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.

John Snow Jemison, Jr.

• October 26th, 2021

John Snow Jemison, Jr., who founded Jemison Investment Co., Inc., in 1949, was known in Birmingham business circles as a “deal maker”- in the best sense of the term. He was admired by associates for getting to the essence of a question or problem quickly. He had the unique ability to develop a high trust and confidence level with all parties in a transaction, and no one’s trust or confidence was ever misplaced.

He was also known as a compassionate, loving, and caring person who expended much of his time and resources in improving the quality of life in the Birmingham area.

John Snow Jemison, Jr., was born in Birmingham on March 5, 1908. As the son of John and Margaret (Pockman) Jemison, he grew up in a family that had long been active in the business and civic life of the city and state.

After completing his primary and secondary education in the Birmingham public schools and the Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee, he earned a degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina. After his graduation in 1931, he obtained a position with the Bank of Manhattan (now Chase Manhattan Bank) in New York. At night he continued his education by taking courses in advanced accounting, securities analysis, and economics at the New York University Graduate School of Business Administration.

In 1940, he left the Bank of Manhattan (where he had become Assistant Cashier in charge of the bank’s Southeastern business) to join Goldman, Sachs & Co., New York, one of the nation’s largest underwriters of industrial securities. During World War II, he served with the Navy in the South Pacific for three years. After his discharge with the rank of Commander in 1945, he resumed his association with Goldman, Sachs & Co., New York.

John Jemison returned to his hometown in 1947 as a resident partner of Marx & Co. (investment bankers) of Birmingham and New York City. The partner­ ship was dissolved in 1955 when his partner was invited to become president of Paribas Corporation in New York. At that time, John Jemison activated Jemison Investment Co., Inc., which he had organized as a small side investment firm in 1949.

John Jemison could be described as Birmingham’s first venture capitalist. He has been called a financial wizard because he knew how to handle money, how to handle debt, and how to handle investments.

Jemison Investment Co., Inc., became a diversified holding company with interests in nested steel drums, lumber products, building material, slurry and dredge pump manufacturing, magazine publishing, and real estate. John Jemison described this privately owned firm as a “small conglomerate.” Jemison Investment Co., Inc. acquired a number of subsidiaries and became affiliated with several other companies. John Jemison became chairman of the board of each of the acquired companies, but all day-to­ day operations were handled by the management of the companies.

John Jemison served as President and Treasurer of Jemison Investment Co., Inc. from 1955 to 1983 when he became Chairman, Treasurer, and Director – positions he held until his death.

“Work hard and have fun doing it,” seems to have been his motto. He served as an officer and/or director of numerous public and private companies throughout the United States. These included: General Housewares Corp. of Stam­ ford, CT; P. M. Holding Corp. of San Diego, CA; L. Farber Company of Worcester, Mass.; American Heritage Life Insurance of Jacksonville, FL; Kershaw Manufacturing of Montgomery, AL; Birmingham Cable Communications, Inc., EBSCO Industries, Inc., Golden Enterprises, Inc., and Allied Products Company of Birmingham, to name a few.

He was also a Director of the Bank for Savings and Trusts from 1956 until its merger with the predecessor of SouthTrust Corporation in 1963. He served on the Board of Directors of SouthTrust until 1980 when he was elected a Director Emeritus.

While working as a financial executive, John Jemison was also working for the community. He was deeply involved in community affairs. He was a member of the Rotary Club and served as its president for one term. He served as a director of the Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce and the Metropolitan Development Board. He served as chairman of the Trade Mart Committee.

He was a Trustee of the Birmingham Symphony Association and the Eye Foundation Hospital. He was on the Board of Directors of the Birmingham Museum of Art and the Birmingham Opera Association.

Always a supporter of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, he was an honorary member of the President’s Council. He was one of the major donors of the first UAB Capital Campaign, and in 1986 he endowed a Visiting Professorship of Humanities chair through his $500,000 contribution. He was also a board member of the Medical and Education Foundation and of the Health Services Foundation at UAB.

A founding member of both the advisory board and the foundation board of St. Vincent’s Hospital, he was a major contributor to the hospital’s Main and West Wings.

John Jemison’s many-faceted contributions to community life were recognized when he was awarded honorary Doctor of Laws degrees by the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1981 and by Birmingham-Southern College in 1987. On May 16, 1988, eighty-year-old John S.

Jemison, Jr. was killed when his car struck a bridge abutment in Birmingham.

As stated in the May 18, 1988, Birmingham News, “John S. Jemison, Jr., was a builder and benefactor of Birmingham. His tragic death… leaves us a little poorer… In so many ways, Mr. Jemison was a  leading citizen. He will be mourned and missed throughout the community.”

Biographical information provided by Jemison Investment Co., Inc.

William D. Sellers, Jr.

• October 26th, 2021

The late William D. Sellers, Jr. – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Baggett Transportation Company, of Birmingham – has been described as the type of citizen whose work behind the scenes makes a big difference in the quality of life in the community and/or state.

This distinguished transportation executive and benefactor of higher education was born in Anniston, Alabama, on Friday, June 13, 1913. Because his father established a medical practice in Birmingham four years later, William, Jr. grew up in Birmingham. After graduating from high school in 1931, he obtained a football scholarship at The University of Alabama. (He played on the same freshman team as Paul “Bear” Bryant and in later years was instrumental in persuading his friend and former teammate to return to the University as coach).

To help finance his education during those lean years of the Great Depression, William Sellers used his ingenuity to find or create jobs for himself. He received free room by taking care of   Gorgas Hall-stoking the furnace and checking the hot and cold water supply. He persuaded the Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, a local florist, and a furniture store to hire him as a campus representative who would convince fraternity, sorority, and boarding houses to patronize their businesses.

After receiving his pre-med degree in 1934, William Sellers completed one year of medical school at the University. He continued to use his ingenuity to finance his education. For example, when the Rose Bowl Special rolled out of Tuscaloosa in December 1934, it was William Sellers who had the advertising contract to give away free Coca Colas.

In September 1935, he transferred to the medical school at Tulane. After a short time, he realized he could not work, earn a living, and go to school at the same time. He left medical school to take a job selling trucks and buses for White Motors of New Orleans. This decision set the stage for what would ultimately lead to a distinguished career as a transportation executive.

The sales job with White Motors took him back to his hometown and home state for a two-year stint. When he was to be transferred to Houston, he chose to stay in Alabama. He signed on with Pan American Petroleum, a division of Standard Oil of Indiana. He called on cities, counties, education boards, and companies throughout the state, selling a host of petroleum products.

In 1941, William Sellers called on one of his customers, Baggett Transportation Company. This sales call changed his life because he was offered a job and part interest in the company. On December 1, 1941, William Sellers’ name was added to the payroll.

Five years later, William Sellers bought full control of the company, which under his leadership became one of the most successful transportation companies in the nation.

In 1941, Baggett Transportation Company had only about 19 trailers and 15 or 20 power units – doing business only in Alabama. Under William Sellers’ leadership, Baggett became one of the major motor freight carriers of ammunition for the Department of Defense and for commercial manufacturers. Operating in 48 states, the company also became a major hauler, of general commodities, using more than 900 trailers with an equivalent number of power units.

“It takes good supervision and good teamwork to get the job done,” William Sellers once said. But he provided even more incentives to excellence. He not only made sure that everyone was

well trained but also encouraged safety in every phase of the business through bonuses for safe operations. He provided profit-sharing programs and good retirement programs for employees. Because the employees respected “Mr. William” (as they called him) and his goals, they rarely left Baggett; and under his leadership, Baggett Transportation Company established an enviable nationwide record in sales and service.

While leading Baggett Transportation Company to new heights, William Sellers also found time to encourage the development of the transportation industry through active participation in the Alabama Trucking Association. He served three terms as the association’s president and also as a director. He also served as a chairman and director of the Alabama Motorists Association. This “pretty good trucker,” as he once described himself, was also what he called “a part-time banker”-that is, he was a member of the board of directors of First Alabama Bank of Birmingham (now First Alabama Bancshares) and served as chairman of the board from 1977 to 1986.

He was also on the board of directors of Multimedia (parent company of the Montgomery Advertiser-Alabama Journal Newspapers) and of American Heritage Life Insurance Company of Jacksonville, Florida, and he served as a director of Alabama State Docks.

This busy, but well-organized, executive also gave his time and financial support to enhance the quality of higher education in Alabama, particularly at his alma mater, The University of Alabama. He was one of the founders of the Chair of Transportation in the College of Commerce and Business Administration. He served as a member of the C&BA Board of Visitors and as chairman of the Commerce Executives Society-both groups dedicated to providing private support for the enrichment of the College’s programs and services to students. Also a member of the University’s President’s Cabinet, he led the University’s successful sesquicentennial campaign for capital funding. With a goal of $38.4 million, the campaign pledges reached $61.8 million from alumni and friends of the University. William Sellers said the success was due to the staff and alumni scattered throughout0the country. But both Drs. Roger Sayers, President of the University, and John L. Blackburn, former Vice President of Development, have attributed much of the success to William Sellers, a great friend of the University who worked every day to inspire others to support the enrichment of education at the Capstone.

In his hometown, William Sellers lent his time, talent, and financial support to help provide needed services to citizens. As a president and trustee of the Crippled Children’s Clinic and Foundation and the Eye Foundation Hospital, he was instrumental in raising funds for needed treatment centers. He helped establish the Charley Boswell Golf Classic to benefit the handicapped. He was also a member of the Birmingham Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America. For his contributions to the business community and by efforts on behalf of higher education and the community service, William Sellers, Jr. received the following recognitions:

In 1974, the H. Chester Webb Award for distinguished service from the Alabama Trucking Association; in 1981, an honorary doctor of laws degree from The University of Alabama; in 1984, the Outstanding Civic Leader Award from the Alabama Chapter of the National Society of Fund Raising Executives; The University of Alabama National Alumni Association’s Distinguished Alumni Award; and a certificate of appreciation from the State of Alabama for outstanding and dedicated service in the area of education; in 1985 induction into the Alabama Academy of Honor for accomplishments and service benefitting or reflecting great credit on the state.

William Sellers was a man who always strove for excellence and who always enjoyed what he was doing-whether at work or play. (An avid golfer, he was proud that he had achieved six holes in-one-the last hole-in-one being made in 1985.)

While still doing the work he loved to do, William Sellers, Jr. died following a heart attack in his office, on Friday, July 27, 1990.

Born on a Friday in 1913, he left this world on a Friday in 1990, leaving behind a legacy of good work, good service, and goodwill. He will be missed.

William Sellers, Jr. is survived by his wife, Virginia Forsyth Sellers (whom he married in 1937) and two daughters: Forsyth (Mrs. Joseph M. Donald, Jr.) and Mary (Mrs. Henry Crommelin) of Birmingham.

Hugh Franklin Culverhouse, Sr.

• October 26th, 2021

Hugh Franklin Culverhouse, Sr. could serve as a role model for future businessmen and women. The record of his accomplishments reveals that he is a person who does his best in whatever job he undertakes. He has been dedicated to excellence and has worked diligently to achieve it. At the same time, he has relished the joy of working with and helping others.

Hugh F. Culverhouse, Sr. grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, where he was born on February 20, 1919. After graduating from high school, he enrolled at The University of Alabama and was awarded a B.S. degree in 1941-that memorable year when the United States entered World War II.

From 1941 to 1946, the young graduate served in the United States Army Air Force. After discharge, he returned to the University where he completed his law degree in 1947.

While in law school, Hugh Culverhouse taught accounting classes in the College of Commerce and Business Administration. He continued to teach accounting while he served as Assistant Attorney General for the State of Alabama from 1947 to 1949. Hugh Culverhouse evidently enjoyed teaching, for he has since said that he would like to teach again someday because teaching is something special – that is, one cannot measure success in teaching with dollars and cents.

From October 1949 to May 1956 (except for the two years he was recalled to active duty during the Korean War) Hugh Culverhouse served as Special Attorney and Assistant Regional Counsel of the Internal Revenue Service.

In May 1956, “Colonel” Culverhouse (the rank he held at the time of release from active duty) established a private law practice in Jacksonville, Florida. His firm became known for its expertise in the field of taxation, perhaps because (as Hugh Culverhouse has said) he enjoys planning for taxes and economic growth. But, perhaps most significantly, he enjoys working with people and helping them solve their problems.

Hugh Culverhouse is today the senior member of the law firm of Culverhouse & Botts in Tampa, Florida. He holds membership in the Jacksonville, Hillsborough County, and American Bar Association, as well as the Florida Bar and the Alabama State Bar.

As Hugh Culverhouse acquired status in the legal profession, he also began to acquire status as a real estate developer. For example, one of his projects was the successful development of the Palmer Ranch in Sarasota, which included building the golf course for the Chrysler Cup, a stop on the seniors’ golf tour. His holdings also include citrus groves in Okeechobee and Arcadia, Florida, and Ivanhoe Land Development of Miami.

In December 1974, Hugh Culverhouse was awarded the franchise for the National Football League expansion team in Tampa which began play in the fall of 1976 as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Very active in league affairs, as well as in the management of his team, he is the past chairman of both the Executive Committee of the NFL Management Council and the NFL Finance Committee. He is considered one of the most influential owners in the NFL.

Hugh Culverhouse serves on numerous corporate boards of directors including Time Warner, Inc., New York City; the Penn Central Corporation, Cincinnati, Ohio; the Chiquita Brands International, Cincinnati, Ohio. His service also includes membership on the PGA Policy Board and the National Legal Center for Public Interest.

This busy tax lawyer, real estate developer, and professional football team owner has still found time through the years to be a part of civic, educational, and cultural projects in the Southeast and elsewhere.

For example, he was one of the original organizers and first president of the Family Consultation Service in Jacksonville, Florida. He extended his involvement and contributions to family and children’s welfare by supporting, among others, the Center for Swallowing Disorders and the Eye Institute at the University of South Florida; the Child Abuse Council; the Children’s Home; the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York; and the Foundation for Children with Learning Disorders.

In addition to his concerns for health care, he has endeavored to enrich the lives of individuals through the support of the Sarasota Opera and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.

He has also dedicated his time to economic progress in his adopted state by serving as a member of a variety of state and local organizations-from a member of the Florida Council of 100 and its chairman of the Committee on Sports and Tourism; to the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports and the Sunshine Games Foundation; to the Florida Council on Economic Education; to the Greater Tampa Area Chamber of Commerce.

His support of excellence in higher education in both Florida and his native state of Alabama is legendary.

He is a member of the Board of Trustees of Jacksonville University in Jacksonville, Florida, and of the Board of Overseers of Stetson University’s College of Law. He has endowed chairs at Stetson University College of Law, Jacksonville University, the University of Florida College of Law, the University of South Florida in Tampa.

At his alma mater, The University of Alabama, Hugh Culverhouse has been a long-time member of the University’s National Alumni Association. For many years, he has been a member of both the Commerce Executives Society and the College of Commerce and Business Administration’s Board of Visitors-those groups dedicated to providing necessary guidance and financial support in addition to state support to ensure that the university can provide quality programs and service. In March 1984, Hugh Culverhouse’s gift to the University’s Capital Campaign enabled the creation of an endowed chair-the Hugh F. Culverhouse Chair of Accountancy. Then, in April 1988, he made a $2 million contribution to C&BA’s School of Accountancy. This largest individual financial contribution in the history of the University, at that time, was perhaps Hugh Culverhouse’s way of showing appreciation for the education he received at the University. He once said that the education he received at The University of Alabama was his platform to life and it has immeasurably contributed to his happiness.

In appreciation of Hugh Culverhouse’s generosity in providing needed funds to ensure continuing excellence in the accounting program, the University’s School of Accountancy was named the Culverhouse School of Accountancy. For his many-faceted contributions to society,

Hugh Culverhouse has received well-deserved recognition.

In 1976, he was President Gerald Ford’s representative, with the title of U. S. Ambassador, at the Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria.

In 1979, he was the recipient of The Champions of Higher Education in Florida (CHIEF) Award. In 1984, he was the first to receive the Florida Enterprise Medal sponsored by the Merchants Association of Greater Tampa. He has received honorary doctorates from Jacksonville University and Stetson University College of Law. In 1990, he received the Outstanding Business Leader Award from the Northwood Institute of West Palm Beach, Florida, and was inducted into the Jacksonville, Florida, Sports Hall of Fame, and the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.

At his alma mater, he has been named as Honorary Professor of Accountancy and an Honorary Member of the University Law School’s Order of the Coif. He has been awarded a Doctor of Humane Letters degree by The University of Alabama and a C&BA Distinguished Alumni Award.

Through the years, this versatile, energetic man has had the support of his wife (the former Joy McCann of Montgomery, Alabama, whom he met as a student at the University, and whom he married in 1942) and their two children (Dr. Gay Culverhouse and Attorney Hugh F. Culverhouse, Jr. of Miami, Florida).

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.

Angelo J. Bruno

• October 26th, 2021

The late Angelo Bruno, who was Chairman of the Board of Bruno’s, Inc., has been described as a quiet, shy man who enjoyed life, loved his family, and was proud of his family’s achievements. For years he worked with his brothers building a supermarket empire that is today by far the largest chain in Alabama.

One of the eight children of Vincent and Maria Theresa Costa Bruno, Angelo J. Bruno was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on May 29, 1924. His parents had come to America from Sicily in 1909 to pursue their dreams of a better life.

When Angelo Bruno was seven years old, his oldest brother Joe (then 19 years old) used the family savings – $600 – to purchase a grocery store on the corner of Eighth Avenue North and Tenth Street in Birmingham. (The 20′ by 40′ store would fit inside a modern meat cooler.) Joe and Sam (the two oldest of the brothers) quit their jobs and moved the family into the small living quarters next to the store.

Though Joe Bruno was considered “head of the family,” the whole family participated in various capacities in operating the store. Angelo, as one of the four youngest of the six brothers, dis­ tributed handbills after school. The store offered no credit, as did most small grocery stores at the time. But because Bruno’s bought in volume, it offered an abundance and variety of quality goods at low prices. Buying in volume and selling at advertised low prices for quality goods became two factors in the growth of the Bruno stores.

Angelo Bruno continued to work in the family business throughout his school years. In effect, he learned the grocery business from the ground up.

During World War II, Angelo Bruno served in the Armed Forces in the Pacific until 1946 when he returned home and joined the rapidly expanding family business. Angelo Bruno has been called a quieter version of his oldest brother Joe Bruno (who remains Chairman Emeritus of Bruno’s, Inc., and the Big B drug store chain). Angelo Bruno certainly shared Joe Bruno’s philosophy that “You can’t stand still, and you can never stop dreaming,” and that success comes only from “a lot of hard work.”

When Bruno’s incorporated in 1959, Angelo Bruno was named Executive Vice President. In 1977, he became President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO). By 1985, he had been elected Chairman of the Board and CEO. In 1990, he remained Chairman of the Board and his son Ronald assumed the position of CEO.

When Angelo Bruno became CEO in 1977, the company’s sales were $230 million. By 1989, sales had exceeded $2 billion. By 1991, sales were approaching $3 billion.

In 1971, when Angelo Bruno was Vice President, the company went public with its first stock offering. Since that time, there have been six two-for-one stock splits. One share of Bruno’s stock purchased in 1971 for under $15 was worth 64 shares ($900) by 1990 when Angelo Bruno became Chairman of the Board.

During his tenure as CEO, the company expanded to over 230 stores in the Southeastern states. The company continued to anticipate and meet the changing needs of customers through diverse divisions of the company.

By 1991, when Angelo Bruno was Chairman of the Board, the company store formats included Food World, Bruno’s Food and Pharmacy, Food Max, Piggly Wiggly Stores in Southern Georgia, Food Fare, and Vincent’s Market.

Angelo Bruno had a genuine concern for others and a deep religious faith. (He was an active member of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church.) During his lifetime, he shared his good fortune to improve the quality of life for others. For example, he (with his brothers) made possible the establishment of the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit at UAB Medical Center in Birmingham.

And in 1991, Angelo, his wife Ann, and their 5 children gave $4 million dollars to The University of Alabama to help fund a new business library and computer center on the campus at Tuscaloosa. The gift was at that time the largest gift that the University had ever received from a living donor and was the lead gift in a $40 million campaign for the improvement of the College of Commerce and Business Administration and its facilities at the Capstone.

UA’s President, Dr. Roger Sayers said about the generous contribution, “It is fitting that one of the most successful, ‘home-grown’ business enterprises in the state … and the state’s oldest and most comprehensive business school … should join in addressing the needs of Alabama’s business leaders of tomorrow.”

Angelo Bruno’s statement about the generous gift is indicative of the type of person he was. He said simply, “We are very glad to have the opportunity to make a gift to the University in appreciation for the fine quality education our family has received.”

On December 11, 1991, Angelo Bruno’s life ended unexpectedly and tragically when the corporate jet crashed in Georgia, killing all on board, including the corporate pilots. Angelo Bruno; his brother (Vice Chairman of the Board and Senior Vice President) and other executives were making the traditional holiday visits to Bruno stores throughout the Southeast.

As stated in Bruno’s, Inc.’s memorial for those lost in the crash:

“This is a sad occasion for our company, our city, and our state.

“We have lost some wonderful people who have made a tremendous difference in our lives personally and professionally by the way they lived their lives.

“Lee and Angelo Bruno were among the founders of our company. Their success in business was matched by their generosity to their community.”

The memory of Angelo Bruno, a man of quiet dignity known for his spirit of sharing and helping others, will remain in the hearts of many. At the Capstone, the building which will house the Bruno Business Library and a computer center will be a “living” monument in recognition of Angelo Bruno’s lifetime achievements and contributions to his fellow man.

Angelo Bruno is survived by his wife Ann Marie Messina Bruno; four sons – Ronald, Ken, David, and Alan – and one daughter, Suzanne Bowness.

In the tradition of the Bruno family, Angelo Bruno’s son, Ronald G. Bruno, now Chairman and CEO of Bruno’s, Inc., is still looking to the future. The company is constantly anticipating the needs and concerns of the consumer by adding new stores and by participating in the support of environmental and educational programs.

Sloan Y. Bashinsky, Sr.

• October 26th, 2021

The career of Sloan Y. Bashinsky, Sr., is indicative of what a person with business acumen can accomplish under the free enterprise system. He started as a route salesman and rose through the ranks to the position of Chairman of the Board of the parent company of the Southeast’s largest snack food manufacturer.

Sloan Y. Bashinsky, Sr., was born in Troy, Alabama, on November 2, 1919 – the son of Cora (Young) and Leo E. Bashinsky. He received his primary and secondary education at Avondale Elementary School and Ramsey High School; McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Lawrenceville Prep School in New Jersey. He then entered Princeton University. In 1940, he left college to join the United States Air Force. He served as a radar navigator until his discharge in 1945.

In 1946, he went to Birmingham, Alabama, as a route salesman for Golden Flake Snack Foods, Inc. (then known as Magic City Foods Products Company, Inc.). Within ten years (in 1956), he had become president – a position he held until 1972. He reassumed the presidency between 1984 and 1985. In 1972, he became Chairman of the Board. Between 1976 and 1991, he also served as Chief Executive Officer.

Today, Sloan Bashinsky is Chairman of the Board and major stockholder of Golden Enterprises, Inc. – a holding company that owns all outstanding shares of Golden Flake Snack Foods, Inc.; Steel City Bolt and Screw, Inc. (a Birmingham-based manufacturer and distributor of bolts and special fasteners); and Nall and Associates, Inc. (a distributor of bolts and special fasteners).

He is also a director of Steel City Bolt and Screw, Inc. and Nall and Associates, Inc.

The history of the Company reflects Sloan Bashinsky’s leadership. In 1958, the company changed its name from Magic City Foods Pro­ ducts Company, Inc. to Golden Flake, Inc. Five years later, the company purchased Don’s Food’s Inc., a Nashville, Tennessee-based Manufacturer of snack food products. Don’s Foods was operated until 1966 when Golden Flake was reorganized as a Delaware Corporation and combined Don’s operations with those of Golden Flake.

The company acquired Steel City Bolt and Screw, Nall and Associates, and a real estate subsidiary in 1971.

In 1977, Golden Enterprises, Inc. was formed as a holding company with its operating division, Golden Flake Snack Foods, as a wholly-owned subsidiary. In September of that same year, the assets of the real estate and insurance subsidiary were sold, leaving Golden Flake and the Steel City group as subsidiaries.

Golden Flake manufactures and distributes a full line of snack foods. The main office and production plant are located in Birmingham. There are also plants in Nashville, Tennessee, and in Ocala, Florida. Golden Flake has approximately 1,500 employees and its annual sales exceed $100 million.

Through the years, Sloan Bashinsky has shared what he has called his “good fortune” to improve the quality of life for others.

For example, while serving on the Board of Directors of the Eye Foundation Hospital and St. Vincent’s Foundation, he was instrumental in raising funds for needed centers. He has also been an active supporter of such worthy institutions and charitable organizations as the Crippled Children’s Clinic and Foundation, Children’s Hospital of Alabama, Big Oak Ranch, and United Way.

His desire to enhance higher education can be seen in the time and financial support that he has given to educational institutions throughout the state of Alabama.

He is currently a trustee of Samford University, where he also serves as Vice-President of the Board of Directors and Chairman of the Executive Committee. In honor of his father, he donated the Leo Bashinsky Field House. Samford also received financing for the Bashinsky Press Tower. For his many contributions to Samford University’s growth, he was the recipient of the Honorary Doctor of Laws degree in 1990.

He also contributes to all Alabama independent colleges and universities. And he established the Bashinsky Foundation to fund the Golden Enterprises Scholarship Awards presented each year to dependent children of the employees of Golden Enterprises and its subsidiaries. The scholarships are given on the basis of scholastic achievement, demonstrated leadership, and participation in school and community affairs. In 1992, Sloan Bashinsky again shared some of his good fortunes with the people of Alabama who, he has said, have been so good to him. He made a $3 million gift to The University of Alabama which is being used for the construction of a new computer center for the College of Commerce and Business Administration. The computer center will be known as the Sloan Y. Bashinsky, Sr. Computer Center. It and a new business library (named in honor of Angelo Bruno, Chairman of the Board of Bruno’s, Inc. until his death in December 1991) will share a $9 million building.

According to Dr. Roger Sayers, University President, the Bashinsky Computer Center, and the Bruno Business Library will be one of the most modern of such facilities in the nation and a centerpiece for the business school complex. Dr. Barry Mason, Dean of the College of Commerce and Business Administration, has said that thousands of students each year for generations to come will benefit from Sloan Bashinsky’s investment in the future.

The building is scheduled for completion by the end of October, with final details and moving planned for November and December. It should be “open for business” by January 1, 1994. The computer center will include a wall of memorabilia from Sloan Bashinsky.

Sloan Bashinsky is a very active member of the Mountain Brook Baptist Church where he has served as Chairman of the Endowment Trust. He is also a member of the Rotary Club of Birmingham, the Birmingham Monday Morning Quarterback Club, Shoal Creek, Birmingham Country Club, and the Downtown Club.

He is married to the former Joann Fulghum of Nashville, Tennessee. They have four children – Sloan, Jr.; Major; Elizabeth (Krebs); and Suzanne (Ash) – and nine grandchildren.

Sloan Y. Bashinsky, Sr. has reaped the rewards of hard work and business success. But he has returned some of the abundant harvests to his native state for the generation of growth in future years

William Houston Blount

• October 26th, 2021

William Houston Blount has had a long and remarkable record of achievement and leadership in the corporate world and in many facets of community life. He was born in Union Springs in Bullock County, Alabama, on January 3, 1922, one of the sons of Winton M. Blount, Sr., and Clara Belle Chalker Blount. He attended Union Springs High School and Staunton Military Academy before entering the business school at The University of Alabama in 1940 where he completed his sophomore year before enlisting in the United States Navy Air Corps after the onset of World War II. Within one year, he had received his wings. (In that same year – 1943 – he married Frances Dean of Birmingham, Alabama. They are the parents of three daughters and two sons: Barbara (Viar); Beverly (McNeil); Frances (Kansteiner); William Houston, Jr.; and David.) Houston Blount later (in 1959) continued his education at Harvard in the Advanced Management Program.

After discharge from the service, he began his corporate career as a partner in Blount Brothers Corporation based in Montgomery, Alabama (now Blount, Inc., of which he is still a director). Between 1946 and 1957, he was President and Director of Southeastern Sand & Gravel Company of Tallassee, Alabama, and Vice President of Southern Cen-Vi-Ro Pipe Corporation of Birmingham.

In 1957, he began his thirty-five-year association with Vulcan Materials Company, as the President of the Concrete Pipe Division. His astute business and leadership skills led to a rapid rise up the corporate ladder. Within two years he had been named Corporate Vice President, Marketing, and a Director and then to Executive Vice President, Construction Materials Group, a member of the Executive Committee, and a Director.

By 1977, he had become President and Chief Executive Officer of Vulcan Materials Company, as well as a member of the Executive and Finance Committees and a Director. By 1983, he had become Chairman of the Board, retaining his positions as CEO, member of the Executive and Finance Committee, and Director. In 1992, he became Chairman of the Board Emeritus.

Throughout his rise up the corporate ladder, Houston Blount fostered growth in Vulcan Materials Company. The company today is the largest producer of construction aggregates in the United States (crushed stone and a diversified line of aggregates and construction materials necessary for highways, public works projects, housing offices, and stores). The company is also recognized as one of the nation’s leading producers of basic industrial chemicals.

Vulcan’s customers are now served by 129 stone quarries, three chemical plants, and approximately 127 other production and distribution facilities. The construction materials and chemical “Segments also operate advanced research and development laboratories in Birmingham, Alabama, and in Wichita, Kansas. After Houston Blount became Chairman of the Board Emeritus in 1992, the current Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Vulcan Materials stated in the company’s annual report that Houston Blount’s “contributions to the Board during the years he served as a member and his leadership as Chairman have had, and will continue to have, a significant impact on the company. He was instrumental in attracting to the Board highly competent and respected leaders from industry, academia, and the public sector.”

Houston Blount has also fostered the development of the community and state by his contributions of time, support, and expertise to many of the facets vital to the welfare of citizens.

For example, he still serves on the Board of Directors of the: Alabama School of Arts Foundation; Birmingham Area Council, the Boy Scouts of America; Birmingham Football Foundation; Eye Foundation Hospital; University of Alabama Health Services Foundation; and the Friends of Psychiatry, the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He serves on the Board of Trustees of Birmingham Museum of Art, and he is a member and past Chairman of the Board of Birmingham-Southern College. He is co-chairman of the Birmingham Plan, a corporate and civic project to increase participation by women and minorities in the city’s economic development.

He is also chairman of the Management Improvement Program initiated by Alabama’s governor. In 1987, he was appointed Chairman of the Alabama State Docks Advisory Committee and, in 1989, a member of the Advisory Committee for Mental Health and Mental Retardation. In 1991, he was appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Alabama Heritage Trust Fund.

In addition to serving on boards of organizations vital to the well-being of a well­ rounded community, Houston Blount has been active in fund-raising efforts for these essential components.

For example, he has been a catalyst in fund­ raising for the American Cancer Society; the Baptist Medical Center; the Arthritis Foundation; the Children’s Hospital; the Heart Hospital; the March of Dimes; and the United Way.

He has also helped raise funds for the Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities; Birmingham-Southern College; and the University of the South. He has been active in fund drives for the Birmingham Area Alliance of Business (TOPS Program); for Junior Achievement; Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs; Boy Scouts of America; Cahaba Scout Council; YMCA; and the National Council of Christians and Jews. He received the Silver Beaver and the Silver Antelope awards from the Boy Scouts of America.

He is a member of Canterbury United Methodist Church in Mountain Brook and serves on its Administrative Board. He formerly served on Canterbury’s Board of Stewards and Finance Committee. He is a member of the Rotary Club and former chairman of its Membership Committee. He is a member and past chairman of the board of the Ethics Resource Center, Washington, D. C.

He serves on the Distribution Committee of the Greater Birmingham Foundation and on the Allocation Committee of the Hugh Kaul Foundation. He is also a member of the Finance Committee for the Robert E. Lee Memorial Association; and he and Mrs. Blount co-chair the Planning Committee for Stratford Hall, the ancestral home of the Lees of Virginia. He also serves on the board of the VF Corporation.

For his multi-faceted contributions, Houston Blount has been recognized by State and local groups. In 1981, he was elected to the Alabama Academy of Honor. He has been awarded two honorary Doctor of Laws degrees – by Birmingham-Southern College in 1983 and by the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1987.

In 1984, he was the recipient of the Greater Birmingham Community Service award.

In 1986, he was the recipient of two honors. The Alabama Chapter of the National Society of Fund-raising Executives named him co­ recipient of the 1986 Outstanding Philanthropist Award. And the Oxmoor Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association chose him as Employer of the Year.

In April 1993, he received the Entrepreneurial Award at the third College of Commerce and Business Administration Alumni Reunion and Awards Banquet at the Capstone, his alma mater. He was cited for the use of his expertise in the development of a thriving business.

Houston Blount has retired from his corporate life but not from his active participation in the many facets of community life. He continues to serve.

Harry B. Brock, Jr.

• October 26th, 2021

On March 2, 1964, when Harry B. Brock, Jr. and a group of his friends opened the first new bank in Birmingham in 18 years, no none could have predicted that this small beginning would change the structure of banking in Alabama and lay the foundation for Birmingham to become a major regional banking center.

The new bank was an instant success in making a profit the first year. Harry Brock has said that this early success of Central stemmed from the fact that he is as much a salesman as a banker. The bank’s motto was, “Ask for business.” Everybody at Central – from directors to employees – sold the bank and its services.

This “unabashed salesman,” as he has been called, spearheaded the multibank holding company concept in Alabama. In 1968, Harry Brock announced that he and a group of investors consisting almost entirely of his board of directors had gained voting control of the State National Bank of Alabama … the only bank in Alabama that enjoyed the right to operate branches out­side its home county … and planned to merge it into Central.

Almost all the banks in Alabama, including the ones in Birmingham, tried to stop the merger while the Alabama Bankers Association filed a bill in the legislature that would not only prevent merger across county lines but would prevent the creation of multibank holding companies.

Harry Brock worked almost singlehandedly to kill the bankers’ bill. His determination and perseverance prevailed and the bill that might have bankrupted him and fossilized banking in Alabama failed to come out of the banking committee of either house.

While Harry Brock battled in the courts and in the legislature, some of the plaintiffs began to form a holding company of their own. Brock’s vision for banking change in Alabama and his dream for Central came true, but another holding company was the first in Alabama by three months.

Harry Brock was instrumental in the passage of the statewide Bank Merger Bill in 1980, and in 1981 was finally able to merge his banks into one bank with branches throughout the state.

In 1987, Central Bancshares of the South became the first bank in Alabama to own a bank in another state and the first out-of-state bank to own a bank in Texas. Brock named the Texas operation Compass Bancshares of Texas. Today, the assets of the Compass Banks in Texas compose almost 25 percent of Central Bancshares’ assets.

Harry Brock retired as an active officer of the Central Bank family in 1991, on his 65th birthday. He remains on the boards of the bank and holding company and holds the honorary title of Founder Chairman. At the time of his retirement, Central Bancshares ranked 98th in assets, 60th in profits, and 19th in return on equity among the top 500 banks in the United States. During his last ten years as Chairman and CEO, his stockholders enjoyed a total rate of return of 1,281 percent, the highest of any major bank holding company in the Southeast.

Harry B. Brock, Jr. was born in Fort Payne, Alabama, on March 31, 1926 – the son of Harry Blackwell and Cornelia Macfarlane Brock. The family moved to Gadsden, Alabama when he was very young. In 1944, he graduated from Tennessee Military Institute and joined the U.S. Navy. He volunteered for submarine duty and served on three submarines.

Harry Brock graduated from The University of Alabama in 1949 with a B. S. degree in Commerce and Business Administration. He returned to Gadsden where he worked in the family oil business and as a car salesman. (That same year he married Jane Hollock of Birmingham and they have three children, Stanley M. (Skip), Barrett (Mrs. Richard M. Mackay) and Harry, III (Buck), and six grandchildren.) In 1953, he took a job with Socony Vacuum Oil Company in Rochester, New York.

In 1955, he accepted a job with Exchange Security Bank in Birmingham to organize its first business development department. He was Executive Vice President when he left in 1964 to become co-founder of Central Bank and Trust Company.

Harry Brock has long been a leader in the banking industry. In 1957 – only two years after entering the banking profession – he was the first recipient of the Alabama Outstanding Young Banker Award presented by the Alabama Bankers Association.

In 1973, when the legislature adjourned without passing the budget, he prevented a complete shutdown of state government by offering state employees interest-free loans to equal their salaries until the legislature could reconvene and restore financial order. All but three state employees accepted the offer.

In addition to his leadership role in banking, Brock has given unstintingly of his time, expertise, and financial resources to help make Birmingham, Jefferson County, and the State of Alabama a better place in which to live and work.

He has been a trustee of Samford University for 30 years and served four terms as Chairman. He is currently Chairman of Samford’s Sesquicentennial Campaign with a goal of $80 million. He is a Past President of the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham and founded the Kiwanis Foundation during his term. As a certified instructor in the Dale Carnegie course for eight years, he helped hundreds of Alabamians achieve their personal goals. He is President of the Daniel Foundation of Alabama and the Brock Foundation. He is a trustee of Southern Research Institute, a member of the President’s Cabinet at The University of Alabama, and served as Chairman of the Challenge fund Division of the University’s Sesquicentennial Capital Campaign in 1980. The division exceeded its goal by 25 percent.

He was a member of the Young President’s Organization, an international group of business leaders who become President of their companies before the age of 40. He later served as President of the Chief Executives Organization, the YPO leadership graduate organization.

He was a charter member of the Metropolitan Development Board and served two terms as its President. He was also a member of Operation New Birmingham whose main purpose was to provide an avenue of communication between black and white communities and to improve race relations. He has served as Metro Chairman of the National Alliance of Businessmen, established by President Nixon to help find jobs for the hardcore unemployed and unemployed Veterans. He has served as President of the Diabetes Trust Fund and of the Governor’s Cost Control Survey. He served as co-chair of the Business Division of the Governor’s Task Force on Tax Reform.

Harry Brock has also given his time as a director or trustee of such worthy undertakings as Junior Achievement (serving on its National Board), the Jefferson County Community Chest, the Anti-Tuberculosis Association, the Jefferson County Society for Crippled Children, and the Supporters of the Comprehensive Cancer Center at UAB. He has, and continues to be, supportive of and involved in United Appeal; and has been active in many worthy projects of the Chamber of Commerce (including the development of the Civic Center).

For his professional and civic leadership as well as his many contributions to his community, Harry Brock was elected to the Alabama Academy of Honor in 1983. He is listed in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in American History, and the Marquise Who’s Who in America.

According to a colleague, Harry Brock exhibits qualities that standard biographical data do not necessarily reflect. He has always been a fierce and formidable competitor who does not shrink from controversy. (Harry Brock’s leadership at Central Bank of the South and his involvement in the restructuring of banking in the state would support this assessment.) “He has been a leader and a motivator, and people have followed him because they wanted to,” said his colleague, and Harry Brock is “altogether larger than life.”

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.