From the dusty streets of small towns in Oklahoma and Texas to the Élysée Palace in Paris, the story of Marlene and Spencer Hays is an American success story. Following Spencer’s death in 2017, Marlene continues to live in the home in Nashville they built together. They are remarkable, interesting, perceptive and accomplished people without the slightest trace of pretention.
Business Principles
Their story cannot be told without understanding the importance of Spencer’s business principles. They are based on concepts that promoted belief in positive thinking and self-determination; that offered security and income potential to employees and encouraged employee ownership; and that promoted a high level of excellence. They were built over a lifetime beginning when he was a small boy as he learned life lessons from his remarkable grandmother. The influence “Granny Mary” had was profound and stayed with him throughout his life. (Click here to read Spencer's business principles)
Business Interests
It was her loan of $40 that enabled Spencer and Marlene to travel from Texas to Nashville the day after their wedding in 1956 so that he could sell books door to door for the Southwestern Company. What began as a summer job to earn money for college extended to a 60- year relationship with the titles of Sales Manager, Executive Vice President, President, Chairman of the Board and Executive Chairman. It became the foundation of incredible success that benefited thousands of employees and their families. (Click here to visit the Southwestern Company website for more information about the company.)
His realization of the significance of the life skills that selling books door to door ingrained in bookmen (and later women) led him to found a custom clothing company in 1966 with two employees. Today, the Tom James Company is the world’s largest provider of custom and bespoke clothing and is owned by its employees with a focus on continued growth and success. Using the same concept as Southwestern, Tom James’ clothiers brings the custom buying experience directly to their clients’ offices. The company’s operations include textile mills, manufacturing plants and retail offices with 600 sales professionals around the world. (Click here to visit the Tom James Company website for more information about the company.)
Love of the Arts
The same passion that built businesses carried over into their personal passion—a deep seated love of art cultivated over decades. When asked to describe the “most fun” part of their lives, they both were always quick to answer, “learning about art and building a collection that we treasure.” But they always remembered a quote by Sir Richard Attenborough “Art belongs to no one. Some of us are simply its temporary, fortunate and delighted custodians.” The collection built over nearly 50 years includes almost 600 paintings, drawings and sculptures.
The collection includes works by Modigliani, Matisse, Degas, Manet, Monet and other giants. The heart of the collection is the works of the Nabi artists headlined by Bonnard and Vuillard. The Les Nabis was a group of young French artists active in Paris from 1888 to 1900 who played a large part in the transition from impressionism to the early movements of modernism. Describing their love of the Nabi’s art, Spencer said “We prefer people to landscapes and the Nabis expressed with so much subtlety the complexity of the psyche and human behavior.”
After almost 50 years of collecting, the Hays wrestled with what would happen after their death. Again, they were inspired by a quote from Sir Richard Attenborough, “Art is for everyone and failure to include everyone diminishes us all.”
Because they strongly believed that art is for everyone and should be seen and appreciated, the Hays chose the Musée d’Orsay in Paris to receive their collection at their deaths. The 300 works donated by the Hays to the people of France include primarily works by great French artists that are returning to their homeland. They will be seen by the four million people who visit the museum annually. Accepting the gift on behalf of France, then president François Holland hosted a dinner at the presidential palace, the Elysée Palace, honoring Spencer and Marlene along with 200 of their family and friends. It was a magical night.
The Hays Foundation
As they planned for the rest of their estate both Marlene and Spencer were clear they wanted to continue to help others. They created the Hays Foundation. It builds on the work they began. The foundation’s mission statement embodies all of Spencer and Marlene’s passions:
"The Marlene and Spencer Hays Foundation was established to support efforts to improve peoples’ lives through the arts; research and innovations in health care; education and programs to help at-risk youth; and to promote enhanced economic achievement by encouraging discipline, ambition and commitment to goals and principles."