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.
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In February 1973 UAB opened a new bookstore after a move from the store's prior location in the basement of Tidwell Hall. The "new" bookstore, a building which had formerly housed a dry-cleaning business, was located on 15th Street South at the corner of 8th Avenue South. The bookstore remained in this location until it was moved into the original Hill University Center in 1983. This building was again renovated and was renamed as the 15th Street Classroom Building, which provided the academic community with six classrooms and a conference-seminar space. The building was demolished in 2006 as development proceeded on the Campus Green.
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UAB first observed Martin Luther King, Jr., Day as a university holiday in January 1993. But the university had held or participated in various commemorative events in prior years. In 1991 UAB students participated in a wreath-laying ceremony in front of the statue of Rev. King located in the city's Kelly Ingram Park; the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church is in the right background. This ceremony was one of several UAB events held that year to mark King Day.
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In this image from a 1975 campus publication, Santa Claus donned a special UAB suit to wish everyone on campus a happy holiday season.
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This image from 2017 highlights one of the collections held in UAB Archives, the records of the UAB Town and Gown Theatre (Record Group 45). The university's official archival repository was formally established by President Charles A. McCallum, Jr., in November 1992. University Archives, which is one of the three units of the special collections department of the UAB Libraries, is located in the Lister Hill Library Building. It is open for research by appointment to all university associates and to members of the community.
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The Gurney Derby has been part of the UAB Homecoming Week festivities since 1994. Four-member teams decorate and then race a hospital gurney down 13th Street South from the Mervyn H. Sterne Library to the UAB Mini Park and back. In addition to the award for the team with the best race time, an award is presented to the team with the worst race time (the Dead Last Award).
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In the September 28, 1992, issue of U.S. News & World Report, UAB was selected in the magazine's annual best colleges issue as the No. 1 Up and Coming University in the nation. To celebrate, UAB staff placed a banner on the 13th Street pedestrian bridge over University Boulevard so that all traveling through campus would learn of this honor.
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The office of Student Affairs has long hosted an annual event each fall term to welcome new incoming students to the UAB campus. These events provide information on the various student groups and campus organizations, offer live entertainment, and often feature free food for attendees. Formerly held in the UAB Mini Park, more recent fall events have been held on the UAB Campus Green. The 2022 event, Connect Fest, was held on the Green on Sunday, August 21.
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A small brick building on the western edge of the university campus was opened in 1985 as a joint venture between UAB and the Greater Birmingham Visitors and Convention Bureau. Center staff assisted city and campus visitors, were able to assist with hotel and dining reservations, and were able to distribute UAB material and forms during weekends when most university offices were closed. The center was located at the corner of University Boulevard and 12th Street South, at the site of today's University Boulevard Office Building.
In July the university community welcomed the world to UAB and to Birmingham as UAB served as a major partner of the 2022 World Games. Sporting competitions were held at several university facilities, tug-of-war at the track facility, lacrosse at the soccer field, and racquetball and squash in the Campus Recreation Center. UAB residence halls served as the World Games Village and housed visiting athletes and coaches. UAB Medicine was also the official sponsor of medical services for the 2022 World Games. This was not the first time UAB had hosted national and international athletes, as UAB played host to several soccer teams during the 1996 Summer Olympic Games and campus was used as a sporting venue for the 2017 U.S. National Senior Games.
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As an urban university housed in the middle of the city of Birmingham, UAB construction projects and special events often necessitate the closure of portions of streets or of entire streets, for short or extended durations depending on the specific project. This is a common occurrence today, with numerous ongoing construction projects on the campus. But street closure is nothing new to UAB. As is clearly visible in this photograph from circa 1974, Eighth Avenue South, one of the city's main thoroughfares, was closed to traffic to allow work on the streetscape and for continued construction of the optometry building (center background). Eighth Avenue South would be renamed in 1981 as University Boulevard.
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The Health Sciences Research Building, which spans Seventh Avenue South, was dedicated on December 9, 1960. In 1966 an addition was completed on the southern edge of the building, and on November 6, 1966, the newly expanded building was rededicated as the Lyons-Harrison Research Building. It was named in honor of Dr. Champ Lyons (former chair of the Department of Surgery) and Dr. Tinsley R. Harrison (former chair of the Department of Medicine). On April 11, 2022, UAB held a groundbreaking for a project that will result in a complete renovation of the building and its renaming as the Altec/Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Building. The $78 million project is planned for completion in 2024.
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UAB's first International Festival was a multi-day event held in April 1987. It kicked off with an International Food Festival held in the Mini Park. Other events during the week included an arts and crafts bazaar, a talent show, and an open house held in the Smolian International House. UAB had previously hosted an International Food Festival, but in 1987 the festival was expanded to include more activities and events. UAB's International Student Association sponsored the festival.
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The UAB License Plate debuted in April 1991 as part of the state’s collegiate license plate program. The program supported the UAB National Alumni Society and raised funds for student scholarships. The new tag, which was introduced in 1996, was the second tag layout and featured UAB’s new mascot, Blaze the Dragon. Dr. J. Claude Bennett served as the fourth president of UAB from 1993 until 1996. Prior to being named as president, Bennett had been the chair of the university’s Department of Microbiology and chair of the Department of Medicine.
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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.
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University College Building No. 1 and Mervyn H. Sterne Library were among the first four buildings constructed for the new University College campus. The four buildings were dedicated during ceremonies held on May 20, 1973. In September 1983 Building No. 1 was rededicated as the School of Education Building. The education school moved out of its long-time home in 2020, and the building is slated for demolition in order to make way for a new Science and Engineering Complex.
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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.
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On September 23, 2000, the UAB Blazers shocked the LSU Tigers by defeating the Tigers 13-10 in their homecoming game in Baton Rouge. The Blazers, who never trailed during the game, won on a last-second field goal by Rhett Gallego; it was UAB’s first ever win over a team from the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Blazers ended the 2000 season with an overall record of 7-4.
The UAB Blazers began this unprecedented 2020 football season on Thursday, September 3, as one of the nation’s first two FBS games. UAB defeated Central Arkansas 45-35 in a game at Legion Field before 12,000 fans. Go Blazers!!
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At a press conference in Montgomery, Governor Albert P. Brewer and members of the Board of Trustees announced a new three-campus University of Alabama System with separate universities located in Tuscaloosa (UA), Huntsville (UAH), and Birmingham (UAB). The Board named F. David Mathews as the new president of the University of Alabama and Joseph F. Volker as president-elect of the new UAB; a search would later be held for the first president of UAH. Dr. Volker officially assumed office as the first president of UAB on September 5, 1969. Dr. and Mrs. Volker (left) and Dr. and Mrs. Mathews (right) chat across the table at the announcement press conference.
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Prior to the start of the 1998-1999 season, UAB announced that the season would be the final one for its long-running Town and Gown Theater program. Six shows were produced as part of that final season: The Glass Menagerie, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Red Hot & Cole, You Can’t Take it With You, and Cabaret. The production of Cabaret closed on May 16, 1999, ending the 49-year run of Town and Gown Theater and ending the university’s use of the Clark building on Hatcher Place in Caldwell Park. In 2000 the Metropolitan Arts Council acquired the old theater building and a renovated and newly renamed Virginia Samford Theatre was reopened in 2002.
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UAB sponsored the inaugural Into the Streets volunteer event day on Saturday, April 10, 1999. Over 300 students participated in a wide variety of sponsored events, such as planting flowers and trees, painting houses, and picking up litter around the city and along the Cahaba River. Dr. Virginia Gauld, Vice President for Student Affairs (far left), joined students from UAB Greek organizations as they spent time doing some urban farming.
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The former home of the Second Presbyterian Church was acquired by UAB in 1970 and soon afterward became the home of the UAB-affiliated Alabama Ballet; the building became known as the Ballet House. In 1985 the building was renamed as the Honors House when it became home to UAB's new Honors Program. The old church building was renovated with funding provided by William and Virginia Spencer, and the newly renamed Spencer Honors House reopened on March 18, 2002.
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In January 1970 UAB employees and students approved by campus vote a referendum to create a Senate that would be comprised of faculty, staff, and student representatives. The first meeting of the new College of General Studies Senate was held February 11, 1970. The 39-member Senate included elected faculty, staff, and students and administrators appointed by the dean of the College of General Studies. During the fall term of 1971, the Senate was renamed as the University College Senate following the creation of the new administrative entity University College. In 1980 the Senate was reconstituted as a faculty-only body to serve as an advisory voice for the faculty in the various units within University College. After a multi-year process, in 1995 President J. Claude Bennett approved a campus-wide UAB Faculty Senate and this Senate first met on June 30, 1995.
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UAB instituted a homecoming celebration to coincide with its new NCAA-level basketball program, which had debuted in the fall of 1978. The festivities in January of 1979 included basketball games for the new men's and women's teams, an on-campus bonfire, and a homecoming dance for students. Homecoming would remain a part of the basketball season until 1994 when the celebration was moved to the fall to coincide with football season.
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Santa Claus shares the cheer with staff at work in University Hospital during the holiday season.
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UAB began NCAA-level basketball play on November 24, 1978, with an inaugural game against the University of Nebraska before a crowd of over 14,800 in the arena at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center. Coach Gene Bartow's Blazers lost 64-55. Five days later, Coach Fran Merrell and the Women's Basketball team competed in their first game at the BJCC; the Blazers lost to the University of North Alabama 82-77.
This month we celebrate the 40th anniversary of an intercollegiate athletics program at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Today, UAB provides eleven sports teams for female students and seven for male students. There are also three spirit and two band programs that support the athletic program and entertain event attendees. Go Blazers!
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The new building was made possible by a donation of Charles B. Webb, Jr., and the Susan Mott Webb Charitable Trust in honor of Webb’s late wife, Susan Mott Webb. At the October 18, 1983, dedication ceremony were (left to right): Dr. Richard Arrington, Jr., Mayor of Birmingham; Dr. Charles E. Butterworth, chair of the Department of Nutrition Sciences; Ruth R. Mott, mother of the late Mrs. Webb; Charles B. Webb, Jr.; and Dr. S. Richardson Hill, Jr., UAB President. The Susan Mott Webb Nutrition Sciences Building housed the nutrition department and provided classrooms and administrative offices for the allied health professions school.
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Intramural sports have long been a part of university history, even when the teams had no campus home. In the early years, intramurals were held at George Ward Park, at Fair Park, and at Jordan Park, a city park adjacent to the western edge of UAB that was eventually incorporated into the campus. Intramural fields were later located on campus at the 600 block of South 12th Street and then on the 800 block of South 11th Street. A new Intramural and Club Sports Field Complex was officially opened on August 28, 2018. This new complex is located at 1101 5th Avenue South and is directly across the street from the Football Operations Center.
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Students enjoy a class outside on a summer afternoon, 2000. Total enrollment at UAB in 2000 was 15,921 with 10,331 undergraduate students. As of the fall of 2017, total enrollment at UAB was 20.902 students, a record high for the university, with a 6.18 percent increase in undergraduate students, 10.51 percent increase in graduate students, and 4.36 percent increase in doctoral and professional students. The incoming freshman class of 2017 was also a record high of 2,299.
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The groundbreaking ceremony for a major expansion of the university's medical center was held on July 30, 1968. This ceremony heralded the groundbreaking for three new facilities at the growing campus in Birmingham: a new health sciences library (Lister Hill Library), a new basic sciences building (Volker Hall), and a new home for the School of Nursing. Those seated on the platform included the president of the university, the executive vice president, and the deans of dentistry, medicine, and nursing. Looking east from along Seventh Avenue South are, in the background, Jefferson Tower (right) and the construction of the Sparks Center (left).
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Engineering students assemble a mechanical arm, June 1978. UAB students work on improving the prototype of the device for the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) student competition.
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The Kaul Human Genetics Building was constructed on the site of UAB's Tidwell Hall and it was dedicated on May 21, 2001. The new eight-story Kaul Building was home to the genetics department as well as the new Howell and Elizabeth Ann Heflin Center for Human Genetics and the Finley Conference Center. The Finley Conference Center was named in honor of Drs. Wayne H. and Sara C. Finley, long-time UAB faculty who established the first genetics laboratory in the Southeastern United States.
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The spring graduation for 1988 was held in the new UAB Arena, the first time a commencement ceremony had been held on the university’s campus. The arena opened in May 1988 and graduation was held on June fifth. UAB awarded degrees to 3,260 students.
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In a ceremony in the auditorium of the Engineering Building [Cudworth Hall], UAB commemorated the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The event was held during the ten-year anniversary of King’s assassination. The keynote speaker, Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker (seated third from left), was the chief-of-staff for Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Funding for the event was provided by the UAB student government and graduate student associations.
UAB celebrated Black History Week as early as 1975 with a series of lectures, dances, and art shows. Following national trends, UAB changed to a month-long celebration in 1977.
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At a basketball game on January 9, 1993, UAB unveiled a new mascot, the Blazer. The mascot scared children at the basketball games, and many segments of the university community objected to the sword carrying militant Viking-like warrior. The Blazer was withdrawn before the start of the fall football season. It would be two years before a new mascot, Blaze the Dragon, would be unveiled.
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The world premiere of The Poor Little Matchgirl was on December 16, 1988, at UAB. The musical by Amos D. Carroll was based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen, and it was produced by UAB Town and Gown Theatre, with James F. Hatcher as producer and director.
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On November 26, 1958, an open house served as the official dedication of a new home for the nursing school operated by University Hospital. Prior to its acquisition, this building had been home to a beloved-Southside barbecue restaurant, known as Dr. Gus' BBQ. The program's occupancy of the building was short-lived, however, as the building was demolished in 1966 to make way for the Center for Developmental and Learning Disorders [Sparks Center].
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The Kaleidoscope, was first issued at the Birmingham campus on October 26, 1967. Patrick Cather was the founding editor and Melinda Hidle was co-editor. The newspaper first appeared as a monthly; currently the Kaleidoscope is a weekly paper available in print and online.
For more information, and for current issues of UAB's student paper, see the website of the Kaleidoscope at http://www.uab.edu/studentmedia/kaleidoscope.
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The first home game for the UAB Blazers as an NCAA Division III team was held at Legion Field. UAB lost to the Crusaders of Evangel College (Missouri). The Blazers recorded their first home win on November 9, defeating Hastings College by a score of 9-7.
This month, UAB returned to the football field after an absence of two seasons. The Blazers defeated the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M by the score of 38-7. A record crowd of 45,212 attended the game at Legion Field on September 2, 2017.
Go Blazers!!!
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Merrell, a former UAB student, became the first head coach of the Lady Blazer's basketball team in August 1977. Prior to the establishment of an NCAA-approved athletics program, UAB had offered intramural and intercollegiate teams for its students. The new Lady Blazers basketball team took the court for the first time on November 29, 1978. Merrell coached at UAB until 1981.
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On July 12, 1902, cornerstones were laid for two new buildings, one for the Hillman Hospital and one for the adjacent Birmingham Medical College. The Hillman Hospital was originally founded as a charity hospital in 1888 by a group of Birmingham women. In 1897 the hospital's governing entity was incorporated by the State of Alabama; the names of these incorporators, the "Board of Lady Managers," appeared on the cornerstone of the new building. Hillman Hospital was opened in July 1903; it remains today on the UAB campus and is known as the "Old Hillman Building."
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Paula Dennis demonstrates the largest camera on the UAB campus, the Print Plant’s new room-sized process camera. The camera used 32 x 32 inch film and a 40 x 50 inch copy board. The Print Plant was moved into a leased building on the 2100 block of 5th Avenue South in 1976 and the university acquired several new pieces of equipment to meet the production needs of the UAB community.
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The expanded and renovated Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences was rededicated in formal ceremonies on May 2, 1997. The original three-story building was opened in 1971 and had been named in honor of Lister Hill, Alabama's long-time member of Congress.
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Dr. McCallum became the third President of UAB in April 1987, and he served until September 1993. He had previously served as Vice President for Health Affairs, as dean of the School of Dentistry, and as chair of the Department of Oral Surgery. Dr. McCallum came to Birmingham in 1951 as an oral surgery intern and, in 1957, received an MD degree from the Birmingham medical school. After he retired from UAB, McCallum served two terms as Mayor of Vestavia Hills.
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Before a major move of printed material could be accomplished, new shelving had to be installed by library staff, students, and volunteers. Over 200,000 library volumes were then moved onto the shelving in the new addition of the Mervyn H. Sterne Library so that the original portion of the building could be renovated.
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Cecelia Williams, transcription supervisor, uses one of six new word processing terminals installed in the medical records office at University Hospital. UAB was the first hospital in the state to use word processors for transcription. Departmental staff used the new terminals to complete transcription services for UAB physicians.
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On January 25, 1997, the arena was formally rededicated as the Gene Bartow Arena, renamed in honor of UAB’s founding Athletic Director and first coach of the men’s basketball team. Coach Bartow made the first shot in the building when the UAB Arena had originally been dedicated on May 19, 1988.
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UAB was granted a license for a public radio station early in 1976, and the station went live on Sunday the fifth of December. WBHM originally broadcast seven-days a week between 6:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. and was housed in the old mathematics building at 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.
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On this anniversary of the station, the UAB Archives is pleased to announce the opening of a WBHM archival collection that contains photographs, scrapbooks, publications, etc. Click here to contact the UAB Archives for information on Record Group 46, WBHM 90.3 FM Radio.
Roland Sams, an elevator operator in University Hospital, shared some cheer with patients and visitors during the Thanksgiving holiday.
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The Frank and Kathleen Ellis Ryals Building, a new home for the School of Public Health, was dedicated October 29, 1996. The Ryals was the first building constructed solely for use by the school. Previously other facilities around campus had been used by Public Health as space became available. Dr. Eli Capilouto was dean of the school from 1994 until 2001. He was Provost of UAB from 2002 until 2011.
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On September 15, 1966, the extension program in Birmingham was officially renamed as the College of General Studies. There were 4,600 students enrolled in courses in business, education, engineering, humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. Dr. George W. Campbell was named as first dean of the new college.
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The first major addition to University Hospital in decades, the North Wing was dedicated during ceremonies held August 20-21, 1966. The seven story addition provided space for the emergency department, new operating suites, diagnostic radiology, and 100 beds for psychiatric patients. This western side of North Wing is no longer visible as the Quarterback Tower currently stands where the parking lot existed at the time of the dedication.
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Dr. Alan R. Dimick (left) and Dr. John W. Kirklin (right) provide a hospital tour for a member of the Shriner organization. Kirklin, a renowned surgeon at the Mayo Clinic, was recruited to Birmingham in July of 1966. At UAB he served as chair of the surgery department, as director of the cardiothoracic surgery division, as hospital chief-of-staff, and as founder and president of the Health Services Foundation. He retired from UAB in 1997.
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Dr. Joan F. Lorden, dean of the Graduate School, hoods Stevie Wonder during UAB's commencement ceremony. UAB awarded the honorary Doctor of Music degree to Stevie Wonder, the world-renowned singer, composer, and musician. Wonder worked extensively over the years with long-time UAB faculty member Dr. Henry S. Panion, III, who served as chair of the UAB music department from 1994 until 2000.
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Dr. John D. Jones, vice president for Student Affairs, watches a member of the UAB community participating in the groundbreaking for a new international house. The Bertha and Joseph Smolian International House on 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.
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Dean Harold P. Jones speaks to those assembled, including UAB President W. Ann Reynolds, for the dedication of the first campus facility — visible in the background — constructed solely for the School of Health Related Professions (SHRP). In April of 2006 the school was renamed as the School of Health Professions (SHP), and in 2013 a two-story addition was completed on the school's building.
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With the championship trophy, seniors who helped the UAB Blazers win the Sun Belt Conference Tournament in 1982 are left to right (front row) Raymond Gause and Scott Simcik and (back row) Lex Drum and Cliff Pruitt. UAB first hosted a conference basketball tournament in Birmingham in February 1982. UAB defeated Virginia Commonwealth to win the tournament and gain UAB’s first basketball championship. The 1982 tournament was the most successful in the history of the conference with a record 29,079 attendees. As conference champions, the Blazers automatically advanced to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Indiana — the defending national champions — and Virginia before falling to Louisville. The team’s final record for the season was 25-6.
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For the second consecutive year, UAB hosted the C-USA Men’s and Women’s basketball tournaments with games played in Bartow Arena and at the Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center (BJCC). The tournament was held March 8-12. Go Blazers!!!
Dr. Lamar joined the UAB faculty in 1973 and in 1978 was named as associate vice president and dean of Student Affairs, the first African American named to a senior administrative position at UAB. Dr. Lamar received the 1994 President’s Medal and remained at UAB until his retirement in 1998. UAB established a student scholarship in his name.
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Outside the department’s headquarters with a fleet of patrol cars are (left to right): patrolmen J. C. Johnson, Doug Gilmer, Les Nicholson, Jim Hicks, and Sgt. Paul Harrington. The police department was organized in 1972 and occupied a building at 910 South 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.
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Primitiva Isar (left) and Leonides Bulawin (right), who were working in the hospital as Exchange Visitor Nurses, enjoy a visit with Santa Claus.
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When the medical school was established in Birmingham, the university acquired the former Cullom Apartments for use as faculty and student housing. The 18 apartment buildings fronted South 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].
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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#may4matters
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.
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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."
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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President S. Richardson Hill, Jr., signs the first pledge card for the new UAB Benevolent Fund, 1984
The fund was established in 1984, and in July Dr. Virginia D. Gauld (right) was selected as first president of the UAB Faculty and Staff Benevolent Fund Council, a new 32-member group to oversee UAB’s charitable giving campaign.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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For all Distinguished Faculty Lecturers, see the chronological history of UAB
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
UAB staff collect items for the annual toy drive.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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
The Hulsey Center for the Arts and Humanities, more commonly known as the Hulsey Fine Arts Center, was completed in 1981 and was officially opened on April 30, 1982. A renovation project completed in 2004 gave the center a new main entrance along South 13th Street. The Center is named in honor of UAB benefactors William Hansell and Susan Mabry Hulsey.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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The University Hospital Maintenance Department began collecting for the Christmas Toy Fund in 1981 to ensure that hospitalized patients received gifts during the holiday.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The Beta Zeta chapter of Alpha Sigma Tau was established in May of 1970 as the university’s first social sorority.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Brooks Robinson, a Hall of Famer and former Baltimore Oriole, threw out the first pitch at the dedicatory game at the Young Memorial Field. The UAB Blazers defeated Ole Miss 8 to 2. UAB’s first on-campus home for baseball had been in use for just over a year when it was formally dedicated in honor of the founding dean of the School of Business and the Vice President for Finance at the time of his death in 1983.
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Prior to being displayed at the Birmingham Museum of Art as part of the Birmingham Festival of Arts, the mummy of an Egyptian female was brought to UAB for examination. Officials used a CAT scan to examine the remains of the 2,000-year old woman, who became the “oldest patient” ever examined at University Hospital.
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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.
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A major winter storm brought snow and freezing rain to the Birmingham region and all UAB activities except for essential services were cancelled.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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A student considers her options during UAB’s campus registration held in the Bell Building gymnasium.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Hospital staff enjoy the spring weather by having a picnic outside of the New Hillman building, circa 1993.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Standing around the tree are (left to right) Chuck Dinsmore, Bonita Seaborn, Mark Stephens, and Darryl Cunningham. The University Center opened in October 1983 and on May 17, 1991, would be renamed the Hill University Center in honor of Dr. S. Richardson Hill, Jr., second president of UAB.
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Attendees in a summer course listen as Dr. Kevin P. Walsh, a member of the education faculty, lectures. The School of Education was formally created in August 1971, but a Division of Education had been established in 1968 as part of the university's College of General Studies.
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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.
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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.
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These students are seated outside of Tidwell Hall on South 20th Street, on the site currently occupied by the Kaul Human Genetics Building.
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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.
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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.
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The first kidney transplant in the state of Alabama was conducted at the Medical Center in Birmingham on May 8, 1968. Dr. Arnold G. Diethelm performed the surgery and headed the transplant team. In the 40 years since that first surgery, UAB has grown to be one of America's top transplant centers with patients arriving from around the globe for treatment. Currently, the university has active programs in kidney, heart, liver, lung, bone marrow, pancreas, cornea and retina transplantation.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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."
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Smiles all around as Santa Claus stops to chat with medical students in the cafeteria of University Hospital, 1967.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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University Hospital and a special Christmas visitor send holiday greetings to hospital patients, visitors and staff, circa 1967.
Image ID: P7.3.5: #092
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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