UAB Loses a Treasured Friend

Bev Head

The Birmingham community lost a true leader when Beverly P. Head III passed away last September. He is survived by his mother, Mrs. Beverly P. Head Jr.; wife, Maryam “Mimi” Head; two daughters; two siblings; and five grandchildren. A longtime UAB supporter, Head instilled in his children and grandchildren a love of learning and a sense of intellectual curiosity. He was committed to his community and demonstrated his commitment through many avenues of service.

Head received a B.A. in economics from Yale College in 1963 and graduated from Yale Law School with an LL.B. degree in 1966. He served as an infantry captain in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1969 and was stationed in Iran. Head began his corporate career in 1969 at Dyatron Corporation, an international computer software and services firm headquartered in Birmingham. There he was chairman and CEO until the sale of the company to SunGard Data Systems in 1984. After selling the company, Head became chairman of Giles & Kendall Company, which produces cedar closet linings and cedar wood oil. His business interests took him across the world, and his success enabled him to indulge in his passion for sailing: He crossed the Atlantic twice.

Head served as executive assistant to Mayor Richard Arrington of Birmingham from 1991 to 1999 in a voluntary capacity, primarily responsible for relations between business and city government. Head helped establish the administration’s credibility and opened lines of communication. His connections and the esteem in which he was held by his fellow business and civic leaders helped shape the city’s business development strategy and helped garner support for the mayor’s initiatives.

Head also was heavily involved in civic and philanthropic organizations. He served as president of the downtown Rotary Club and was a member of the Hugh Kaul Foundation Distribution Committee and the executive committee of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra. He also was a member of the Redstone Club and the Mountain Brook Club.

Aside from serving on the Presidential Advisory Council, Head was a dedicated supporter of UAB in other ways as well. He was involved in the capital campaign, particularly with the funding of the Hugh Kaul Human Genetics Building. He also worked to secure funding from the Hugh Kaul Foundation for the UAB Stem Cell Institute. The Beverly P. Head Endowed Chair in Pediatric Urology at UAB honors his more than 25 years of service on the Children’s Hospital board of directors.

“Growing up in Birmingham, Bev Head saw firsthand the growth of UAB, and later he was able to help shape its impact on the city and state through his work in the mayor’s office and his service on important UAB advisory boards,” says Shirley Salloway Kahn, Ph.D., vice president for development, alumni, and external relations. “He was an energetic and enthusiastic supporter, and his wise advice and counsel will be missed.”