Edward Lee (E.L.) Spencer, Jr., 93

Edward Lee (E.L.) Spencer, Jr., longtime Auburn, AL civic and business leader and generous benefactor to the community and the university, died at home October 12, 2023 at the age of 93, surrounded by his beloved family and care team.

Born in Loachapoka on September 8, 1930, to Edward Lee Spencer and Florence Rowell Spencer, his family moved to Auburn in 1932 when he was two. As a child, he worked at his father’s sawmill and helped at the family farm, milking cows twice a day.

He enrolled at what was then Alabama Polytechnic Institute and became its first Fulbright Scholar when he graduated in 1952 with a degree in Business Administration. He earned a regular commission in the Air Force, serving from 1952-56.

He participated fully in student life as a member and president of ATO fraternity and worked for the betterment of Auburn through his membership in Spades Honorary Society.

While studying as a Fulbright Scholar in 1952-1953 at Keele University in Staffordshire, England, he married Ruth Priester, a marriage that would last 70 years. Returning to Auburn, he joined his father in the family business, Spencer Lumber Company.

Not long after taking over the lumber company, he became involved in providing low-income housing for minority Lee County residents, an enduring passion for the rest of his life. He financed loans with no downpayment and over the years, hundreds of homes were built and there was never a foreclosure, which speaks well to his business acumen and his judge of character.

He was asked to join the board of what was then Auburn National Bank, now AuburnBank, in 1975. At the time the bank had assets of $28 million. When he retired from the bank in 2017 after a 42-year career as a director (1975-2017), president/ CEO (1990-1998), and chairman of the board (1980-2017), the bank had assets of $780 million. When he joined the board, the bank was in one building; when he retired it had eight branches including two in Opelika.

AuburnBank now has assets over $1 billion and was recently named one of the nation’s top 100 community banks, the only bank in Alabama so designated. At the time of his death, he was still serving the bank as director emeritus.

He attributed his success and the bank’s success to treating its customers the way he would want to be treated. “If it’s good for the customer and the community, it’s good for the bank,” he often said.

He expanded the family business establishing Lee Electrical Supply, Spencer Heating and Air, Auburn Millwork, and got involved in real estate development including a cattle ranch in Nebraska.

He was chairman of the East Alabama Medical Center board from 1990 until 2008 and served on the East Alabama Health Care Authority for a number of years. He also served on the Auburn Industrial Development Board and was a past president of the Auburn Chamber of Commerce.

One of Mr. Spencer’s many philanthropic endeavors included the restoration of the Auburn University Chapel, the oldest building in Auburn. He was a founding member and director of the Jule Collins Smith Art Museum, and provided a number of scholarships to the College of Business where he was honored as a visiting lecturer.

A lifelong member of the First Presbyterian Church, he served in many capacities. Many remember him fondly for being their youth Sunday School teacher. He was instrumental in the development of the Presbyterian Community Ministry which is a way for the church to aid those who need help with their homes, paying bills for critical services, and other emergency needs.

He received the Auburn Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural Bill Ham Lifetime Impact Award (2020), the Boy Scouts of America’s Distinguished Citizen Award (1996), and the Auburn Alumni Association’s highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award, in 2016.

He was elected to the Alabama Business Hall of Fame in 2011. To be eligible for selection a person must have made a significant impact on the state by promoting the free enterprise system and entrepreneurship; by demonstrating civic leadership, and by their philanthropy and humanitarianism toward their fellow citizens.

The cancer center at East Alabama Health in Opelika is named the E.L. Spencer, Jr. and Ruth Priester Spencer Cancer Center in honor of their continuing efforts for improved healthcare for the citizens of East Alabama.

Survivors include his wife, Ruth Priester Spencer; children E.L. (Spence) Spencer III, (Kim), Steve Spencer (Starla), Sandra Spencer (Darren Chamlee); grandchildren Lt. Colonel Justin Spencer (Ellen), Jordan Lee Hill (Peyton), Jeremy Spencer (Katy); 12 great grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family would like to express their gratitude to his care team for their years of dedication to his service and support.

A Celebration of Life Service was held Friday, October 20, 2023, at First Presbyterian Church in Auburn. Arrangements are being handled by Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the First Presbyterian Church, 143 E. Thach Ave., Auburn, AL 36830; the Spencer Cancer Center at East Alabama Health, 2000 Pepperell Parkway, Opelika, AL 36801; or the charity of your choice.