Elias Hendricks

Elias Hendricks, Jr (born 1947) represented District 5 in the Birmingham City Council from 2001 to 2005.

Hendricks is the son of Elias "Bud" Hendricks, a restauranteur and union leader who ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 1977. Elias, Jr grew up in Birmingham, including some years at the Smithfield Housing Community. He earned his bachelor of arts in history and psychology from Clark College in Atlanta. After that, he spent time in the Peace Corps in Africa in the late 1960s, earning a Master's in African History from the University of Ghana and then an MBA from Pace University in New York City. In 1968 he served on the honor guard that stood over the coffin of Martin Luther King, Jr with his Alpha Phi Alpha brothers.

Hendricks and his wife Gaynell returned to Birmingham for him to work for BellSouth. He rose to an executive position before retiring early in the late 1990s to redevelop the Transportation Building in 1st Avenue North into loft apartments and a space for the expansion of Gaynell's Wee Care Academy day-care chain.

In November 2001, Hendrick's upset former City Council President William Bell to represent District 5. He was known during his term as a champion of downtown development and a supporter of the creation of a new City Center Master Plan.

The Hendricks' have twins, Elias III and Shia, born in 1988.

References

• Powell, Darin (March 7, 2002) "Man About Town." Birmingham Weekly.
• Hamilton, Majella Chube (n. d.) "Displaying a Family Collection." Southern Living.