Frank Spain
Frank Edward Spain (born October 11, 1891 in Memphis, Tennesee; died October 22, 1986 in Greensboro) was an attorney, past president of Rotary International, and a major contributor to the development of the UAB Medical Center.
Spain was the son of John Batt Kennedy Spain and his wife, the former Ida Lee Lockara. As the son of a Methodist minister, the family moved frequently. Spain earned his bachelor in pre-medical studies at Southern University in Greensboro in 1910 and then completed a law degree at the University of Alabama School of Law in 1913. He supported himself in law school by working as a campus photographer.
After serving as an artillery officer in World War I, Spain joined a firm in Birmingham and began specializing in insurance law. He rose to the status of senior partner in the firm of Spain & Gillon. He assisted Frank Samford Sr and Bob Davison's efforts to relocate the Liberty National Life Insurance Company to Birmingham from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and served the company as vice president and general counsel. He also served on the boards of several other businesses.
In 1923 Spain purchased the former Eugene Brown residence on Highland Avenue. The family moved to the newly-developed suburb of Mountain Brook in 1929.
Spain was president of the Alabama Motorist Association from 1930 to 1941, chaired the Alabama War Chest in 1945 and was president of the Jefferson County Community Chest in 1946-1947. He was president of the Birmingham Rotary Club and served Rotary International as a district governor and as international president in 1951-1952.
Among the capital projects that Spain contributed to are the Spain Rehabilitation Center, Spain-Wallace Building, the UAB Business and Engineering Building, Quarterback Tower, and the Alabama Heart Hospital.
Spain died in 1986 and was survived by his second wife, Nettie, and two children. He is buried at Elmwood Cemetery.
Spain was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor in 1973, the Birmingham Gallery of Distinguished Citizens in 1983, the Alabama Business Hall of Fame in 1993, and the Birmingham Business Hall of Fame in 2010.
References
- Norton, M. Rudolph (July 1951) "Presenting Frank E. Spain, Rotary's New Leader" The Rotarian, Vol. 79, No. 1, pp. 38-40
- "Frank Spain Dies, UAB Loses Friend" (October 31, 1986) UAB Report, p. 3
- Paul Harris and His Successors: Profiles in Leadership (1997) Rotary International, pp. 169-172
External links
- Frank Spain at the Alabama Academy of Honor
- Frank Spain at Findagrave.com]