Industrialist/philanthropist Wynton Malcom "Red" Blount and ACIPCO co-founder John Joseph Eagan have been named to the Alabama Men's Hall of Fame.
They will be inducted at the Hall of Fame annual luncheon Tuesday, Sept. 18, at 11:30 a.m. at The Club in Birmingham.
Founded by the Alabama legislature in 1987, the hall recognizes men "whose lives have impacted the state, nation and world." Honorees must have been deceased for two years. Hall board members represent Alabama's seven congressional districts. The Birmingham Women's Committee of 100 sponsors the program. The hall is located in Samford University's Davis Library.
Blount (1921-2002), a native of Union Springs, co-founded Blount Brothers Corporation in 1946. Important government projects and overall business success led to his service as president of the U.S. Chamber Commerce. At the time of its acquisition by Lehman Brothers in 1999, Blount, Inc., headquartered in Montgomery, was valued at $500 million.
Blount is credited with major reform of the U.S. postal system as postmaster general in the cabinet of President Richard Nixon. A generous philanthropist and patron of the arts, he created the 250-acre Blount Cultural Park, which is home to the Montgomery Museum of Fine Art and the Alabama Shakespeare Festival.
Eagan (1870-1924), a native of Griffin, Ga., used inherited money to invest wisely. He used his wealth to sponsor education and health-care programs for the poor, and shunned business concerns that offended his sense of social justice. In 1905, he co-founded American Cast Iron Pipe Company (ACIPCO) in Birmingham,.
A model industrialist, Eagan fostered fair and safe working conditions and other humanitarian reforms. He sought to alleviate poverty and injustice, and to demonstrate that a business built on the Golden Rule could succeed and benefit all concerned. At his death, he left all his shares of ACIPCO stock in trust for his employees.
