Tuscaloosa Businessman, Civic Leader Buddy Moman Dead At 81

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Longtime publishing executive and involved Tuscaloosa civic leader Guy Edward “Buddy” Moman, Jr. died on Friday. He was 81.

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Moman retired as CEO of Gemco Inc. — a book and magazine wholesale distributor in Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee — in 1996 after more than three decades in the business. He initially followed his father into the publishing industry and would go on to serve as vice president of Atlantic Coastal Independent Distribution Association and as chairman of the Council for Periodical Distributors Associations.

Born on Sept. 2, 1941 in Tuscaloosa to Guy Edward Moman, Sr. and Helen Levenia Malone Moman, he would go on to attend the University of Alabama. At the Capstone, he played in the Million Dollar Band and was a member of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity.

The same year he joined his father in the publishing business, Buddy Moman married Anne Elizabeth McAliley on June 1, 1963 at Friendship Baptist Church in Geneva. The couple would share their love through the decades and had two children: Jennifer and David.

Apart from his work and love for his family, a longstanding passion for Moman was aviation, which would eventually see him serve as vice chairman of the City of Tuscaloosa Airport Advisory Committee.

Moman's father was a pilot, reportedly learning to fly before World War II, and instilled this love in his son. Buddy Moman was also fascinated with building his own airplane and his daughter Jennifer on Saturday posted a painting to Facebook showing the first aircraft he built in the garage of the family home. — a red and white biplane similar to a crop duster.

Moman told a newspaper reporter in 1987 that his interest in building an airplane first started with model planes. It took Moman three years to build his first plane and another seven to build the plane he showed off for the Montgomery Advertiser in the late 80s.

Indeed, looking back to when he moved his first hand-built plane out of the garage in 1970, his daughter Jennifer cried.

"It was like the swing set in the back — it's supposed to be there," Buddy Moman told the newspaper, before explaining the long process of building an aircraft. "You have to do a lot of things other than build your plane — like work, cut the grass and raise kids."

Despite this lifelong love of the skies, this passion would not come without its heartbreak.

On Feb. 1, 1978, Guy Moman Sr. was flying his Cessna 42 with his wife Helen as the only passenger.

According to news reports from that day, the couple was returning from a business trip in Montgomery when the small plane crashed at 8:24 p.m. — about 500 yards southwest of the runway at the Tuscaloosa Municipal Airport.

Helen Moman was killed in the crash, while Guy Moman Sr. was seriously injured but survived, ultimately living to be 89 years old.

The pain for Buddy Moman at that time was no doubt immense, but he would retain his love of flying for the rest of his life.

In his civic engagements, Moman participated on numerous boards and committees, including serving as chairman of the Black Warrior Council of Boy Scouts of America. He was even inducted into the Boy Scouts Circle of Honor in 2016 and left behind a legacy of genuine love for the organization that can be readily seen in his family and remembered by those in the community.

Former Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill has been involved in Scouts for most of his life and cited Moman as an outstanding community leader in Tuscaloosa County and throughout west Alabama.

"He was always looking for ways to improve the quality of life not just for those he knew but for all of those people who chose to live in his area," he told Patch on Monday. "Buddy Moman was a man who made sacrifices for his own family in order to improve opportunities for others. Buddy Moman was a true servant leader and he epitomized scouting and that’s what true servant leadership is all about."

In addition to his work with Boy Scouts of America, Moman also served on several other boards, including as chairman of the DCH Foundation, along with serving on the Board of Directors of Regions Bank.

Former Tuscaloosa City Councilman, radio personality and longtime DCH Health System community relations professional Sammy Watson was familiar with Moman in a wide range of pursuits, including Boy Scouts and the hospital system.

”Buddy was so supportive of scouting and his grandsons have been involved [in Scouts] as well," Watson told Patch on Monday. "Buddy was very proud of their accomplishments in scouting. And, as a long-time DCH employee, I certainly appreciate his support of our local hospital through the years. He gave so much to this community and he will be missed by many.”

Other boards and committees he served on included: Family Counseling Service Board, the West Alabama Rehabilitation Center Board, Tuscaloosa Academy Board (chair), and as a board member of the YMCA. He also was a member of the University of Alabama Executives Society, chairman of Tuscaloosa Solid Waste Authority, and president of the Exchange Club of Tuscaloosa, in addition to being a board member of the Rotary Club and a member of the United Way of West Alabama's Alexis de Tocqueville Society.

"I knew Buddy more from Rotary than anything," Tuscaloosa National Airport Committee Chair David Pass told Patch. "He was a pilot, former TCL Committee Member and advocate for the development of aviation in Tuscaloosa. In my dealings with him in Rotary, he could always be counted on to help with club projects and if he ever told you he would do something you could bank on it."

Buddy Moman is survived by his wife Anne; his children, Jennifer Lee Moman Voss and David Edward Moman (Cherie); and his grandchildren, Alexandra Elizabeth Voss, Zachary Malone Voss, Wesley Edward Moman, Clark Fleming Moman, and Davis Guy Moman.

A funeral service was held Monday. at First United Methodist Church of Tuscaloosa and was officiated by Clinton Hubbard, Jr.

In lieu of flowers, Moman's family asks that any donations be made to the First United Methodist Church of Tuscaloosa.

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