Sid McDonald

Sid McDonald of Union Grove has enjoyed a distinguished career in business and public service. The St. Clair County native was born in Springville and educated in the Arab public schools. He went on to attend The University of Alabama where he earned his degree from the College of Commerce and Business Administration in 1961. Sid McDonald was among the first appointees named to the Alabama Commission on Higher Education when ACHE was created in 1970. He served on that oversight board for eight years. He also compiled a record of distinguished service in the political arena. He was first elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1966, where he served two terms before being elected to the State Senate in 1974. He was State Finance Director from 1980 to 1982. Mr. McDonald built a successful career in his home state. Assuming the presidency of Brindlee Mountain Telephone Company in 1961, he guided the company, which had been owned by four generations of his family beginning in 1933. In July 2000, he announced the sale of the company to CEA Capital Associates of New York. Mr. McDonald is founder of DeltaCom Long Distance Services, the largest Alabama-owned telecommunications company operating in Alabama and northwest Florida. He has also achieved success in real estate, developing significant properties in Alabama and in North Carolina. He was elected to the Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama from the Fourth Congressional District. Mr. McDonald and his wife Jane are the parents of three children – Foster, Kelly, and Wesley. They have five grandchildren.