local hospitals and educational institutions for buildings and equipment. He was a lifetime trustee of Birmingham Southern College and a member of the President’s Advisory Council at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

An avid support of the arts and humanities in the Birmingham area, Bill Hulsey was active in the formation of the Birmingham Symphony Association and served on the Board of Trustees of that Association for many years.

Because of his interest in art, he built, along with his wife, Susan Mabry Hulsey, a sizeable personal art collection. He served many years on the Board of Trustees of the Birmingham Museum of Art. In 1974, he was named chairman of a fundraising drive to obtain funding for the Birmingham Museum of Art Foundation. He served as chairman of the foundation until his death. He also served as vice-president and director of the Birmingham Art Association.

For his abundant contributions to the city and community, Bill Hulsey received many honors.

He received national recognition in 1964 when he was listed in Who’s Who in America as an outstanding investment executive and art collector. In 1965, he was named King of the Beaux Arts Krewe Ball.

In 1973, he was presented the Silver Bowl Award by the Festival of Arts. In 1978, he was presented with an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree by the University of Alabama at Birmingham. In 9180, he was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor. In 1985, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree by Birmingham-Southern College.

The Cathedral Church of the Advent, of which he and his wife were active supporters, named its newly refurbished education and office building “Hulsey Hall.” The University of Alabama at Birmingham named its humanities building – its construction made possible by a million dollar contribution from the Hulseys – “The William Hansell and Susan Mabry Hulsey Building for Arts and Humanities,” and the Birmingham Museum of Art auditorium is named for Susan Mabry Hulsey.

William Hansell Hulsey died on November 17, 1985, having reached his dream of success. Because he had been equally generous with his time, talent, and money, Birmingham had become a considerably better place in which to live and through his leadership and support, many spiring young businessmen had also reached a plateau of success.

Bibliographical information provided by Garber, Cook, & Hulsey, Inc.

Hall W. Thompson

• October 26th, 2021

Although Hall W. Thompson is a native of Tennessee, he has become a distinguished business leader in Alabama during the last thirty-five years. He is the retired Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Thompson Tractor Co., Inc., which he founded in 1957, and is currently President of Thompson Realty Co., which he established. in 1959.

One of four children of the late DeWitt C., Jr. and Mary (Gibson) Thompson, Hall W. Thompson was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on May 28, 1923. After graduating from Duncan Preparatory School in Nashville in 1941, he attended Vanderbilt University until called to serve his country in World War II. From March 1943 until January 1946, he served with the United States Army Air Corps in the Pacific.

Returning to Nashville in 1946, he again entered Vanderbilt, while at the same time assuming responsibilities at General Truck Sales, a company founded by his father. During his 12 years with General Truck Sales, the nation’s largest privately-owned GMC truck outlet, he served in all facets of the company and left the Tennessee business while serving as its Executive Vice President and General Manager.

In 1957, he acquired the North Alabama dealership for Caterpillar, Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of earth-moving and construction equipment, and a major supplier of diesel and natural gas engines and gas turbines. Thompson Tractor Co., Inc., became an Alabama corpora­tion and established its headquarters in Birmingham.

Under Hall Thompson’s leadership, the firm would become one of the most successful Caterpillar dealerships in the nation. Building on the philosophy that customers consistently do business with firms dedicated to customer service, Thompson recruited an outstanding team of people, at one time totaling nearly 600, and set standards by which most Caterpillar franchises were then and are today measured.

Of particular significance in his career, according to Hall Thompson, was his part in convincing local and state banks that firms engaged in highway construction and in mining the coalfields in Alabama deserve significant support.

When Thompson Tractor Co., Inc. was established, Alabama was just beginning to use funds provided by the Highway Defense Act of 1956 (an Eisenhower program that authorized over $50 billion for construction of the nation’s highways). He found that banks at that time had shown no interest in investigating what was happening in two of the major markets that Thompson Tractor Co., Inc. would serve.

Thus, in 1958, he invited all the CEOs of Birmingham area banks to “spend a day with him in the highway industry.” The day began with breakfast at the old Tutwiler Hotel and ended with a dinner party at the Birmingham Country Club.

The main event of the day was a scenic tour through rural areas to several interstate highway projects in Blount and Cullman counties to let bankers see first-hand what ultramodern machinery would accomplish in completing Alabama’s portion of the highway program. He gave bankers a first-hand view of exactly what lay ahead for construction companies and what these companies would need in capital to accomplish these large projects if Alabama businesses and Alabama jobs were to be created. In effect, Hall Thompson set the stage that would lead to major bank participation and ultimately solve the problems that faced the contractors. He made similar efforts in the mining industry-an “iffy” opportunity for bankers when coal prices were very low, but an entirely different picture as the mid-70’s oil embargo sent coal prices soaring.

Unusual growth in construction, mining, and other industries throughout the state brought a change in the 37 counties in North Alabama. Thompson Tractor Co., Inc. facilities were built in Anniston, Decatur, and Tuscaloosa, and additional people were hired to meet rapidly expanding needs. Hall Thompson says that he was fortunate, as are most successful leaders, to have had his timing right and to be on the scene when rapid growth in all industries was taking place.

Thompson Tractor Co., Inc. today markets earth-moving equipment through its tractor division; provides complete product and product support offerings of Caterpillar and Crown through Thompson Lift Co.; and provides CAT diesel engines and power systems for prime and standby power for any application through Thompson Power Systems.

Under the leadership of Hall Thompson’s son, Michael, who became President and Chief Executive Officer in 1986, Thompson Tractor Co., Inc. has continued the tradition of excellence and service fostered by its founder.

In 1987, the company became the authorized Caterpillar Dealer for South Alabama and the panhandle of Florida. The firm has also added to its “full-service” and “mini-service” branches.

The corporate headquarters and main operations are still in Birmingham. “Full-service” branches are located in six Alabama cities and one in Florida. The company has three “mini­branches” in Alabama and one in Florida.

A dedicated golfer, Hall Thompson fulfilled a longtime goal by finding the perfect property on which to construct a superior golf course. A combination of his extensive background in golf, a magnificent piece of property, and the expert assistance of Jack Nicklaus developed the course now known as Shoal Creek. The course has gained national and international recognition in the world of golf and has hosted three national championships. In 1985, “Golf Digest” ranked Shoal Creek as the 14th finest golf course in America while elevating it to #3 in the quality of turfgrass found on courses throughout the country.

Hall Thompson is pleased that Shoal Creek has become an example to other clubs in the community to provide their membership with superior facilities. The support of the golf tournaments at Shoal Creek also did much to encourage entrepreneurs to build quality courses on which the daily fee golfer can play. The number of jobs created in the construction and maintenance of these facilities has been significant.

Taking a leaf out of his father’s book, Hall Thompson became very active in community affairs when he moved to Birmingham. An early membership in the Monday Morning Quarter­ back Club led to substantial involvement in many facets of community life.

He has served on a number of corporate boards, including AmSouth Bank, South Central Bell, BellSouth Telecommunications, Protective Life Corporation, and Alabama By Products Corp. He is a past director of both the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and the State Chamber of Commerce as well as the Associated Industries of Alabama. He is currently a member of Vanderbilt University’s Board of Trustees.

He became active in politics at the county, state, and national levels because he believed then, and still believes, that business people should have a voice in shaping the future of the nation. He became a Republican when, he has said, “it wasn’t all that popular to be so identified.” While never a candidate for office, he has served several candidates as a major fundraiser, and in one instance, as a state-wide campaign manager.

Hall Thompson has received well-deserved recognition for his leadership in business and community affairs. In 1978, he received an honorary Doctor of Law degree from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. In August 1982, he received an honorary Doctor of Humanities degree from Samford University. He has also received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award from Judson College and was honored by the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame as Alabama’s first Distinguished Sportsman.

He and his wife-the former Lucille (Lucy) Ryals of Rhine, Georgia-have three sons, two daughters, and eight grandchildren.

Aaron M. Aronov

• October 26th, 2021

Aron M. Aronov was a man of vision who through hard work, realistic evaluation of circumstances, and service to his fellow man, made the American Dream come true. Born in Montgomery, Alabama, on December 22, 1919, he was one of five children of Jake and Norah (Varlow) Aronov. His father had immigrated to the United States in 1912 from what is now Kiev in Ukraine.

After graduating from Sidney Lanier High School in 1937, he completed two years as a student in business at The University of Alabama before being forced to leave because of illness in 1939.

In 1942, after his father died, Aaron Aronov took charge of his father’s wholesale auto parts and tire business while his brothers were in the armed forces during World War II. (Medical reasons disqualified him from service.) He maintained the business to support the family. Because he did not really like the auto tire and parts business, he ventured into real estate as a sideline, as his father had done in a modest way.

Aaron Aronov’s astute business sense (inherited from his father, according to reports from those who knew them both) brought him success in his early endeavors in real estate sales and development. Thus in 1952, he left the family business and opened a realty office. Under Aaron Aronov’s leadership, this one-man operation would become Aronov Realty Company, Inc. – one of the largest and most diversified real estate firms in the South. He built a record of achievement by blending the visions and techniques of the future with the wisdom gained from yesterday.

In 1954, Aronov Realty made its debut in the shopping center field with Normandale (in Montgomery) – the first planned regional shopping center in Alabama. The company’s portfolio today includes over 15 million square feet of shopping center space – placing the company in the top 25 managers of retail property in the nation. The company has also become the fifth fastest-growing shopping center developer in the U.S

Aronov Realty Company, Inc. is now active in 15 states with not only a variety of shopping centers but also apartment complexes, resort condominiums, motels, office buildings, and warehouses. Through its subsidiary, Aronov Insurance, Inc., the company also provides a sensible approach to risk management to hundreds of firms by carefully analyzing their exposure to loss and thereby developing the best possible insurance programs.

Aaron Aronov rose to prominence as an innovative business leader while serving as President of Aronov Realty Co., Inc. from 1952. to 1984 and as Chairman of the Board from 1984 until his death in 1991.

He also became known as a man who gave generously of his time, efforts, and tangible resources in support of the well-being of the people of Alabama.

This pioneer in the development of shopping centers was, for example, one of the founding members (and later president) of the International Council on Shopping Centers, an educational and trade organization with over 25,000 members in the United States and foreign countries.

In his hometown, he was involved in “everything that was good for the community.” He was a founding member of the Industrial Development Board and a charter member of the Montgomery Area Committee of 100. He also served as chairman of the Montgomery Water and Sewer Board and as a member of the board of the YMCA. He was president of the Junior

Chamber of Commerce and the Montgomery Chapter of the National Foundation of Infantile Paralysis.

He was a member of The Board of Directors of Central Bank of the South and of St. Jude Catholic Hospital. He was also a member of the State of Alabama Industrial Revenue Bond Council and the State of Alabama Commission on Higher Education Council of Twenty-one. He was also one of five trustees of the state’s $450 million Heritage Trust Fund. Initially appointed by Governor Fob James, he was reappointed by both Governor George Wallace and Governor Guy Hunt. He served as president of the Jewish Federation of Montgomery and of Agudath Israel Synagogue and was a trustee of the National Conference of Christians and Jews.

Aaron Aronov was also an enthusiastic supporter of The University of Alabama because, according to reports, he believed that the University could be the fountainhead for new industry and a better life for the people of Alabama. He gave generously of his time and energy as a member of the President’s Cabinet as well as the Board of Visitors of the College of Commerce and Business Administration.

He also served for seven years (1983-1990) as a member of the Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama System. During his tenure on the Board, he played a key role in the growth of the U.A. System through service on the finance, investment, and audit committees. Aaron Aronov was also instrumental in raising over $1 million to fund a Chair of Judaic Studies at the University – later named in his honor. He also established an endowed scholar­ ship fund which assists deserving full-time students.

It has been said that all these endeavors stemmed from Aaron Aronov’s twin heritage – his dedication to his native Alabama and to his Judaic faith.

For his many-faceted contributions, Aaron Aronov received well-deserved recognition during his lifetime.

In 1982, he was named to the First Hall of Fame of the Montgomery Board of Realtors; he was the recipient of the Julia Tutwiler Distinguished Service Award at The University of Alabama and of the First Annual Marketers Award bestowed by the Sales and Marketing Executives International Club of Montgomery. He was also the recipient of the Brotherhood Medallion awarded by the National Conference of Christians and Jews in recognition of contributions to the improvement and general welfare of inter-group relations.

In 1988, Aaron Aronov was elected to the Alabama Academy of Honor for accomplishments and services greatly benefiting and reflecting great credit on the state. And, at Commencement Exercises in May 1991, he was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree by his alma mater – The University of Alabama – which he had served so well.

On December 12, 1991, ten days before he would have had his 72nd birthday, Aaron Aronov died at home of heart failure after an extended illness.

To paraphrase the words of Leon Weinberger, editor of the Judaic series at The University of Alabama, Aaron Aronov was a genius and to Alabama’s lasting benefit, he shared his gift.

Aaron Aronov is survived by his wife, Marjorie; two sons, Jake, and Owen; and daughter, Teri Aronov Grusin.

Jake Aronov, as president of Aronov Realty, Inc., and Owen, as Executive Vice-President, are continuing to lead the company in the tradition of excellence set by their father.

Thomas E. Rast

• October 26th, 2021

Thomas E. (Tom) Rast – Chairman Emeritus of Johnson-Rast & Hays Co. of Birmingham – has said that he is an ordinary man who has had extraordinary things happen to him. However, his extraordinary success in real estate – as well as his extraordinary service to the community and to higher education – belie this modest self-description.

Tom Rast was born in Holt, Alabama, on February 28, 1920, to Sarah A. (nee Blake) and Lucian Holt Rast. He attended Barrett Elementary School and Woodlawn High School in Birmingham (where the family had moved in the early 1920s) before he entered The University of Alabama.

At the University, Tom Rast was president of his fraternity; a member of the “A” Club and of Scabbard and Blade; and captain of the 1940 boxing team. He earned varsity letters in boxing and track. After graduating with a B.S. degree in Commerce and Business Administration in 1943, he entered the armed forces. He served in the Pacific Theater from 1944 to 1946 when he was discharged with the rank of Captain, Transportation Corps.

Returning to Birmingham, the 26-year-old veteran formed Birmingham Automatic Laundry, Inc., with his brother Holt and James Dickson. He found running three launderettes unsatisfying. It could be said that Tom Rast’s career began in 1949 when he and his friend Abner Johnson each borrowed $1500 from Johnson’s mother-in-law and established Johnson-Rast Realty in Homewood. He found that he “loved to sell I liked to get people, sign them up and study their needs. It was very exciting – meeting the needs of people – and very fulfilling.”

The enthusiasm of Tom Rast and his partner soon generated the growth of the new firm. In 1955, Robert Hays joined Abner Johnson and Tom Rast to incorporate a separate insurance company – it was “a natural” for real estate people at that time because they could insure the houses they sold. The new company – Johnson-Rast & Hays – was a one-office business with about nine agents. Its major period of growth came in the 1970s and 1980s.

In the early 1970s, the company expanded into residential property development. (Before the development operation was phased out nearly a decade later, more than 1,000 acres and more than 2000 lots had been developed.) However, the company was “capital-poor.” Tom Rast and the president of Golden Enterprises “struck a deal.” The company became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Golden Enterprises; and Rast, a member of the Golden board of directors. But in 1975, he and Robert Reed (who had joined Johnson-Rast and Hays in 1972) bought back their real estate company.

Johnson-Rast & Hays then developed a ten-year plan for concentration in commercial development and property management, commercial brokerage and residential brokerage, and the phasing out of other aspects of the business.

Johnson-Rast & Hays has since expanded into the largest real estate firm in the state with 12 branch offices, 350 sales associates, and about 70 other employees.

The firm has been involved in just about every phase of real estate. Today, the company focuses on four main facets: residential, commercial sales, commercial leasing and management, and development and joint venture activities.

Tom Rast attributes the success of Johnson­ Rast & Hays to hard work and the quality of its people. As he has said, “Get the right people in. Do the right thing. Be fair and knowledgeable.”

He has also said that all at the firm have tried to be good citizens and ethical performers.

Through service, Tom Rast has certainly stood by his belief in good citizenship. For example, he has served in various capacities in community activities such as the Girls Club of Birmingham, the United Way, the Birmingham Association of Homebuilders, the Birmingham Board of Realtors, the Diabetes Trust Foundation, the Columbia Theological Seminary, and the Monday Morning Quarterback Club. His current community activities include, among others, serving on the boards of the Crippled Children’s Foundation, the Alabama Motorists Association, the Southern Research Institute, and the Executive Service Corps of Birmingham.

Tom Rast has also been a champion of higher education. The University of Alabama and subsequently The University of Alabama System have been a major focus of Tom Rast and his wife Minnie Hayes Rast since they met at the Capstone. (They were married in 1944 and have three daughters: Martha R. Debuys, Nan R. Arendall, and Jane R. Arendall, and seven grandchildren – 6 boys, 1 girl.)

At the Capstone, he was a charter member of the Commerce Executives Society (an organization of alumni and friends of the College of Commerce and Business Administration pledged to support better education for business). He has served and is still serving, as a member of the President’s Cabinet.

He is now also serving as National Chairman of the Campaign for Alabama – a multi-million-dollar campaign that reached the halfway mark in less than a year. About this most recent service, Tom Rast has said that he has never been a part of anything like the Campaign for Alabama because it is the most professional and most complete campaign he has ever encountered. From his point of view, he says that it has to be because “I think each of us recognizes that Alabama’s first University deserves only our best efforts.”

Through the years, he has also been actively involved in the growth of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is a founding member of the UAB President’s Council (established in 1979) of which he is still a member. He also serves on the Board of Directors of UAB’s Medical and Educational Foundation, and both he and Johnson­ Rast & Hays, Co. have given generously to special projects and programs. In recognition of the Rast’s continuing support of UAB, the most recent residence hall was named Rast Hall in ceremonies on June 25, 1993.

In 1979, Tom Rast was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama System. During his 11-year tenure, he held several important committee posts. Among these were the chairmanship of the finance committee and the hospital committee. He retired from the board in 1990 and now serves as Trustee Emeritus. The appointment, he has said, was “the nicest thing that happened to me…I could feel and see what I was doing to help.”

Tom Rast has always had a desire to leave the world a better place – by doing good for humanity. For his efforts, he has been honored with many awards. Here are a few. In 1981, he was elected to honorary membership in the Rotary Club of Birmingham. In 1983, he was the first recipient of ‘The President’s Cup” awarded by the Birmingham Association of Realtors. In 1984, he was named alumnus of the year by The University of Alabama National Alumni Association. In 1986, he was elected to the Woodlawn High School Hall of Fame and the Alabama Academy of Honor. In 1989, at the first College of Commerce and Business Administration reunion and awards banquet at the Capstone, he was the recipient of the Award for Service to the Commerce Executives Society. In 1991, he received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Tom Rast has certainly served humanity and will leave the world a better place. He has given extraordinary service.

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.