The Eye Foundation Hospital in Birmingham was dedicated on December 8, 1963, and was opened to patients later that month.  The private, independent hospital was constructed at the edge of the university medical center campus.  Dr. Alston Callahan, founder of the hospital, was on the original faculty of the medical school and had served as the inaugural chair of the Department of Ophthalmology from 1945 until 1954.  The Eye Foundation Hospital was acquired by UAB in 1997 and was later renamed in honor of its founder.  The brick building on the left of this image was the dormitory for students enrolled in the University Hospital nursing school.  This later named Hixson Hall was demolished by UAB in 2007.

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Radio host Michael Feldman (right) interviews Alabama author, journalist, and storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham as part of the weekly radio broadcast of "Whad'Ya Know?"  The syndicated National Public Radio program was broadcast live on Saturday, November 2, 1996, from the stage of the concert hall at UAB's new Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center, which had just opened in September.  "Whad'Ya Know?" was a long-time staple of the broadcast schedule for UAB's WBHM 90.3 FM Public Radio Station.

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Recruited to Birmingham by Dr. Joseph F. Volker, founding dean of the dental school, the 52 members of the first class of the School of Dentistry were all veterans of World War II.  The students began studies in the new dental school on October 18, 1948.  With no stand-alone home, the dental school was initially housed in the Hillman buildings of the hospital complex and it would remain there until 1951 and the completion of a new building.  Fifty members of the inaugural class would graduate on May 31, 1952; Walter C. Andrews, Jr., was the school's first graduate.

Read more on the School of Dentistry website.

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On September 13, 2013, the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama System approved the renaming of the UAB business school as the Collat School of Business in honor of university benefactors Charles and Patsy Weil Collat.  This was the first named academic school at the university.  The Collat name was added to the home of the school later that year, and at that ceremony were (left to right): Dr. Eric P. Jack, dean of the Collat School of Business, Charles Collat, and Dr. Ray L. Watts, president of UAB.  Dr. Jack was dean of the school from 2012 until 2023.  Dr. Watts became the seventh UAB president in 2013, the first person to serve as president with an undergraduate degree (Engineering) from the university.

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To welcome UAB students back to campus for the new school year, President Carol Z. Garrison (left foreground) hosted an ice cream social at the Commons on the Green on August 21, 2007.  Attendees received ice cream, beverages, and a UAB tee-shirt.  Dr. Garrison served as UAB president from 2002 until 2012.  She was the second UAB president to have graduated from the university, having earned a master's degree in nursing.

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UAB's Dr. Steven J. Filler became a volunteer dentist for the Birmingham Zoo in 1983; his first patient was a polar bear with a bad tooth.  Over the years, Filler let UAB dental students accompany him on his zoo rounds on a regular basis.  Filler worked with the zoo while serving as a member of the dental school faculty and as one of the school's assistant deans.

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In 1959 a baseball team was organized at University Hospital.  It was comprised of staff from the hospital and from across the Birmingham medical center.  The team competed in the Northern Division of the Birmingham Amateur Baseball Association and played home games in the city's Jordan Park, located just a few blocks west of the hospital at 8th Avenue South and 11th and 12th Streets South [the location of today's university soccer and baseball fields].  This first team photograph was taken on the roof of the hospital's Jefferson Tower.

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UAB President Joseph F. Volker (second from right) speaking to members of the UAB community.  Dr. Volker and the group were enjoying the day in the plaza between the Sterne Library (left) and University College Building No. 1 [later the School of Education Building].  A new outdoor plaza has just opened between Sterne Library and the newest academic building on the UAB campus, Phase I of the Science and Engineering Complex.  The new building replaced the School of Education Building and will be occupied this summer by the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, and Physics.

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Dr. Thomas Wdowiak, an astrophysicist at UAB, worked on several NASA research and exploration teams and helped design the Mars Rover vehicles.  Once the rovers were on the planet, Wdowiak “drove” them from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California and from his home in Birmingham.  His NASA colleagues named a ridge on the western rim of the Endeavour crater on Mars as Wdowiak Ridge in his honor following his death in 2013.  Wdowiak was a member of the faculty of the Department of Physics from 1976 until his retirement in 2005.

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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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In February 1973 UAB opened a new bookstore after a move from the store's prior location in the basement of Tidwell Hall.  The "new" bookstore, a building which had formerly housed a dry-cleaning business, was located on 15th Street South at the corner of 8th Avenue South.  The bookstore remained in this location until it was moved into the original Hill University Center in 1983.  This building was again renovated and was renamed as the 15th Street Classroom Building, which provided the academic community with six classrooms and a conference-seminar space.  The building was demolished in 2006 as development proceeded on the Campus Green.

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UAB first observed Martin Luther King, Jr., Day as a university holiday in January 1993.  But the university had held or participated in various commemorative events in prior years.  In 1991 UAB students participated in a wreath-laying ceremony in front of the statue of Rev. King located in the city's Kelly Ingram Park; the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church is in the right background.  This ceremony was one of several UAB events held that year to mark King Day.

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In this image from a 1975 campus publication, Santa Claus donned a special UAB suit to wish everyone on campus a happy holiday season.

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This image from 2017 highlights one of the collections held in UAB Archives, the records of the UAB Town and Gown Theatre (Record Group 45).  The university's official archival repository was formally established by President Charles A. McCallum, Jr., in November 1992.  University Archives, which is one of the three units of the special collections department of the UAB Libraries, is located in the Lister Hill Library Building.  It is open for research by appointment to all university associates and to members of the community.

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The Gurney Derby has been part of the UAB Homecoming Week festivities since 1994.  Four-member teams decorate and then race a hospital gurney down 13th Street South from the Mervyn H. Sterne Library to the UAB Mini Park and back.  In addition to the award for the team with the best race time, an award is presented to the team with the worst race time (the Dead Last Award).

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In the September 28, 1992, issue of U.S. News & World Report, UAB was selected in the magazine's annual best colleges issue as the No. 1 Up and Coming University in the nation.  To celebrate, UAB staff placed a banner on the 13th Street pedestrian bridge over University Boulevard so that all traveling through campus would learn of this honor.

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The office of Student Affairs has long hosted an annual event each fall term to welcome new incoming students to the UAB campus.  These events provide information on the various student groups and campus organizations, offer live entertainment, and often feature free food for attendees.  Formerly held in the UAB Mini Park, more recent fall events have been held on the UAB Campus Green.  The 2022 event, Connect Fest, was held on the Green on Sunday, August 21.

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A small brick building on the western edge of the university campus was opened in 1985 as a joint venture between UAB and the Greater Birmingham Visitors and Convention Bureau.  Center staff assisted city and campus visitors, were able to assist with hotel and dining reservations, and were able to distribute UAB material and forms during weekends when most university offices were closed.  The center was located at the corner of University Boulevard and 12th Street South, at the site of today's University Boulevard Office Building.

In July the university community welcomed the world to UAB and to Birmingham as UAB served as a major partner of the 2022 World Games.  Sporting competitions were held at several university facilities, tug-of-war at the track facility, lacrosse at the soccer field, and racquetball and squash in the Campus Recreation Center.  UAB residence halls served as the World Games Village and housed visiting athletes and coaches.  UAB Medicine was also the official sponsor of medical services for the 2022 World Games.  This was not the first time UAB had hosted national and international athletes, as UAB played host to several soccer teams during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games and campus was used as a sporting venue for the 2017 U.S. National Senior Games.

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As an urban university housed in the middle of the city of Birmingham, UAB construction projects and special events often necessitate the closure of portions of streets or of entire streets, for short or extended durations depending on the specific project.  This is a common occurrence today, with numerous ongoing construction projects on the campus.  But street closure is nothing new to UAB.  As is clearly visible in this photograph from circa 1974, Eighth Avenue South, one of the city's main thoroughfares, was closed to traffic to allow work on the streetscape and for continued construction of the optometry building (center background).  Eighth Avenue South would be renamed in 1981 as University Boulevard.

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The Health Sciences Research Building, which spans Seventh Avenue South, was dedicated on December 9, 1960.  In 1966 an addition was completed on the southern edge of the building, and on November 6, 1966, the newly expanded building was rededicated as the Lyons-Harrison Research Building.  It was named in honor of Dr. Champ Lyons (former chair of the Department of Surgery) and Dr. Tinsley R. Harrison (former chair of the Department of Medicine).  On April 11, 2022, UAB held a groundbreaking for a project that will result in a complete renovation of the building and its renaming as the Altec/Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Building.  The $78 million project is planned for completion in 2024.

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UAB's first International Festival was a multi-day event held in April 1987.  It kicked off with an International Food Festival held in the Mini Park.  Other events during the week included an arts and crafts bazaar, a talent show, and an open house held in the Smolian International House.  UAB had previously hosted an International Food Festival, but in 1987 the festival was expanded to include more activities and events.  UAB's International Student Association sponsored the festival.

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The UAB License Plate debuted in April 1991 as part of the state’s collegiate license plate program.  The program supported the UAB National Alumni Society and raised funds for student scholarships.  The new tag, which was introduced in 1996, was the second tag layout and featured UAB’s new mascot, Blaze the Dragon.  Dr. J. Claude Bennett served as the fourth president of UAB from 1993 until 1996.  Prior to being named as president, Bennett had been the chair of the university’s Department of Microbiology and chair of the Department of Medicine.

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University College Building No. 1 and Mervyn H. Sterne Library were among the first four buildings constructed for the new University College campus. The four buildings were dedicated during ceremonies held on May 20, 1973. In September 1983 Building No. 1 was rededicated as the School of Education Building. The education school moved out of its long-time home in 2020, and the building is slated for demolition in order to make way for a new Science and Engineering Complex.

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On September 23, 2000, the UAB Blazers shocked the LSU Tigers by defeating the Tigers 13-10 in their homecoming game in Baton Rouge.  The Blazers, who never trailed during the game, won on a last-second field goal by Rhett Gallego; it was UAB’s first ever win over a team from the Southeastern Conference (SEC).  The Blazers ended the 2000 season with an overall record of 7-4.

The UAB Blazers began this unprecedented 2020 football season on Thursday, September 3, as one of the nation’s first two FBS games.  UAB defeated Central Arkansas 45-35 in a game at Legion Field before 12,000 fans.  Go Blazers!!

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At a press conference in Montgomery, Governor Albert P. Brewer and members of the Board of Trustees announced a new three-campus University of Alabama System with separate universities located in Tuscaloosa (UA), Huntsville (UAH), and Birmingham (UAB).  The Board named F. David Mathews as the new president of the University of Alabama and Joseph F. Volker as president-elect of the new UAB; a search would later be held for the first president of UAH.  Dr. Volker officially assumed office as the first president of UAB on September 5, 1969.  Dr. and Mrs. Volker (left) and Dr. and Mrs. Mathews (right) chat across the table at the announcement press conference.

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Prior to the start of the 1998-1999 season, UAB announced that the season would be the final one for its long-running Town and Gown Theater program.  Six shows were produced as part of that final season:  The Glass Menagerie, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Red Hot & Cole, You Can’t Take it With You, and Cabaret.  The production of Cabaret closed on May 16, 1999, ending the 49-year run of Town and Gown Theater and ending the university’s use of the Clark building on Hatcher Place in Caldwell Park.  In 2000 the Metropolitan Arts Council acquired the old theater building and a renovated and newly renamed Virginia Samford Theatre was reopened in 2002.

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UAB sponsored the inaugural Into the Streets volunteer event day on Saturday, April 10, 1999.  Over 300 students participated in a wide variety of sponsored events, such as planting flowers and trees, painting houses, and picking up litter around the city and along the Cahaba River.  Dr. Virginia Gauld, Vice President for Student Affairs (far left), joined students from UAB Greek organizations as they spent time doing some urban farming.

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The former home of the Second Presbyterian Church was acquired by UAB in 1970 and soon afterward became the home of the UAB-affiliated Alabama Ballet; the building became known as the Ballet House.  In 1985 the building was renamed as the Honors House when it became home to UAB's new Honors Program.  The old church building was renovated with funding provided by William and Virginia Spencer, and the newly renamed Spencer Honors House reopened on March 18, 2002.

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In January 1970 UAB employees and students approved by campus vote a referendum to create a Senate that would be comprised of faculty, staff, and student representatives.  The first meeting of the new College of General Studies Senate was held February 11, 1970.  The 39-member Senate included elected faculty, staff, and students and administrators appointed by the dean of the College of General Studies.  During the fall term of 1971, the Senate was renamed as the University College Senate following the creation of the new administrative entity University College.  In 1980 the Senate was reconstituted as a faculty-only body to serve as an advisory voice for the faculty in the various units within University College.  After a multi-year process, in 1995 President J. Claude Bennett approved a campus-wide UAB Faculty Senate and this Senate first met on June 30, 1995.

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UAB instituted a homecoming celebration to coincide with its new NCAA-level basketball program, which had debuted in the fall of 1978.  The festivities in January of 1979 included basketball games for the new men's and women's teams, an on-campus bonfire, and a homecoming dance for students.  Homecoming would remain a part of the basketball season until 1994 when the celebration was moved to the fall to coincide with football season.

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Santa Claus shares the cheer with staff at work in University Hospital during the holiday season.

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UAB began NCAA-level basketball play on November 24, 1978, with an inaugural game against the University of Nebraska before a crowd of over 14,800 in the arena at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center.  Coach Gene Bartow's Blazers lost 64-55.  Five days later, Coach Fran Merrell and the Women's Basketball team competed in their first game at the BJCC; the Blazers lost to the University of North Alabama 82-77.

This month we celebrate the 40th anniversary of an intercollegiate athletics program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.  Today, UAB provides eleven sports teams for female students and seven for male students.  There are also three spirit and two band programs that support the athletic program and entertain event attendees.  Go Blazers!

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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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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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Students enjoy a class outside on a summer afternoon, 2000.  Total enrollment at UAB in 2000 was 15,921 with 10,331 undergraduate students.  As of the fall of 2017, total enrollment at UAB was 20.902 students, a record high for the university, with a 6.18 percent increase in undergraduate students, 10.51 percent increase in graduate students, and 4.36 percent increase in doctoral and professional students.  The incoming freshman class of 2017 was also a record high of 2,299.

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The groundbreaking ceremony for a major expansion of the university's medical center was held on July 30, 1968.  This ceremony heralded the groundbreaking for three new facilities at the growing campus in Birmingham: a new health sciences library (Lister Hill Library), a new basic sciences building (Volker Hall), and a new home for the School of Nursing.  Those seated on the platform included the president of the university, the executive vice president, and the deans of dentistry, medicine, and nursing.  Looking east from along Seventh Avenue South are, in the background, Jefferson Tower (right) and the construction of the Sparks Center (left).

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Engineering students assemble a mechanical arm, June 1978.  UAB students work on improving the prototype of the device for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) student competition.

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The Kaul Human Genetics Building was constructed on the site of UAB's Tidwell Hall and it was dedicated on May 21, 2001.  The new eight-story Kaul Building was home to the genetics department as well as the new Howell and Elizabeth Ann Heflin Center for Human Genetics and the Finley Conference Center.  The Finley Conference Center was named in honor of Drs. Wayne H. and Sara C. Finley, long-time UAB faculty who established the first genetics laboratory in the Southeastern United States.

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The spring graduation for 1988 was held in the new UAB Arena, the first time a commencement ceremony had been held on the university’s campus. The arena opened in May 1988 and graduation was held on June fifth. UAB awarded degrees to 3,260 students.

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In a ceremony in the auditorium of the Engineering Building [Cudworth Hall], UAB commemorated the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  The event was held during the ten-year anniversary of King’s assassination.  The keynote speaker, Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker (seated third from left), was the chief-of-staff for Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.  Funding for the event was provided by the UAB student government and graduate student associations.

UAB celebrated Black History Week as early as 1975 with a series of lectures, dances, and art shows.  Following national trends, UAB changed to a month-long celebration in 1977.

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At a basketball game on January 9, 1993, UAB unveiled a new mascot, the Blazer.  The mascot scared children at the basketball games, and many segments of the university community objected to the sword carrying militant Viking-like warrior.  The Blazer was withdrawn before the start of the fall football season.  It would be two years before a new mascot, Blaze the Dragon, would be unveiled.

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The world premiere of The Poor Little Matchgirl was on December 16, 1988, at UAB. The musical by Amos D. Carroll was based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen, and it was produced by UAB Town and Gown Theatre, with James F. Hatcher as producer and director.

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On November 26, 1958, an open house served as the official dedication of a new home for the nursing school operated by University Hospital. Prior to its acquisition, this building had been home to a beloved-Southside barbecue restaurant, known as Dr. Gus' BBQ. The program's occupancy of the building was short-lived, however, as the building was demolished in 1966 to make way for the Center for Developmental and Learning Disorders [Sparks Center].

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The Kaleidoscope, was first issued at the Birmingham campus on October 26, 1967. Patrick Cather was the founding editor and Melinda Hidle was co-editor. The newspaper first appeared as a monthly; currently the Kaleidoscope is a weekly paper available in print and online.

For more information, and for current issues of UAB's student paper, see the website of the Kaleidoscope at http://www.uab.edu/studentmedia/kaleidoscope.

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The first home game for the UAB Blazers as an NCAA Division III team was held at Legion Field. UAB lost to the Crusaders of Evangel College (Missouri). The Blazers recorded their first home win on November 9, defeating Hastings College by a score of 9-7.

This month, UAB returned to the football field after an absence of two seasons. The Blazers defeated the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M by the score of 38-7. A record crowd of 45,212 attended the game at Legion Field on September 2, 2017.

Go Blazers!!!

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Merrell, a former UAB student, became the first head coach of the Lady Blazer's basketball team in August 1977. Prior to the establishment of an NCAA-approved athletics program, UAB had offered intramural and intercollegiate teams for its students. The new Lady Blazers basketball team took the court for the first time on November 29, 1978. Merrell coached at UAB until 1981.

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On July 12, 1902, cornerstones were laid for two new buildings, one for the Hillman Hospital and one for the adjacent Birmingham Medical College. The Hillman Hospital was originally founded as a charity hospital in 1888 by a group of Birmingham women. In 1897 the hospital's governing entity was incorporated by the State of Alabama; the names of these incorporators, the "Board of Lady Managers," appeared on the cornerstone of the new building. Hillman Hospital was opened in July 1903; it remains today on the UAB campus and is known as the "Old Hillman Building."

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Paula Dennis demonstrates the largest camera on the UAB campus, the Print Plant’s new room-sized process camera. The camera used 32 x 32 inch film and a 40 x 50 inch copy board. The Print Plant was moved into a leased building on the 2100 block of 5^th Avenue South in 1976 and the university acquired several new pieces of equipment to meet the production needs of the UAB community.

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The expanded and renovated Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences was rededicated in formal ceremonies on May 2, 1997. The original three-story building was opened in 1971 and had been named in honor of Lister Hill, Alabama's long-time member of Congress.

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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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Before a major move of printed material could be accomplished, new shelving had to be installed by library staff, students, and volunteers. Over 200,000 library volumes were then moved onto the shelving in the new addition of the Mervyn H. Sterne Library so that the original portion of the building could be renovated.

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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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On January 25, 1997, the arena was formally rededicated as the Gene Bartow Arena, renamed in honor of UAB’s founding Athletic Director and first coach of the men’s basketball team. Coach Bartow made the first shot in the building when the UAB Arena had originally been dedicated on May 19, 1988.

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UAB was granted a license for a public radio station early in 1976, and the station went live on Sunday the fifth of December. WBHM originally broadcast seven-days a week between 6:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. and was housed in the old mathematics building at 11^th Street South; it remains in the same location today. UAB and the Birmingham community are currently celebrating the 40^th anniversary of listener-supported WBHM 90.3 FM Radio.

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On this anniversary of the station, the UAB Archives is pleased to announce the opening of a WBHM archival collection that contains photographs, scrapbooks, publications, etc.  Click here to contact the UAB Archives for information on Record Group 46, WBHM 90.3 FM Radio.

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

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The Frank and Kathleen Ellis Ryals Building, a new home for the School of Public Health, was dedicated October 29, 1996. The Ryals was the first building constructed solely for use by the school. Previously other facilities around campus had been used by Public Health as space became available. Dr. Eli Capilouto was dean of the school from 1994 until 2001. He was Provost of UAB from 2002 until 2011.

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On September 15, 1966, the extension program in Birmingham was officially renamed as the College of General Studies. There were 4,600 students enrolled in courses in business, education, engineering, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. Dr. George W. Campbell was named as first dean of the new college.

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The first major addition to University Hospital in decades, the North Wing was dedicated during ceremonies held August 20-21, 1966. The seven story addition provided space for the emergency department, new operating suites, diagnostic radiology, and 100 beds for psychiatric patients. This western side of North Wing is no longer visible as the Quarterback Tower currently stands where the parking lot existed at the time of the dedication.

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Dr. Alan R. Dimick (left) and Dr. John W. Kirklin (right) provide a hospital tour for a member of the Shriner organization. Kirklin, a renowned surgeon at the Mayo Clinic, was recruited to Birmingham in July of 1966. At UAB he served as chair of the surgery department, as director of the cardiothoracic surgery division, as hospital chief-of-staff, and as founder and president of the Health Services Foundation. He retired from UAB in 1997.

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Dr. Joan F. Lorden, dean of the Graduate School, hoods Stevie Wonder during UAB's commencement ceremony.  UAB awarded the honorary Doctor of Music degree to Stevie Wonder, the world-renowned singer, composer, and musician.  Wonder worked extensively over the years with long-time UAB faculty member Dr. Henry S. Panion, III, who served as chair of the UAB music department from 1994 until 2000.

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Dr. John D. Jones, vice president for Student Affairs, watches a member of the UAB community participating in the groundbreaking for a new international house. The Bertha and Joseph Smolian International House on 10^th Avenue South was formally dedicated on April 28, 1992. It was named in honor of long-time UAB benefactors; an earlier International House on 9^th Avenue South had also been named in honor of the Smolians.

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Dean Harold P. Jones speaks to those assembled, including UAB President W. Ann Reynolds, for the dedication of the first campus facility — visible in the background — constructed solely for the School of Health Related Professions (SHRP). In April of 2006 the school was renamed as the School of Health Professions (SHP), and in 2013 a two-story addition was completed on the school's building.

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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!!!

Dr. Lamar joined the UAB faculty in 1973 and in 1978 was named as associate vice president and dean of Student Affairs, the first African American named to a senior administrative position at UAB. Dr. Lamar received the 1994 President’s Medal and remained at UAB until his retirement in 1998. UAB established a student scholarship in his name.

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Outside the department’s headquarters with a fleet of patrol cars are (left to right): patrolmen J. C. Johnson, Doug Gilmer, Les Nicholson, Jim Hicks, and Sgt. Paul Harrington. The police department was organized in 1972 and occupied a building at 910 South 15^th Street until 1992 when the department was moved to a newly acquired building on South 14^th Street. The old headquarters building was later used by several UAB departments before being demolished for the construction of the Campus Green.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #0605

Primitiva Isar (left) and Leonides Bulawin (right), who were working in the hospital as Exchange Visitor Nurses, enjoy a visit with Santa Claus.

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When the medical school was established in Birmingham, the university acquired the former Cullom Apartments for use as faculty and student housing.  The 18 apartment buildings fronted South 20^th Street and 8^th Avenue South. The buildings later held various campus offices, such as the Urban Affairs Institute and offices for anthropology, art, chemistry, biology, and natural sciences. In 1962 some of the buildings were demolished to build the Engineering Building [Cudworth Education Center]. The remaining buildings were demolished in 1969 for the construction of the Kahler Plaza Hotel [Birmingham Hilton Hotel].

Image ID: MC51, #152a

The new UAB mascot was unveiled on October 18, 1995, and debuted to the public at a basketball game in Bartow Arena on January 6, 1996. The green dragon named Blaze is the university’s fourth mascot since 1978 when the athletic program was established. Student Wyndall Ivey was the first student to don the dragon costume.

Image ID: P23.1

The Army ROTC program at UAB was established in September 1980 with 12 student cadets. In 1983 UAB was granted host institution status and became home to the newest battalion of the Army Reserve Officer Training Corps. UAB’s Army ROTC program is currently headquartered in the 501 Building on 12^th Street South.

Image ID: P7.2.6, #0021