On December 18, 2009 UAW Region 8 will say goodbye to a good friend and a great social activist as Assistant Director Donny Bevis will spend his last day in the office prior to his retirement effective the end of the year. Assistant Director Bevis is known and loved throughout the region and will be missed by all. Education Director Joe Rypkowski will serve as interim Assistant Director until the UAW Constitutional Convention slated for next June.
Donny Bevis was first appointed to the staff of the International Union in June in 1993, serving as a Servicing Representative for a number of local unions in Alabama and Mississippi until being named UAW Region 8 Assistant Director in 2002 and has held that position until his retirement.
Donny Bevis was born and raised in and around Birmingham, Alabama and graduated from Fultondale High School and was hired at Hayes Aircraft in 1977. In 1979 he was briefly laid off and worked for Alabama By Products and recalled to Haynes in 1980. As a member of UAW Local 1155 he was first elected shop steward in 1983, Guide in 1984, Trustee in 1986, Vice-President in 1988 and then President in 1990. In addition to holding these elected positions Donny was also Assistant Editor of the paper and spent time on both the CAP and Recreation Committees. 
Donny has also served a number of community organizations including United Way Board member and Allocations Chair for United Way of Blount County, Alabama. He served on the Board of the Center for Labor Education and Research (CLEAR) for the University of Alabama at Birmingham and as Commissioner on the Alabama Airspace and Science Commission, and Board Member for the Alabama Works Project. Donny is a member of the NAACP, Coalition of Labor Union Women and has served on the Alabama State AFL-CIO Advisory Board.
Donny Bevis’ tireless efforts for UAW families and working class Americans within the twelve states of UAW Region 8 have been recognized over and over again. His warm smile and keen sense of justice is a trade mark that has carried him well. He is never too busy to listen to a member and always willing to help. Anyone who has ever met Donny went away feeling like they had known him forever as members of management in the various locals Donny has served never failed to be impressed with his knowledge and suggestions in manufacturing and accounting.
The decision to retire was not one that came easy for Donny, but one that held true to his earnest desire to always place the membership first. “It has been an enormous honor for me to have served this membership in a number of capacities,” Donny states. “I want to thank Director Casteel for appointing me as Assistant Director which provided me an opportunity to get to know our members from one end of the Region to the other. It has been a rewarding and humbling experience.
The past few years particularly have been challenging as our members have suffered through a dismal economy and massive downsizing in the manufacturing sector. The face of the membership has changed with new industries and ideas and I feel it is time for me to step aside and allow a new  generation of UAW members to step forward and take the reins. I plan on remaining active in those areas where I can volunteer and help. I have really grown to love the people in our community here in Lebanon, Tennessee and will miss them. But I am an Alabama boy and I look forward to getting back home close to my parents and our friends there. On behalf of my wife Lee and our daughter Alana I want to thank everyone for their kind support and friendship during the time we have lived in Lebanon.
Region 8 has a wonder staff to work with and I want everyone to know how much I will miss them. There are those who say that organized labor has seen its better days but I refuse to accept that. Working class families need labor more than ever in the current economic times. We are the only consistent voice for America’s working families and our voice must remain strong as we fight to protect the American Dream and to insure it remains as bright as ever for future generations.”
On December 10, 2009 a small dinner was held for Donny Bevis at the Region Office in Lebanon. The office staff gathered to extend wishes and sentiments for this man that has meant so much to Region 8.
We wish Donny Bevis well in his retirement and thank him for the dedication and spirit he has displayed for this membership. We are all better for having known him. |
