History Sartain Lanier was an accomplished businessman, an active community leader, and a generous but unassuming philanthropist. Along with his brothers Thomas and Hicks, Lanier founded Oxford Industries, the Atlanta-based apparel manufacturer, as well as Lanier Business Products, now known as Lanier Worldwide. Lanier also made significant contributions to many organizations with which he had been associated during his lifetime and in his community, particularly in the area of education. Original Oxford Industries headquarters (1942-1961) The son of Nettie Sartain and John Hicks Lanier, Sartain - Sot as he was known by his close friends - was born in 1909 in Winchester, Tennessee. His family, which included older brother Hicks, older sister Eleanor, and younger brother Thomas, soon moved to Nashville so that he and his siblings could attend better schools. Lanier graduated from Hume Fogg High School in downtown Nashville and then entered Vanderbilt University along with his sister and one of his brothers, graduating in 1931 with Phi Beta Kappa honors. Lanier's years at Vanderbilt kindled an interest in education generally, and a love for Vanderbilt specifically, that continued to be important throughout his life. Lanier co-founded two companies that became national industry leaders in their respective businesses. Fascinated by the potential of the newly invented dictation equipment manufactured by Thomas A. Edison, Ediphone Co., in 1934, Lanier and his brothers founded The Lanier Company, a distributor of the dictation equipment located in Nashville. Under their guidance, this company grew into Lanier Business Products, a major distributor of office and business equipment and a leader in innovation in the office machine industry. In 1942, the three brothers relocated to Atlanta and purchased Oxford Manufacturing Company, a small manufacturer of military uniforms. The company grew into a major manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer of men's and women's apparel. The Laniers took the company public on the New York Stock Exchange in the early 1960s. Today, Oxford has sales in excess of $750 million, has over twenty plants domestically and internationally, employs more than 10,000 people, and is among the thirty largest public companies headquartered in Georgia. Lanier served as chairman and chief executive officer of Oxford until his retirement in 1981. Hicks, Sartain and Thomas with early dictation equipment In addition to his leadership role in the companies he helped to create, Lanier served as a director of Standard Brands (which later merged with Nabisco), Trust Company of Georgia (now SunTrust), Genuine Parts Company, and Southern Airways. He also served for over twenty years as a trustee of Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta. In 1934, Lanier married Claudia Gwynn Whitson of McMinnville, Tennessee. The couple had three children, Gwynn, Vance, and Hicks. Claudia Lanier was known as a gracious lady and a devoted wife and mother. She died of cancer in 1972 at the age of 58. In 1976, Lanier married Elizabeth Moorman Tuller, a native of Oklahoma City who had spent most of her adult life in Atlanta. At the time of his death, they had been married 18 years. Lanier had a keen appreciation for the institutions and the community that had allowed him to be so successful. He was an active participant in many Atlanta civic and charitable endeavors, typically taking a low profile, behind-the-scenes approach. In the 1950s, Lanier and his brothers founded The Lanier Brothers Foundation, and in 1963 he established a foundation for his personal giving. Through the years, these foundations made significant grants to educational and human service efforts in Atlanta and the South. Foremost amongst Sartain Lanier's interests and the recipients of his generosity was Vanderbilt University where he served on the Board of Trust for over 30 years. In 1992, Lanier established the Lanier Family Scholarships, three four-year endowed scholarships given each year to outstanding Atlanta high school seniors who attend Vanderbilt. Lanier died in November, 1994, at the age of 85 and left most of his estate to the Foundation. At mid-year 2002, the Foundation's assets totaled approximately $65 million. Sartain Lanier was a talented businessman, a decisive leader, a wise advisor, and a loyal and trusted friend to many. He had a great sense of humor - consistent with his Southern roots, he loved to tell a good story. His life is an impressive example of the opportunities available to those with ambition and a willingness to work hard, and his integrity and generosity have been a model for those with whom he was associated in both his professional and his personal life. The Foundation seeks to use the assets he bequeathed it for the community he valued, with the intelligence, effectiveness and values characteristic of Sartain Lanier.