Chamber honors mayor for distinguished service

Respect Spencer has earned across the country noted

Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer received the Distinguished Service Award from the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce at its annual membership meeting Tuesday.

Spencer's relationships with state, federal and military officials have "earned her respect throughout this country," said Gov. Bob Riley, who announced Spencer as the winner of the award. He noted Spencer's "high energy, sincere love of people" and more than 30 years of involvement with organizations from the Huntsville Land Trust to the United Way.

Spencer is credited with playing a key role in the western expansion of Cummings Research Park when, as chairman of the city's Planning Commission, she helped persuade then-Mayor Joe Davis in 1982 to consider a deal to buy land for the park's growth.

"It's a tremendous honor. You are why we are the best in the world," Spencer said to the crowd as she accepted the award.

Spencer recognized City of Huntsville department heads and her children, J Spencer and Sarah Chappell, who were in the audience. "It's tough having a mom as a politician," she joked.

The chamber announced members of its executive committee for 2007. They are Brad Jones, chairman, Crestwood Medical Center; Evans Quinlivan, chairman-elect, First American Bank; Dave Hargrove, immediate past chairman, AT&T; Tommy Beason, chamber foundation chair, retired from Beason & Nalley; Herman Stubbs, secretary/treasurer, Colonial Bank; Irma Tuder, vice chair, economic development/strategic planning, Analytical Services; Joey Ceci, vice chair, governmental affairs, Main Street Strategies; Chuck Allen, vice chair, investor relations, The Boeing Co.; Jim Bolte, vice chair, workforce, Toyota Motor Manufacturing of Alabama; Ron Klein, vice chair, small business, Belzon Inc.; Ralph Malone, vice chair, research and information services, Triana Industries Inc.; Don Nalley, vice chair, image development/TRC, Beason & Nalley; Madison County Commission Chairman Mike Gillespie, chair appointment; Joe Ritch, Sirote & Permutt, chair appointment; Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer, chair appointment; Tom Young, chair appointment, Qualitest Pharmaceuticals; and Brian Hilson, chamber president/CEO.

Members of the chamber's board of directors are Brad Jones; Joe Alexander, Camber Corp.; Clayton Bass, Huntsville Museum of Art; Frank Caprio, Lanier, Ford, Shaver & Payne; John Cooper, Avocent; Derrick Copeland, Applied Data Trends Inc.; Kerry Fehrenbach, Intergraph Inc.; Karen Stanley Fleming, Stanley Construction Co. Inc.; Dick Fountain, FPH Financial Services LLC; Dr. Frank Franz, University of Alabama in Huntsville; Ron Gray, Gray Research Inc.; Dr. Greg Gum, Radiology Associates; Bill Gurley, SAIC; Jeff Hamilton, The Orthopaedic Center; Tom Hancock, Booz Allen Hamilton; Tharon Honeycutt, MSB Analytics Inc.; Dr. Eric Janssen, Sports Med; Dr. Robert Jennings, Alabama A&M University; Charlie Kettle, First Commercial Bank; Frederick Lanier, J. Smith Lanier & Co.; Dan Montgomery, Northrop Grumman; Caroline Myers, Foreign Language Services Inc.; Jim Owens, Regions Bank; Jerre Penney, Bill Penney Toyota; Pete Schofield, Sparta Inc.; Scott Seeley, Regions Bank; Jan Smith, S3 Inc.; David Spillers, Huntsville Hospital; Tom Stanton, Adtran; Sandra Steele, Enfinger Steele Development Inc.; Paula Steigerwald, Botanical Garden; Al Sullivan; Gerald Toland, Redstone Federal Credit Union; Gail Wall, Beason & Nalley Inc.; Bill Watson, Wachovia Bank; John Wilmer, Wilmer & Lee; and Dr. Ernie Wu, ERC Inc.