Attorney Dennis Nabors, chief of staff for former Gov. Guy Hunt, dies

Retired long-time Montgomery attorney Dennis Nabors died Saturday at age 75 in Amory, Miss., where he had spent his youth.

Arrangements for Nabors are pending.

Nabors served as chief of staff to former Governor Guy Hunt from 1991 to 1993 in the second Hunt administration. It fell to Nabors to navigate the rough waters as Hunt was indicted by a Democrat district attorney, convicted and lost his office. Hunt was later pardoned.

Nabors was a long-time law partner of Charlie Graddick at their Montgomery office. Graddick had been district attorney of Mobile County, state Attorney General and later presiding circuit judge in Mobile County.

Nabors was considered an expert in health care law. He had served as assistant attorney general for White Collar Crime and Civil Rights, the City Attorney of Montgomery, and the executive vice president and chief lobbyist for the Alabama Hospital Association.

Nabors represented health care providers such as hospital systems, nursing homes, home health agencies, hospice agencies, Medicaid billing agencies and physician groups in navigating through government health care agencies and regulations.  

Because he regularly worked with government health care agencies, Nabors developed strong relationships with health care payors, the Alabama Certificate of Need Review Board, the Alabama State Health Planning and Development Agency, the Alabama Department of Mental Health, the Alabama Department of Public Health and the Alabama Board of Nursing. Nabors represented the largest U.S. comprehensive home health care provider and one of the largest providers of outpatient hospice services concerning dramatic changes in legislation affecting the industry.

Dennis Nabors was “the regulation navigator.”

Nabors earned his undergraduate degree at the University of Alabama. While there, he ran for President of the Student Government Association in 1971 as an independent. He lost to “The Machine” candidate. He was noted for his colorful Nabors campaign sign, a Woodstock-style 1960s image.

Nabors graduated from Cumberland School of Law at Birmingham’s Samford University in 1980.

Outside of law and politics, Nabors lived an abundant life of fishing and fine dining in gourmet restaurants. His death is expected to cause a recession in the restaurant industry.

Nabors is survived by his wife, Sarah Leineweber of Amory, Miss. After he retired from law practice in Montgomery, he and Sarah moved to Highlands, N.C.

Nabors is survived by three children: Caroline Spratling Nabors of Mexico City; Dennis Nabors, Jr. of Austin, Texas; and Spratt Nabors of Jackson Hole, Wyo. They were raised in Alex City by their mother, Dr. Ruth Spartling Nabors and their father.

Dennis Nabors had a funny habit of calling his many male friends “Cod.”  They eventually threw it back at him, and he became “Cod.” 

“So long, Cod.”  We will see you at that gourmet restaurant in the skies.    

Jim ‘Zig’ Zeigler writes about Alabama’s people, places, events, groups and prominent deaths. He is a former Alabama Public Service Commissioner and State Auditor. You can reach him for comments at [email protected].

Zeigler was a classmate of Dennis Nabors at the University of Alabama and a roommate after graduation.

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