William "Billy" James Rushton III

William James (Billy) Rushton III died on September 30, 2021. He is predeceased by his parents William James “Colonel” Rushton and Elizabeth Perry Rushton, his wife of sixty-nine years LaVona Price Rushton, and his granddaughter Lily Rushton.

After attending Mountain Brook Elementary School and B. U. S. here in Birmingham, Billy graduated from Phillips Exeter Academy (Academy Swim and Crew Teams) and then Princeton University (Class of 1951, Magna Cum Laude in Mathematics).

Upon graduation, Billy was called to active duty with an ROTC commission as a second lieutenant in field artillery and sent to Fort Sill, Oklahoma. There he met his future wife LaVona Price, then a freshman at Oklahoma University. He spent one year in Korea assigned to the 25th Infantry Division in a 105 Howitzer battery where he was a forward observer, battery executive, and, for the last three months, battery commander. He was awarded a Bronze Star for meritorious service.

Billy and LaVona married in 1955 and began their lives together in Birmingham, where they raised their three sons Rusty, Deak, and Tunstall.

Professionally, Billy joined Prudential Life Insurance Company in 1953 as an actuarial trainee then moved back to Birmingham to join the Actuarial Department of Protective Life Insurance Company, where he became a Fellow of The Society of Actuaries (FSA). In 1955 he became a salesman on commission with Protective, making the Million Dollar Roundtable and leading the company in sales. In 1962, he became vice president of Individual Sales, rebuilding the company’s sales department and overseeing growth. Billy succeeded his father in 1967 as president and then in 1969 as CEO of Protective Life. In 1976 he moved the company’s home office from downtown Birmingham to Mountain Brook on Hwy 280, retaining the Houston architect Welton Becket to design its current building and noted landscape architect Bob Zion for the 38-acre property.

Billy also served actively on the corporate boards of Southern Company, Alabama Power, AmSouth Bank, Avondale Mills, and Protective Life.

Billy was an active citizen throughout his career. He served as chairman of the United Way campaign (overseeing its largest increase in funding in recent history), the United Way Foundation, the Community Foundation, Leadership Birmingham (its first chairman), and for 25 years the Alabama chapter of the Newcomen Society of North America while serving also as a board member of the latter entity. He served on the Rhodes Scholarship Selection Committee and the Robert Meyer Foundation Advisory Committee and was president of the Rotary Club of Birmingham. He served as chairman of the Board of Trustees for Birmingham Southern College and as a board member of Children’s Hospital of Alabama as well as of Mountain Brook Country Club. Billy was active at First Presbyterian Church of Birmingham, serving as chairman of its Board of Deacons from 1965 to 1967. He was a member of the national Young Presidents Organization (YPO) and of The Redstone Club, and in 1979 he was inducted into the Alabama Academy of Honor.

Billy retired from Protective in 1992 at the age of 62, and for the next fourteen years he and LaVona spent a month of every year in Paris.

Billy often taught Sunday school lessons to his three sons while they were growing up, and, from 1970 to 2000, while keeping their membership at First Presbyterian, Billy and LaVona also regularly attended the 7:30 AM service of The Reverend Doug Carpenter at St. Stephens Episcopal Church.

Billy is survived by his brother Jimmy (James Rushton, II); his three sons: Rusty (Lia), Deak (Gail), and Tunstall, Sr. (Sandy); six grandchildren: Tunstall, Jr., Virginia Koebley (Sam), Tullia, Ford, Maxwell, and William; and one great-grandchild: Rushton Koebley.

A memorial service will be held at noon on Thursday, October 7, 2021, at First Presbyterian Church, 2100 4th Avenue North, Birmingham, AL, with visitation in its tented courtyard beginning at 11:00 am. Masks required. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the United Way of Central Alabama or to the Alabama Symphony Orchestra.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.ridoutsvalleychapel.com for the Rushton family.