Autherine Lucy Foster joining Alabama Educator Hall of Fame
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Oct. 15
The first black person to attend the University of Alabama, Autherine Lucy Foster, is among four people who are being honored as the newest members of the university’s Alabama Educator Hall of Fame. The group will be honored at a ceremony Saturday night at NorthRiver Yacht Club in Tuscaloosa. Foster became the first black person to attend Alabama in 1956. Campus riots broke out and the university removed her. Foster’s expulsion was reversed in 1988, and she graduated from Alabama with a master’s degree in elementary education in 1992.
Associated Press – Oct. 15
Alabama Public Radio – Oct. 15
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Oct. 15 and 16
WVUA 23 (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 15
Cuba Week starts Monday at the University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 14
The University of Alabama’s Cuba Week, a showcase of the collaborations between the university and Cuban partners, begins Oct. 24. The week-long program, which kicks off at 8:30 a.m. at Bryant-Jordan Hall, will feature cultural events and presentations by UA staff and more than 20 Cuban artists, musicians, writers, doctors and scholars covering topics that range from engineering, science and health science to history, film, theatre, literature and art. The presentations are free and open to the public.
College News
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 16
Gary Moynihan, a professor in the University of Alabama College of Engineering, recently received the Fellow Award from the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers. This award recognizes outstanding leaders of the profession who have made significant, nationally-recognized contributions to industrial and systems engineering. . . . . The University of Alabama National Alumni Association has announced the 2016 recipients of the University’s highest honor for excellence in teaching – the Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Awards. This year’s honorees are W. Edward Back, professor and chair of the department of civil, construction and environmental engineering; Cameron H. Lacquement, assistant professor and director of undergraduate studies in the department of anthropology; James D. Mixson, associate professor in the department of history; and Mark T. Richardson, professor in the department of kinesiology.
With voter registration deadline looming, experts expect record turnout Nov. 8
Anniston Star – Oct. 15
State officials and political scientists expect record turnout for the Nov. 8 election in Alabama, but have a variety of opinions as to why all those voters plan to come to the polls. Presidential elections reliably draw more voters than any other kind of election — primaries or campaigns for state office. Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill thinks the upcoming election will draw more than 2.2 million voters to the polls, which would top the record of about 2.1 million set in 2008 … William Stewart, a political scientist and emeritus professor at the University of Alabama, does not think there is less excitement in this election but that it is going to show where the state’s loyalty still lies. “In Alabama, it won’t be ‘historic’ but it will show how Republican a state it has become,” Stewart said by email.
Trump’s negatives put even Alabama Republicans in a bind
Anniston Star – Oct. 15
It took Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks and Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, Tuscaloosa nearly a week to respond to the recording in which Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump bragged about sexually assaulting women. That’s no surprise to political scientists, who say Trump has put even red-state Republican officials in a bind. “Trump could become an albatross around the party’s neck,” said George Hawley, who teaches political science at the University of Alabama. “But if Trump loses and you didn’t endorse him, you’ll be blamed for that by the grassroots of the party.”
Oklahoma rep. threatens to pull support if Paul Ryan doesn’t support Trump
Examiner Gazette – Oct. 17
House Speaker Paul Ryan announced that he is no longer going to enthusiastically support Donald Trump as his Party’s presidential candidate. Republicans such as Heye fear Trump, who already has alienated large populations of Hispanic voters because of his hard line on immigration, will cost the party a generation of women voters as well. Gov. Scott Walker was previously scheduled to be in New Jersey for a GOP candidate training event … William Stewart, a professor emeritus of political sciences at the University of Alabama, said it is unlikely Young would be Byrne if the two were now competing against one another. At a rally in Florida, the 70-year-old candidate labeled the accusations as “outright lies” and said the media was conspiring with his opponent to try and undermine him.
Kentuck Festival of the Arts is a feast for the senses
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 15
Festival-goers strolled under the shade of the Kentuck Park trees Saturday on the opening day of the 45th annual Kentuck Festival of the Arts. A light breeze wafted the sweet smell of the freshly made kettle corn. Tents frequently varied greatly from their neighbors, in two-dimensional art, paintings, handmade pottery, jewelry, sculptures, wood, glass and more … The University of Alabama’s Improbable Fictions group read Civil War letters, and selections of American writing from the 19th and 20th centuries, from Mark Twain to Edgar Allen Poe’s “Annabel Lee,” from “To Kill a Mockingbird” to the essays of Raymond Chandler.
Professors and students show off creative work at poetry readings
Crimson White – Oct. 17
When Lamar Wilson did his first reading on campus as a new professor at The University of Alabama last month, he chose to recite one of his poems that he doesn’t normally read aloud. He’d picked the poem because he thought some of the audience members he knew would appreciate it, but it’d been a long day for Wilson and during the reading he became a little tongue-tied and messed up the pronunciation of a word. Wilson didn’t think his reading had gone well, but his audience disagreed. People came up afterwards to tell him how good they thought his poem was and how much it resonated with them.
Watercolor exhibit features works by Pell City artist and his students
Anniston Star – Oct. 16
A watercolor exhibit featuring works by Wayne Spradley of Pell City and eight of his students will be displayed through Nov. 4 at Heritage Hall Museum. There will be an opening reception Thursday from 5-7 p.m to meet the artists. Spradley is an acclaimed landscape and wildlife artist, according to Valerie White, director of the Heritage Hall Museum. “He is especially known for his atmospheric and beautiful watercolors. His prowess is exemplified by over 300 major art awards,” she said … Brown was a Birmingham News reporter in the 1950-60s and editor of the monthly Birmingham magazine for 11 years. He was executive editor of two Alabama dailies, The Florence Times Daily and the Tuscaloosa News. Brown currently teaches at the University of Alabama.
Shocco Springs hosts 14th annual FOCUS Rally
Daily Home (Talladega) – Oct. 16
For the first time ever, FOCUS offered two regional rallies! The first was held Sept. 13 at the Bryant Conference Center on the campus of The University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The second was held Sept. 21 at Shocco Springs Conference Center in Talladega.
SPE announces 2016 SPE foundation scholarship award recipients
Plastics Technology – Oct. 16
The Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) has announced the winners of the 2016 scholarship program administered by SPE Foundation, including 42 scholarships totaling more than $110,000. The awards, made to students who have demonstrated or expressed an interest in the plastics industry, are listed below, with the recipients … Composites Division Scholarship-Harold Giles – $2,500: Siddhartha Brahma, who is pursuing a PhD in Material Science and Engineering from the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa).
Haunted Tuscaloosa Tours highlight spooky sites
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 16
According to some accounts, people have reported a fire in the tower of the Drish House — a historic Tuscaloosa house built in 1837 by Dr. John R. Drish. But there were never any fires … The group uses a black trolley to take tourists around the city to drive by multiple “haunted” locations — the Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion, the Battle Friedman House, the Old Tavern, Capitol Park, Bama Theatre and the University Club. The bus stops for quick walking tours of three other locations — the Drish House, Greenwood Cemetery, and the University of Alabama, which includes Smith Hall, Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library, the Litte Round House, the Gorgas House, Allen Bales Theatre and Woods Quad.
UA’s Million Dollar Band performs in Chattanooga
WTVC-ABC (Chattanooga, Tenn.) – Oct. 14
The scenic city played host to The University of Alabama’s marching band today. The Million Dollar Band dropped by Findley Stadium this afternoon. The band makes the stop on their way to Knoxville for the big game this weekend. The Tennessee-Alabama game is always played on the third Saturday in October.
WRCB-NBC (Chattanooga, Tenn.) (video not available) – Oct. 14
WDEF-CBS (Chattanooga, Tenn.) – Oct. 14
New concussion risk: Teen girls suffer more concussions than boys
AL.com – Oct. 17
Vestavia Hills girls soccer coach Brigid Littleton spends a lot of time teaching her players the proper technique for heading the ball. She insists that her players strengthen their neck and upper body. She stresses that players establish “a strong base first, arms out to feel for a defender and legs bent, and then attack the ball with a strong neck using the core to pull back and then forward” on every header. . . . The rise in the total number of diagnosed concussions is actually a promising sign, said Dr. James Robinson, a member of the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s medical advisory board and team doctor for University of Alabama athletics. “When a child gets a concussion, they a have to go see a physician,” he said. “If they go see a physician, it generates a code for an office visit. If you must see a doctor, claims go up.
University of Alabama Phi Mu chapter’s 13 million house
Daily Mail (U.K.) – Oct. 16
A video tour of the Phi Mu house at UA.
Yahoo! – Oct. 17
Country Living – Oct. 17