Pilot, CEO, public servant, Winton M. "Red" Blount was born in Union Springs, Alabama in 1921. At the age of 13, he worked for the family business for ten cents an hour, a wage he thought was "pretty good." He graduated from Union Springs High School in 1938 and after spending a year at the Staunton Military Academy in Virginia and a year and a half at the University of Alabama, Red moved to Selma, Alabama to manage an asphalt company. After World War II, Winton and his brother Houston started Blount Brothers Construction Company (now Blount International) by digging fish ponds, paving streets, and installing storm drains; a far cry from the complex structures Blount International is known for today. Blount served in prominent political posts including President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for President Johnson and Postmaster General under President Nixon. Perhaps Red s most revered project is the Alabama Shakespeare Festival in Montgomery, a sight he and his wife Carolyn have enjoyed in their "back yard" ever since. Winton Blount died Oct. 24, 2002 and his wife, Carolyn, died on Jan. 24. 2005.