Drummond Company, Inc. Chief Executive Officer Garry Neil Drummond Dies At 78

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala., July 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Drummond Company, Inc. has announced the passing of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Garry Neil Drummond, Sr. on July 13, 2016 in Birmingham, Alabama. Mr. Drummond was 78 years old.

Mr. Drummond was Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Drummond Company for over 50 years and was considered an iconic leader and entrepreneur in the coal and mining industry in the United States and in South America.

"Drummond Company has lost an exemplary leader and our industry a great visionary. With his foresight and dedication, our company has grown to be one of the world’s premiere energy producers,” said Mike Tracy, President – Mining of Drummond Company, Inc.

Drummond Company today includes large coal mines in Alabama and Colombia, South America; a worldwide coal sales organization; ABC Coke, the largest merchant foundry coke producer in the United States; and a real estate division with major community developments in Lakeland, Florida; Palm Springs, California and Birmingham, Alabama.

Mr. Drummond is survived by his wife Peggy Drummond, four children, numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren, one brother and a host of nephews and nieces. He is preceded in death by one son, three brothers, and two sisters.

H.E. Drummond, Mr. Drummond's father, began the Drummond Coal Company in Sipsey, Alabama in 1935 as a coal provider for farms and households. He secured a loan for $300 from Walker County Bank in Jasper, Alabama to start his business using three mules as collateral on the note. At 15, Garry Drummond began working in coal mines in Walker County with his father and was named CEO of Drummond Company in 1973.

Mr. Drummond received an Associate degree from Walker College (Alabama) in 1959 and a B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Alabama in 1961. After graduation he joined Drummond and became the first engineer hired by the company.

Long active in leading state and national professional organizations, Mr. Drummond was a founder of the American Coal Foundation and in 1978 served as the first Chairman of the Mining and Reclamation Council of America, which later merged with the National Coal Association. He also served on the boards of the National Mining Association and the Alabama Coal Association.

He was a long-time member of the University of Alabama Board of Trustees and served as President Pro Tem of the Board. He was the University of Alabama College of Engineering Distinguished Alumni Lecturer in 1987-1988 and was the University's Outstanding Alumnus for 1987-1988.

Mr. Drummond was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor in 1989, the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame in 1997, the Alabama Business Hall of Fame in 2003 and the Birmingham Business Hall of Fame in 2010.

Mr. Drummond was also a member of numerous civic and business organizations and served on the boards of the Big Oak Ranch, Inc., Boy Scouts of America Greater Alabama Council, the Business Council of Alabama, the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, the Rotary Club of Birmingham and Glenwood, Inc.

SOURCE Drummond Company, Inc.