Al Belcher

William Albert Belcher Sr (born March 8, 1903; died July 6, 1990) was the founder of the Belcher Land & Timber Company and W. A. Belcher Lumber Company in 1946, and co-founder of the Belcher Building Corporation in 1946 and Belcher Evans Millwork in 1947.

Belcher married the former Mary Belle Woolley in 1925, but was widowed the next year. In 1932 he married the former Nelle Katherine Vandergrift and had four children: William Jr, Van, Mary and Ann.

In September 1949 Belcher partnered with Al Dement and Rufus Lackey to buy the Birmingham Barons from Gus Jebeles. They added a small "Dugout Restaurant" near the entrance of Rickwood Field in 1950 and installed additional box seats, necessitating the relocations of the players' dugouts farther down the baselines. In 1958 Belcher gained a majority share and control of the park, which also hosted concerts and other events.

The Southern Association folded in 1961. Belcher offered the stadium to the City of Birmingham for use by schools, but no deal was made. Eventually he bought up the remaining stock in the stadium and teamed up with Kansas City A's owner Charlie Finley to bring the Barons back for the 1964 season as a AA team in the newly-formed Southern League. Belcher had the stadium refurbished, with 1,000 wooden seats acquired from New York's Polo Grounds, and re-painted in the new team colors of green and gold.

After declining attendance in the 1965 season, Belcher suspended play for 1966 and Finley transferred his AA franchise to Mobile. Belcher put the park up for sale for $500,000 and threatened to demolish it for the salvage value. In 1966 he reached an agreement with the City of Birmingham, retaining a lease for the remainder of that year. Later in 1966, the lease was transferred to Finley, who brought Kansas City's AA farm team back to Birmingham for the 1967 season, dubbed the "Birmingham A's".

Belcher served on the board of trustees for Lloyd Noland Hospital and was one of the incorporators of the Lloyd Noland Foundation in 1951. In 1957 he donated the property surrounding Hawkins Spring to the City of Midfield. He was also a charter member of The Club, a potentate of the Zamora Shrine Temple, and an active member of the Jesters Club, Green Valley Country Club, and Century Park Baptist Church.

Belcher died in 1990 and is buried at Elmwood Cemetery.

References

• "Former Barons Owner Dies" (July 9, 1990) Birmingham Post-Herald, p. C3

External links

• William Albert Belcher Sr at Findagrave.com