| Name | Mervyn H. Sterne and Sterne Family Papers |
| Dates | 1938-1974 |
| Extent | 3 cubic feet |
| Historical Note | Mervyn Hayden Sterne (1892-1973) was born in Anniston, Alabama, the son of Anselm Sterne and Henrietta Smith. In 1909 he left his hometown for Birmingham and for a position with the Traders National Bank and Realty Trust Co. Sterne remained with the bank until June 1917 when he enlisted in the military for service during the First World War. Upon his return to Birmingham in 1919, Sterne partnered with the former mayor of Birmingham George Ward to form Ward, Sterne and Co. (later renamed as Ward, Sterne, Agee, and Leach). Sterne was active in the city's business, civic, and religious communities. He was chair of the Birmingham Library Board, was vice-chair of the board of the Birmingham Art Museum, and was a trustee of Birmingham-Southern College. Sterne received numerous awards and citations for his contributions. He received honorary degrees from Howard College (1948), Birmingham-Southern College (1967), and the University of Alabama (1969). He received citations from many local agencies, including the Salvation Army, Temple Emanu-El, Miles College, and UAB. Sterne had a long connection with the academic entity that in 1969 became UAB. He was instrumental in the establishment of the engineering program and was active in the fund raising campaign for the Alabama Heart Hospital at UAB. On September 15, 1973, the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees passed a resolution noting the recently deceased Sterne's many contributions to the System and to UAB; the same resolution renamed the University College Library at UAB as the "Mervyn H. Sterne Library." Sterne was married in 1922 to Dorah Heyman (1896-1994). Mrs. Sterne was, according to her husband, "a part and parcel" of everything he ever did. The Sternes had one daughter and three grandchildren. |
| Scope and Contents | This collection consists of the papers of Mervyn H. Sterne and some of the material maintained by the Sterne Family following the death of Mervyn Sterne. Items in this collection have been scanned and are now available in the Mervyn Hayden Sterne Collection within the UAB Libraries Digital Collections site at https://uab.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/ |
| Arrangement | Arranged into two series: 1) Mervyn H. Sterne Papers, and 2) Sterne Family Papers |
| Accession Number | M2016-10 |
| Provenance | Originally donated to UAB in 1976 by members of the Sterne Family, the material in this collection was housed in the Mervyn H. Sterne Library at UAB until 2016 when it was transferred to the UAB Archives. |
| Copyright | The UAB Archives owns the copyright to some of the material and maintains its proprietary rights to all material in this collection. |
| Fnding Aid | Printed descriptive guide by Jennifer L. Beck and Tim L. Pennycuff available in repository. |
| Access Points | Education z Alabama z Birmingham. Sterne, Dorah Heyman, d 1896-1994. Sterne, Mervyn Hayden, d 1892-1973. Temple Emanu-El (Birmingham, Ala.). University of Alabama at Birmingham. |
| Document Types | Correspondence, awards, citations, plaques, resolutions, and reports. |
| Location | Manuscript stacks. |
| Related Series | PMC128, Sterne Photographs. |
| Physical Condition | All material placed in an acid free folder and acid free box. |
This page created 2017.
Copyright: The University of Alabama Board of Trustees.