06/29/2026
Mr. Anderson was a friend to the Westmoreland District. His legacy of selfless service in our communities raises the bar for all of us. Mr. Anderson will be deeply missed, and we offer our thoughts and prayers to his family and loved ones.
NEWS ALERT 🚨 FLORENCE, Ala.
Shoals Mourns the Loss of Business Leader, Philanthropist Charles C. Anderson Sr.
By Jeff Roland
Editor-In-Chief
(SHOALS INSIDER) The Shoals community is mourning the loss of one of its most influential business leaders and philanthropists. Charles Caine Anderson Sr., whose vision helped build one of the nation’s most successful family-owned business enterprises while transforming education, healthcare, and charitable organizations across Alabama, died peacefully on Wednesday, June 24, 2026.
A lifelong resident of Florence, Anderson was widely respected not only for his extraordinary business accomplishments but also for his humility, generosity, and unwavering commitment to serving others. Friends and colleagues remember him as a man whose faith, devotion to family, and passion for giving back defined every aspect of his life.
Born on November 20, 1934, Anderson’s entrepreneurial journey began before most children reached elementary school. At just five years old, he was helping customers at his father’s small downtown Florence newsstand built from piano boxes. By age nine he had his own newspaper route, and by 11 he was operating a roadside fireworks stand. Those early lessons in hard work eventually led to the creation of an international business empire.
After graduating from Coffee High School in 1952 and earning a marketing degree from Florence State Teachers College, now the University of North Alabama, in 1956, Anderson joined the family business full-time. His vision expanded the company into four nationally recognized enterprises: Anderson Media, Anderson Press, Books-A-Million, and TNT Fireworks.
In 1972, Anderson was among the first American business leaders invited to trade with China following President Richard Nixon’s historic visit, helping establish what became one of the world’s largest fireworks exporting operations.
Despite his business success, those who knew Anderson say he measured success not by wealth but by faith, family, and service.
His impact on the Shoals extended far beyond the business world.
Anderson served on numerous civic and charitable boards, including the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, the Shoals Economic Development Authority, First Southern Bank, the Salvation Army, and the University of North Alabama. He also served on the President’s Cabinet at both UNA and the University of Alabama.
His philanthropy transformed countless lives through scholarships, medical research, literacy programs, and higher education.
The Anderson family established the Clyde W. Anderson Scholarship at UNA and scholarships at the University of Alabama while also making landmark gifts that created the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions at UNA, the Hilda B. Anderson Softball Stadium, and multiple endowed programs at the University of Tennessee and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Among his many honors were induction into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame, the Alabama Academy of Honor, and the Horatio Alger Association. He was also recognized as the Shoals Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year, received an honorary doctorate from UNA, and was recently honored with the Business Alabama Lifetime Achievement Award.
Anderson is survived by his four sons, Charles “Charlie” Anderson Jr., Terrence “Terry” Anderson, Clyde Anderson, and Harold Anderson, along with numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of more than 67 years, Hilda Barbour Anderson, who died in 2020.
Visitation will be held Thursday, July 16, from 9:30 a.m. until noon at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Florence. A memorial service will immediately follow.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to the Alabama Kidney Foundation, The Salvation Army of the Shoals, or Westminster Presbyterian Church.
Charles Anderson Sr.’s legacy lives on not only through the businesses he helped build but through the countless lives he touched with his generosity, leadership, and belief that success is measured by what we do for others.
As the Anderson family credo states: “There is no limit to what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.”
Anderson was 91 years old.
