07/23/2026
The driving force behind Drinkard Development
Roy Henry Drinkard was born July 12, 1920, in Falkville, Alabama, where his father served as the town's mayor for twenty years. Drinkard began working at just nine years old as a newspaper boy, an early sign of the entrepreneurial drive that would define much of his life. He graduated from St. Bernard High School and went on to study at Gupton-Jones College of Mortuary Science.
In 1944, Drinkard set that path aside to answer his country's call, enlisting in the United States Marine Corps. He completed his training at Parris Island, South Carolina, and deployed to the Pacific Theater during World War II. He often recalled his Marine Corps pay of $50 a month, $65 while serving in a combat zone, not as a grievance, but as a point of quiet pride in his service.
After the war, Drinkard settled in Cullman, Alabama, in 1949 and built a long, influential career as a businessman, eventually founding and leading Drinkard Development, Inc., a company managing commercial properties and shopping centers across the southeastern United States. For a time, he also ran a funeral home in Guntersville, drawing on his earlier mortuary science education. He became known locally as one of the "Flying 50," a group of Cullman civic leaders who traveled the country recruiting businesses and industry to the area, work that later earned him recognition as The Cullman Times' Distinguished Citizen of the Century. In 2000, Alabama Governor Don Siegelman appointed him a trustee of Troy University. He donated land to the Cullman County Board of Education that enabled the construction of a modern school facility, and remained a familiar, respected public presence at civic events for decades, including leading the Pledge of Allegiance before the Alabama State Senate and at a 2021 presidential rally in Cullman.
In 2025, Drinkard celebrated his 105th birthday in Montgomery, Alabama, joined by state leaders and public figures who gathered to honor both his longevity and his decades of service to his community. That same year, he was inducted into the Cullman Veterans Hall of Fame, honored as "a statesman, a builder, a mentor and a beloved patriarch." He is survived in Legacy by his family, including four granddaughters, four great-grandsons, and three great-granddaughters.
We honor him. 🌟🇺🇸
This true story is based on historical records and shared for educational purposes only.
