True, some Alabamians will always – and only – remember the son of Louis J. Willie, Sr., and Carrie Sykes Willie because he broke the color barrier at one of Alabama’s most exclusive golfing establishments, Shoal Creek, in 1990, thereby helping to avert major financial losses for the PGA and the club. And, helping to avert what to this native of Fort Worth, Texas, would have been the worst nightmare of them all – in his own words, “resurrecting the reputation of Birmingham as a racist city.”
But there are many, many others who when asked to talk of Louis Willie, will point to the more basic, day-to-day reality of his life – that he helped build and lead Booker T. Washington Insurance Company to its present-day ranking as one of the leading minority enterprises in the United States.
Born August 22, 1923, young Louis was raised by parents who instilled in each of their five children the value of an education, and the belief that if a job were worth doing, it was worth doing one’s best at that job. After graduating from Lincoln High School in Dallas, Texas, in 1939, Louis went on to pursue his bachelor’s degree in economics at Wiley College in Texas, receiving that in 1943. He then volunteered for military service during World War II, serving in the European Theatre as a sergeant in the Signal Corps until the war ended in 1945. At that point, Louis then pursued and received his Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Michigan in 1947. He took his college education to Nashville, Tennessee, to what was then Tennessee State College to serve as an instructor in that school’s business division from 1947-1950, leaving his post to become the office manager from 1950-1952 for McKissack Brothers, Incorporated, a Nashville based general contractor. It was during this time that he married spouse Yvonne Kirkpatrick, a Pembroke, Bermuda, native who is now a naturalized U.S. citizen. The two have been married for 45 years, as Louis is fond of telling people. He is also proud of the rest of his immediate family – son Louis III, his wife Mary, and grandson Louis IV.
It was in 1952 that Louis Jr. came to Birmingham, Alabama, and entered what was to be another key relationship in his life.
Louis Willie has recalled his first meeting with the founder of Booker T. Washington Insurance, Dr. A.G. Gaston, many times. Although Dr. Gaston had heard of the youthful Louis and was impressed, he was concerned about the businessman’s young age. “I balled up my fist, banged on his desk and said, ‘Nobody ever hired Louis Willie and regretted it.’”
Louis Willie got the job – and turned it into a career.
He served as controller of the company, founded in 1923 to sell burial insurance to African Americans, from 1952-1962, then assuming the position of executive vice president and holding it until he was named president, chairman of the board, and chief executive officer in 1987. He held the top office until his retirement in 1994 at the age of 71. Along the way he continued with his education, never forgetting his parents’ advice, and received the designation of Chartered Life Underwriter from the American College of Life Underwriters in 1973.
Also, along the way, the company grew – and saw other changes. In 1987 Dr. Gaston formed an Employee Stock Ownership Plan and sold the company to his employees. Today, the company has assets of approximately $50 million and is owned by its employees and employees of subsidiaries, including the A.G. Gaston Construction Company, Zion Memorial Gardens, Incorporated, and the Booker T. Washington Broadcasting Service, Incorporated, which owns WENN and WAGG radio.
And Louis Willie realized some other goals, as well. He remembers telling people that when he graduated from the University of Michigan, he knew he wanted to sit on the board of directors of a company whose stock was listed on the New York Stock Exchange. His corporate board membership roster now lists more than just one such company’s board. A comprehensive review reveals Alabama Power Company, 1984-1994; AmSouth Bank NA, 1977-1983; and the Southern Company, 1991-1994. He has also served on the boards of Citizens Federal Savings Bank, 1957-1987; the Episcopal Church Pension Fund of New York City, New York, 1973-1985; and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, Birmingham Branch, 1979-1984 (including a term as president, 1981).
But work and professional affiliations have not kept Louis Willie from fulfilling what he considers his moral and spiritual obligations. An active and devout Episcopalian since moving to Birmingham, he has served in various capacities for St. Mark’s and St. Andrew’s churches, has an impressive record as a member of several diocesan committees in Alabama, and is now a member of the Cathedral Church of the Advent.
A life member of the NAACP and former member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated, he has served on the Board of Directors of the Birmingham Museum of Arts, the Board of Trustees of the Alabama Symphony, the Board of Directors of the Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of Central Alabama (serving as general campaign co-chair in 1977), as a member of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee, on the President’s Council of the University of Alabama at Birmingham and as a member of the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees. In a position that was awarded because of a nomination by former Alabama Governor George C. Wallace, Louis has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of the Oil and Gas Lease Trust Fund of the State of Alabama from 1985 to the present.
While his membership in Shoal Creek may be the most publicized of Louis J. Willie, Jr.’s, breaking down of traditional color barriers, it was not the first. He became a member of The Club and the former Downtown Club. He is also a member of The Summit Club but will point with more pride to his work with Re-Entry Ministries, or to the Brotherhood Award he received in 1985 from the National Conference of Christians and Jews. Named Greater Birmingham Manager of the Year in 1991, he has also received the 1993 Greater Birmingham Area Community Service Award. He maintains his memberships in the American College of Life Underwriters and the Birmingham chapter of that organization and is a former member of the Board of Directors of the Alabama Association of Life Insurance Companies. He received honorary Doctor of Laws degrees from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 1990 and Birmingham Southern College in 1992.
With a legacy of leadership, foresight, business acumen, and community service to his name, Louis J. Willie, Jr. sums up his views on life much better than anyone could do for him.
“As I see it, every day is a day of prayer,” he said. “And there is a lot of good going on in our world today. If someone else wants to be pessimistic, I say OK, that’s fine. But I’m going to find something to smile about. I think that’s important.”
