Two of BSC’s most steadfast supporters passed away within two weeks of one another in July 2020: Former trustee and board chair Herb Sklenar, 89, and Ellie Sklenar, 88. Mrs. Sklenar died on July 2, 2020, and Mr. Sklenar died on July 23, after 63 years of marriage.

The couple’s gift in 2006 established an endowed fund to provide scholarships for BSC students who wish to go on semester-long or year-long foreign study experiences or who want to study overseas during the January Exploration term. The Sklenars had previously established an endowed fund to support faculty and staff travel in honor of Dr. Ed LaMonte, then the Howell Heflin Professor of Political Science.

In 2009, the College named its international programs office for the Sklenars in honor of their contributions. The Herb and Ellie Sklenar Center for International Programs supports international education initiatives such as study abroad, overseas internships, faculty and staff international opportunities through Fulbright and other travel grants, and global engagement initiatives that highlight people, cultures, languages, and global issues of importance to students pursuing a liberal arts education at BSC. The Sklenar Center also advises BSC’s international students.

“There really are not enough superlatives to describe Herb Sklenar’s dedicated service to the Birmingham-Southern College and the larger community,” said President Emeritus Dr. Neal Berte, who led the College from 1976-2004. “Herb was strategic in his leadership approach and he strongly believed in the liberal arts mission of the Birmingham-Southern College. He gave untold hours of service to BSC and he was generous in his personal gift support. He had a great appreciation for the financial needs of students, and provided significant support for scholarships as well as for study abroad opportunities that would broaden their horizons. Herb had vision and drive, and he was an outstanding chairman of the board of trustees.”

President Emeritus Gen. Charles C. Krulak, who served from 2011-2015, credits Herb Sklenar for his decision to come to the Hilltop. “My wife and I would not have made this remarkable city our home and joined the very special faculty, staff, and students at BSC if it were not for Herb Sklenar,” Krulak said. “He extolled the many attributes of Birmingham and the College, and after two days, we decided to “throw our hat in the ring” to be the 13th President of BSC.

“He was smart, articulate, passionate about the College and had a remarkably calm demeanor at a time of strain on the school,” he added. “He was available to give sage advice at all times of the day or night, and both he and Ellie became some of our greatest supporters. If there was ever a man of character, Herb was that person. Selfless, an individual of great moral courage, and a man of integrity … Herb met all of these touchstones.”

One-Room Schoolhouse

Herbert Anthony Sklenar, known to all as Herb, was born on a small farm outside Omaha, Neb., in 1931. His first schooling was in a one-room schoolhouse in which all eight grades were taught by one teacher. During Herb’s seventh grade year, his parents moved to Benson, a suburb of Omaha. After graduating from Benson High School in 1948, he entered The Municipal University of Omaha (now the University of Nebraska at Omaha), where he played varsity basketball and graduated summa cum laude in 1952 with a B.S. in Business Administration and a distinction in accounting. Two years later he completed an MBA at Harvard University.

Drafted into the U. S. Army in August 1954, he was assigned to the Army Audit Agency in St. Louis, Mo., and became involved with a youth group at Westminster Presbyterian Church, where he met and married Eleanor Lydia Vincenz. After his Army discharge in 1956, he took a job as industrial engineer with Parkersburg-Aetna Corporation in West Virginia. Within seven years, he was vice president and comptroller of the company, which was then acquired by Textron, Inc., after which he went to work for the former chairman of Parkersburg-Aetna, serving as vice president of a private holding company.

After several years, Herb decided to sit for the national CPA exam. He did so and subsequently won an Elijah Watt Sells Award for writing one of the 18 best examinations of the nearly 17,000 candidates who sat for the November 1964 nationwide examination. He remained an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants from 1965 to 1991, and was a member of the Financial Accounting Standards Board task force that prepared an analysis of issues related to “Reporting Funds Flows, Liquidity, and Financial Flexibility.”

In 1966 Herb accepted the position of Manager of Financial Control at Boise-Cascade Corporation in Boise, Idaho. The following year, his former boss from Parkersburg-Aetna persuaded Herb to move his family to Phoenix, Ariz., and become Vice President of Administration of Cudahy Corporation. Another acquisition led the Sklenars to Birmingham, where he accepted the position of Vice President for Finance of Vulcan Materials Company.

During his 25 years at Vulcan, Herb’s job responsibilities increased five times, culminating with his position as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. He retired as an employee in 1997 and was elected Chairman of the Board Emeritus; he retired from the Board in 2001.

Leading and Serving

Throughout his time in Birmingham, he served in numerous business and civic leadership roles, including serving as a BSC trustee from 1990-2012 and as chair of the board. He also was president and chairman of the Rotary Club of Birmingham and director or trustee of: Leadership Birmingham, Leadership Alabama, Southern Research Institute, Alabama Symphony Association, YMCA of Birmingham, Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce, Birmingham Committee on Foreign Relations, Alabama Shakespeare Festival Theatre Finance Authority, and the Chamber of Commerce of U.S.A. and the Chemical Manufacturers Association. He also was a member of the Board of Distinguished Advisors of The American Committees on Foreign Relations and the National Advisory Board of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. Two of Herb’s most gratifying involvements were as leader of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute’s initial corporate capital campaign, and executive vice president and director of the State of Alabama Management Improvement Program.

Herb received a Brotherhood Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews (now the National Conference for Community and Justice); and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute presented its Tenth Anniversary Appreciation Award to Herb for his leadership of the Institute’s initial corporate campaign. For his longtime service to Birmingham-Southern College, he received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree. In 1994 he was the recipient of the National Stone Association’s Exemplary Safety, Health and Environmental Stewardship Award. He was elected to the Alabama Academy of Honor in 1997; and, in 2007, he was the recipient of the Birmingham Business Journal’s Best in Business Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2013 he was inducted into the Birmingham Business Hall of Fame.

One of a Kind

Known as Ellie, Mrs. Sklenar was born in 1931 in St. Louis. Remembered as one of kind, Ellie never met a stranger and could light up any room. She had a fun-loving spirit, an infectious laugh and always enjoyed a good conversation. She loved her morning tea, reading a good book, gardening, bridge, playing tennis, birthday gatherings with her friends, her weekly spa days, Alabama football, and evening ice cream treats. She had a keen eye for design and was exceptionally detailed and organized. Ellie enjoyed the arts, piano and traveling both domestically and internationally.

The Sklenars are survived by their two daughters, Susan A. Sklenar and Patricia Sklenar Morris, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and extended family.

The family has generously designated BSC as a recipient of memorial gifts to support the center that bears their name. To make a gift online, click here, or mail to Birmingham-Southern College, 900 Arkadelphia Road, Box 549003, Birmingham, AL 35254.