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I’ve been honored to chair Real MenWear Pink for several years,” said Larry Chapman. “Actually, I think I’m the only official chair- person we’ve had. This is a great campaign for the American Cancer Society, and I plan to be a part as long as they’ll have me! Here’s the deal … I’m a cancer survivor and I #ChooseToFight. I know what it feels like to fight and endure chemotherapy. It chal- lenges us physically, mentally and emotionally. If not for the doc- tors, nurses and especially my family and friends, I’m not sure how I would have made it. I’m thankful for Steven Davidson and his staff, and the nurses in the treatment area at the Montgomery Cancer Center. These people are amazing servants and truly helped me during my three cancer battles. Let’s do our part and contribute to one of the Real Men of 2019. And help put an end to cancer!” The Montgomery native is a graduate of Jefferson Davis High School and was an honor student and all-state football player. After high school he attended Auburn University on a football scholarship from 1988-1990, playing on a Pat Dye SEC champi- onship team. He completed his college career playing basketball at Auburn University Montgomery for his dad, Coach Larry Chap- man. During graduate school he served as an assistant for the basketball staff at AUM (1993-1995). Chapman received his bachelor’s degree from AUM in 1993 and in 1995 earned a master’s in education leadership and ad- ministration. Also, during his time as a college student, he served as a full-time employee with the Montgomery Parks and Recreation Department coaching football, basketball and track at Floyd Junior High School (1990-1991) and Cloverdale Junior High School (1991-1993). Chapman’s wife Suzanne is the oldest daughter of Huntingdon College Hall of Famer and legendary Cloverdale and Jeff Davis coach Bobby Eskew. Following graduation, he joined Hall of Fame coach Spence McCracken (Robert E. Lee High School) as a member of his inau- gural staff at Opelika High School. In 1997 after his tenure as a coach and teacher at Opelika High School, he joined the fortune 100 company Merck Pharmaceutical. After five years with Merck, he entered the insurance business in 2000 to do sales andmarketing with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama. After 12 successful years leading the central Alabama operation for Blue Cross, he founded CSS Advisors/Chapman Inc., an employee insurance and consult- ing firm. From 2012-2018 he owned and operated his firm and in early 2018 he sold his company and joined Alfa Insurance. Chapman has an extensive history of community involvement. One of his favorite contributions is with the Coach Larry Chapman Foundation. The Chapman Foundation has endowed scholarships at AUM for basketball student-athletes. He serves on many local boards, such as the YMCA Metro Board. He was a 2016 nominee for the YMCAMan of the Year and chaired the 2018 Annual Cam- paign, helping raise $1.2 million; the Jimmy Hitchcock Board of Directors; and the American Cancer Society Board, where he chairs the annual Real Men Wear Pink campaign. He serves as a deacon at First Baptist Church and teaches the 10th-grade Sunday school class. He is a lifetime member of the AUMAlumni association, where he served as the alumni president in the past. Chapman also served on the AUM chancellor’s advisory board and the AUM Athletic Hall of Fame selection committee. He is a current board member for Life On Wheels, which was cre- ated and founded by Dr. Matt Phillips. In the past he has served on the Trinity Presbyterian School headmaster’s council, the FCA Board of Directors and the Montgomery Area Chamber of Com- merce Board of Directors. We should mention, Chapman will step back into his coaching shoes this coming school year and coach middle school football and basketball at Trinity. The Chapmans have two daughters, Caroline, 19, and Cate, 10. Caroline is in her sophomore year at Auburn University and is a member of the Chi Omega. Cate is in the fifth grade at Trinity, and loves going to school and playing volleyball, soccer and bas- ketball. Suzanne is a licensed dental hygienist at Steineker and Dillon Dentistry, where she has worked since 2015; prior to 2015 she was a full-time homemaker. Chad Bianchi If you are like Chad Bianchi, you have had cancer strike both your relatives and friends. And that’s why he’s wearing pink to continue the fight against this agonizing disease. For him the fight is much more than theoretical, for he himself has been struck by the illness. After graduating from the University of Phoenix with an MBA he came to Mont- gomery and joined the Church of the Highlands. There, he is an active member and heads both teams and ministries, caring for community mem- bers who need help. He also finds time to volunteer with various nonprofits like the Salvation Army, while working at the Marcel McElroy Job Connection as Business Development Partner. Bianchi Find us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2019 31 Larry Chapman Jr. Chairman for Real Men Wear Pink