Explore UAB

In response to the growing epidemic, an outpatient clinic for AIDS patients was opened at UAB in January 1988. It was founded and first directed by Dr. Michael S. Saag. The clinic name originated from the building’s street address of 1917 5^th Avenue South in order to protect the confidentiality of the patients.

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Dr. Michael S. Saag presented the 34^th annual Reynolds Historical Lecture, entitled "Thirty Years of AIDS," on February 22, 2013. For additional information see the Special Collections Lectures page.

Attendees in a summer course listen as Dr. Kevin P. Walsh, a member of the education faculty, lectures. The School of Education was formally created in August 1971, but a Division of Education had been established in 1968 as part of the university's College of General Studies.

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Prior to being displayed at the Birmingham Museum of Art as part of the Birmingham Festival of Arts, the mummy of an Egyptian female was brought to UAB for examination.  Officials used a CAT scan to examine the remains of the 2,000-year old woman, who became the “oldest patient” ever examined at University Hospital.

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With the championship trophy, seniors who helped the UAB Blazers win the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in 1982 are left to right (front row) Raymond Gause and Scott Simcik and (back row) Lex Drum and Cliff Pruitt. UAB first hosted a conference basketball tournament in Birmingham in February 1982. UAB defeated Virginia Commonwealth to win the tournament and gain UAB’s first basketball championship. The 1982 tournament was the most successful in the history of the conference with a record 29,079 attendees. As conference champions, the Blazers automatically advanced to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Indiana — the defending national champions — and Virginia before falling to Louisville. The team’s final record for the season was 25-6.

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For the second consecutive year, UAB hosted the C-USA Men’s and Women’s basketball tournaments with games played in Bartow Arena and at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (BJCC). The tournament was held March 8-12. Go Blazers!!!

Brooks Robinson, a Hall of Famer and former Baltimore Oriole, threw out the first pitch at the dedicatory game at the Young Memorial Field.  The UAB Blazers defeated Ole Miss 8 to 2.  UAB’s first on-campus home for baseball had been in use for just over a year when it was formally dedicated in honor of the founding dean of the School of Business and the Vice President for Finance at the time of his death in 1983.

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Decorating for the holiday, 1986

Volunteers decorate University Hospital for the holiday season.  The hospital has a long history of service hours provided by volunteers.  The hospital auxiliary was established in 1950 and has remained an integral part of University Hospital.

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The new building was made possible by a donation of Charles B. Webb, Jr., and the Susan Mott Webb Charitable Trust in honor of Webb’s late wife, Susan Mott Webb. At the October 18, 1983, dedication ceremony were (left to right): Dr. Richard Arrington, Jr., Mayor of Birmingham; Dr. Charles E. Butterworth, chair of the Department of Nutrition Sciences; Ruth R. Mott, mother of the late Mrs. Webb; Charles B. Webb, Jr.; and Dr. S. Richardson Hill, Jr., UAB President. The Susan Mott Webb Nutrition Sciences Building housed the nutrition department and provided classrooms and administrative offices for the allied health professions school.

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Dr. Charles Bugg in his research laboratory, circa 1984

The UAB Center for Macromolecular Crystallography was approved by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees on December 5, 1985, with Dr. Charles E. Bugg (Biochemistry) as inaugural director.  The Center initially focused on protein crystal growth and drug design based on protein crystal structure.  The Center became a designated NASA Research Partnership Center and provided numerous UAB experiments for the research programs of the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station.

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The inaugural Miss UAB pageant was held in the Bell Theatre on March 26, 1983, with twenty-two students competing.  Phyllis Pope, a pre-dentistry major from Illinois, was chosen as the first Miss UAB.  Her talent competition was vocals.  The UAB pageant was established as an official preliminary for the Miss Alabama and Miss America organizations, and today's scholarship competition remains as a preliminary for the two organizations.

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Food collected at UAB for Thanksgiving distribution, November 1986

The Student Association of the School of Community and Allied Health [today's School of Health Professions] held a food drive to benefit local charities and to provide food to needy families during the holiday season.

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Roland Sams, an elevator operator in University Hospital, shared some cheer with patients and visitors during the Thanksgiving holiday.

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The Hulsey Center for the Arts and Humanities, more commonly known as the Hulsey Fine Arts Center, was completed in 1981 and was officially opened on April 30, 1982. A renovation project completed in 2004 gave the center a new main entrance along South 13th Street. The Center is named in honor of UAB benefactors William Hansell and Susan Mabry Hulsey.

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Intramural sports have long been a part of university history, even when the teams had no campus home. In the early years, intramurals were held at George Ward Park, at Fair Park, and at Jordan Park, a city park adjacent to the western edge of UAB that was eventually incorporated into the campus. Intramural fields were later located on campus at the 600 block of South 12th Street and then on the 800 block of South 11th Street. A new Intramural and Club Sports Field Complex was officially opened on August 28, 2018. This new complex is located at 1101 5th Avenue South and is directly across the street from the Football Operations Center.

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The first kidney transplant in the state of Alabama was conducted at the Medical Center in Birmingham on May 8, 1968. Dr. Arnold G. Diethelm performed the surgery and headed the transplant team. In the 40 years since that first surgery, UAB has grown to be one of America's top transplant centers with patients arriving from around the globe for treatment. Currently, the university has active programs in kidney, heart, liver, lung, bone marrow, pancreas, cornea and retina transplantation.

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Lining up for UAB's first homecoming parade in 1989.

Homecoming was originally celebrated at UAB as part of the basketball season and was first held in January 1979.  Ten years later, on February 4, 1989, the university sponsored the first homecoming parade, which traveled across campus and ended at the new UAB Arena.  Homecoming 1989 had the theme of "Catch the Spirit."  The women's basketball team defeated Virginia Commonwealth after a pep rally and bonfire held on Thursday.  The men's basketball team defeated Old Dominion following the inaugural parade on Saturday afternoon; Blazer sophomore guard Andy Kennedy led the team with 20 points scored.

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Cecelia Williams, transcription supervisor, uses one of six new word processing terminals installed in the medical records office at University Hospital.  UAB was the first hospital in the state to use word processors for transcription.  Departmental staff used the new terminals to complete transcription services for UAB physicians.

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Standing around the tree are (left to right) Chuck Dinsmore, Bonita Seaborn, Mark Stephens, and Darryl Cunningham. The University Center opened in October 1983 and on May 17, 1991, would be renamed the Hill University Center in honor of Dr. S. Richardson Hill, Jr., second president of UAB.

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Dr. McCallum became the third President of UAB in April 1987, and he served until September 1993. He had previously served as Vice President for Health Affairs, as dean of the School of Dentistry, and as chair of the Department of Oral Surgery. Dr. McCallum came to Birmingham in 1951 as an oral surgery intern and, in 1957, received an MD degree from the Birmingham medical school. After he retired from UAB, McCallum served two terms as Mayor of Vestavia Hills.

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The fund was established in 1984, and in July Dr. Virginia D. Gauld (right) was selected as first president of the UAB Faculty and Staff Benevolent Fund Council, a new 32-member group to oversee UAB’s charitable giving campaign.

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