Phyllis Pope the first Miss UAB, 1983
March 2023 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: Phoenix yearbook 

 
UAB Bookstore on South 15th Street
February 2023 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P8.1.1, #0013

Martin Luther King Day, 1991
January 2023 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #0027

Dressed in a special UAB suit, Santa Claus wishes everyone on campus a happy holiday season
December 2022 Image of the Month

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

Image ID: Bulletin, 1975

Thirty Years of Preserving University History
November 2022 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P6

UAB Homecoming Gurney Derby, 2007
October 2022 Image of the Month

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).

Image ID: A2018-06P

UAB selected as a top university
September 2022 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #0564

Students and the UAB Mounted Police during an event for new students, 1998
August 2022 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: A2004--03P

UAB welcomes visitors to campus and to Birmingham
July 2022 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: A2007-11P

University Boulevard closed for construction, circa 1974
June 2022 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.3.1, #0233

Health Sciences Research Building, circa 1960
May 2022 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #0356

UAB International Festival, 1987
April 2022 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: A2007-11P

President Claude Bennett and the new UAB license plate
March 2022 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: A2001-17P

UAB Women's Softball begins competition, 2000
February 2022 Image of the Month
UAB's new Division I softball team defeated Samford University 2-0 in its inaugural home game, held at George Ward Park on February 12, 2000.  Twenty-three student-athletes comprised the new team which was coached by UAB alumna Marla Townsend.  UAB President W. Ann Reynolds threw out the first pitch and several hundred fans turned out to watch the Blazer’s newest NCAA-level team.

Image ID: A2004-03P

Students build snowmen in the UAB Mini Park
January 2022 Image of the Month
UAB students took advantage of a rare Birmingham snowfall in 1992 and made snowmen in the UAB Mini Park adjacent to the School of Education Building.  The Education Building was demolished in 2021 and is being replaced by the first building of the university's planned science and engineering complex.

Image ID: P7.3.13

Dr. Larry DeLucas receives the inaugural Distinguished Alumnus Award, December 1991
December 2021 Image of the Month
Dr. Lawrence "Larry" DeLucas (left) receives from President Charles A. McCallum, Jr., the inaugural Distinguished Alumnus Award of the UAB National Alumni Society during the commencement ceremony on December 8, 1991.  DeLucas earned five degrees from UAB, the BS and MS in Chemistry, the BS in Physiological Optics, the OD, and the PhD in Biochemistry, and in 1982 he joined the faculty of the School of Optometry.  In 1991 DeLucas was selected as a payload specialist for the NASA Space Shuttle Program, and he flew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia in June-July 1992 as part of space mission STS-50.

Image ID: P6, #0102

Dr. Robert Karp interviewed by local media
November 2021 Image of the Month
On November 24, 1981, Dr. Robert B. Karp headed the UAB team that performed a heart transplant at University Hospital, the first heart transplant performed in the southeastern United States.  Dr. Karp was a member of the faculty of the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery.

Image ID: P7.2.1, #0211

Lister Hill Library dedicated
October 2021 Image of the Month
The Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences was dedicated in formal ceremonies held on October 19, 1971, as the first building constructed for the university's health sciences library.  Prior to the opening of the new building, the campus library had been housed within the University Hospital complex since the four-year medical school was established in 1945.  When completed in 1971, the new facility was named in honor of Lister Hill, the former Senator and Congressman from Alabama who had spent over four decades in Washington as a proponent of, among others, medical libraries, medical education, and of healthcare for Americans.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #1458

Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center opened, September 22, 1996
September 2021 Image of the Month
Leonard Slatkin conducts the National Symphony Orchestra during the official opening of the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center on September 22, 1996.  The Jemison Concert Hall opened as part of the first phase of UAB's new fine arts facility.  The building's other venues, the Sirote Theatre, the Odess Theatre, and the Reynolds-Kirschbaum Recital Hall, would open three years later as part of phase two.  A new home for the Department of Theatre, phase three, would be opened in 2005.

Image ID: P7.3.13, #1327

University College students relax in front of new sign
August 2021 Image of the Month
On August 1, 1971, UAB's College of General Studies was reorganized and renamed as University College, an administrative entity initially consisting of four academic schools: the School of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Education, and School of Engineering.  Dr. George W. Campbell, former dean of the College of General Studies and former director of the Birmingham Extension Center, became the inaugural Vice President for University College.  Students Judith Haney and Allen Barra, the editor of the Kaleidoscope student newspaper, helped the university promote the newly renamed entity.

Image ID: P7.3.3, #0046

US Men's Soccer train on the UAB campus, July 1996
July 2021 Image of the Month
During the 1996 Summer Olympics, Birmingham's Legion Field hosted nine men's and women's soccer matches.  UAB provided practice space for several of the teams playing in the Atlanta Centennial Olympic Games, including the US men's team.

Earlier this year, UAB was announced as a host for the forthcoming World Games, to be held in Birmingham in July 2022.  Visiting athletes, coaches, and officials will be housed in UAB residence halls and four athletic competitions (lacrosse, tug-of-war, racquetball, and squash) will be hosted in venues on the UAB campus.  UAB Medicine will also be the official sponsor of medical services for the World Games.

Image ID: 6.3 (UAB Soccer Media Guide, 1997)

UAB outdoor sculpture, circa 2000
June 2021 Image of the Month
Installed in front of UAB's Bell Theatre, Central Axis, a cast iron, concrete, and steel piece by artist Harold "Skip" Van Houten, was acquired for the university's permanent collection as part of the 1996-1997 Samuel B. Barker Outdoor Sculpture Competition.  The competition was named in honor of arts patron and benefactor Dr. Samuel B. Barker, inaugural dean of the UAB Graduate School and a member of the university faculty for more than thirty years.  Dr. Barker, who acquired many art works for UAB, thought that a university should place art where students would experience it on a regular basis.

Image ID: P7.3.13

Bracie Watson, Jr., Student Government Association President
May 2021 Image of the Month
In May 1971 senior Bracie Watson, Jr. (Biology), became the first African American student elected as president of the UAB student government association.  Watson was most likely the first African American student in the state of Alabama elected as the president of a student government association outside of the state's historically black colleges and universities (HBCU).

Image ID: Annual Report yearbook

Dedication of Children's Hospital, 1961
April 2021 Image of the Month
On April 30, 1961, a dedication ceremony was held for the new Children's Hospital in the university medical center.  U.S. Senator Lister Hill (Ala.) was the featured speaker at the dedication.  Located on Sixth Avenue South, the $2.9 million hospital was a "new concept" in that it was built as a "complete hospital" for children from birth to the age of 18 years.  It was the only such institution in the state of Alabama and replaced an older facility located on 30th Street South.  Faculty, residents, staff, and students from the medical center have been connected to the hospital since it was first opened.

Image ID: P7.2..7, #1433

UAB MedWise Takes the Stage at the Riverchase Galleria, 1994
March 2021 Image of the Month
The UAB Blazer Band, conducted by band director Clifford Winter, performed for the crowds at the center court stage at the Galleria.  UAB MedWise, a life styles and outreach program for senior citizens, was established at UAB in 1991 with George N. Mickwee as program director.  In 1993 some 300 UAB personnel from across the university and medical center assisted with the week-long event at Hoover's Galleria.  MedWise included health screenings for the community, info talks on topics of interest to seniors, and entertainment by local and national artists.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #1113

University College Building No. 1 and Mervyn H. Sterne Library
February 2021 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P1, #0675

UAB National Alumni Society House Dedicated, 2011
January 2021 Image of the Month
President Carol Z. Garrison (far left), Malcolm Portera, chancellor of the three-campus University of Alabama System (far right), and other UAB associates cut the ribbon during the dedication ceremony for the UAB National Alumni Society House, January 20, 2011. 

Image ID: A2018-13P

University Hospital decorated for the holiday season, 1965
December 2020 Image of the Month
In ceremonies held December 26-30, 1940, Jefferson County officials dedicated the county's new private-pay hospital, and Jefferson Hospital was opened for patients the following February.  In 1944 Jefferson Hospital and the adjacent Hillman Hospital were deeded to the University of Alabama for use as part of the university's new medical center in Birmingham.  Renamed as Jefferson Tower in 1979, the building remains a major component of UAB's multi-block hospital complex.

Image ID: P16.1.1, #0509

UAB Women’s Synchronized Swimming team, circa 2000
November 2020 Image of the Month
In 1999 UAB became one of just a handful of academic institutions to sponsor an intercollegiate synchronized swimming team, and the new team debuted in an exhibition at the aquatic center in the Bell Gym on November 18, 1999.  In 2002 the Blazers finished third in the Collegiate Nationals competition – the team’s highest national ranking.  In 2008 UAB administration announced that the team would be eliminated at the end of the 2009 academic year.

Image ID: A2007-11P

UAB booth at the Alabama State Fair
October 2020 Image of the Month
In 1970 UAB provided those attending the Alabama State Fair with an informational booth to highlight the new university's health science and academic components.  Within the booth, large stacked acrylic blocks spelled out U.A.B.

The Alabama State Fair was held annually at the state fairground in the Central Park neighborhood in western Birmingham.  The old fairground site is currently the location of the Birmingham CrossPlex, the indoor home facility for UAB Blazer track and field.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #0860

UAB defeats LSU on homecoming 2000
September 2020 Image of the Month

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!!

Image ID: A2018-06P

Computer Assisted Instruction at UAB
August 2020 Image of the Month
At the start of the new term, six computer terminals were designated to provide tutorial assistance for classes in algebra and in genetics in a pilot project believed to have been the first such program offered in the southeastern US.  The terminals were located in the Instructional Resource Center, housed in University College Building No. 1 (today's School of Education Building), and the program was overseen by UAB Special Studies.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #0653

Mowing the median along Eighth Avenue South, 1979
July 2020 Image of the Month
A member of the UAB grounds staff keeps the grass cut along one of Birmingham's busiest thoroughfares in this image looking east along Eighth Avenue South.  Like then, UAB staff in grounds, as well as maintenance and housekeeping, continue working at the university even during the current period of limited business operations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  With an east-west pathway through the middle of the UAB campus, Eighth Avenue South was renamed as University Boulevard in 1981.

Image ID: P7.3.1, #0220

UAB’s First Commencement Ceremony, June 7, 1970
June 2020 Image of the Month
President Joseph F. Volker (left) presents a diploma to one of UAB's first graduates.  The new university awarded diplomas to 478 graduates during an evening ceremony held in the city auditorium on Sunday, June seventh.  Ronald T. Acton received a PhD in Microbiology, becoming the first person to receive a degree from UAB, and President Volker received the university's first honorary degree.

Image ID: P7.2.11, #0022

UAB Campus Recreation Center opens, 2005
May 2020 Image of the Month
President Carol Z. Garrison (left) guides visitors through the university's new Campus Recreation Center as it opened to the UAB community on May 1, 2005.  A formal opening ceremony was held later in the summer.  The Campus Recreation Center houses an indoor pool, climbing wall, indoor track, court space, and a fitness center and anchors the northeastern corner of the UAB Campus Green.

Image ID: A2018-13P

University Hospital's Isolation Unit, 1960
April 2020 Image of the Month
The Isolation Unit was located on the twelfth floor of Jefferson Tower.  During a time when hospitals had few antibiotics and undiagnosed infections were more prevalent, it was not uncommon for incoming patients to first be admitted to the Isolation Unit before being transferred to another ward within the hospital.

Image ID: P16.1.12, #4433

Dean Milly Cowles at her desk, 1980
March 2020 Image of the Month
On March 15, 1980, Dr. Milly E. Cowles became the second dean of the School of Education, becoming the second female named as a dean at UAB and the first female dean of a non-health science school.  Cowles had joined the UAB faculty in 1973.  When she retired in 1987, Dr. Cowles was named as a Distinguished Service Professor by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees.

Image ID: P23.3

Nursing students enjoy some off time in Hillman Hospital’s nursing residence, circa 1910
February 2020 Image of the Month
The Hillman Hospital Training School for Nurses opened soon after the 1903 completion of the new hospital facility.  The first class of nursing students graduated February 28, 1905, with Elizabeth Hale of Birmingham as the program’s first graduate.  The hospital-based diploma school became part of the university in 1945 when the university’s medical center was established in the Jefferson and Hillman hospitals.  The last class graduated from the hospital school in 1969 and the program was eliminated.

Image ID: MC51, #125h

All shook up at a basetball game, January 1992
January 2020 Image of the Month
UAB mascot Beauregard T. Rooster marked the January 4th men's basketball game against Memphis State University by dressing as Elvis Presley, one of the city's most famous residents.  The MSU Tigers defeated the UAB Blazers before a sell-out crowd of 8,510 and ended UAB's 13-game winning streak.

Image ID: P6.1, #1525a

Tree decorating at the Friendship House, 1976
December 2019 Image of the Month
Members of UAB's international community decorate a holiday tree with ornaments representing their native lands, including Columbia, Denmark, Guatemala, Japan, and Wales.  The Friendship House was located on the side of Red Mountain on 28th Street South and was adjacent to UAB's Smolian House.  The Friendship House served as a hospitality center for UAB from 1965 until 1988.  The garden located between the Smolian and Friendship houses was dedicated in 1977 as UAB's International Friendship and Peace Garden.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #0086

Students in front of Tidwell Hall, 1969
November 2019 Image of the Month
During the first term of the new university, there were 5,381 students enrolled at UAB in the fall of 1969.  Tidwell was the campus home to all non-health science classes offered by UAB as part of the College of General Studies.  The old apartments in the background, which housed various university administrative and academic offices, were located at the corner of 20th Street and 8th Avenue South -- the site of today's Hilton Birmingham at UAB.

Image ID: Annual Report yearbook

Vietnam Moratorium Protest, 1969
October 2019 Image of the Month
One month after becoming its own independent university, a protest was held on the UAB campus to support a moratorium on the Vietnam War, part of protests and demonstrations held nationwide on that same day.  The UAB protest was held in front of Tidwell Hall, the home of the College of General Studies.  Tidwell was located on South 20th Street where the Hugh Kaul Human Genetics Building is currently located.

Image ID: P7.2.2, #2073

Volker speaks at testimonial dinner, September 5, 1969
September 2019 Image of the Month
On September 5, 1969, Dr. Volker officially became the first president of UAB, a new university within the three-campus University of Alabama System.  Volker had been named president-elect of the new university the previous June.  On his first day in office, the Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Action Committee, and Operation New Birmingham hosted a testimonial dinner to honor and celebrate the new university and its inaugural president.  Several hundred civic, business, academic, and political leaders attended the black-tie dinner at the Municipal Auditorium [today's Boutwell Auditorium].

Image ID: A90-01

Clinical instruction in the dental clinic, 1969
August 2019 Image of the Month
Students enrolled in the dental school and in the dental assistant and hygienist programs receive clinical training experiences in the school's clinic.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #0271a

Groundbreaking ceremony for UAB's next advance in health care, July 14, 2000
July 2019 Image of the Month
Breaking ground for the North Pavilion, a major expansion for University Hospital, were numerous university and system officials including (front row, second from left) Dr. W. Ann Reynolds, UAB president, and (front row, second from right) Dr. Thomas C. Meredith, chancellor of the three-campus University of Alabama System.  The 11-story North Pavilion, which occupies almost an entire city block, was completed in 2004.  The facility's emergency department is the size of a football field.

Image ID: A2018-13P

Joseph and Juanita Volker chat with David and Mary Mathews, June 16, 1969
June 2019 Image of the Month

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.


Image ID: P1, #0380

Clark Memorial Theater Building, circa 1990
May 2019 Image of the Month

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.


Image ID: P45.2

Into the Streets Day, 1999
April 2019 Image of the Month

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.


Image ID: P7.3.13

UAB Honors House, circa 1999
March 2019 Image of the Month

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.


Image ID: P7.3.13

College of General Studies Senate, circa 1971
February 2019 Image of the Month

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.


Image ID: Annual Report yearbook

Homecoming Bonfire, 1979
January 2019 Image of the Month

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.


Image ID: Phoenix yearbook

Hospital Staff with Santa Claus, 1967
December 2018 Image of the Month

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


Image ID: P16.1.3, #2740

UAB Basketball Game, November 1978
November 2018 Image of the Month

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!

Image ID: MC67, #0002

Susan Mott Webb Building Dedication
October 2018 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #2525

Intramural Game
September 2018 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.3.1, #1018

Students on the UAB campus
August 2018 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.3.13

Expansion Groundbreaking Ceremony, July 30, 1968
July 2018 Image of the Month

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).

Image ID: P1, #0283

Engineering students assemble a mechanical arm, June 1978
June 2018 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID:  P7.4.1, #0699

Hugh Kaul Human Genetics Building, 2001
May 2018 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID:  P7.3.13

UAB Commencement, 1988
April 2018 Image of the Month

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.


ID: P23.3

The Veterans Administration Hospital Dedicated
March 2018 Image of the Month
Construction for a hospital for veterans began in October 1949 at the University of Alabama’s new medical center in Birmingham.  Roy R. Kracke, MD, dean of the medical school, was a member of President Truman’s Special Medical Advisory Group on Veterans Affairs and was chiefly responsible for the location of the facility in Birmingham.  The hospital was completed in January 1953 and was formally dedicated on March 22, 1953.  The hospital contained 400 beds for veterans, but it also provided much-needed laboratory, research, and clinical space for medical and dental school faculty, many of whom had joint appointments with their school and with the VA.  Students were also able to receive clinical training in the new hospital.

ID: MC51 #152a

Martin Luther King Commemoration at UAB
February 2018 Image of the Month

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.

ID: P23.3

enter brief desc here
January 2018 Image of the Month

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.

ID: P7.3.13

Three young actors on the set of a play
December 2017 Image of the Month

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.

ID: P45.2

A group of students walk in front of the University Hospital School of Nursing
November 2017 Image of the Month

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].

Image ID: P16.1.1, #062

Two members of the Kaleidoscope staff work at their desks
October 2017 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #1919

A football player runs past a defender
September 2017 Image of the Month

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!!!

Image ID: P6.1

Fran Sharp Merrell poses with a basketball above the court
August 2017 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P23.3

Hillman Hospital Cornerstone
July 2017 Image of the Month

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."

Image ID: P16.1.1, #0293

A woman adjusts a large process camera
June 2017 Image of the Month

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 5th Avenue South in 1976 and the university acquired several new pieces of equipment to meet the production needs of the UAB community.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #0165

Exterior of Lister Hill Library for the Health Sciences
May 2017 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.3.13

President McCallum, Jr. sits on the side of his desk
April 2017 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.2.1, #1082

Shelving being installed in Sterne Library
March 2017 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P23.3

A woman types on a computer
February 2017 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #2229

A ladder extends up from a truck to the Bartow Arena sign
January 2017 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: #P23.3

A female dj in the studio
December 2016 Image of the Month

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 11th Street South; it remains in the same location today. UAB and the Birmingham community are currently celebrating the 40th anniversary of listener-supported WBHM 90.3 FM Radio.

Image ID: P46.1

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.

A man sits inside an elevator decorated for Thanksgiving
November 2016 Image of the Month

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

Image ID: P7.4.1, #2262

Dean Capilouto poses on a set of steps
October 2016 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P6, #0003

Two students talk outside the College of General Studies building
September 2016 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.3.3, #0088

Exterior of the North Wing
August 2016 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P16.1.3, #3208

A shriner stands between two physicians examining equipment
July 2016 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.2.8, #0359

Dr. Lorden fixes a graduation hood on Stevie Wonder
June 2016 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.3.13, #0962

A man leans over a hole in the ground as a speaker behind a lecturn watches
May 2016 Image of the Month

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 10th Avenue South was formally dedicated on April 28, 1992. It was named in honor of long-time UAB benefactors; an earlier International House on 9th Avenue South had also been named in honor of the Smolians.

Image ID #P23.3

A man addresses a crowd at the new School of Health Professions building
April 2016 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P23.2

Four members of the UAB men's basketball team pose with a trophy
March 2016 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: Media Guide

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!!!

Aaron L. Lamar, Jr. shakes hands with a student while another student looks on
February 2016 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #0694

Police officers stand next to their cars
January 2016 Image of the Month

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 15th Street until 1992 when the department was moved to a newly acquired building on South 14th 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

Two female nurses pose with Santa Claus
December 2015 Image of the Month

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

Image ID: P16.1.2, #2368

Exterior of the Medical Center Dormitories and Apartments
November 2015 Image of the Month

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 20th Street and 8th 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

Blaze stands with two male cheerleaders on a basketball court
October 2015 Image of the Month

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

Members of the ROTC Color Gaurd stand at attention
September 2015 Image of the Month

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 12th Street South.

Image ID: P7.2.6, #0021

Two female students walk across the pedestrian bridge
August 2015 Image of the Month

These students make good use of the new pedestrian bridge crossing University Boulevard at South 13th Street.  The bridge was completed in 1975 as UAB experienced dramatic growth in the student population. Total enrollment grew from 5,381 in 1969-70 — UAB's first year as an independent university — to 12,119 in 1975-76 the year the footbridge was completed on the western end of the UAB campus. The undergraduate enrollment grew 109% during that time period.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #2065

Exterior of the Kracke Building
July 2015 Image of the Month

The Kracke Clinical Services Building on Seventh Avenue South was dedicated on July 18, 1965, and was named in honor of the late Dr. Roy R. Kracke, the first dean of the four-year medical school in Birmingham. The building had opened in 1929 as a dormitory for students of the nursing school at Hillman Hospital and it remained a nursing student residence until 1963.

Image ID: P8.1.1, #0025

Hippocrates statue dressed in a blue grass skirt with a Bermuda bound sign
June 2015 Image of the Month

Some UAB students, who were leaving campus for the summer, made known their travel plans by decorating Hippocrates for a beach holiday. The 5,000-pound marble sculpture by Greek artist Kostas Georgakas commemorated the Greek father of western medicine. The piece was presented to UAB in 1971 by Sam and Agatha Nakos, local Birmingham business owners, and originally stood in the courtyard in front of the Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences. In 1996 the sculpture was moved into the ground-floor lobby of the newly expanded library building.

Image ID: P17.1.10, #0183

Protestors gather in front of the College of General Studies building
May 2015 Image of the Month

Several hundred students, faculty, and community members held a protest in front of the College of General Studies Building on South 20th Street. The protest was held in support of Kent State University following the deaths of four students who had been killed by the Ohio National Guard on May fourth.

Image ID: P7.3.1, #1026
#may4matters

An African American hospital worker pulls a gurney into a room
April 2015 Image of the Month

By state law and local regulation, the hospital complex at UAB was segregated by race; a sign noting a white waiting room is visible in this image. This situation began to change in 1963 and effective on April 25, 1965, the hospital and the medical center were integrated. A few weeks later, Federal officials toured the UAB Medical Center and concluded that all policies and procedures of racial segregation had been eliminated and the university was in full compliance with federal law.

Image ID: P16.1.2, #0577

Frederick W. Kraus sits at his desk
March 2015 Image of the Month

Dr. Kraus was a member of the dental school faculty and was chief of dental service at the Veterans Administration Hospital.  One of the founders of the Concerned White Citizens of Alabama, Kraus joined those marching in Selma, Alabama, in March of 1965. He later said he hoped the group's participation would give more Alabamians "the courage to stand up for equality."

Image ID: P7.2.1, #0223

Set of the Candles in the Cranebrake play
February 2015 Image of the Month

In 1955 the University’s five-year old Town and Gown Theatre program was moved into a new home, the Clark Memorial Theatre on Highland Avenue. The first production in this new location was Candles in the Canebrake, which opened on February 14, 1955, and told the story of the Vine and Olive Colony settlement near Demopolis, Alabama.

Image ID: P45.2, #0741

On the 60th anniversary of that inaugural performance, the UAB Archives announced the opening of a major collection of Town and Gown archival material, with over 5,000 photographs, hundreds of playbills and event programs, several scrapbooks, and administrative files. Click here to review Record Group 45 or here to contact the UAB Archives for additional information.

Two male employees working in the Hospital Computer Center
January 2015 Image of the Month

Larry Davis (left) and Floyd Miller (right) operate the IBM computers located in the basement of University Hospital.  An automated accounting system for hospital billing and payroll was implemented in 1967.

Image ID: P16.1.2, #2375

A group of art students pose in front of a Christmas tree in the White House
December 2014 Image of the Month

First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton invited college students from around the country to create ornaments depicting the “Twelve Days of Christmas,” the chosen theme for the holiday season. Ornaments submitted by the UAB students were displayed on a 19-foot tree in the Blue Room. The UAB students were given a private tour of the White House as thanks for their contributions.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #1324

Exterior of the Mervyn H. Sterne Library
November 2014 Image of the Month

The library was formally dedicated in May 1973 as part of UAB’s new University College campus.  It was officially rededicated on October 23, 1974, as the Sterne Library in memory of a prominent local civic leader, Civil Rights activist, and UAB supporter.

Image ID: P8.1.1, #0049

A woman studies a rocking chair owned by President John F. Kennedy
September 2014 Image of the Month

Following the 1963 death of President Kennedy, some of his personal papers and memorabilia toured America. Administrators at the Medical Center were responsible for the display being exhibited in Birmingham on September 16-17 in the gymnasium of the Ft. Mortimer H. Jordan National Guard Armory (later UAB’s Mortimer Jordan Hall).

Image ID: P1, #299e

Dr. Kracke sits behind his desk looking at paperwork
August 2014 Image of the Month

Dr. Roy Kracke, became the first dean of the new medical school in Birmingham on August 1, 1944. He had one year to set up the four-year school in the crowded Jefferson Hillman Hospital complex, and the first new faculty were hired by the end of the year. Junior students began clinical training in June 1945. Faculty and staff were moved from Tuscaloosa in September and classes for freshmen began on October 8, 1945.

Image ID: MC51, #4843

President S. Richardson Hall, Jr. sits next to Dr. Virginia D. Gauld
July 2014 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #2736

A woman holds a mace at a graduation ceremony
June 2014 Image of the Month

Dr. Horns-Marsh, professor of Education, carried the UAB Mace when it was first debuted at the June 4, 1989, commencement ceremony. Created by local sculptor Cordray Parker, the mace was commissioned by Justine and Samuel B. Barker. The Barkers were leading patrons of the local arts community, and Dr. Barker was the first dean of the UAB Graduate School.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #1413

Female runners going through a wooded area
May 2014 Image of the Month

The UAB Blazer Cross-Country Team competed in an invitational tournament held at Auburn, Alabama.

The Women's Cross-Country program was initiated in 1979 with Brenda Williams as the first head coach.

Image ID: P6.1, #3975

A patient lies in a circular treatmennt patient with family and medical staff next to her
April 2014 Image of the Month

Hospital Administrator Matthew F. McNulty, Jr. (right), tours Frank E. and Margaret Cameron Spain through the new center named in their honor while hospital staff demonstrate a circular treatment bed. The Spains donated half a million dollars to help fund the Medical Center's rehabilitation facility and the center was officially opened during ceremonies held April 25-26, 1964.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #1549

Three men smile at the camera
March 2014 Image of the Month

Dr. Tinsley R. Harrison (right) was the first Distinguished Faculty Lecturer at UAB. His talk, “Witches and Doctors,” was presented on March 3, 1964, at a banquet held at the Parliament House Hotel. The DFL is the highest honor awarded by UAB to a member of the medical center faculty. In 1975 the event was moved from the spring to the fall. Also pictured in 1964 are (left) Dr. Joseph F. Volker, vice president for Health Affairs, and (center) Dr. Frank A. Rose, president of The University of Alabama.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #1894

For all Distinguished Faculty Lecturers, see the chronological history of UAB

Two old buses
February 2014 Image of the Month

A new UAB-wide transportation system, the Blazer Express, was inaugurated in January 2014, but in earlier years the university also provided transportation options. Old school buses, shown here parked near the Ullman-Bell Complex, were used in the 1970s and 1980s to transport students from parking lots to classrooms and to various university events.

Photo ID: P7.4.2, #0015

Aerial view of the engineering building
January 2014 Image of the Month

Opened for classes during the fall of 1983, the Business-Engineering Complex was formally dedicated on January 21, 1984, as a new home for UAB’s Schools of Business and Engineering.

Photo ID: P29.1, #0042

Outside of University Hospital with a lit up Christmas tree sign
December 2013 Image of the Month

Decorations installed outside the hospital's main entrance on South 19th Street highlighted the "75th Year of Good Health to All." The predecessor entity of the Hillman Hospital had been established in October of 1888 to provide care for Birmingham's needy citizens.

Image ID: P17, #0090

The UAB medical jet in air
November 2013 Image of the Month

The UAB Critical Care Transport Service began in 1983 with transportation by specially equipped ambulance or medical jet. As of 2013 the CCT service has transported over 42,000 patients and has logged more than 27 million miles.

Image ID: P16.1.7, #0028

Three female students stand in the hallway
October 2013 Image of the Month

A large hallway sign placed in University College Building Number 1 proclaimed “The School of Business Supports ‘Our’ Blazers….and the Entire Blazer Team!”  The UAB men’s and women’s teams debuted in basketball games held in 1978. Building Number 1 is the current School of Education Building

Image ID: P7.4.1, #1008

Exterior of the University Hospital Emergency Clinic
September 2013 Image of the Month

On Sunday, September 15, 1963, the emergency clinic at University Hospital received those injured in the bombing of Birmingham's Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. The hospital also received the bodies of the four children killed in the blast.

Image ID: P16.1.1, #0729

A male medical student reads from a textbook
August 2013 Image of the Month

Dr. Tinsley R. Harrison, an Alabama native and long-time member of the UAB faculty, was the author of Principles of Internal Medicine, one of the most widely read textbooks in medical education, a textbook still in use today. Student John A. Harris, shown here, graduated from the medical school in 1966.

Image ID: P7.3.3, #0606

Switchboard operators
July 2013 Image of the Month

Located within University Hospital, the switchboard for the Medical Center was the largest private board exchange in the state and employed a team of 16.  The switchboard operators were also responsible for the hospital’s paging and emergency alarm systems.

Image ID: P16.1.2, #2361

Two men watch a man address the crowd
May 2013 Image of the Month

University College Building No. 1, Building No. 2, Building No. 3, and the library – today’s Education, Chemistry, and Humanities Buildings and Sterne Library – were dedicated in a ceremony held in May of 1973. Governor George C. Wallace spoke at the ceremony one year after he survived an attempted assassination at a presidential campaign stop in Maryland. The Governor’s wheelchair is visible as he stands at the podium.

Image ID: P1, #0342

A policeman adjusts a tape machine
April 2013 Image of the Month

Lt. Leo Woods operates the police department's tape machine.  The Dictaphone 4000 recorded all telephone and radio calls. A Police Department was formally organized at UAB in 1972.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #0605a

Snow lines a street in downtown Birmingham
March 2013 Image of the Month

The Blizzard of 1993, the so-called “Storm of the Century,” impacted 26 states and much of eastern Canada, bringing record snowfall across North America.  Over the weekend of March 12-13 Birmingham received 13 inches of snow but some locations in the metropolitan area received up to 17 inches. This was a record for a single snowfall and was more than ever received during an entire winter season. All activities at UAB except for essential hospital services were cancelled and many staff remained at their jobs for days.

Image: Progress Notes yearbook

A woman smiles as she holds up a telephone directory
February 2013 Image of the Month

Anita Sellers, secretary in the Office of Communications, with the new and enlarged directory for the university campus. The 6x9 inch publication contained 96 pages with a simple alphabetical listing of staff and an administrative listing of offices and programs. The last printed Campus Directory distributed to the UAB campus was released in 2009. The 8x11 inch publication contained over 570 pages.

Image ID: P16.1.2, #2386

Exterior of the 1917 Clinic
January 2013 Image of the Month

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 5th Avenue South in order to protect the confidentiality of the patients.

Image ID: P23.3, #1419

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

Several staff members decorate a Christmas tree and play with donated toys
December 2012 Image of the Month

UAB staff collect items for the annual toy drive.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #0917

Medical center booth at the Alabama State Fair in 1965
November 2012 Image of the Month

The booth for the University of Alabama Medical Center at the fair in Birmingham noted “Teamwork in the Health Sciences” and highlighted the medical school, dental school, and hospital.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #0864

A group of men pose in front of a statue of Christopher Columbus
October 2012 Image of the Month

A marble statue of Christopher Columbus was unveiled on the terrace of the UAB Smolian International House as part of Birmingham’s Columbus Day celebration. The project was supported by the local chapter of the Knights of Columbus and by the Bruno family. UAB President Charles A. McCallum, Jr. (far right), Joseph S. Bruno (center), and other guests are shown with the work of sculptor Ugo Sordelli.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #594

Four members of the UAB marching band stand on a field
September 2012 Image of the Month

Following a debut during an away game, the marching band performed at home for the first time at Legion Field on September 17, 1994, with music professor Clifford Winter (second from right) as band director and student Brian Wilson as the first drum major. UAB had hosted a pep band for basketball games since the late 1970s, but a new NCAA-level football team needed a marching band to perform during half-time shows.

Image ID:  P6, #002

Exterior of The Kirklin Center
August 2012 Image of the Month

In 1990 ground was broken for a new outpatient clinic for The University of Alabama Health Services Foundation.  Designed by renowned architect I.M. Pei, the facility was named in honor of Dr. John W. Kirklin, former chair of the UAB Department of Surgery and former president of the foundation.  The Kirklin Clinic was dedicated on June 5, 1992.

Image ID: P6, #007

Three men march with a banner in front of a parade
July 2012 Image of the Month

Legion Field was a host site for soccer matches as part of the XXVI Olympic Games held in Atlanta, Georgia.  Over 431,200 people attended the eleven matches held in Birmingham.  The West Field on the UAB campus was used as a practice site, and UAB was the location for a reception honoring local volunteers.  This parade traveled down South 20th Street through the UAB campus.

Image ID: P23.1

The Shuttle Columbia at liftoff
June 2012 Image of the Month

Aboard Columbia was Dr. Lawrence “Larry” DeLucas, a member of the UAB faculty and a UAB alumnus.  The university’s first astronaut and the first optometrist in space, Dr. DeLucas was a payload specialist aboard NASA space mission STS-50. Columbia and crew returned to earth on July ninth. This image is an official NASA photograph.

Image ID: P7.3.6, #0120

Yearbook photo of Jimmie Ethel Montgomery
May 2012 Image of the Month

On May 26, 1925, Montgomery received a bachelor's degree in medicine from the two-year basic sciences program at the University of Alabama becoming the first female graduate of the medical school. In 1928 Montgomery received the M.D. from the University of Minnesota. She was a general practitioner in Bibb County, Alabama, and died in 1982.

Image: The Corolla yearbook

Exterior of Hulsey Center
April 2012 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.3.3, #70

A group of men stand on the construction site for the Medical Center
March 2012 Image of the Month

Participants include second from left James W. Morgan, County Commissioner; fifth from left James E. Folsom, Sr., Governor of Alabama; sixth from left Dr. D. J. Gill, state health officer, and seventh from left Dr. George A. Denison, county health officer. Dr. Alfred A. Walker, chair of the county health board, operates the steam shovel. When the building opened in 1948, the health department was able to vacate space in the Jefferson-Hillman Hospital that was needed for the growing medical school and the new dental school.

Image ID: MC51, 127i

Dr. Hill sits behind a desk, signing a peice of paper
February 2012 Image of the Month

Dr. Hill became the second President of UAB on February 1, 1977, and served until his retirement in 1987. He had previously served as Vice President for Health Affairs, as Dean of the medical school, and as first director of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism. Dr. Hill came to UAB in 1954 and he remained involved on the campus until his death in 2003.

Image ID: P7.2.1, #1023

Trash Gordon, UAB's recycling mascot, stands next to President Charles A. McCallum Jr.
January 2012 Image of the Month

Trash Gordon, the new mascot of the UAB Recycling Program, was introduced that month and appeared at events on campus and around the metropolitan area. The program also introduced a new theme: "We're litter free at UAB: reduce it, redo it, recycle."

Image ID: P7.4.1, #337

Santa riding on a chair through the hospital hallways
December 2011 Image of the Month

The University Hospital Maintenance Department began collecting for the Christmas Toy Fund in 1981 to ensure that hospitalized patients received gifts during the holiday.

Image ID:  P16.1.11, #0170

A man watches a woman gives him a shot
November 2011 Image of the Month

University Hospital was the location for UAB staff and employees to receive an inoculation as part of a nation-wide swine flu vaccination effort held during the fall of 1976.

Image ID:  P7.4.1, #043

Sarah Cole Brown displays several items from Reynolds Historical Library
October 2011 Image of the Month

Brown became chief librarian at the Medical Center in 1955 and in October 1971 became the first director of the newly opened Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences.  Brown retired from UAB in 1977.

Image ID: P7.2.1 , #044

A UAB quarterback runs with the ball with a opponent to his side
September 2011 Image of the Month

The university fielded a club team in 1989 but in the fall of 1991 UAB began play as an NCAA Division III team.  In the game played in Jackson, Mississippi, the Blazers lost to Millsaps College.

Image ID:  P6.1, #2742

Women sent and behind a table recruiting for a sorority
August 2011 Image of the Month

The Beta Zeta chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau was established in May of 1970 as the university’s first social sorority.

Image ID:  P7.3.1, #1025

A large whale shaped balloon floats a few feet off of the ground
July 2011 Image of the Month

A group supporting a moratorium against whaling brought a 100-foot hot-air balloon to UAB in order to call attention to the plight of the nautical mammals.

Image ID:  P7.4.1, #1123

A man addresses a crowd
June 2011 Image of the Month

President Charles A. McCallum, Jr., speaks to the crowd assembled for the ceremony.  When opened in 1993 the building was named in honor of Alabama Representative Tom Bevill. Seated on the platform with Dr. McCallum are UAB officials (left to right) Drs. John R. Durant, Vice President for Health Affairs; Victor J. Matukas, Dean of Dentistry; and James A. Pittman, Jr., Dean of Medicine.

Image ID: P6 #01

Dr. Volker and the Bell family stand next to the Bell Building sign
May 2011 Image of the Month

UAB President Joseph F. Volker (left) and members of the Bell family attend the dedication of the Bell Building.  Part of the Ullman-Bell complex, the building was named in honor of the late Dr. George C. Bell, who had served as the first principal of the Ullman High School from 1937 until 1965.

Image ID:  P1, #0364

Brooks Robinson throws a baseball towards the catcher
April 2011 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID:  P6.1, #0698

A mummy enters a cat scan machine as three people watch
March 2011 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID:  P23.3, #572

Outside of Jefferson Hospital
February 2011 Image of the Month

The county’s new hospital was constructed with over $2 million in federal funding and was dedicated in December of 1940.  It was called “the South’s finest private hospital.”  The first patient was admitted to Jefferson Hospital on February 1, 1941; he was a construction worker who had helped lay the building’s foundation.

Image ID:  MC51, #127g

Snow covering the UAB campus
January 2011 Image of the Month

A major winter storm brought snow and freezing rain to the Birmingham region and all UAB activities except for essential services were cancelled.

Image ID:  P7.4.1, #0522

Exterior of Woodward House with a Christmas tree and wreath
December 2010 Image of the Month

The 23-room building atop Red Mountain was completed in 1926 as a home for the Woodward family.  In 1969 the mansion became the official home of the President of UAB.

Image ID:  7.1.1

Two male kitchen workers carry turkeys ready to be cooked
November 2010 Image of the Month

Hospital dietetics supervisors Ollie Griffie, Jr., (left) and Beverly Willingham (right) with some of the 700 pounds of turkey served in University Hospital on the holiday. The dietetics department also prepared over 300 pounds of sweet potatoes and 15 cases of cranberries.

Image ID:  P7.4.1, #0993

Four men group together in their graduation caps and gowns
October 2010 Image of the Month

In a special convocation ceremony at the Medical Center, the two medical school faculty members received honorary Doctor of Science degrees from The University of Alabama.  The previous October, the two physicians had been named Distinguished Professors, the first such designations awarded in the history of the university system.  Pictured at the Birmingham ceremony are (left to right):  President Frank A. Rose, Harrison, Vice President Joseph F. Volker, and Lyons.

Image ID: P7.1.2, #0170

Four female nursing students study a patient chart
September 2010 Image of the Month

Reviewing a patient’s chart are (left to right) Linda West, Instructor June Williamson, Sandra Moody, and Frances Pippen. The School of Nursing was founded in September 1950 and was originally located at The University of Alabama. Nursing students first traveled from the Tuscaloosa campus to the Birmingham medical center in June 1953 to obtain clinical training. In August 1967 the school was moved to Birmingham to become an integral component of UAB.

Image ID: P20.2, #1301

A young female student looks up from a catalog she's holding
August 2010 Image of the Month

A student considers her options during UAB’s campus registration held in the Bell Building gymnasium.

Image ID: P7.3.1, #1015

Exterior of Quarterback Tower
July 2010 Image of the Month

The Monday Morning Quarterback Club Tower was dedicated on July 18, 1977, adjacent to Jefferson Tower.  This addition to University Hospital was made possible by funding from the Monday Morning Quarterback Club, a fundraising arm of the Crippled Children’s Foundation.

Image ID: P16.1.3, #3754

A man hands a basketball to another man
June 2010 Image of the Month

President S. Richardson Hill, Jr., welcomes Gene Bartow (right) to UAB as the university's first athletic director and head coach of a new men's intercollegiate basketball team, June 14, 1977. Dr. Hill recruited Coach Bartow to UAB from his position as head coach of basketball powerhouse UCLA. Bartow served as coach until 1996 and as athletic director until 2000. In 1997 the UAB Arena was renamed Bartow Arena in his honor.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #1180

Students watch a dental procedure being done by an instructor
May 2010 Image of the Month

Volker (far right), the founding dean of the dental school at UAB, spent three months in Thailand as part of a US State Department education program. Volker's trip was the first of many for him and for other UAB faculty, a tradition that has continued for six decades. Today UAB is formally affiliated with several health science institutions in Thailand.

Image ID: P1, #0126

A chemistry student studies a device in the lab
April 2010 Image of the Month

The Department of Chemistry was established in 1966 as one of the original academic units in the College of General Studies. Originally housed within the Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, the chemistry department was part of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics from 1973 until 2009. In January 2010 chemistry became one of the academic departments in UAB's new College of Arts and Sciences.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #1935

Students look on as a patient is under a radiology machine
March 2010 Image of the Month

The School of Health Professions has provided training in radiology technology since the school was originally established in 1969.  But a certificate-level program had been offered within the hospital since 1944.  When the School of Community and Allied Health Resources (today's School of Health Professions) was established, the program in radiology technology was transferred from the hospital to the new school.

Image ID:  , P19.1, #0211

Vionetta Flowers smiles as she signs autographs
February 2010 Image of the Month

Earlier in the month at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah, Flowers and team-mate Jill Bakken won the inaugural Women's Bobsled event.  Upon return to Birmingham, a public celebration was held in Bartow Arena for Flowers, an assistant coach of the UAB track team and an alumna of the university.

Image ID: P7.3.13, #1232

Three men hold a shovel for a ceremony
January 2010 Image of the Month

At the groundbreaking ceremony for a new academic campus are (left to right): Dr. Joseph F. Volker, President of UAB; Albert P. Brewer, Governor of Alabama; and Dr. George W. Campbell, Dean of the College of General Studies. As faculty member Dr. Hubert Harper later remembered, they were in “a blighted environment…streets full of litter…some old houses still standing in the progressive decay… In this depressing environment…we stood in the dying day and the rising chill and witnessed" a very important occasion, the expansion of UAB. The first four buildings of this new western campus would be dedicated in ceremonies held in 1973.

Image ID: P7.2.1, #360

A man and woman in costume dancing
December 2009 Image of the Month

This dinner event is typically held during the Christmas season and is often accompanied by choral music and a play featuring characters from the Middle Ages.

Image ID:  P23.1

An actress in a full dress smiles at an actor in front of her
November 2009 Image of the Month

This play opened on November 10, 1999 as the first UAB Department of Theatre production to be held in the new Sirote Theatre. The work had been adapted by Karma Ibsen to be set in the Antebellum South.

Image ID:  P7.3.13, #085

A group of people stand on steps for a photo
October 2009 Image of the Month

Members of the first class were recruited by Dean Peters and began their studies at the end of September 1969. Pictured are left to right: (front row) Michael E. Raim, Eugenie Sturtevant, Dean Henry B. Peters, Neil M. Bleakley, and Ronald E. Dachelet; and (back row) Nelson G. Crandall, Ernest S. Spohn, Alan G. Tavel, and Gene J. Terrezza. The School of Optometry awarded its first bachelor degrees in physiological optics in 1971 and its first Doctor of Optometry degrees in 1973.

Image ID: P21.2, #0517

President Volker smiles behind his desk
September 2009 Image of the Month

On June 16, 1969, Dr. Volker was named president-elect of the "University of Alabama in Birmingham," and he officially assumed the presidency of the newly independent university on September 5, 1969. The office of the new president was located on the first floor of the Lyons-Harrison Research Building; the same office he had occupied for years as vice president and head of all operations in Birmingham.

Image ID: P1, #0357

A woman talks on the phone
August 2009 Image of the Month

Medical Information Service via Telephone (MIST), which began operation in August 1969, allowed Alabama physicians to call and discuss medical problems with specialists on duty at the UAB Medical Center. Later, the program expanded to physicians from across the country and it became a model for similar programs in other states.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #1010

Exterior of the University College Building number 2
July 2009 Image of the Month

Ground was broken in July 1970 for a new building in the developing campus of University College. This facility was completed and opened in June 1972 as the home to classrooms, laboratories, administrative offices, and several academic units. In 1983 the building was renamed the Physical Sciences Building. Following the completion of a renovation project, in 1995 the facility was renamed the Chemistry Building.

Image ID: P8.1.1, #0052

The Class of 49 stands on steps for a photo
June 2009 Image of the Month

On the trip to Indianapolis, Indiana, were thirty-five faculty, class members and spouses. On June 3, 1949, thirty-one students graduated from the Medical College of Alabama as the first class to complete all four years of medical education in Birmingham.

Image ID: MC51, #127l

A group  of students sit on the grass
May 2009 Image of the Month

Hospital staff enjoy the spring weather by having a picnic outside of the New Hillman building, circa 1993.

Image ID: P16.1.11, #0555

A crowd gathers in the courtyard at Volker Hall
April 2009 Image of the Month

In the courtyard by Volker Hall, School of Optometry, and Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences, UAB hosted a picnic to celebrate reaching $100 million in active research grants and contracts. Twenty years after reaching this major milestone, UAB currently has over $473 million in active extramural funding.

Image ID: P7.4.2, #0138

A group of people pose for a picture
March 2009 Image of the Month

Kracke (seated third from left) graduated in 1924 from the two-year medical school in Tuscaloosa. In 1944 he was named dean of the Medical College of Alabama, the university's newly established four-year school in Birmingham. The medical school had originally been founded in Mobile in 1859 as a proprietary institution. It was first affiliated with the University of Alabama in 1897 and officially became an academic unit of the university in 1907.

Image ID: MC51, #127e

A man stands behind a projector with a new camerman watching
February 2009 Image of the Month

Dr. David P. Lewis, chair of the UAB Department of Economics, spoke to area business executives during an "Economic Outlook '79" seminar hosted by the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, the UAB School of Business, and the UAB Division of Special Studies. Lewis and other speakers predicted the country would experience a "mild recession" by middle of the year.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #1084

Exterior of the hospital complex
January 2009 Image of the Month

The hospital photographed at the time of the establishment of the University of Alabama's Birmingham Medical Center. The tall building (center) is Jefferson Hospital. The building at the right is the newest wing of the Hillman Hospital. This facility had been dedicated January 15, 1929, as a major addition to the hospital. In 1979 the two buildings were officially designated as the New Hillman Building and as Jefferson Tower.

Image ID: MC51, 127q

Four students stand in front a Christmas tree, reaching up
December 2008 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #2555

A professor lectures in front of a classroom
November 2008 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.3.3, #0638

Three dental students examine a large model of the mouth
October 2008 Image of the Month

The three students here, (left to right) Randall O. Laffre, Jr., Robert J. Eustice, and Gerald R. Rowe, were members of the first class to graduate from the School of Dentistry. Fifty-two men, all veterans of World War II, matriculated on October 18, 1948, and fifty would graduate on May 31, 1952.

Image ID: P1, #0221

A professor points to a painting while a student looks on
September 2008 Image of the Month

In 1968 two people were hired to teach art classes part-time. In 1969 the two became full-time instructors within the Division of Humanities. In 1972 UAB began a major in art, and in 1973 the Department of Art was formally organized within the new School of Humanities.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #1923

Three women and a man sit on a bench talking
August 2008 Image of the Month

These students are seated outside of Tidwell Hall on South 20th Street, on the site currently occupied by the Kaul Human Genetics Building.

Image ID: P7.3.1, #1023

Three men in aprons tend to a bbq pit
July 2008 Image of the Month

Preparing the day's meal for a university office picnic are (left to right): Dr. Jerry D. Young, vice president for Finance; Ray Boothe, head of UAB facilities; and Stanley L. Chesser, director of Campus Services and Grounds. The barbecue pit was located on the western edge of campus near South 11th Street and adjacent to the Special Studies and Facilities Management buildings.

Image ID: P16.1.7, #0490

Rundown shack in a field with high rise buildings behind it
June 2008 Image of the Month

On June 10, 1958 university officials obtained 10 ½ blocks of land adjacent to the Medical Center. The Urban Renewal Project allowed the campus to grow west from its original four blocks. This photograph of the 800 block of South 17th Street – the site currently occupied by the Learning Resources Center – clearly illustrates the substandard conditions found immediately west of the campus. University Hospital and the Veterans Administration Hospital are visible in the background.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #0571

Close-up of surgeons hands in an abdomen
May 2008 Image of the Month

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.

Image ID: P7.3.3, #0310

Construction site for the optometry building
April 2008 Image of the Month

The steel structure of a building to house the School of Optometry rises on the UAB campus. The optometry building was dedicated on September 12, 1975 ; it would be renamed the Henry B. Peters Building in 1994 in honor the school's founding dean. In this view looking east from Volker Hall, the Statue of Hippocrates is visible in the original courtyard that was located in front of the Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences.

Photo ID:  P21.2, #0023

Two men stand outside the engineering building
March 2008 Image of the Month

Pictured are (left to right) Don Bowermann, president of the Birmingham Chapter of the American Institute of Industrial Engineers, and Dr. Joseph H. Appleton, professor of Civil Engineering. The AIIE chapter provided funding for the lettering on the building. Dr. Appleton later served as director of the Engineering Division from 1967 until 1971 and as first dean of the School of Engineering from 1971 until 1978. The engineering program began in the 1940s and was the first non-health related program at UAB where students could complete all of their coursework in Birmingham.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #0305

A woman shakes had with a man while another man looks on
February 2008 Image of the Month

Dr. Reynolds, an Alabama native, selected the medical school in Birmingham as home for his collection of over 6,000 books, manuscripts and artifacts. The Lawrence Reynolds Library was dedicated on February 2, 1958. Since 1974 the Reynolds Historical Library has been housed within UAB's Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences. The library collection has grown to over 13,000 items and the library is one of three units that comprise UAB Historical Collections.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #1521

A woman sits in front of a computer and looks to the side at the camera
January 2008 Image of the Month

McQueen, who had 25 years of service with the university, was a keypunch supervisor in the Central Computing Facility. In January of 1979 she would also be selected as UAB's first "Employee of the Year."

Image ID: P7.2.1, #0574

Five male students pose with Santa Claus
December 2007 Image of the Month

Smiles all around as Santa Claus stops to chat with medical students in the cafeteria of University Hospital, 1967.

Image ID: P16.1.3, #2739

Several photographs on a table in the UAB Archives department
November 2007 Image of the Month

Formally established in November of 1992 by President Charles A. McCallum, Jr., the UAB Archives is a campus-wide repository charged with maintaining UAB's records of historical value and with collecting the history of the health sciences. Previous attempts to collect historical material by the Department of Medicine and by the Jefferson County Medical Society helped in the development of the new campus repository. The archives was initially housed in the ETS area (pictured here) of the Mervyn H. Sterne Library. In 1998 the UAB Archives became a unit of the Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #723

Cheerleaders carry a homecoming banner in front of the band
October 2007 Image of the Month

Initially UAB celebrated homecoming during the basketball season. The first homecoming was celebrated at UAB in January 1979. After the establishment of an NCAA Division I-AA football team in 1993, the festivities were moved to the fall to be part of football season. The first homecoming celebrated during the fall was held October 1994.

Exterior of the University of Alabama Extension Center
September 2007 Image of the Month

The former home was located at 2131 6th Avenue North and was acquired as part of a mortgage foreclosure. On September 14, 1936 the University of Alabama's Birmingham Extension Center opened in the renovated building. For the first term, 116 students were enrolled. The center remained at this location until 1954 when a new facility opened adjacent to the Medical Center. The old house was later demolished for a parking lot.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #0313

Five students gather, reading pamphlets
August 2007 Image of the Month

In August of 1967 the nursing school was moved from its original home on the campus in Tuscaloosa to Birmingham to become part of the growing Medical Center. The nursing residence hall (later renamed Hixson Hall) offered living and entertainment areas for the students moving to Birmingham.

Image ID: P14, #0127

Students listen to instructor in front of an iron lung machine
July 2007 Image of the Month

Nurse Vivian Brown instructs hospital orderlies in the use of the Tank Respirator (iron lung) as part of University Hospital's in-service education program.

Image ID: P16.1.12, #2505

A woman stands between two men reading a book in the library
June 2007 Image of the Month

Visiting actors Kitty Carlisle Hart (center) and Birmingham native Wayne Rogers (left) view artifacts in the Town and Gown Theatre, May 1978. James F. Hatcher (right) founded the theatre in 1950 and directed it until his retirement from UAB in 1991. Hatcher eventually created a museum in the Clark Theater Building with his collection of letters, photographs, scripts and props; some of the items from that museum are now contained in the Hatcher Collection at the UAB Archives.

Image ID: P7.4.2, #0167

Dump truck and two workers in a construction area
May 2007 Image of the Month

Ground was broken for a major renovation and expansion of UAB's health sciences library in September 1994. The new addition was completed in 1996, the renovation was finished in 1997, and the "new" Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences was dedicated in ceremonies on May 2, 1997.

Therapist helps a patient with a breathing machine
April 2007 Image of the Month

The respiratory therapy program was developed at University Hospital and in 1970 was moved to the university's newest academic school, the School of Community and Allied Health Resources. Today, the respiratory therapy program is housed within the Department of Critical Care in the UAB School of Health Professions.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #1821

Outside entrance of the School of Public Health
March 2007 Image of the Month

The medical center's youngest academic school, the UAB School of Public Health, was approved by the University of Alabama Board of Trustees in May 1981. Until its move to the Ryals Building in 1996, the school was located in Tidwell Hall on South 20th Street (on the site currently occupied by the Kaul Human Genetics Building). At the time of this photo, the building's facade carried the university's official name, the "University of Alabama in Birmingham." In November 1984 the name was changed to the current "University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Image ID: P7.3.1, #219

Two men hold a banner
February 2007 Image of the Month

UAB Athletic Director and Head Basketball Coach Gene Bartow (right) and Ferd Weil (left) of the Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce hang green and gold welcome banners along UAB streets. The UAB Blazer Men's Team won the conference championship, gaining the school's first Sun Belt title. Bartow was named conference Coach of the Year and UAB player Oliver Robinson was named conference Player of the Year.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #2023

A dentistry student works on a patient
January 2007 Image of the Month

The dental school was founded in 1948 and the first class graduated in 1952. The clinic facility pictured was completed in 1951 as a portion of the Medical and Dental Basic Science Building (renamed the School of Dentistry Building in 1976).

Image ID: P11, #033

Outside of University Hospital decordated with greenery
December 2006 Image of the Month

University Hospital and a special Christmas visitor send holiday greetings to hospital patients, visitors and staff, circa 1967.

Image ID: P7.3.5: #092

A rooster mascot shows an eye chart to the crowd at a basketball game
November 2006 Image of the Month

On November 24, 1978 the men's basketball team played its first NCAA-level game in front of more than 14,000 fans at the BJCC. The Blazers lost the game to Nebraska. Four days later, the Lady Blazers lost their first game against North Alabama. "Beauregard T. Rooster," the second mascot of UAB, debuted in 1979 and remained the University’s mascot throughout the 1980s.

Image ID: P6, #001

A male and female graduate look at a degree
October 2006 Image of the Month

Homer W. Allgood, Jr., and Virginia D. Hamilton examine a diploma from the medical school's first commencement in Birmingham. Allgood was the first person to receive a diploma at the ceremony and Hamilton was the first female in the history of the medical school to receive the MD degree.

Leadership gather around Governor Albert P. Brewer for a photo
September 2006 Image of the Month

At a press conference in Montgomery, Governor Brewer announced that the "University of Alabama in Birmingham" and the "University of Alabama in Huntsville" would become independent campuses and join the University of Alabama in a new three-campus administrative system. Meeting with the media are (left to right) Daniel T. McCall, Jr., member of the University of Alabama Board of Trustees; Dr. Joseph F. Volker, newly named president of UAB; Juanita Volker; Governor Brewer; Mary Mathews; Dr. F. David Mathews, president of the University of Alabama; and J. Rufus Bealle, Board secretary. Following a search process, Dr. Benjamin B. Graves would be named the first president of UAH in 1970.

Image ID: P1, #0380b

Students registering for class
August 2006 Image of the Month

University College registration, September 1972. Registration for University College was held in the gymnasium of UAB's Bell Building. A total of 7,564 students enrolled in credit and non-credit courses during the two-day registration on September 21-22. Before the days of personal computers and online registration, UAB students would queue for their classes at tables placed around the gym.

Image ID: P7.2.7, #2070

Outside of Hillman Hospital
July 2006 Image of the Month

Hillman Hospital, circa 1928. The Hillman Hospital was dedicated on July 15, 1903, but the history of the hospital itself reaches back to 1888 when a charity hospital was established in the young city of Birmingham. Ground was broken at the corner of South 20th Street and 6th Avenue South for the "new" Hillman Hospital in May of 1902. The Hillman Hospital building remains as part of the UAB Hospital complex.

Image ID: MC51, #127g

Optometrist examines a patient
June 2006 Image of the Month

Optometry student Terrence N. Ingraham examines a patient, May 1978. Ingraham received his O.D. degree from the UAB School of Optometry in June 1978, becoming the first African American graduate of the school.

Image ID: P7.4.1, #0675

Nurse looks at a book
May 2006 Image of the Month

Jo Ann Hyatt, assistant instructor of nursing, examines the rare books housed in the Reynolds Historical Library at the University of Alabama Medical Center, Birmingham, 1958.

Image ID: P7.2.8, #0579