Hank Erwin
Henry E. "Hank" Erwin, Jr (born April 2, 1949 in Birmingham) is a former Alabama state senator representing District 14.
Erwin is the son of World War II hero Red Erwin. He graduated from Ensley High School in 1967 and went on to earn a bachelor of science at Troy State University (1972), a bachelor of arts at Southwestern Bible College (1974), and a master of arts at the Dallas Seminary (1981).
Erwin has worked in radio and television since 1976. He broke into broadcasting while a seminary student in Dallas. He worked as a sportscaser at KCBI-FM and there launched a "Christian Sports Radio Talk Show". He then took a job as a television news reporter before returning to Alabama. Erwin hosted a talk show on WDJC-FM from 1996 to 1999, then moved to WYDE-AM. On his show he argued against establishing a statewide lottery and warned about the dangers of the coming "Y2K bug".
Currently he appears on the "Hank Erwin Show", produced by Erwin's S.A.V. America Ministries and broadcast daily from WOTM-LP in Montevallo and carried by Charter Cable in the Birmingham and Montgomery markets. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 his comments linking "gambling, sin, and wickedness" in New Orleans to "the judgment of God" were reported nationally.
Erwin was elected to the Alabama Senate in 2002 and won re-election against two Republican challengers in the 2006 primary elections. He has used his position to work for veterans benefits, oppose gambling, support restrictions on the sale of alcohol, make divorces harder to obtain, and protect churches from government intrusion. He was named "Legislator of the Year" in 2005 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. In 2008 Erwin proposed creating an "I Believe" license plate, modeled after one issued in South Carolina.
Cam Ward was elected to fill Erwin's former seat in the 2010 election.
Erwin serves on the boards of the Freedoms Foundation and the Alabama Citizens Action Program and is a member of the Chilton County Chamber of Commerce.
He and his wife, Shelia, reside in Montevallo and attend Lakeside Baptist Church. Their sons Andy and Jon were home-schooled. They now own and operate Erwin Brothers Motion Pictures.
| Preceded by: ? |
Alabama State Senate District 14 2002–2010 |
Succeeded by: Cam Ward |
References
- "Hank Erwin" (May 20, 2008) Wikipedia - accessed June 3, 2008
External links
- Senator Hank Erwin page at legislature.state.al.us
- Senator Erwin website
- Interview with Hank Erwin on Hannity & Colmes regarding his comments about Hurricane Katrina