Explore UAB

A series of images from the UAB Archives

1990s

  • National radio broadcast from UAB's Alys Stephens Center, 1996

    Michael Feldman and Kathryn Tucker Windham at the Alys Stephens Center at UAB
    November 2023 Image of the Month

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

    Image ID: P46.1, #0200

     
  • Dr. Thomas Wdowiak with a NASA spectrometer, 1999

    UAB astrophysicist Thomas Wdowiak
    April 2023 Image of the Month

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

    Image ID: P23.1

     
  • Students participate in events honoring Martin Luther King Day, 1991

    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

  • UAB selected as a top university, 1992

    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

    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

  • President Claude Bennett and the new UAB license plate, 1996

    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

  • Students in the snow, January 1992

    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

    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

  • Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center opened, September 22, 1996

    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

  • US Men's Soccer Team trains on the UAB campus, July 1996

    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 MedWise Takes the Stage at the Riverchase Galleria, 1994

    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

  • All shook up at a basketball game, January 1992

    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

  • Clark Memorial Theater Building, circa 1990

    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

    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

    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

  • The Blazer mascot, 1993

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    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

  • UAB versus Evangel, September 14, 1991

    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

  • Lister Hill Library, circa 1997

    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

  • Bartow Arena, 1997

    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

  • Dean Eli Capilouto in front of the Ryals Building, circa 1996

    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

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Mervyn H. Sterne Library

917 13th St S
Birmingham, AL

(205) 934-6364

Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences

1700 University Blvd
Birmingham, AL

(205) 975-4821

Reynolds-Finley Historical Library

1700 University Blvd - 3rd Floor
Birmingham, AL

(205) 934-4475

Alabama Museum of the Health Sciences

1700 University Blvd - 3rd Floor
Birmingham, AL

(205) 934-4475

Lister Hill Library at University Hospital

615 18th Street S - P235 West Pavilion
Birmingham, AL

(205) 934-2275

801 Building

801 5th Ave South
Room 1111
Birmingham, AL

(205) 934-5432

J. Ellis Sparks Medical Library

301 Governors Drive SE - 3rd Floor
Huntsville, AL 35801

(256) 551-4405

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