Lee Posey ’56: Successful Businessman, Philanthropist
Lee Posey was a prime example of an all-American success story,
rising from humble beginnings to become one of the most successful and
generous businessmen in the country.
The 1956 Alma College graduate, former trustee, and founder and retired
president of the Dallas-based Palm Harbor Homes, one of the nation’s
largest marketers of pre-manufactured homes, modeled a life of service
to others and a commitment to leadership based on moral values.
Over the years he financially assisted many students who otherwise would not have been able to experience a college education.
Posey died Friday, Feb. 29 in Dallas, Texas, after an extended illness.
He was 73. A memorial service is scheduled for Monday, March 10 in
Dallas.
Sally and Lee Posey, by their bench in front of the Hood Building.
“He
served his alma mater with strength, love, common sense and honesty,”
said Carol Hyble, vice president for advancement. “Lee and his wife,
Sally, really made an impact on campus with their support of the Posey
Global Leadership program, the Posey family scholarship, the Stone
Recreation Center and their sponsorship of students to attend college.”
After growing up in Detroit and graduating from Cass Technical High
School in 1952, Lee Posey came to Alma College and began a journey that
changed his life forever. He met and married Sally Souders ’56 at Alma
and graduated cum laude with a degree in English literature.
Many years later, Lee bought a hardwood bench and anchored it in front
of the Hood Building on the Alma campus. The plaque on the bench reads,
“In September 1952, Lee Posey ’56 was wowed by Sally Souders ’56 on
this very location. She became the love of his life and still is.”
Following graduation from Alma, Lee worked for Redman Industries in
various capacities for six years, left to become vice resident for
Divco Wayne Industries, then served as Redman’s president for 10 years
before founding Palm Harbor Homes in 1978.
For years, the Poseys have been the embodiment of Alma College
philanthropy. The endowed scholarship in their name made it possible
for many students to attend Alma College. They gave the naming gift for
the Alan J. Stone Recreation Center and created the Lee and Sally Posey
Award for Faculty and Administrative Excellence.
More recently, they funded the Posey Global Leadership Initiative,
which provides opportunities for international study and supports
existing College programs that seek to broaden student understanding of
global issues. The program annually funds 15 fellowships awarded to
Alma College students for international study or work related to global
issues.
Lee Posey frequently returned to campus to discuss policy issues and
business success. In May 2006, he accompanied students to El Paso,
Texas, and the Mexican border for a Spring Term course that examined
the effects of public policy on the environment and society.
He was a member of the Board of Trustees from 1998 to 2001 and
co-chaired the Presidential Search Committee that hired Dr. Saundra
Tracy.
Since the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the Poseys made a
commitment to support young minority women who had significant economic
need and showed great potential for success in college by sponsoring
scholarships for them.
In more recent years, the Poseys sought to help ease the turmoil of
fatherless or orphan teenaged girls in need of mentoring and who have
dreams of obtaining an education. They started the Young Women’s
Leadership Foundation of Texas, which lends financial assistance to the
Young Women’s Leadership School, an all-girls public school in Dallas.
In 2004, Lee Posey received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from
Alma College. In his commencement address, he told graduates, “The
fullness or emptiness of your life will be measured by the extent to
which you feel that you have made an impact on the lives of others.”
Relating a series of fortunate circumstances that brought him a life of
success and how he repaid his benefactors, he told Alma’s graduates
that it is their obligation to “put your hands into the clay and mold a
life ... be a miracle worker.”
The Poseys also have supported Presbyterian-affiliated Austin College
in Texas and received the Toddie Lee Wynne Award in 2004 for
distinguished service to the college. The Austin College Posey
Leadership Institute provides training opportunities for aspiring
student leaders.
Posted: Thu, March 6th, 2008 at 8:46AM
