Albert A. Savill (February 3, 1917 – August 7, 1989) was a mortgage banker, real estate developer and an owner of the Radisson Plaza Hotel Orlando.

Career

Savill was born on February 3, 1917, in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

but spent his childhood in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. He started his business career with

John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co. John Hancock Life Insurance Company, U.S.A. is a Boston-based insurance company. Established April 21, 1862, it was named in honor of John Hancock, a prominent American Patriot. In 2004, John Hancock was acquired by the Canadian multinational li ...

and rose to assistant manager of the mortgage division when he left Boston in 1950. Savill went on to found the Savill-Mahaffey Mortgage Co. in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

, which became the largest independent mortgage company in Indiana. He sold the company to

American Fletcher National Bank American Fletcher National Bank was an Indianapolis-based bank founded in 1839 that was eventually absorbed by Bank One and later Chase Bank. Since the merger of the Fletcher Trust Company with the American National Bank to form the American Flet ...

in 1969. After moving to Orlando in 1979, he founded KMS Mortgage and Investment Co. in Seminole County. Savill was an owner of the

Indianapolis Capitols The Indianapolis Capitols were a professional American football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They played in the Continental Football League from 1968 to 1969 and Midwest Football League from 1972 to 1974 and 1977 to 1978. The team was c ...

of the

Continental Football League The Continental Football League (COFL) was a professional American football minor league that operated in North America from 1965 through 1969. It was established following the collapse of the original United Football League, and hoped to beco ...

from 1963 to 1969. He was also an owner of the

Columbus Owls The Columbus Owls were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League from 1973 to 1977. Prior to 1973, the team was known as the Columbus Golden Seals since 1971. After 1977, the team moved and became the Dayton ...

of the International Hockey League from 1973 to 1978. Savill, along with

Wren Blair Wren Alvin Blair (October 2, 1925January 2, 2013) was a Canadian ice hockey coach, scout and executive in the National Hockey League. Biography Early life Blair was born in Lindsay, Ontario, the son of Audrey and Alvin Blair. The family moved t ...

and

Otto Frenzel Otto N. "Nick" Frenzel III was a former banking executive from 1956 until 1995. He was also a co-owner, secretary, and treasurer of the Pittsburgh Penguins from 1975 until 1977. Career Banking He was a 1954 graduate of the Wharton School of Busin ...

, bought the bankrupt

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

from the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

(the interim owners) in 1975 for $3.8 million (equivalent to $ million in ). Upon becoming owner of the Penguins, he dissolved the farm system to save money and was forced to trade draft picks to keep the team marginally competitive. Savill and Frenzel remained part-owners of the team for two seasons, eventually selling the team to local shopping mall developer

Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. Edward John DeBartolo Sr. (May 17, 1909 – December 19, 1994) was an American businessman. In 1971, his Ohio-based corporation was ranked as 47th among the nation's top 400 construction contractors. In 1983, DeBartolo was included on ''For ...

in February 1977. Savill was a partner in building the 342-room Radisson Plaza Hotel in downtown

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

Death

Savill died in Orlando in 1989 after a brief illness at the age of 72.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Savill, Al 1917 births 1989 deaths English emigrants to the United States Businesspeople from Columbus, Ohio Pittsburgh Penguins owners 20th-century American businesspeople