Category: All

Biography: Poet. Born– October 8, 1930, Collinsville (moved often due to father’s work in construction). Parents–Harry D. and Hazel Watson Lees. Married–William L. Linn. Children–three. Attended thirteen grade schools in three states by the age of eleven and quit school in the ninth grade. Honors– Won the Birmingham Festival of Arts Hackney Award three times;…

Biography: Geographer, teacher, college professor of geography. Born– June 21, 1940, Winston-Salem, N.C. Parents–Elias Hiatt Lineback and Mary Gambill Lineback.  Married–Katie Ann Stanley, August 16, 1964.  Children–two.  Education– East Carolina University, B.A., 1963; University of Tennessee, M.S., 1967, Ph.D., 1970. Taught in Henry County, Va., schools, 1963-1965; University of Alabama, 1969-1986 (Chair of Department of…

Biography: College professor and administrator, dramatist. Born– January 3, 1918, Coushatta, La. Parents– Benjamin Dennis and Vallie (Snead) Lindsey. Married– Evelyn Natille Pierce, December 27, 1948. Children– Three. Education– Ouachita College, B.A., 1948; Louisiana State University, M.A., 1951; University of Denver, Ph.D., 1962. Served in U.S. Army, 1942-45; attained rank of lieutenant colonel in U.S.…

Biography: Historian. Born– November 19, 1929, Roanoke. Parents– Alonzo and Sadie (East) Lindsey. Married– Phyllis Paulson, December 6, 1946. Married– Henrietta Roux, December 4, 1979. Children– Four. Education– University of Colorado, LL.B., 1957. Served in and retired from the U.S. Air Force; organized the Chambers County records; director, archives and history, state of Oklahoma. Made…

Biography: Publisher; advocate for atheism. Born– June 11, 1899, Montgomery. Parents– Samuel and Ray (Levy) Lewis. Married– Fay Jacobs, 1914.  Children–two. Ruth Stoller Grubman, July 15, 1952. Education– Public schools. Founded the publishing firm Freethought Press Association. An atheist and promoter of atheism; founder and secretary, Thomas Paine Foundation, Robert G. Ingersoll Memorial Association, and…

Biography: Teacher, writer. Born– November 7, 1889, Centre. Parents– Samuel Robert and Ann Virginia (Watson) Lester. Married–Memory Lee Aldridge, January 30, 1915. Education– Birmingham Southern College, B.A., 1908; Vanderbilt University, B.A., 1911; University of Michigan, 1911-1912; Columbia University, M.A., 1917. Teacher, assistant principal, athletic director, high school, Covington, Tenn.; taught Greek and Latin, Birmingham Southern…

Biography: Playwright, screenwriter, illustrator. Born– Shelbyville, Ky.; moved to Birmingham as a child.  Parents– Lew and Hannah Schwab Lazarus. Married– Maude Lazarus. Educated in Birmingham. Secretary and treasurer, Birmingham Mattress Company; moved to New York in 1919, and wrote stage plays; later moved to California, where he wrote screen plays, including Gabette, Come Along Mandy,…

Biography: Industrialist. Born– June 11, 1853, Cherokee County. Parents– Cummins M. and Elizabeth (McGhee) Lay. Married– Laura J. Hollingsworth, April 26, 1876. Children– Five. Education– Public schools. Worked as a riverboat pilot and then in the engine department of a railroad shop for about six years; then as a locomotive engineer; bookkeeper, William P. Hollingsworth,…

Biography: Educator, coach. Born– May 31, 1908, Greensburg, Ind. Parents– Robert and Maude (Parker) Lawson. Married– Gretchen Geneva Brown, March 16, 1940. Children– Two. Education– Howard College, B.A., 1937. Employed, Jefferson County Board of Education, 1938-1942; Bechtel-McCone defense plant, 1942-1944; basketball and football coach, Ramsey High School, Birmingham, 1942-1972. Member– Heart of Dixie Railroad Club.…

Biography: Musician, writer. Born– December 23, 1921, Elrod. Parents– Claude B. and Maggie Mae (Neel) Lavender. Married– Mary Bridget Kanitz, 1949. Children– Three. Education– Birmingham Southern College, B.Mus., 1946; University of Southern California, M.Mus., 1949. Served in U.S. Army Air Force, 1943-1946; composer, supervisor of sound track recording, documentary film production center, Aerospace Audio-visual Service,…

Biography:. College professor; writer. Born– March 27, 1943, Anniston. Parents– Lucien Boyd and Carleton (Sterne) Lentz. Married– Jane Anderson, July 10, 1965. Children– Two. Education– Kenyon College, A.B., 1964; Vanderbilt University, M.A., 1966, Ph.D., 1970. Taught, Vanderbilt University, 1964-1969; Kenyon College, 1969-. Awarded emeritus status on his retirement at Kenyon.  Lentz House, home of the…

Biography: Political scientist, college professor and administrator, municipal administration staff. Born– March 2, 1943, Columbus, Ohio. Parents– Charles and Pauline Shannon LaMonte. Married– Ruth, 1975. Children– Four. Education– Harvard University, B.A., 1965; University of Chicago, M.A., 1968, Ph.D., 1976. His doctoral study dealt with politics and welfare in Birmingham, Ala. from 1900 to 1975. Worked at…

Biography: Equestrienne, teacher. Born– November 24, 1934, Troy, Ala. Parents–J.W.Renfroe and Mary Turk Walters Renfroe. Married– Lee Young Lamar, April 1955.   Children–three. Education– University of Alabama, 1957.  Lived in Auburn, where she taught horseback riding for several years. Grants from the Alabama Council for the Arts and Auburn University; represented University Children’s Theater throughout Alabama.…

Biography: Artist. Born– Aug. 29, 1929, Troy, Ala. Parents– Edgar Chadwick and Georgia (Mayers) Thompson. Married– James Thomas “Trigger” Lake, Sept. 17, 1950. Children– Three. Education– Troy State University. Worked for Rich’s in Atlanta, Ga.; First Farmers and Merchants National Bank, Troy, Ala. Her avocation was art, with work being shown in Alabama, Georgia, Florida,…

Biography: Engineer. Born– Nov. 24, 1906, Boston, Mass. Parents– Frederick Elisha and Atlanta Gertrude (Johnson) Ladd. Married–Willie Lee Gilbreath, September 5, 1931.  Children–two.  Education– Georgia Institute of Technology, B.S., 1930. Engineer, Southern Refractories Co., Fort Payne, Ala., 1930-1936; consulting engineer, Fort Payne, 1936-1941; president, Ladd Engineering Associates, 1941. Member– Fort Payne Industrial Board, 1970-1974; Association…

Biography: College professor; science teacher; civil rights activist.  Born– Jan. 21, 1923, Boothton, Ala. Parents– Joseph Clifton and Mary Belle (Tarrant) Lacey. Married– Theodora Smiley, Apr. 29, 1956. Children– Four. Education– Alabama State College, B.S., 1947; graduate study, Howard University, 1948-1949; Northwestern University, M.A., 1953, Ph.D., 1955. Taught science on high school and junior college…

Biography: College president; professor; theologian. Born– May 8, 1938, Charlotte, NC. Parents–James Bell and Emily Jones Frazier Kuykendall. Married–Nancy Adams Moore, July 15, 1961.  Children–two.  Education– Davidson College, B.A.,1959; Union Theological Seminary, B.D., 1964; Yale Divinity School, S.T.M., 1965; Princeton University, M.A., 1972; Ph.D., 1975. Ordained to the Presbyterian ministry, 1965.   Presbyterian campus pastor at…

Biography: Anthropologist, university professor. Born– June 26, 1938, Grand Island, Neb. Parents–Richard A. Krause and Jennie Johnston Krause.  Education– University of Nebraska, B.A., 1961, M.A., 1962; Yale University, Ph.D., 1967. Taught at the University of Nebraska, 1966-1967; at Ohio State University, 1967-1968; at the University of Missouri, 1968-1974; University of Alabama, 1974-, chair, Department of Anthropology.…

Biography: Geographer, university professor.  Born– Oct. 8, 1922, Hamburg, Germany. Parents–John and Senta Hammer Koch. Came to the US with his family as a child.  Married– 1945. Children– Four. Education– University of Alabama, B.A., 1956, M.A., 1957, Ph.D. in International Studies, 1961. US military, WWII. Administrative Assistant, Bureau of Public Administration, University of Alabama, 1955-1957; taught geography,…

Biography: Sociologist, university professor, marriage counselor. Born– Dec. 1, 1943, Birmingham, Ala. Education– Auburn University, B.A., 1966; Florida State University, M.A., 1967, Ph.D., 1969. Taught, East Carolina University, 1969-; marriage counselor, Nelson Clinic, 1969-. Author of many articles in professional journals. Fellowship in behavior modification, State University of New York at Stony Brook, 1970-1971. Member;…

Biography: University professor and administrator, baseball coach. Born– June 25, 1943, Monroeville, Ala. Parents–Duncan J. and Mary L. McCaskill Knight. Married–Sylvia Bledsoe-Knight. Education– Alabama State University, B.A., 1963; Kansas State College, M.A., 1969; Oklahoma State University, Ph.D., 1974; additional study at Marquette University and the University of Iowa. Taught and coached at Blount High School, Mobile…

Biography: Physician; medical educator and administrator. Born– Dec. 5, 1897, Hartselle, Ala. Parents– Henry August and Carrie Camilla (Puryear) Kracke. Married– Virginia Carolyn Minter, Oct. 17, 1925. Children– Six. Education– Alabama Polytechnic Institute, 1913-1914; University of Alabama, B.S., 1924; Rush Medical College, University of Chicago, M.D., 1927. Worked as a pharmacist, 1914-1917; U.S. Navy, 1917-1921;…

Biography: Denominational writer and editor; clergyman. Born– Aug. 5, 1940, Lineville, Ala. Parents– Ermon G. and Ruby K. (Perry) Knight. Married– Dorothy J. Boster, Nov. 29, 1963. Children– Two. Education– Jacksonville State University, 1958-1960; University of Alabama, B.A., 1962; Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, B.D., 1965, Th.M., 1966. Employed, Baptist Sunday School Board, Nashville, Tenn., 1967-1980;…

Biography: Musician, building manager. Born–October 18, 1901, LaSalle, Ill. Parents–Edmund Lee and Lilah Trestrail Knapp. Graduate of Lewis Hotel Training School in Washington, D.C. Worked in carnivals during the depression as a palmist and astrologer; concert pianist and organist.  Lived in Montgomery, 1942-, where he managed several apartment buildings. Died February 13, 1992. Source: Files…

Biography: Physician; medical educator; pioneer in cardiac surgery.  Born– Aug. 5, 1917, Muncie, Ind.  Parents–Byrl R. and Gladys Webster Kirklin. Married–Margaret Katherine Hair.  Children–three. Education– University of Minnesota, B.A., 1938; Harvard University, M.D., 1942; diplomas from the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, 1950. Captain, US Army, 1944-46. Surgeon and…

Biography: Artist, poet, educator. Born– July 26, 1889, Tuscumbia, Ala. Parents– James T. and Ella Pearsall (Rather) Kirk. Education– Agnes Scott College, A.B., 1911, Phi Beta Kappa. Served on the Board of Trustees of Agnes Scott College for 61 years, the first woman in the South to be elected to the board of a ranking…

Biography: Teacher. Born– Oct. 28, 1862, Tuscaloosa, Ala. Parents– George Hamilton and Julia Anne (Owen) Kirk. Education–Girls’ Central High School, New Orleans; Sophie Newcomb College; Chautauqua, New York; University of Michigan; Columbia University. Taught in the grammar schools of Montgomery beginning in 1894, later became a member of the Sidney Lanier High School faculty; became head…

Biography: Educator. Born– Dec. 31, 1922, Cambridge, Mass. Parents– John Fitch and Hilda (Clark) King. Married– Mary Louise Mears, June 21, 1944. Children– Two. Education– Williams College, A.B., 1943; Harvard University, M.A., 1950, Ed.D., 1958. U.S. Navy Submarine Service, 1943-1946; high school teacher, South Byfield, Mass., 1946-1948; director, Office of Tests, Harvard, 1952-1954; assistant director,…

Biography: University professor, writer. Born– Aug. 15, 1918, Meridian, Miss. Parents–William Edward Kimbrough Sr. and Daisy Ridgell Kimbrough. Education– University of Alabama, A.B., M.A. Taught, University of Alabama, 1941-1965. Julius Rosenwald fellowship, 1943; Houghton Mifflin literary fellowship, 1944. Member; Phi Beta Kappa. Died April 6, 1965. Source: Harry A. Warfel, American Novelists of Today, 1951;…

Biography: Sociologist, university professor. Born– Aug. 3, 1924, Mandvi-Kutch, India. Parents– Ahmed Ismail and Aminabai Sueleman Khatri. Married– Manju Dedhia, Aug. 25, 1967. Children– Two. Education– Bombay University, B.A., 1946, LL.B., 1948, M.A., 1949, M.Sc., 1956; University of London, Ph.D., 1970. Taught at Samaldas College in Bhavanagar, India, 1949-1950; employed, Government of Bombay Guidance Bureau, 1950-1951;…

Biography: Theater director, professor of theatre.  Born– Mar. 17, 1907, Camp Hill, Ala. Parents– Julius Arthur and Anne (Slaughter) Kernodle. Married– Portia Baker. Education– St. Lawrence University, B.S., 1926; Carnegie Institute of Technology, 1926-1928; Columbia University, 1928-1929; University of Chicago, M.A.; Yale University, Ph.D., 1937. Taught at Ball State Teachers College, 1930-1932; Western Reserve University, 1936-1945; University…

Biography; Postmaster; teacher; merchant; historian.  Born–January 12, 1873, Kennamer’s Cove.  Parents–David and Kitty Lewis (Hodges) Kennamer.  Married–Sarah Elizabeth Page, September 30, 1896.  Children–nine.  Education: Green Academy, Nat., Al.; Tri-State Normal College, Scottsboro, B. S., 1896.  Teacher in Marshall County for ten years.  Partner in mercantile business, seven years.  Postmaster, Woodville, Al., 1903-1946.  Served a term…

Biography: Speech-language pathologist, poet. Born– Dec. 23, 1948. Parents– Theodore and Maruka Kanelos. Married–Janice Rice.  Education– University of Alabama, B.A., 1971; Southern Methodist University, M.S., 1975. Worked for the Birmingham Public Library, then as a speech-language pathologist. Author of poems published in periodicals, newspapers, and anthologies. Editor of poetry journal Dear Magnolia. Source: Frank T.…

Biography: Political scientist, university professor. Born– August 30, 1944, Paducah, Ky. Parents–Harry B. and Dorothy Mason Joiner. Married–Suzanne Brauchi, July 10, 1968. Children– four. Education– DePauw University, B.A., 1965; University of Kentucky, M.A., 1966, Ph.D., 1971; Institute for International Studies, graduated, 1969. Taught at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, 1970-1971; Athens State College, 1969-. Member Academy…

Biography: Physician, poet. Born– November 1, 1873, Selma, Ala. Parents– William H. and Kathleen (Gage) Johnston. Married– Helen Eugenia Lewis. Children– Six. Education– University of Alabama, A.B., 1893; University of Virginia, M.D., 1895; interned at Bellevue Hospital, New York. Physician, 1st Alabama Volunteer Regiment,  Spanish-American War Practiced medicine in Birmingham, 1899-1950. Died April 17, 1950. Source:…

Biography: Professor of speech.  Born– May 18, 1904, Ouachita Parish, La. Parents–Edward Eugene and Mabel Roberts Johnson.  Married–Mary Taylor.  Children–one. Education– University of Wisconsin, Madison, M.A., 1945. Taught, University of Alabama, 1928-1969, first chairman of the Dept. of Speech, 1931-1969. Director, Blackfriars, University of Alabama; Member; executive council, Speech Association of America; editorial board, Journal of Speech.…

Biography: Writer, editor. Born– September 5, 1944, Brewton, Ala. Parents– James Wallace and Helen Louise (Pearson) Johnson. Education– University of Alabama, B.S., 1966, M.S., 1970. Writer for Simplicity Pattern Co., 1970-1971; editor, Coats & Clark, Inc., 1972-1973; associate editor, Reader’s Digest General Books, 1973-1975; senior editor, Oxmoor House, 1976-1979; editor in chief, Decorating and Craft…

Biography: Teacher; pioneer of the progressive education movement. Born–October 8, 1864, St. Paul, Minn. Parents– Clarence D. and Rhoda Matilda (Morton) Pierce. Married– John Franklin Johnson, June 6, 1897. Children– Two. Education– State Normal School, St. Cloud, Minn., graduated 1885. Critic and model teacher, St. Paul Teachers’ Training School, 1890-1892; critic teacher and department supervisor, Moorhead…

Biography: Engineer; university professor. Born– December 29, 1929, Chatham, La. Parents– Dave Ernest and Bessie Pauline (Morris) Johnson. Married– Betty Ann Moore, October 21, 1960. Children– Three. Education– Louisiana Technical Institute, B.S.; Auburn University, M.S., 1953, Ph.D., 1959. Electronic engineer for Pitman-Dunn Laboratories, Frankfort Arsenal, 1953-1954; U.S. Army, 1954-1956; taught at Louisiana Technical Institute, 1958-1962; Appalachian State College,…