Lambda Chi Alpha - University of Alabama

2 The Key to Success William Hutson, AΦ946 Shares Chapter and Career Highlights C oming from the small town of Sparta, Tennessee, and growing up as a Vanderbilt fan, William Hutson, AΦ946 chose The University of Alabama so he would have a football team that would beat Tennessee. Greg Greene, AΦ912, from William's hometown, recruited William to Lambda Chi Alpha. William was immediately accepted into the Fraternity and felt right at home. "Also, we never lost to UT while I was there and continue to handle them most third Saturdays in October." Reflecting on his undergraduate days, William has fond memories of Alpha-Phi Zeta's annual food drive during Thanksgiving, where they would "kidnap" every Fraternity and Sorority president and ransom them off for 200 cans of food and a frozen turkey. Each year, they also would grab someone more well-known to gain publicity for the cause. "When I was president, we pulled off the biggest kidnap in history, as we were able to convince Coach Paul Bryant to be our victim." Being a member of Lambda Chi Alpha opened doors for William, and serving as Chapter president gave him leadership experience that has served him throughout his career. William attended Alabama on an ROTC scholarship and served in the U.S. Army for five years. He then worked for Procter and Gamble for 10 years ("An interview I received due to being a former Fraternity president"). He later held leadership roles with manufacturing businesses in the automotive industry before becoming president of Vulcan Industries in 2001. When he arrived at Vulcan, the business was challenged. He and his teammates led it through a complete change of customers as it went from selling to brokers and resellers to a direct model. They grew the business over seven-fold, which allowed them to triple employment with great U.S. and Alabama-based manufacturing jobs. "The key to our success was finding the right people and helping them grow," William shared. "In a lot of ways, it was very similar to the success we experienced with the Chapter." When William moved to Alabama in 1999, he reconnected with Mike Ermert, AΦ1004, who encouraged William to get involved with the fundraising effort for the house remodel. "That just led to more and more rekindled relationships and continues today." William appreciated the effort and success of the house remodel and enjoyed the grand opening event. "It brought a lot of us back together and, I think, helped our relationships grow as well as the Chapter improve." Over the years, William has served as a board member and president of the House Corporation. It has been fun for him to work with the undergraduates and learn about the Fraternity, and he has found it rewarding to watch the Chapter succeed. William and his wife, Ann, have three children, Elizabeth, Shelby, and Will III, AΦ1620, who are all Alabama graduates with both undergraduate and graduate degrees. William was honored to see Will become initiated into Alpha-Phi Zeta and has enjoyed sharing the Fraternity with a family member. William and Ann have been enjoying their two grandchildren and have another on the way. In his free time, William enjoys cooking, particularly for big crowds. "I am a Paella chef and have fed over 100 people at parties a few times." He and Ann also enjoy live music. William is also very active with his church serving as the finance committee chairman. William's Lambda Chi friendships are lifelong. "Not a week passes that I don't speak with a Fraternity brother or visit with one." Thank You, Loyal Donors AΦ Thrives Thanks to Your Generosity W e offer our sincere gratitude to the esteemed brothers who have chosen to financially support our Chapter. So far, the generous donors below have contributed more than $3,000 since spring of this year. Brothers, will you add your name to this list this fall before 2024 comes to a close? No gift is too small, as every donation helps ensure Alpha-Phi continues to excel for generations to come. If there is an issue with your gift listing, we sincerely apologize. Please contact our alumni communications consultant, Avary, at abase@penningtonco.com to submit corrections. 1917 Club ($5,000 and above) John F. Ellis, AΦ686 In honor of Wayne Stanley Keith, AΦ775 John M. Perry, AΦ1144 Vir Quisque Vir Club ($2,500 to $4,999) James S. Nolen, AΦ659 Purple Club ($1,000 to $2,499) Lt. Col. Bruce L. Kidder, AΦ844 Timothy P. Vaughn, AΦ900 Green Club ($500 to $999) Charles G. Eggart, AΦ683 Rex W. Renz, AΦ712 Joseph P. Murdock, AΦ1026 Michael K. Perrett, AΦ1215 Gold Club ($100 to $499) Robert L. McCurley, AΦ610 Joel Kucharski, AΦ763 Gary T. Barksdale, AΦ790 Steven M. Hansen, AΦ828 Friends Club (Up to $99) Warren M. McDearman, AΦ930 You can connect with him at hutsonii@bellsouth.net.

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