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

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

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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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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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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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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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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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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 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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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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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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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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