Trailblazing entrepreneur and civic activist Albert Dotson Sr. dies at age 83
Albert E. Dotson Sr. rarely missed one of his five kids’ events — basketball, track and field, baseball, recitals — and he often captured them on Super 8 film or video for posterity.
The only problem? Any time one of his children was about to cross the finish line or score a basket or start to sing, the image on the film would suddenly jar and move, often missing the golden moment entirely because Dotson would stand up and cheer and applaud his child instead of keeping the camera steady.
Although he is best known for his civic and community leadership and his trailblazing path as a Black entrepreneur, Dotson Sr., who died Saturday at his home at age 83 from complications due to amyloidosis, was also, first and foremost, a devoted father and husband who taught his children dignity and self-respect.
“He was driven by purpose,” said his oldest son, Albert Dotson Jr., managing partner at the Miami law firm Bilzin Sumberg. “That purpose was grounded in three principles: He emphasized that we should have a relationship with God, he preached how family is first and he lived the importance of giving back to others and really engaging with the community.
“We always had family discussions — including his grandchildren — where we could recognize each other’s achievements and discuss whatever challenges we were facing,” Dotson Jr. said. “I think he slept every once in a while, but he never stopped moving.”
Born in Memphis in 1938, Dotson Sr. was raised by a single mother who worked as a housekeeper. She later remarried, and Dotson became the oldest of three stepbrothers.
The family moved to Detroit, lured by the plentiful work opportunities in the auto industry. Dotson completed high school and one year of studies at Wayne State University before dropping out to take an entry-level job at Sears. In church, Dotson met Earlene. They married in 1959 and continued attending church for 62 years, most recently at the Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church in Cutler Bay, where he was also a deacon.
Defying the racial limitations of the time, Dotson worked his way up to become the first Black store manager in the history of Sears Roebuck & Company. The job took the family to stints in Chicago, Atlanta and South Florida, where Dotson settled in Hialeah in 1976 to serve as the manager of the Sears store at Westland Mall.
“Some people were a little standoffish and tried to work around me by going to my assistant,” Dotson Sr. recalled in an interview with the Miami Herald in August 2020. “People would come into the store and ask to see the manager. My assistant would come to get me and they would say ‘No, I want to see the white manager.’ ”
Much like he had done in other cities, Dotson Sr. became involved with civic and community groups, including United Way, the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce and the Miami-Dade School Board.
“I found out that if you reach out and get involved, and people find you are sincere, they will include you,” Dotson Sr. said in the interview. “We live by the saying ‘To whom much is given, much is required.’ Miami is a great city. But we have an obligation to think how to make it better.
“I love Miami. I love living in Miami. I love the people in Miami. If we all come together and realize we’re all the same, we will have the same goal to make this the best place to live work and play and hold each other accountable for our actions.”
Dotson retired from Sears in 1986 after a 30-year career. He and his wife formed the consulting firm Puryear Inc. and two concession stores at Miami International Airport. But he remained active in community endeavors, especially Florida International University, where he served on the FIU Foundation Board of Directors from 1983-2001 and chaired the FIU Board of Trustees from 2009-2011.
In 2019, the school unveiled a renamed pavilion after Dotson and his wife, funded in part by a $1 million donation from their children.
“There you see the power of Al’s vision,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. “Al didn’t know his name was going to be on it. For those of us who knew him, it’s an inspiration to see his name every day. He was instrumental in getting us advanced research programs and our architectural school, and he was a persistent advocate for our medical school. In many ways, he believed in us before we believed in us. He saw something we couldn’t see.”
Dotson Sr. broke another racial barrier in 1998 when he became the first Black president of the Orange Bowl Committee, the non-profit formed in 1935 to promote tourism via football games and other events.
“One of the reasons he loved the Orange Bowl Committee is because he could do all the events and gatherings with his family,” said Jack Seiler, the current president of the organization. “He made sure his kids lived the right way. He was a great leader, had a tremendous work ethic and was very humble. I’ve known him for half my life. It’s a tremendous loss for our community. He’s leaving a lasting legacy. The Orange Bowl is in mourning.”
Education was so important to Dotson Sr. that after the youngest of his five kids left home for college, he and Earlene went back to school themselves to complete their undergraduate degrees. She became an occupational specialist and he earned a Ph.D. in philosophy by attending classes online at the Trinity University in Texas. In 1998, the couple received honorary doctor-of-law degrees from Barry University, where he served on the Board of Trustees.
“Like a lot of Black leaders do, Al put the village on his shoulders,” said Jesse Tyson, past president and CEO of the National Black MBA Association and former president of ExxonMobil InterAmericas. “He had a curiosity trait. He would always tell us be curious about what you don’t know about. Al was one of those guys who God gave him a gift.
“He also had a dry wit about himself. He always had a one-liner. And he always closed out his conversations with some life advice. He’d say ‘You have to understand that being good isn’t good enough’ or ‘You need to value the moment, because you may only have that moment.’”
Dotson is survived by his wife Earlene; sons Albert Jr (Gail Ash) and Jonathan;, daughters Dr. Toya Greene (Jeff), LaTéssa Hall, Christa Dean (Fred); 13 grandchildren: Ashley and Albert III, Charmaine, Solomon, Joel, Christen, Grace, and Emmanuel Greene, Bryant and Briana Hall, and VerShona, Parmie, and Alexis Dean, and a host of nieces and nephews, including Cherron Rowland and Jamille Edwards.
Viewing services will be held at 6 p.m. June 9 at Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church, 10701 SW 184th Street, Miami.
Funeral services and a Homecoming Celebration will be held at 11 a.m. June 10 at FIU, 11200 SW Eighth St., Miami.
In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations to: Florida International University Foundation, Inc. “Earlene and Albert Dotson Scholarship Fund” Attention: FIU Foundation, MARC515 Miami, FL 33199 or Florida Memorial University “Earlene and Albert Dotson First Generation Student Scholarship” Attention: Advancement Office 15800 NW 42nd Ave., Miami Gardens, FL 33054
This story was originally published May 31, 2021 at 10:58 AM.
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