COLUMN: West Alabama Banking Titan, Civic Leader Sam Faucett Dead At 90

*THIS IS A FEATURE OPINION COLUMN*

'A good name is more desirable than great riches'

- Proverbs 22:1 (King James Version)

TUSCALOOSA, AL — It was the middle of the sweltering, hardscrabble summer of 2021 for this reporter and, if you'd asked me beforehand, I probably would've told you I had better things to do, especially since I was making what I thought was the classic blunder of working for free.

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But a couple of days after Christmas 2025 and with the regrettable benefit of hindsight, I found myself hovering over chicken-scratch notes listing my own myriad memories of Sam Faucett and realized how grateful I should be for that moment years ago.

I'd been asked by the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama that summer to write a short guest feature profiling Mr. Faucett for the final print edition of its quarterly magazine.

I sat in an office chair, choked by a necktie and sweating through a sport coat in a recently renovated conference room, when he sauntered in, spry as ever and wearing pants decorated only with prints of Benjamin Franklin's wry smirk on $100 bills.

I sat in awe of his recall and how sharp his mind was for somebody who'd forgotten more about being successful than I'd ever be capable of understanding.

Jim Page, a friend of Tuscaloosa Patch who was president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama at the time of my interview with Faucett, reflected on the many years he worked with the local business legend.

Referring to him as a "walking history book about Tuscaloosa County," Page said Faucett's legacy of community service was unmatched.

"He was such a special resource to me during my tenure at the chamber because of his decades of engagement with the organization and the unique perspective he had," Page told me. "It was always a treat to spend time with him because two things were going to happen: I was going to learn something and I was going to laugh hysterically at the joke he had printed in his pocket. Sam will be sorely missed."

Faucett and I talked for almost two hours that day for a story that was only a few hundred words in length, reflecting on his years in banking, business and politics, while stopping for sideboard chats about the numerous personal connections we shared that were in no way relevant to the piece I was writing.

Indeed, Sam Faucett had been my Mama's boss when she worked at that same downtown office building we sat in when it was Regions Bank in the decades prior. And during this interview —decorum be damned — I discretely hammered on my phone under the table, texting updates to his grandson, namesake and one of my best friends: the late Sam Phillips.

Sam Phillips (no relation, as far as we could ever tell) was adamant that I catalogue every tidbit of wisdom or piece of history offered by his illustrious granddaddy so I could begin crafting a fitting tribute story about his legacy when he was gone.

Being the hard-headed professional contrarian I am, though, I argued with my dear friend that Big Sam would probably outlive us all and I made excuses that it was in poor taste to begin working now on what amounted to writing an obituary for someone who seemed to be immortal.

I lost count of how many times we debated the issue over the years but it persisted as a regular topic of conversation until we unexpectedly lost Sam Phillips in February.

In the wake of such a tragedy, I confided numerous times to Mr. Faucett that I felt like a broken person after his grandson's death — a loss of a friend I'm not sure I'll ever truly recover from.

But now, that confidant is gone, too.

Sam P. Faucett III died Friday night at the age of 90, leaving an unrivaled legacy in West Alabama that is far too expansive to cover in a simple tribute story.

As I mulled over how to tell the rest of the world about Sam Faucett, his grandson's dogged persistence echoed in my mind and I found myself trying to fulfill my late friend's longstanding wish of documenting his grandfather's legacy for generations to come.

Life Of A Titan

Sam Faucett was the first-born son of Sam Palmer “Bill” Faucett Jr. and Gwendolyn Margaret Dyer Faucett in Northport in 1935. He was followed by a brother, John Paul Faucett — an influential businessman in his own right who passed away in 2009.

He attended Northport Elementary School and later graduated from Tuscaloosa County High School in 1952, which set the stage for him to never forget where he came from, even after finding so much success in the banking world.

As Patch reported in September, Faucett accepted the Special Recognition Award during homecoming festivities on the campus that is named in his honor — an award commemorating the generosity of the Faucett family.

"I was deeply honored to present the award on behalf of the Tuscaloosa County High Alumni Association during the Sept. 18 Alumni Program to the Faucett family for their generosity to our alma mater," said Chuck Gerdau, a member of the TCHS class of 1982. "Sam Faucett accepted the award on behalf of his family and his genuine excitement and appreciation made the moment especially meaningful."

Indeed, it was Faucett who made it possible for County High to move to a new location just off of Rose Boulevard by donating $1.45 million to support construction of a new high school, prompting the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education to name the facility the Sam P. Faucett Campus.

The board had also previously named Faucett-Vestavia Elementary School in honor of his parents.

"Mr. Faucett was truly a man who freely gave of his time, talent and treasury back to his community," TCHS alumnus and District 1 County Commissioner Stan Acker told Patch. "All of Tuscaloosa County benefitted and will benefit for years to come due to his leadership and service in so many areas — far too many to try to name — and he will be missed greatly and long remembered."

TCHS Principal Darrell Williams told Patch there is no way to talk about the history of TCHS without mentioning Faucett.

"He did so much for this school and for our community," he said. "When I first got the job six years ago, he was one of the very first people I met with. Through the stories and history he shared, you could truly feel the pride he had for this place."

Williams said Faucett worked tirelessly for many years to help make TCHS the best it could be, often speaking to him about the importance of keeping the community involved and how much he valued the support of alumni.

"Each year, he made it a point to visit the school to ensure the plaques honoring those who helped build our campus were still proudly displayed," he said. "He believed it was important that we never forget the people who invested in County High and helped shape what it is today."

He then commented on how the Faucett family’s legacy goes far beyond the walls of the school.

Indeed, in addition to their role in building TCHS, the Faucett family established a scholarship that provides more than $20,000 to a TCHS graduate pursuing an education at the University of Alabama.

"This incredible gift continues to open doors for our students and reflects the family’s deep commitment to education and opportunity," Williams said. "We have lost a legend and a true hero of our community. I will never forget the impact Mr. Faucett had on this school, and I hope others will look to his leadership, service, and generosity as an example — striving to be true Wildcats, just as he was."

After graduating from TCHS, Faucett enrolled at The University of Alabama, where he earned a bachelor’s of science degree in finance in 1956. He then embarked on a professional life that started before Bear Bryant began coaching at his alma mater and lasted until after Nick Saban retired in 2024.

The year after getting his diploma at The Capstone, he married Leslie Wood and the couple — married for 64 years until his wife's passing in 2021 — had two daughters: Margaret Faucett Phillips and Marsha Faucett Crow.

Faucett later completed programs at the Graduate School of Banking at the University of Wisconsin and the National School of Commercial Lending at the University of Oklahoma.

Prior to that, he had worked from 1949 to 1955 at Adams Drug Store and at the family’s department store — in existence since the 1880s — before spending a year at The Tuscaloosa Bank.

Faucett eventually moved to New Orleans after college and got a job with Shell Oil Co. as an accountant, working his way up to the company’s New York office.

In 1962, however, Faucett returned to Tuscaloosa to join City National Bank, beginning as a loan teller and rising through the ranks to become an assistant vice president, vice president, executive vice president and senior loan officer.

City National Bank went on to become First Alabama Bank, and in 1975 Faucett was named president and chief executive officer of its Tuscaloosa bank. Eight years later, he was promoted to president of First Alabama’s Western Region and appointed to the company’s executive council.

It should come as no surprise that Faucett was an engaged member of the community outside of his banking work during this time, with a 1970 photo in the Tuscaloosa News showing Faucett (pictured below on the far left) in a suit warming up for Tuscaloosa County's first Community Bike Ride that was sponsored by the Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority.

Faucett eventually rose to chairman of the board and CEO of Tuscaloosa’s First Alabama Bank in 1988.

That same year, he was named president of the Western and Florida Regions of First Alabama Bancshares — the state's first multibank holding company — in addition to a continued role on the executive council.

The company changed its name to Regions Financial Corp. in 1994, and in 1997 Faucett’s responsibilities expanded to include the Louisiana Region, making him president of Regions banks across Florida, Louisiana and West Alabama.

Bobby Ingram, a shareholder and international practice group leader at JamisonMoneyFarmer PC, was a longtime friend to Faucett and told Patch he had never seen a better businessman or banker.

"He was honest, he was straightforward, he was candid," Ingram said. "He’d tell you if he wasn’t going to loan you money because he truly didn’t believe it was the best decision. He was just a straight shooter. Just a dear, dear friend. I think our community would be blessed to have more people like him. But I do think he broke the mold."

Ingram also recalled how his friend of more than three decades could grab the full attention of any room he entered — and not just with his personality and charisma.

"He always brightened the room when he went into it because he wore those loud clothes," Ingram said with a laugh. "But I think some of my favorite things about Sam are whenever you would see him, he would have something in his pocket that was torn out of a newspaper or some funny something or a funny picture. He just always carried those things around with him. And I guess he just wanted to share what made him laugh with other people."

Faucett announced his retirement from banking in 2000, the same year Northport named him Citizen of the Year.

In 2005, the awards for his legacy continued to stack up when he was inducted into the Tuscaloosa County Civic Hall of Fame and in 2007 to the Alabama Business Hall of Fame.

Fellow Alabama Business Hall of Fame member Leroy McAbee, a local construction legend and Tuscaloosa-area business titan in his own right, was inducted a few years before Faucett and called him a friend for nearly six decades.

"When he retired, he came out with the most God-awfullest looking green and yellow shorts," McAbee said of Faucett's well-known taste for unique clothes. "But that's what he was known for, his colorful pants and shirts, and shorts."

Echoing Ingram, McAbee also said Faucett was a "straight shooter."

"He said he'd 'rather loan money to a honest man with a handshake than a rich SOB that wasn't gonna pay him back,'" McAbee told Patch. "He would donate to every charitable cause he could and not want the recognition."

McAbee also reflected on Faucett's contributions to TCHS and pointed out that the Faucett family donated the land for the Tuscaloosa County Park & Recreation Authority's Faucett Brothers Activity Center off of Rose Boulevard.

"Sam loved Northport because that was his home," he said. "He's been my friend for nearly 60 years serving in every capacity to better the community and I was proud to have known him."

Faucett’s professional service that extended beyond banking included work as chairman, director and treasurer of the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama, which named him Entrepreneur of the Year in 2000.

"Sam Faucett was one of a kind," Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama President Kyle South told Patch. "Long after most would have stepped away, he stayed involved, sharp, and unmistakably Sam. He challenged people, made them laugh, and never shied away from tough conversations. West Alabama is better because of his leadership and he will be greatly missed.

Faucett went on to serve 12 years on the Northport City Council and held the office of mayor at one time, while also providing leadership to various civic organizations.

Northport City Council President Jamie Dykes told Patch that the City of Northport was heartbroken to learn the news of Faucett's passing.

"He was truly a pillar of our community — a man of strong character, high ideals, and deep love for his community, and especially for his family," she told Patch. "I will personally miss those loud pants and shorts he so proudly wore. My Dad will miss a golf partner he called friend. And I know my dear friend, Sam Phillips, was waiting with open arms to welcome his beloved grandfather home. Our hearts are heavy, but we will forever remember and honor the legacy of love, kindness, and joy that Sam left behind."

Faucett's civic leadership also extended across numerous organizations.

He served 25 years on the board of DCH Regional Medical Center and contributed to the UA's President’s Cabinet, the Capstone Health Services Foundation, the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration Board of Visitors, the DCH Foundation Board, the Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority Board and the Community Foundation of West Alabama.

Chuck Gerdau is involved with both Friends of Historic Northport and Northport Citizen of the Year, which saw him interact regularly with Faucett in civic organization circles.

"Sam joined the Friends of Historic Northport Board of Directors about two years ago, during an important period when the Friends and the West Alabama Learning Center came together as one organization," Gerdau recalled. "With Sam’s steady guidance and thoughtful participation, the newly merged group found renewed purpose and momentum. His influence helped shape a mission centered on preserving our community’s history and heritage while embracing thoughtful, sustainable growth in Northport."

ALSO READ: New Plaque Commemorates History Of Faucett Brothers Building In Downtown Northport

Gerdau was also on hand at the Northport Citizen of the Year Luncheon in November when Faucett was recognized with the Heritage/Pioneer Award for his dedication to historic preservation.

"That same day, he was inducted into the Northport Heritage Hall of Citizens — an honor reserved for longtime residents over the age of 90 whose lives reflect extraordinary service to the community," he recalled. "I am so grateful we were able to honor Sam in this way while he was with us. His passion, generosity, and commitment to Northport will continue to inspire all who were fortunate enough to know him. He will be deeply missed and always remembered."

Funeral arrangements had not been set as of the publication of this story and Tuscaloosa Patch will provide more information when it is available.

Ryan Phillips is an award-winning journalist, editor and opinion columnist. He is also the founder and field editor of Tuscaloosa Patch. The opinions expressed in this column are in no way a reflection of our parent company or sponsors. Email news tips to ryan.phillips@patch.com.