Ex-Mayor Cherishes Redstone Relationship

By Kari Hawkins, Redstone Rocket StaffJuly 2, 2009

Upstanding Citizen
Former Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer is continuing to support Redstone Arsenal and the military, even though her role has changed since leaving the mayor’s office last November. During her tenure, Spencer accomplished many military–related objecti... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

It doesn't matter if she is Huntsville's mayor or not, Loretta Spencer is on a mission.

She is a front-row supporter of the synergistic relationship between Huntsville and Redstone Arsenal, continuing to be part of the local military community in any way possible to further that relationship, despite no longer leading city government.

"Not only do I want to stay involved with the military community, I think I should," Spencer said. "You don't do something day and night for 12 years and then walk away from it. I feel the need to be involved and supportive. I still want to help and serve, but now it is just in a different way."

Spencer, 72, served as Huntsville's mayor for three terms, from 1996-2008. During that time, she oversaw the welcoming of DoD employees transferred to Redstone Arsenal during two rounds of Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations. She provided support to Redstone Arsenal and local Army, National Guard and Reserve Soldiers during several deployments following 9/11. She spearheaded efforts to designate city land in downtown Huntsville for the future site of the Veterans Memorial. And she was an enthusiastic presence at all local military events and activities, including the Veterans Day Parade, Armed Forces Celebration Week, Operation Christmas Bear, the Space and Missile Defense Conference, Tennessee Valley Honor Flight, and numerous deployment, Blue Star Service and welcome home ceremonies.

"I have a passion for Redstone Arsenal and its employees, and those who serve in the military," Spencer said. "I am dedicated to supporting Redstone Arsenal and all it stands for. The patriotism and dedication I see in our military touches my heart."

Spencer is still an active member of the board of directors of the Redstone-Huntsville Chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army. She is a board member of the Air, Space and Missile Defense Association. She attends luncheons, meetings and events involving various defense-related organizations.

And in April, she was presented with the highest award given by AUSA's Third Region - the prestigious Maj. Gen. Robert F. Cocklin Award - at its annual conference in Huntsville. Spencer is the only mayor and female to receive the award since it was first presented in 1989.

Prior to the Third Region conference, Spencer was approached about the award by retired Brig. Gen. Bob Drolet, AUSA's state president; and retired Col. John Rogers, a civilian aide to the Secretary of the Army and AUSA's Third Region president.

"They shared with me the paperwork about nominating me for the award and told me that (retired) Gen. Gordon Sullivan (AUSA's president and chief operating officer) agreed with the nomination," Spencer said.

"The awesome part was they wanted to make sure I would be willing to accept the award and I was thinking I would be crazy not to. Others deserve it. But it was awesome to even be considered for the nomination."

The dedication Spencer today feels toward Redstone Arsenal and local military is something she grew up with as a child in Huntsville during a time when the city grew from a sleepy farming town to the site of a major Army installation. Years later, as one of Huntsville's leading citizens, her work on several volunteer committees - including Cummings Research Park, Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, Army Relations Committee and the City of Huntsville Planning Commission - made her aware of the importance of Redstone Arsenal to Huntsville's growth and prosperity.

"I served on the Army Community Relations board with (business leaders) Will Halsey and Tom Thrasher, who were good friends of my father," Spencer recalled.

"The board made the community aware for a number of years in a soft way what an asset Redstone Arsenal was to Huntsville. But once we became active in the war it was even more important to the city that I, then as mayor, played the role that I did to show our city as being highly supportive of our military."

But Spencer also became more personally aware of the commitment and sacrifices of the armed forces when she witnessed the deployments of several Huntsville city employees during the years following 9/11.

"I did what I did to support Soldiers because so many of my own employees in the National Guard and Reserve were being deployed. It brought the war closer to home for me," she said.

"I wanted to show my support and the city's support for these employees. I wanted to be there to say goodbye to them and to support their families while they were gone. I wanted to make sure there was no difference in their pay because they deployed. The city made up the difference between their service pay and their pay as a city employee, and we did that before Gov. Don Siegelman agreed to do that for state employees."

Deployments that occurred right after 9/11 were especially worrisome because they happened quickly, giving National Guard and Reserve Soldiers and their families very little time to prepare.

"National Guard Soldiers and Reservists are prepared to serve communities after tornadoes, hurricanes and even unrest. But at that time they really had no preparation to go to war. It was a big shocker for them," Spencer said.

"They were scared. I knew the faces of my people, my employees. I wanted to give them hugs, and be there to say goodbye and welcome them home."

During that time, Spencer also became aware that a city employee who was officially off the payroll for a year to 15 months because of a deployment had to buy themselves back into the state's retirement system when they returned at a cost of up to $3,000. Spencer made sure the city picked up that cost for these employees.

She also led an effort to collect items at city hall to send to deployed employees. Employees made donations in collection boxes placed at the elevator on each floor of city hall, and Spencer made sure the donations were mailed.

"It was a matter of pride for all of us at city hall that we supported our deployed employees. My heart went out to these employees," Spencer said. "And I hoped that everything we did as a city to support these employees would maybe set an example for employers in town."

Her personal commitment to servicemembers also exhibited itself in her determination to set aside city property in downtown Huntsville for the Veterans Memorial.

"There's not a more visible place than the triangle of land the city had just off the interstate," she said. "And it was already landscaped. The site will provide high visibility for the memorial, and that's what it deserves."

Spencer was also known for making donations to various organizations - including military organizations - with her mayor's salary. She was a regular contributor to Tennessee Valley Honor Flight, Air Space and Missile Defense space camp scholarships, and other activities.

"I used my salary for things that the mayor should endorse that are positive for our community," she said. "Donations to organizations supporting Soldiers and their families were a top priority for me."

Spencer worked to bring more small businesses and national conferences to Huntsville in support of the military. She remembers traveling to El Paso, Texas, eight years ago to successfully convince conference organizers to bring the Space and Missile Defense Conference and Exhibit to Huntsville.

And she also assisted in promoting national missile defense policies around the world.

But mainly Spencer spent her years as Huntsville's mayor establishing and securing both working and personal relationships with Redstone Arsenal, its leadership and its Soldiers.

"It's so important to understand relationships and what you can accomplish when you build a relationship on trust and concern for each other's well-being," she said. "That's what a mayor's job is all about - building strong relationships. My support of Redstone Arsenal will always be a part of me. They are memories that you don't forget and you are glad to be a part of. My ongoing support for our military community and the relationships that I helped build won't stop."