W.F. Sanders (1935-2024)

Huntsville business leader W.F. Sanders, Jr. died on February 24, leaving behind a legacy of community service that stretched back over 60 years.  He was 88 years old.

W.F. helped to facilitate the merger of the Chamber of Commerce and the Huntsville Industrial Development Association in 1980, becoming the first Chairman of the combined Chamber Board of Directors in 1981. Later, he was recognized with the Chamber’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award in 1999.

In a 2020 interview, Sanders recalled the merger effort. “I shall never forget. I was president of the IDA, and Guy Nerren and I met with Martha and Leroy Simms where the old hotel was downtown. We decided those two organizations had to merge, so we then met with the Chamber hierarchy because we were fighting each other to raise money, so we brought about a merger,” Sanders explained. “In 1980, that merger took place, and from there is when we began the great growth process that we have now. There are a lot of names that probably should be mentioned on this. It was an excellent move.”

W.F. graduated from Huntsville High School in 1958 and graduated from the University of Alabama in 1962.  He joined the Wall Street firm of Goodbody & Co. in Atlanta, Georgia. W. F. and his family returned to his native Huntsville in 1963 when Goodbody opened its first Alabama office. In 1967, he was appointed manager and opened the Birmingham office. In 1972, W.F., his wife, Paula, and their three children returned to Huntsville. W.F. opened the Robinson Humphrey office in 1980, which later became part of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney. W.F. retired from management in 1996 to form his partnership, The Twickenham Group.

He served in the Alabama National Guard for over a decade.

W.F. served on numerous local boards and foundations including the Huntsville Industrial Development Board, the UAH Foundation Board, the Huntsville U.S. Army Advisory Committee, and as a trustee on the Jane K. Lowe Charitable Foundation.

“That our industrial board has worked so closely with all organizations in this community has been a godsend for Huntsville to have this organization and the legislation we have behind it,” Sanders said. “It’s part of the culture of this community to try to do things right, so I’m just delighted I’ve been a small part of it since I came back from [four years in] Birmingham – and that’s been a long time ago.”

“We have brought in some great leadership which has been a concern from a number of us who grew up in the old days,” Sanders added. “We’ve wondered whether we will have the leadership to carry this community forward. I can unequivocally say now that there is no question that we have that, and we’re seeing it every day in this town.”

-By Mike Ward