Alfred J. Saliba

• October 11th, 2021

Alfred Saliba’s favorite quote in large measure describes the life he has led. The quote is from Leo C. Rosten, the Polish-born American humorist-sociologist:

I cannot believe that the pur­pose of life is to be happy. I think the purpose of life is to be useful, to be responsible, to be honorable, to be compassionate. It is, above all, to matter; to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.

No wonder, then, that Alfred Saliba, businessman, builder, and former Mayor of Dothan, has spent his life being useful, responsible, hon­orable and compassionate, making sure that he stands for something, that his actions mat­ter, that he has made a difference to those around him and to his community.

Born February 22, 1930, to Joseph Elias Saliba and Marie Violet Accawie in Dothan, Alabama, Alfred Joseph Saliba comes from roots that reach deep into Dothan history. Lebanese immigrant Elias Thomas Saliba began a one-mule trade business while visiting friends in nearby Ozark. Hotel owner and Dothan Mayor Buck Baker struck up a friendship with the young man and loaned him a building rent-free. After building his own wholesale grocery and tobacco business, Saliba sent for his younger brothers, Mike, Mose, and Abe, and set them up in business, selling groceries and running restaurants. The family patriarch returned home to Lebanon to visit, and while detained by World War I, he was elected mayor of his hometown. He was assassinated and the family returned to Dothan, where decades later his grandson would be elected mayor.

As a youth growing up in the Wiregrass, Alfred Saliba demonstrated quiet intelligence, high ethic caliber, and fair-minded commitment to justice, and a sincere understanding of people that combine to create fine leaders.

His organizational skills and inspirational leadership became apparent while in grade school. They were raised to the level of fine art at Dothan High School and became legendary at The University of Alabama, where he earned a degree in civil engineering/construction. His willingness to work hard and his ability to improvise were tested when he was misinformed about qualifying dates and missed placing his name on the ballot for the presidency of the College of Engineering at UA. He immediately sent hand­written notes to every engineering student, including the other candidate, explaining the error, assuring them of his desire for the position, and seeking their support. He won as a write-in.

In 1953, Alfred Saliba entered the U.S. Air Force as a 2nd Lieutenant, having been a member of the Arnold Air Society, the Pershing Rifles Honor Guard, and both a Distinguished Military Student and Distinguished Military Graduate at the University. He was released as a First Lieutenant after service in Japan and Korea and earning the UN Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, and National Defense Service Medal. He achieved the rank of Captain in the Air Force Retired Reserve.

Alfred Saliba is renowned for his tendency toward careful thought, consideration, discussion, and contemplation. No quick decisions. Except when it comes to matters of the heart.

When he returned home after his duty in Asia, he planned a visit to his younger sister at the University. It was April 1955, the annual A-Day event, and sister Norma scrambled to find her brother a date. Most people already had plans, so she begged her roommate, Henrietta Carpenter, to go out with Alfred as a favor. He proposed the next month and the couple was married on August 20, with sister Norma as a bridesmaid. The union produced three children, Annamarie Saliba Martin, Alfred Joseph Saliba Jr., and James Mark Saliba.

In 1955, Alfred Saliba set about earning a living in Dothan. He established his own home building, land development, and residential/commercial real estate firm. His professional standards and personal integrity provided a solid foundation for the business and, as founder and president, his hard work ensured the success of the Alfred Saliba Corporation. In addition, he is a shareholder or on the board of directors of Houston Properties, Inc., Wasco Properties, Southeastern Apparel, SMK (Ethan Allen, Dothan, and Birmingham), SMW (The Playground), Dothan Inn, Inc., PENTA, Inc., and Regions Bank-Dothan.

Saliba has been instrumental in boosting the growing business community and economy of the Wiregrass area. He was a founding partner in Aladan which quickly became the largest U.S. manufacturer of latex products and Columbia Yeast Company which became the largest American producer of yeast. He also helped engender Behavioral Health Systems, one of the Southeast’s leading providers of corporate mental health management care.

As diverse and impressive as his business career is, his community and civic service may eclipse it. He has been president of the JayCees, Rotary Club of Dothan, Dothan Chamber of Commerce, and the Hawk-Houston Boys Club. He has been active in the Republican Party, serving as Chairman of the Houston County Republican Executive Committee and as a member of the State Executive Committee. Through service as an elder at Evergreen Presbyterian Church, he helped establish the area’s first senior citizen hot lunch and day program and the city’s first church-sponsored kindergarten/daycare.

He has served on the board of directors of the Salvation Army, Wiregrass United Way, Wiregrass Habitat for Humanity, Community Foundation of Southeast Alabama, and the Industrial Development Board.

His community service has brought him numerous honors: JayCee Boss of the Year, Builder of the Year, NASW Public Citizen of the Year, the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, the Arthritis Humanitarian Award, and the Troy State University Dothan Community Service Award. He was tapped for Leadership Alabama, and former Gov. Fob James proclaimed November 21, 1997, as” Alfred Saliba Day.”

Given his record of business success and public service and his personal connection to Dothan’s history, it seemed natural that Alfred Joseph Saliba should follow the example of his grandfather, Elias Thomas Saliba, who had been elected mayor of his hometown long ago in Lebanon. At the urging of several friends, and without a shred of experience as a political candidate, Alfred Saliba ran for mayor of Dothan and won.

Through two, four-year terms he used the wisdom of a lifetime of business acumen to bring foresight, managerial expertise, diplomacy, and fiscal responsibility to the office.

He developed a long-range plan for revitalizing the infrastructure of a growing Dothan and initiated a comprehensive plan for funding needed capital improvements. For three consecutive years of his second term, Dothan was selected by Money magazine as the best place in Alabama to live, ranking as high as 39th in the nation for quality of life.

In 1993, Mayor Saliba formed a task force to assess community needs, seeking an alternative to welfare for Dothan’s struggling families. The task force reported gaps in community services, lack of adult education in living/working skills, and fragmented delivery of services, which often resulted in multigenerational dependence on welfare. Emboldened by Saliba’s vision, the task forces brought together health and service organizations to co-exist and cooperate in one central location.

The result, which bears the name Alfred J. Saliba Family Services Center, was a prototype in the state. Its complement of agencies and innovative programs has aided and uplifted hundreds of impoverished families and has been declared a model for welfare to work, inspiring 15 other Southern cities to follow suit.

Newspapers are not usually given to applauding politicians. Yet The Dothan Eagle, in an editorial praising the oratorical prowess of Mayor Saliba, said: “We still remember the brief talk he gave before a group of veterans in the Civic Center on Memorial Day morning. Anybody in that audience who did not feel chills along his spine or who left not feeling proud to be an American was listening to another drummer.”

In an article in that same newspaper, Mayor Saliba, writing in a guest column, referred to his grandfather. ” … His vision and love for this small corner of the New World inspire me even today.” And, in a life of achievement, service, leadership, and compassion, Alfred Saliba shares his own vision and love for Dothan, inspiring present and future generations.

Harry H. Pritchett

• October 6th, 2021

Every day scores of young golfers, many of them students at The University of Alabama, tee off at the Harry Pritchett Golf Course in east Tuscaloosa. But few of them realize the legacy and the golfing prowess of the man for whom the course is named. But make no mistake; Harry H. Pritchett was a man of high accomplishment, both in the business world and in the golfing community.

Harry Houghton Pritchett was born June 28, 1909, in Montgomery, where his mother, Kate Louise Powers Pritchett, was temporarily living after the sudden and untimely death of his father, Edward Hill Pritchett. Mrs. Pritchett returned to Tuscaloosa shortly after his birth and Pritchett attended Tuscaloosa schools.

Pritchett began playing golf at the age of 12. At The University of Alabama, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry in 1930, Pritchett was one of the top golfers in the South and in the old Southern Conference, playing four years with the Crimson Tide varsity golf team. He won the Southern Intercollegiate title in 1928 and went on to win the Alabama Amateur title twice. Later in his career, he was the Alabama Senior Golf tournament champion and won the medal for low score in the Southern Amateur tournament. He played in the United States Amateur Championship twice. He was a formidable competitor and a supreme shot-maker who struck his irons with marksman-like accuracy.

“I’ll tell you something,” Pritchett once told a newspaper reporter. “I haven’t meant much to golf, but golf has meant the world to me. I have met some truly wonderful people thanks to this game.”

In fact, he credited golf for helping him land his first post-college job, as a chemist with T.J. Moss Tie Company, a creosote fire, in Columbus, Mis­sissippi at $85 a month. He was playing golf one afternoon in Tuscaloosa and mentioned to a fel­low player that he was looking for work. The other player needed a chemist and Pritchett was hired on the spot.

Pritchett left Columbus and moved to Maplesville where he was engaged in the lumber business. After a major fire at the mill and the complete loss by fire of the apart­ment where he lived with his new bride, Margaret (Sis) Partlow, he sold his interest in the business and moved back to Tuscaloosa, where he began a long and lucrative career in real estate and insurance in 1936. He opened Pritchett Insurance Company and in 1940 was joined by Marlin Moore. The business later became Pritchett-Moore, Inc., a real estate, and insurance company that is a Tuscaloosa landmark. Later he was a found­ing partner and secretary-treasurer of Creative Displays, Inc. of Tuscaloosa.

A Pritchett friend, Harvey Edwards, Sr., said his friend was “never short on doing all he could in civic matters. Always he was ready and willing and did an able job at whatever he undertook. He did a great many things under difficulties.”

For more than 40 years, Pritchett helped mold many of the institutions of Tuscaloosa. He served on the City Board of Education for 30 years, helping to lead the city school sys­tem and The University of Alabama through the integration crisis of the 1960s with moral courage and dignity.

Morris Sokol, a fellow civic leader who served with Pritchett on many civic boards and projects, said at Pritchett’s death: “He is one of the outstanding persons I have ever known. He was talented and not only gave, but he worked for everything good for the community and its people.”

Sokol recalled Pritchett’s leadership role during the integration crisis. “He was moving out front, telling everybody what his feelings and his ideals were when so very many were afraid to open their mouths about it.” Pritchett appeared on national televi­sion asking local community leaders to practice restraint and abide by the law.

He also headed the Tuscaloosa Chamber of Commerce and other civic organizations during the post-war development explo­sion. His professional activities included serving as president of the Alabama Asso­ciation of Mutual Insurance Agencies and of the Alabama Real Estate Association, which named him Realtor of the Year. He organized and served as the first president of the Tuscaloosa Board of Realtors.

In 1949 he was named Citizen of the Year in Tuscaloosa. He was a past president of the Junior Chamber of Commerce and of the United Way of Tuscaloosa County. He was a member of the boards of directors of Alabama Gas Corporation, the First National Bank of Tuskaloosa, and the Alabama Chamber of Commerce.

In 1965 Pritchett received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for service to The Uni­versity. He was a member of the president’s cabinet of the University and was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree in 1979 and the Liberty Bell Law Award in 1981.

He headed the fundraising campaign to build the University Law Center. In 1979 the University of Alabama National Alumni Association named him distinguished alumnus of the year.

In 1978, the Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama System approved naming the university golf course in his honor and a resolution confirming the honor was approved by the state Legislature. He repaid the game he loved by serving as president of the Alabama Golf Association, the Southern Golf Association, and the Alabama Senior Golf Association.

Pritchett was an active and longtime sup­porter of historic preservation efforts, and served on the Alabama Sesquicentennial Commission in 1969, as co-chairman of the Tuscaloosa County Bicentennial Commission and as a member of the Heritage Commission of Tuscaloosa County.

Pritchett was married to the former Margaret (Sis) Partlow, whom he met at Sunday School at the First Methodist Church. They were high school sweethearts and married shortly after college. They had four children: the Very Reverend Harry H. Pritchett, Jr., Dean of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City; Mrs. Margaret “Boo” Privett of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; Mrs. Katie Mitchell of Decatur, Alabama, and Mrs. Kathleen “Kat” Quarles, of Tuscaloosa. All are graduates of The Uni­versity of Alabama. The Pritchetts were members of Christ Episcopal Church where he served on the Vestry and as senior warden for several years.

Pritchett was a longtime member of Indian Hills Country Club, and he developed his game at the nine-hole Riverside Course in Tuscaloosa and at Tuscaloosa Country Club. At Indian Hills, he was a member of a golfing group facetiously called “The Gangsters.” Shortly after Pritchett’s death in 1981, a fellow golfer told The Tuscaloosa News, “When you open up the rules book to that page where it talks about golf being a gentleman’s game, that’s where you’ll find Harry Pritchett’ s name.” A gentleman on the golf course and a gentleman of the business community.

Mayer Mitchell

• October 4th, 2021

Mobile businessman Mayer Mitchell is known to quote a favorite proverb of his Jewish faith: “When you give when you’re dead, it is lead; when you give when you are living, it is gold.”

For Mr. Mitchell, the saying is a way of life. His name is synonymous with success in business, a generous personal investment in community and faith that extends around the world.

Mayer Mitchell is an American success story. Born in New Orleans in 1933 and raised in Mobile, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in economics with honors at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Finance in 1953. He then served as an Army first lieutenant in Korea, earning a commendation ribbon with medal pendant for meritorious service.

Returning home with young wife Arlene, Mr. Mitchell recruited his brother Abraham to join him in founding a residential and commercial real estate development firm, The Mitchell Company, in 1958. The firm grew rapidly to one of the largest in the Southeast.

This success, according to Mr. Mitchell, hinged on trust, respect, and an understanding of the ever-changing harmony of residential and commercial real estate.

“We started the company from scratch,” Mr. Mitchell recalls. “We had a good management team, and we diversified by building shopping centers, single-family homes, and apartments.

“We knew that when single-family homes were down, apartments would be up. Add the commercial side, and the company would stand on a three-legged tripod. We were able to truly participate in the Golden Age of Real Estate.” Mr. Mitchell said the company’s management approach was critical to its success.

“We had three senior executives who had clear responsibilities,” he said. “My brother Abe oversaw construction, while our partner Bill Lube! handled the company’s administration. I focused on strategic planning, personnel, finance, and land acquisition.”

After serving as chairman and CEO of the company for nearly three decades, Mr. Mitchell sold his interest in 1986. His brother did likewise. The firm’s final tally under their oversight was prodigious: 25,000 single-family homes, 20,000 apartments, and 175 shopping centers throughout the Southeast.

The modem-day Mitchell Company that descended from a partnership of brothers remains the largest private firm in Mobile and among the top 40 in Alabama.

Since selling his first entrepreneurial creation at age 53, Mr. Mitchell has spent the second half of his business life managing his investments through his current company, MB! L.L.C.

Those who know Mr. Mitchell understand that his business success and philanthropic commitment draw on his intelligence, perseverance, and strong sense of purpose. To fully understand the Mayer Mitchell story, however, one must understand the full path of his life.

Just as his business was hitting full stride, the 36-year-old father of four was given dire news. He was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma and told he had, at best, six months to live. The year was 1969, and young Mayer Mitchell was advised to get his affairs in order. Never one to give up, Mr. Mitchell began a series of trips to Rochester, N.Y., to seek experimental treatment at a cancer research center at the University of Rochester.

After two years of painful treatments, Mr. Mitchell made a rare and remarkable recovery. This personal victory not only shaped his life but shaped the future of the Mobile region as well. Mr. Mitchell gained an even keener sense of public purpose.

“I remember,” recounts wife Arlene, “when we got on the plane to go to New York for Mayer’s treatment, he told me, ‘If the Lord lets me live, I want to someday make sure there’s a cancer center in Mobile for those who are less fortunate.”‘

This brings us back to the “give while you live” proverb.

Mr. Mitchell has been a tireless proponent of education and health care, serving more than 31 years on the University of South Alabama Board of Trustees, including a term as chairman. He has served on the President’s Cabinet at The University of Alabama and has supported UA through his philanthropy and service.

To date, the Mitchell family – Mayer, Arlene, and Abe – has given more than $36.6 million to the University of South Alabama. This includes a recent gift of $22 million to support USA’s cancer research institute, which provides state-of-the-art care to people of the Gulf Coast region. USA’s trustees recently named the “Mitchell Cancer Institute” in the family’s honor. USA’s Mitchell College of Business and Mitchell Center sports arena also bear the family name as testaments to their previous generosity.

In fact, the Mitchell family holds the distinction as having given more to a single public university than any other family in the history of the state of Alabama.

True to his faith, Mr. Mitchell has become an international leader in the protection of Israel and has developed a personal relationship with every U.S. president and Israeli prime minister over the past quarter-century. He has served as president of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and has endowed Ramah Darom, a camp for Jewish youth from across the Southeast. He serves on the Board of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, which awarded him an honorary doctorate.

His philanthropic and leadership service has included Alabama Power Company, Wright School, Bishop State Community College, Leukemia Society of America, USA Foundation, AmSouth Bank, Altus Bank, Mobile Area United Way, Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce, Congregation Ahavas Chesed, Mobile Jewish Welfare Fund, Mobile Federation of Jewish Charities, Mobile County Real Estate Association, Archives of American Art, Anti-Defamation League, and The Banc Corporation.

Mr. Mitchell was given the USA National Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Award in 2005. Honors also include Outstanding Young Men of America; Jewish Welfare Fund Man of the Year; Prichard Honorary Citizen of the Year; Mobile County Realtor of the Year; and high honors from the

Boy’s Club of Mobile, Bishop State Community College, University of Rochester, New Orleans Chapter of Hadassah, Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind, Mobile Kiwanis Club, and the American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association.

He is a member of The Country Club of Mobile, Bienville Club, Red Elephant Club, and Mobile Quarterback Club. His special interests are art, politics, and sports.

Mayer and Arlene Mitchell, who was the first woman ever chosen for the coveted “Mobilian of the Year” honor, have four children and eight grandchildren. When asked his advice to young people regarding business and life, Mr. Mitchell – known better as “Bubba” by friends, presidents, and prime ministers- offers a simple message.

“It’s about ethics,” he said. “It is very difficult to rebuild character, so never let yours be compromised.”

Harvey Frank Robbins

• October 4th, 2021

Many years ago, Harvey Robbins shared a chocolate milkshake with his high school sweetheart, Joyce Ann McKinney, at the Palace Ice Cream Shop in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Many years later, Mr. Robbins, now a successful and prosperous businessman, turned his sights to renovating the ice cream shop where he and Joyce Ann had shared that famous chocolate milkshake “in a metal container with enough to pour into two glasses.” That was only one step in Mr. Robbins’ revitalization of his hometown.

Harvey Frank Robbins was born in Dayton, Ohio on November 22, 1932, the middle son of three boys born to Stanley and Elise Skinner Robbins. His early years were typical small town, where he attended and graduated from Deshler High School in Tuscumbia. He also attended the University of Florida and the University of North Alabama. A gifted athlete, Mr. Robbins excelled in football, basketball, track, and surprisingly, rodeo events – calf roping, bull riding, team roping, saddlebronc, and bareback events. This began a life-long love of “all things Western.” In 1952, Mr. Robbins married his high school sweetheart, Joyce Ann. Their love of the West is evidenced by their lovely Southwestern-inspired home overlooking Lake Wilson in the Shoals. Their love of the West has been passed down to their three children, Harvey Frank II, Angie, and Beverly, and now on to their six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

In 1957, Mr. Robbins’s father founded National Floor Products Company, Inc. (NAFCO) where Mr. Robbins was part owner. Over the next several decades under Mr. Robbin’s leadership, NAFCO grew to a world leader in high-end residential flooring. In 1994, NAFCO was sold to Domco Industries of Montreal.

In 1960, Mr. Robbins founded Applied Plastics, Inc. which continues to operate today as an innovator in custom industrial coatings for manufacturing machinery in a broad range of industries. Following the sale of NAFCO, Mr. Harvey turned his talents to property development and community support, focusing on the beauty and history of his hometown, Tuscumbia. In the late 1990s, he formed Robbins Property Development and embarked on the largest revitalization and development effort in his hometown’s history. His first endeavor was a makeover of the town’s traditional center, Spring Park, by designing and building a 48-foot-high waterfall; a bronze statue memorializing a Chickasaw princess; a replica train running on 4,000 feet of track; and a choreographed fountain, music, and light show modeled after the dancing waters at Opryland. He also stocked the creek with rainbow trout to lure fishermen. Mr. Robbins then turned his sights to renovating the Palace Ice Cream Shop. Today, the Palace Ice Cream and Sandwich Shop has sold well over 25,000 milkshakes.

In 1995, Mr. Robbins opened Doublehead Resort and Lodge, a 1,000-acre development on the shores of Lake Wilson which quickly became a destination resort attracting national attention. Included among other accomplishments were providing the land to enable the construction of the Retirement System of Alabama’s longest Robert Trent Jones Golf Course and a four-star hotel; renovating more than 100,000 square feet of vacant downtown buildings and turning them into vibrant restaurants, offices, and retail shops, as well as the development of new access roads and Tuscumbia’s first hotel. He has been featured on the “NBC Today Show”, in Southern Living, Inc, Business Alabama, and American Way magazines because of his extraordinary accomplishments.

Mr. Robbins served as chairman of the board for Valley Federal Bank and he took the company from a mutual company to a publicly-traded company which was later sold to Union Planters Bank of Memphis. He is a former board member of Central Bank (now Compass Bank) and the Salvation Anny and currently serves on the boards of First Metro Bank, Helen Keller Hospital, and the University of North Alabama.

Thomas E. Jernigan

• October 4th, 2021

The life of Thomas E. Jernigan was the proverbial American Dream. From humble beginnings in rural Alabama, Jernigan grew to become successful in every endeavor he attempted.

Born in Atmore, Alabama, in 1923, Jernigan later moved to Frisco City in Monroe County. He grew up on a farm with his brothers, Ferrell and Carl, and his sister, Loretta. After graduating from high school, Jernigan joined the United States Air Force and served two years during World War II. When he returned from military service, he attended The University of Alabama.

After completing his studies, Jernigan settled in Mountain Brook, Alabama, where he raised his family and emerged as a business leader within the community and around the Southeast.

Jernigan began his entrepreneurial endeavors by developing a line of children’s playground equipment. In 1965, he founded Plantation Pattern Co., a manufacturer of wrought iron casual furniture, which still is operating today.

Four years later, Jernigan founded United Chair Co., an office furniture manufacturer. United Chair exists today as a member of the Groupe Lacasse family of brands.

Showing no signs of slowing, in 1970, Jernigan founded Marathon Realty Co. to build and develop commercial properties. The company primarily did business in the Birmingham market in Alabama and the Fort Lauderdale and Tampa markets in Florida.

In 1971, he decided to test his skills with an additional challenge. He founded Marathon Equipment Co., a maker of commercial and industrial trash compaction equipment. During the time Jernigan was at the helm of Marathon Equipment, the company was recognized as the largest commercial trash compaction manufacturer in the world and a key supplier to some of the largest waste removal companies, such as Waste Management and BFI. Like most of Jernigan’s companies, Marathon Equipment received many awards and commendations from its suppliers.

From its original plant in Vernon, Alabama, Marathon added a new plant in Yerington, Nevada, in December 1985 and another plant in Clearfield, Pennsylvania, in 1989. The company began settling its products overseas, meeting waste management needs in Australia, Mexico, Central American, and the Middle East.

In 1972, Jernigan became CEO of Delwood Furniture, a corporation that consisted of six individual manufacturing companies specializing in home and office furniture.

Not one to rest on the laurels of his mounting business successes, Jernigan put another idea into action in 1973. He developed the concept of neighborhood convenience stores in Alabama, an idea that caught on incredibly well. Jernigan founded and built a chain of Quick Marts throughout the state.

Jernigan started yet another successful business venture in 1976 when he founded Winston Furniture Co. in Haleyville, Alabama. Winston still is a leading manufacturer of aluminum outdoor casual furniture.

The company began making basic wrought iron furniture but soon added simple aluminum furniture with vinyl straps. Winston broadened and modified the materials it used, becoming the first company to develop cushioned fabrics for outdoor use. These new fabrics contained special mildew-resistant fibers and ultraviolet light stabilizers that helped the furniture withstand the elements.

In 1982, a revolution in the casual furniture industry, with Winston at the forefront of this trend. Winston introduced sling furniture, a type of furnishing in which panels of special fabric are pulled taut through the furniture frame, resulting in sleek, comfortable, low-maintenance furniture. The Winston Furniture line includes both cushion and sling furniture in varying styles, finishes, and fabrics.

In addition to his other business ventures, Jernigan was active in the banking industry. He was an original director of the Central Bank and Trust Co., which eventually became Compass Bank. Jernigan’s longtime friend and business colleague, Harry B. Brock, president, and CEO of Compass Bank said Jernigan was instrumental in changing the state’s banking industry. He was a key player and investor in the formation of the Central and State National Corp., a move that sparked the formation of the bank-holding companies in Alabama.

In 1992, Jernigan became interested in the apparel industry. Consistent with his progressive thinking, he was able to marry this new business to a philanthropic course. Marathon Apparel was born under his hand and over a 15-year period donated more than $5 million to a variety of wildlife and conservation organizations, such as Ducks Unlimited, the Audubon Society, the Nature Conservancy, the National Turkey Foundation, Quail Unlimited, and others.

Marathon Corp. has enjoyed several years of success, and it has consistently given back to the community. In 2001, Marathon donated $1 million to the relief centers in New York City following the attack on the World Trade Center. In 1005, Marathon donated clothing and food to the victims of Hurricane Katrina and has helped flood and tornado victims across the country.

Through the Thomas E. Jernigan Foundation, a program was started in Birmingham to help churches provide holiday relief for people in need.

Throughout his life and his many successful business endeavors, Jernigan always remembered people in need. He donated generously to the United Way, the Salvation Army, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society, Children’s Hospital, the Big Oak Ranch, Junior Achievement, Juvenile Diabetes, Habitat for Humanity, Cornerstone Schools, and many other organizations. His grant stated the first and only camp for children with cancer in the Southeast. This was done in cooperation with Campfire USA of Central Alabama and Children’s Hospital. He also funded medical research at local hospitals. In 1995, the Association of Fundraising Professionals presented Jernigan with the William M. and Virginia B. Spencer Award for Outstanding Philanthropist. The United Way of Central Alabama honored Jernigan in 2007, awarding him membership in the Alexis de Tocqueville Society in recognition of his generous gifts.

During his long and busy career, Jernigan also gave much of his time and money to education. He was a member of the Board of Trustees for Birmingham Southern College, and in honor of his years of service, the school awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws. He also served on the Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation board of directors and the Advisory Board at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He established endowments at Birmingham Southern, Samford University, and The University of Alabama, both the Tuscaloosa and Birmingham campuses. These endowments created scholarships that still provide deserving college and nursing students with the opportunities to pursue higher education.

Jernigan also held memberships at country clubs throughout Alabama, Florida, and North Carolina. He enjoyed socializing with colleagues and friends in his spare time and was involved in the Birmingham Rotary Club, the Young Presidents Organization, and the ROMEOS (Retired Old Men Eating Out).

Jernigan passed away in January 2008 after battling leukemia. He is survived by his wife of 22 years, Donna Conyers Jernigan, and his four children, Thomas E. Jernigan, Jr., Lisa Jernigan Bruhn, Mary Conyers Jernigan, and Jonathan Winston Jernigan.

Jernigan remained chairman and chief executive officer of Marathon Corp. until his death.

Frank Falkenburg, a longtime business partner and friend, summed up Jernigan’s life and character: “HE was as tough and sweet a man as I have ever known. He could be the most rugged person you might meet, and then he’d write a check for some little town in Mississippi that he read about in the newspaper trying to get over Hurricane Katrina.”

Dr. Neal Berte, president emeritus, Birmingham Southern College, said of Jernigan: “By any standard, the Birmingham community and beyond have benefitted greatly from the quiet but generous philanthropy of one of our most successful businessmen, Thomas E. Jernigan is one of Birmingham’s most successful entrepreneurs and businessmen, and his legacy of leadership will live on in the future, including those who are fortunate enough to receive a Thomas E. Jernigan Honor Scholarship.”

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.

William Eugene Davenport

• September 28th, 2021

William Eugene (Gene) Davenport served for 30 years as an officer of Russell Lands, Inc., the last thirteen of which were as President and Chief Operating Officer. Russell Lands is a highly diversified company located in Alexander City and is recognized as Alabama’s largest recreational developer. Born in Kentucky, Davenport grew up in Yazoo City, Miss. After graduating from Millsaps College with a bachelor of science degree, he attended the University of Mississippi where he earned a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning. Early in his career, he worked in Huntsville with Rust Engineering, coordinating planning for NASA physical installations. He then transferred to Rust headquarters in Birmingham to help develop a City Planning Division. It was through his work in this division that he met Ben Russell and ultimately became the ninth employee of Russell Lands on Jan. 1, 1973.

As you may imagine, Ben Russell didn’t have a difficult sales job in convincing Davenport to relocate his young family from Center Point in Birmingham to Lake Martin. A strong life-long bond developed between these two men as they nurtured company assets, strategically and intentionally growing Russell Lands into the great company that it is today.

During his 30-year tenure with the company, it grew to include 13 residential land development projects, condominium developments, 5 marina operations, 11 building supply centers, over 400 rental lake houses, several real estate offices, a renewable fuel energy business, and many commercial properties on and around Lake Martin. One operation that may be particularly familiar is Willow Point Golf and Country Club, professed by many to be America’s most beautiful lakeside golf resort.

Additionally, the company owns and operates 25,000 acres of timberland, which includes some 200 plus miles of shoreline, in the three-county area around Lake Martin. This timberland is carefully managed for production and improvement to assure the quality longevity of a prime company asset, all in full consideration of our natural environment.

Davenport has served and continues to serve on many boards including Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, former Chairman of Dolt Best Corporation, BBVA Compass Bank, The Baptist Health System, Chairman of the Baptist Health System Foundation, UAB Liver Center, UAB Leadership Cabinet, Auburn University Presidents Advisory Board, on the Board as Vice-Chairman of Children’s Harbor since its inception, founding director of ARISE, an Alexander City community program for the elderly, founding director of the local Rotary Club and past President, Society of International Business Fellows, Lake Martin Economic Development Alliance, Chaired the Board of the Alabama Forestry Association, and was a founding member of the board of the Alabama Water Resource Commission.

In addition to business pursuits, Davenport has been a lifelong philanthropist. He is the founder of the Alexander City Rotary Golf Challenge, a charity event that has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to benefit Children’s Harbor and Camp ASCCA-Easter Seals. He co-chairs with David Dixon the “Davenport-Dixon” Golf Challenge as an additional fundraiser for Children’s Harbor. He was awarded Rotary’s International Four Venues of Service Award, has been successful in raising money for UAB’s Liver Center, and was named Philanthropist of the year by the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Eight years ago he underwent a liver transplant at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., where he and his wife, Sandra, established and funded, in perpetuity, a program for research in all areas of transplantation. He also serves on Mayo’s National Development Committee’s Advisory Board. He and Sandra have also established a fund for research in the field of Neurology at UAB.

His hobby, which he shares with his son, Will, is collecting antique and classic automobiles and he managed to parlay the hobby into serving on two additional boards: the Board of the Auburn, Cord, Duesenberg National Museum and as a Partner in WORLDWIDE AUCTIONEERS, which specializes in the sale of antique and classic automobiles.

Peter Loftis Lowe

• September 28th, 2021

Peter Loftis Lowe is president of G.W. Jones and Sons Real Estate Investment Company, Inc. in Huntsville, Ala., and has made his mark in business through a series of entrepreneurial ventures that have stretched across the Southeast.

He was born in Pensacola, Fla., the son of Edgar Leonard and Nadis Loftis Lowe. He graduated from Shades Valley High School in Birmingham and received his bachelor’s degree in commerce and business administration from The University of Alabama in 1960. Mr. Lowe has been involved in more than 50 limited liability corporations across the state, ranging from retail stores, shopping centers, aerospace companies, hotels, restaurants, and wine storage facilities. He formerly owned a shopping center in south Alabama and auto supply stores in Alabama, Tennessee, and Louisiana. He received the Member, Appraisal Institute (MAI) designation of the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers in 1969. He is a member of the National Association of Realtors and is also an Accredited Rural Appraiser, and is a member of the Building Owners and Managers Association.

His experience and background are primarily in the area of commercial real estate. He is responsible for the development and management of all real estate operations of his firm and other partnerships and corporations in which he has ownership.

He is currently busy helping develop a Huntsville subdivision called Lendon, a high-end neighborhood with boutique shopping, outdoor cafes, a clubhouse that doubles as a bed and breakfast for out-of-town guests, and narrow streets to encourage walking.

Mr. Lowe was a member of the Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama for 17 years. He also served on the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System Board. He currently serves on The University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration Board of Visitors, UAB Valley Foundation, and UAH Foundation Board of Directors.

He is a member and past president of the Huntsville Rotary Club, member and past president of Volunteers of America, past board member of the Huntsville-Madison County Chamber of Commerce, past member of the board of directors for the Huntsville Land Trust, and served on the U.S. Space and Rocket Center Advisory Committee.

He is very active in the community, serving on numerous boards and committees. He is active with the Huntsville Museum of Art, where his Elizabeth serves on the board of directors and they recently co-chaired the capital campaign for the museum’s multi-million dollar expansion ” Masterpiece in the Making” which raised $12 million to improve the museum’s existing facilities and provided an endowment for the museum’s long-term financial stability. Mr. Lowe was instrumental 1n the creation and funding for the HudsonAlpa Biotechnical Institute and currently serves on their Foundation Board. He is also a member of the board of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.

He and his wife received the 2008 Arthritis Foundation Humanitarian Award given annually to the person or persons in the Huntsville community who displays exemplary community leadership. This past March he was named to the North Alabama Business Hall of Fame sponsored by Junior Achievement. The Lowes are distinguished community advocates and civic volunteers who have given countless hours to numerous community and state-wide organizations and boards.

He and his wife have three children: Peter L. Lowe Jr., an attorney; Carl T. Jones Lowe, a building contractor, and Sara Lowe Ahearn, all of Huntsville. They have five grandchildren (a sixth is due in late September.)

His hobbies include golf, art collecting, sporting events, and travel.

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.

Jeffrey Bayer

• September 24th, 2021

Jeffrey Bayer is the President, CEO and co-founder of Bayer Properties, LLC, headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which specializes in developing, leasing, managing, and marketing mixed-use real estate properties nationwide.

As the President and CEO, Bayer founded Bayer Properties in 1983 with the mission to, “Create real estate environments that improve the quality of life in the communities we serve.” Since its inception, he has fostered the organization’s growth from a local property management firm to a national commercial real estate leader. One of the first outdoor lifestyle centers, The Summit in Birmingham, Alabama, was built in 1997. Bayer continues to attract premier lessees and cultivate community gathering places through developments like Cahaba Village and The Pizitz.

In 2016, Bayer was recognized as Birmingham Business Journal’s “Top CEO for Large Companies,” “2014 Executive of the Year,” and currently tops the publication’s list of “Most Influential Executives.”

The American Cancer Society, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and Red Mountain Theatre Company have honored him. In 2014, he was the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center L’Chaim honoree.

Bayer serves on the board of directors for Leadership Alabama, is a board member for Leadership Birmingham and the Alys Stephens Center, and is an International Trustee for the International Council of Shopping Centers. He also sits on The University of Alabama President’s Cabinet, The University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Business Board of Visitors, and the University of Alabama at Birmingham President’s Cabinet Executive Committee. He became a board member for The University of Alabama Health Services Foundation in 2015 and serves on The University of Alabama Health Services Foundation Executive Committee.

Bayer received his Bachelor of Science in Marketing from The University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Business. Jeffrey and his wife Gail live in Birmingham and are members of Temple Emanu-El where he served as board president from 2005-2007.

They have two daughters, Annie Goldberg and Lindsay Shipp, and four grandchildren.