Mr. Oliver H. (Ollie) Delchamps, Jr. was a business and cultural leader in southeast Alabama. He graduated from the University of Alabama with a Bachelor of Science from the College of Commerce and Business Administration in 1954. He served his country in the United States Air Force from 1954-1956.
In his professional career, Mr. Delchamps served as Chairman, President and CEO of Delchamps, Inc. operating across the Southeast with over 100 locations in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. He served as Senior Consultant at Capitol Link in Arlington, VA. He was Chairman of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce from 1987-88 and held other leadership roles of Treasurer and member of the Board of Directors. He also served on the Audit Committee, Budget Committee, Citizen’s Choice Board, Compensation Committee, Executive Committee, Labor Committee, NCAP Advisory Council, National Health Care Committee, Pension Plan Investment Committee, and the Public Affairs Committee.
In 1990, President George W. Bush appointed him to the board of the National Advisory Council for the U.S. Small Business Administration. He also served on the Industrial Development Board of Mobile and on the Board of Governors for the Mobile area. He was the director of the Food Marketing Institute, the National Association of Food Chains, and the Supermarket Institute. He was also a member of the National Association of Food Research.
Mr. Delchamps had a tremendous impact on education in Alabama. He served on the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama, as a member of the President’s Cabinet, and on the Board of Visitors of the College of Commerce and Business Administration. He served as Chairman of the Advisory Committee and the Capital Campaign Committee for Bishop State Community College and was honored with the designation of the Oliver H. Delchamps, Jr. Student Life Center. He is also a fellow at Mobile College and was a past member of the President’s Council at Southeastern Louisiana University.
Previous business affiliations include Director of First Alabama Bank; Director of Alabama Council of Hospital Governing Boards; Director of the Business Council of Alabama; Director of the Mobile Area Chamber of Commerce and past President and Director of the Chamber Foundation; President and Director of the Alabama Chamber of Commerce; Director of Louisiana Association of Business and Industry; Director of Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana; honorary Director of TOPCO, Inc.; Director of the Retail Association of Mississippi; and President and Director of the Alabama Retail Association.
Mr. Delchamps served on several civic boards, including America’s Junior Miss Pageant, Inc.; Bellingrath-Morse Foundation; Infirmary Health Systems, Inc.; Mobile Infirmary Medical Center; Boy Scouts of America-Mobile Area Council; Better Business Bureau of Mobile County; Coalition for a Drug Free Mobile; Mobile Public Library; Dauphin Way United Methodist Church; and United Methodist Children’s Home.
Mr. Delchamps was honored with the following awards and recognition: Mobilian of the Year in 1971; the 1981 Human Relations award for the Institute of Human Relations of the American Jewish Committee; the 1982 Silver Beaver award from Boy Scouts of America; 1984 Alabama Academy of Honor; the 1986 Outstanding Citizenship Award for the Mental Health Association of Alabama; the Fredericka Evans Distinguished Service Award from Bishop State Community College; and he was an honorary member of the Alpha Kappa Psi Honorary Business Fraternity.
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