James Bradley Sr.

James Bradley, Sr.
LANCASTER -- Mr. Bradley, 92, of Lancaster, died Sunday, August 9, 2009, at his residence.
Born May 13, 1917, in Henrietta, NC, he was a son of the late William Sidney Bradley and the late Nancy Davidson Bradley. From a background as a federal bank examiner, Mr. Bradley came to Lancaster in 1947 to head The Bank of Lancaster. He considered himself privileged to work with the Springs and Close families for 62 years. After heading the bank for 13 years, he succeeded Bill Medford as Treasurer of Springs Cotton Mills, In 1967 he organized The Springs Company to unify The Bank of Lancaster, The Lancaster News, the L and C Railroad, Kanawha Insurance, Leroy Springs, the Springs Foundation, and broad holdings in acreage and real estate in Lancaster, Chester, and York Counties into a centrally managed enterprise. He served The Springs Company as President for 17 years, Chairman of the Board for 13 years and as Chairman Emeritus until his death.
In the early 1950's he, along with Bill Close and Bill Medford, organized the Springmaid Credit Union, which has grown to be Founders Federal Credit Union, one of the largest financial institutions headquartered in South Carolina.
He served on the Lancaster County Board of Education for 15 years and as a Trustee of the University of South Carolina for 30 years. The University honored him with the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws in 1971 to recognize his leadership in the formation of the USC Business Partnership Foundation and Governor Carroll Campbell awarded him with membership in the Order of Palmetto in 1992.
His wife of 61 years, Jane Clegg Bradley, predeceased him. He is survived by a sister, Frances Bradley of Forest City, NC; two sons, James Bradley, Jr. (Nancy), of Ridgeway, SC, and William Bynum Bradley (Beverly) of Columbia, SC; 4 grandchildren, James Edward Bradley and Jason Marshall Bradley, both of Columbia, SC, Bekh Bradley of Atlanta, and Sarah Picard Fritsche of New York; and 6 great-grandchildren.
Since the late 1940's, he was an active member of Lancaster's First United Methodist Church where he served in numerous positions of leadership and since the 1950's of the Lancaster Rotary Club, which honored him as a Paul Harris Fellow.
The family will receive friends on Wednesday, August 12, 2009, from 6 until 8 p.m. at Mahaffey Funeral Home and Cremation Center. A memorial service will be held on Thursday, August 13, 2009, at 1:00 p.m. in the First United Methodist Church Lancaster, 200 West Gay Street, with The Reverend Dan Batson officiating. There will be an informal reception for family and friends following the service in the church social hall.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to First United Methodist Church Lancaster (Post Office Box 608), HOPE of Lancaster (Post Office Box 166) or the University of South Carolina-Lancaster (Post Office Box 889), all of Lancaster, SC 29721.
Mahaffey Funeral Home and Cremation Center is assisting the Bradley Family, please visit www.mahaffeyfuneral.com to leave a condolence message.