2007 MMI Alumnus of the Year
Jimmy Rane
Class of 1964
For Jimmy Rane, it was a life-changing experience.
In the summer of 1962, Rane resisted mightily when his parents decided he should leave the comfort of Abbeville and attend Marion Military Institute for his last two years of high school. Without that decision, he says, his life might have taken a different course.
Today, Rane is the founder, president and chief executive officer of Great Southern Wood Preserving, Inc., the nation’s foremost producer of pressure-treated lumber.
On Alumni Weekend, April 12-14, Rane was honored as the 2007 MMI Alumnus of the Year. He was selected by a unanimous vote of the Alumni Brigade Nominating Committee.
“At the time I went to Marion, I thought it was the end of the world,” Rane says. “In retrospect, I realize that it was the Marion experience that set me on the road toward personal discipline and success.”
Tony and Libba Rane decided in 1962 that their youngest son needed more discipline and structure. They borrowed money against their government bonds to send him to MMI.
He graduated in 1964 and went on to earn a degree in business administration from Auburn University and a law degree from Cumberland Law School.
The Marion experience, Rane says, helped give him the discipline to turn a tiny company he bought for $10,000 in 1970 into a an enterprise that sells treated lumber all over the world.
“When I got to Marion, it certainly was no longer about Jimmy,” Rane says. “You either got in line and became a member of the brigade and pulled your weight or you were in deep trouble with nobody to turn to.
“The first six or eight weeks were nothing but hell. You had to march double time everywhere you went. You had to ask permission to speak. You were at attention all the time. At the time, I would say to myself ‘This is the stupidest thing.’ It made no sense to me.”
Looking back over the years, it makes plenty of sense now.
“I was glad to get the heck out of there, but time has a way of changing things,” Rane says. “I made some great friends. There is no question in my mind it was the correct thing to do for me.
“It turned me from probably being worthless into being a productive citizen. I’m glad I did it.”
Over the years, Rane has become a loyal supporter of MMI and its mission. He expresses admiration and support for MMI President Jim Benson. Being named Alumnus of the Year, he says, was as surprising as it was humbling.
“The contribution Marion Military Institute has made to this nation is huge,” Rane says. “Military leaders from generals to admirals are Marion graduates. Marion graduates have fought and led our troops in the Spanish-American War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and Iraq. Presidents have come to Marion and spoken.
“To be chosen for this honor is really a humbling, rewarding thing.”
Rane serves on the Auburn University Board of Trustees and is on the Board of Directors of Colonial BancGroup. He is an honorary member of the Auburn Football Lettermen’s Club and serves on the Board of Trustees of the Abbeville United Methodist Church. A former Henry County judge, he remains a member of the Alabama Bar Association and the American Bar Association.
