Penulis: Mark Fagan

A lifelong Alabamian, MARK FAGAN observed the negative aspects of his state”s slow economic growth from the 1950s to the late “80s. But he also enjoyed the economic progress of the last three decades as the state began to act on its great potential. After earning undergraduate and doctorate degrees, he became a professor at Jacksonville State University, where for more than 32 years he researched and published on attracting retirees for economic development. He began promoting retirement development in Alabama in 1988 and helped create the Alabama Program to Attract Retirees. When the Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA) began investing in the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in 1990, Fagan conducted the economic impact projections and assisted in negotiations for some of the proposed sites. He collected information on the Trail”s development for 22 years and then spent three years interviewing, reviewing documents, and compiling knowledge and illustrations. This book reports the why, who, when, what, and how of RSA”s confident investment in Alabama. Now retired, Fagan lives with his wife, Pam, in Fairhope, Alabama, adjacent to one of the RSA golf complexes.