Alabama Authors

Category: All

  • BOYD, CHARLES E., 1922-1988

    Biography: Union official, editor, historian. Born– December 6, 1922, Pearson. Parents– John Samuel and Mary Jane (Lucas) Boyd. Education– University of Alabama, 1941-1942, State University of Iowa, 1943-1944, Boston University, 1945-1947, and Empire State College of State University of New York, A.B., 1975. Served in the U.S. Army, 1942-1945. Member of Local 1-S of the…

  • BONNER, CLINT, 1908-1966

    Biography: Artist, cartoonist. Born–November 4, 1908,  Lineville. Parents–Oscar Arnold and Cora Strother Bonner. Education– Woodlawn and Minor High Schools in Birmingham; studied journalism and commercial art  by correspondence. Owner and president of Southeastern Decal and Nameplate Corporation; Gulf States Art School. Created and drew a comic strip, “They Died With Their Boots On”; created three other…

  • BONI, MARGARET BRADFORD, 1893-1974

    Biography: Musician; music teacher. Born– 1893, Birmingham. Parents–John Taylor and Ida Brooks Bradford. Married–Charles Boni.  Education– graduated from Florida State College for Women; studied music in Germany and at Julliard School of Music. Folk song instructor and conductor in the public schools of Pennsylvania and New York; director of the Music Department of the City…

  • BOND, ALBERT RICHMOND, 1874-1944

    Biography: Baptist minister; editor.. Born– March 9, 1874, Wilson County, Tenn. Parents– James Houston and Mary Catherine (Cason) Bond. Married– Ruth Pugh, December 20, 1898 (died 1914). Children–one. Married– Catherine Elizabeth Walmsley, October 7, 1925.  Education– University of Nashville in Tennessee, A.B., A.M., 1895; Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Th.M, 1898; Florence State Normal School, D.D.,…

  • BOMAR, PAUL VERNON, 1863-1932

    Biography: Baptist minister, college administrator. Born– September 9, 1863, Spartanburg, S.C. Parents– John Earle and Louise Nancy (Bomar) Bomar. Married– Nancy “Nannie”  Elizabeth Earle, September 6, 1888. Children– Five. Education– Wofford College, A.B., 1882; Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Lexington, Ky., 1888; studied at the University of Chicago, 1899; Howard College, D.D., 1902. Ordained to the…

  • BOHANNON, WILLIAM EVERETTE, 1882-1940

    Biography: Educator. Born– March 6, 1882, Beech Grove, Ky. Parents– Nathaniel Brown and Tommie (Robertson) Bohannon. Married– Ora Ella Daniel. Children– One. Education– Southern Normal College, Bowling Green, Ky., B.S, 1904, A.B., 1906; Indiana University, A.M., 1915; studied at the University of Chicago, 1916. Taught in the rural schools of Kentucky for two years; superintendent…

  • BOGGS, JAMES, 1919-1993

    Biography: Autoworker, writer; social activist.  Born– May 28, 1919, Marion Junction. Parents–Ernest and Lelia Thomas Edwards Boggs. Married– Annie McKinley, 1938. Children–six. Married– Grace Lee, April 20, 1953.  Education– Public schools in Bessemer. Worked as a field hand; ice cutter; and for the Works Project Administration in Detroit, Mich.; and as auto worker in Detroit, 1941-1968. After…

  • BELL, WILLIAM STEWART, 1921-1980

    Biography: University professor. Born– October 31, 1921, Birmingham. Parents– Joseph L. and Pansy Stewart Bell. Education– Howard College, A.B., 1942; Birmingham Conservatory of Music, B.M., 1948; Middlebury College, M.A., 1949; Columbia University, Ph.D., 1960. Served as a translator-interpreter for the U. S. Armed Forces in Europe; taught at Lycee Claude Bernard, Paris, 1949-1950; Columbia University,…

  • FARRAH, ALBERT JOHN, 1863-1944

    Attorney, professor of law; law school dean. Born– July 15, 1863, Adrian, Mich. Parents– Thomas and Catherine (Chase) Farrah. Married– Eva A, Wilson, August 28, 1888. Children– One. Education– University of Michigan, LL.B., 1896; Cornell College, A.M., 1906. Served as superintendent of schools in Michigamme, Mich., 1889-1894; admitted to Michigan Bar in 1896 and practiced…

  • CATHER, WILLIAM HEATH, 1918-2016

    Biography: Publisher. Born– November 2, 1918, Birmingham. Parents– Alonzo Heath and Jennie Pearl (Johnson) Cather. Married– Virginia Ritchie, 1942. Children– Two. Married–Dorothy Farmer, 2001. Education– B.A., University of Alabama, 1941. U. S, Army pilot in World War II; rose to the rank of captain.  Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.  Joined the A. H. Cather Publishing Company…

  • CATCHINGS, WADDILL, 1879-1967

    Biography: Business executive; economist. Born– September 6, 1879, Sewanee, Tenn. Parents– Silas Fly and Nora Belle (Waddill) Catchings. Married– Helen Werner, November 7, 1914. Children– Three. Married– May Francis, April 29, 1930. Education– Harvard University, A. B., 1901. Central Foundry in New York, president, 1911-1917; Platt Iron Works Company in Dayton, Ohio, president, 1913-1920; Sloss-Sheffield…

  • CASH, WILLIAM McKINLEY, 1930-2004

    Biography: Historian; University professor. Born– December 9, 1930, Echola. Parents– A. M. and Ovella Clara (Sherrill) Cash. Married– Mary Lou West, December 26, 1952. Children– Two. Education– Mississippi State University, B.A., 1953, M.A., 1957; University of Alabama, Ph.D., 1973. Taught at the University of Alabama, 1959-1960; Alabama College (University of Montevallo), 1960-1962; Delta State University,…

  • CAYCE, EDGAR, 1877-1945

    Biography: Psychic healer; author; photographer.  Born– March 18, 1877, near Hopkinsville, Ky. Parents– Leslie B. and Carrie Cayce. Married– Gertrude Evans. Children– Three. Education– through eighth grade at local schools in Hopkinsville; widely read on his own. Trained as an apprentice in the photography studio  of W.R.Bowles in Bowling Green, Kentucky.  Began psychic readings early in…

  • CATTS, SAMUEL WALKER, 1876-1960

    Biography: Farmer, businessman. Born–November 18, 1876, Pleasant Hill. Parents– John Smyly and Maude Mae (Caffey) Catts. Married– Mary Belle Northington, 1920. Employed in newspaper work, farming, industry, and with N.J. Bell Estates as manager of the Bell Building in Birmingham. Died November 18, 1960. Source: Files at the Alabama Public Library Service. Publication(s): What Call It,…

  • BROWN, WILLIAM GARROTT, 1868-1913

    Biography: Historian and essayist. Born– April 24, 1868, Marion. Parents– William Richard and Mary Cogswell (Parish) Brown. Education– Howard College, A.B., 1886; Harvard University, A.B., 1891, A.M., 1892. Taught at Marion Military Institute, 1888-89. Assistant in the Harvard Library, 1893-1901; appointed Deputy Keeper of University Records, 1896; lecturer in American history, 1901-1902; editorial writer for…

  • BROWN, WILBURT SCOTT, 1900-1968

    Biography: Military officer; historian; university professor. Born– December 20, 1900, Beverly, Mass. Parents– Robert James and Margaret McAlden Brown. Married–Virginia Crosby Rourk, 1929; married Martha Stennis, June 2, 1949. Education– Phillips Andover Academy; University of Alabama, B.A., 1955, M.A., 1957, Ph.D., 1963. Served in the U.S. Marine Corps, 1917-1953; served in World War I, World War II,…

  • EDWARDS, WILLIAM JAMES, 1869-1950

    Teacher; school administrator. Born– September 12, 1869, Snow Hill. Parents– Jackson and Martha Carmichael Edwards. Originally named Ulysses Grant Edwards; grandfather changed name to William James. Married–Susan Verdelle Johnson, May 17, 1900. Children–six. Education– Tuskegee Institute. Organized and operated Snow Hill Normal and Industrial Institute, in Wilcox County, which lasted from 1893-1972 and at one…

  • CARMICHAEL, WILLIAM EDWARD, 1922-2013

    Biography: Publicity director, editor. Born– March 22, 1922, Birmingham. Parents– Robert Edward and Annie Louis (Noyes) Carmichael. Education– University of Alabama, B.A., 1942; graduate study at Princeton University, 1944. Associate editor for Tricolor Magazine in New York City, 1944-46; Fascination magazine, 1946-48; Latin American correspondent for Holiday Magazine, 1948-49; director of advertising and public relations…

  • CARMICHAEL, WAVERLY TURNER, 1881-1936

    Biography: Poet. Born– 1936, Snow Hill. Education– Snow Hill Institute; attended Harvard for one summer. During World War I served in France with the 37th Regiment, “The Buffaloes.” After WWI worked as a postal clerk in Boston. His poetry included in several anthologies. Died 1936. Source: Black American Writers Past and Present. Publication(s): From the…

  • LLOYD,GARY

    Biography; Journalist; writer.  Born–Trussville.  Education–University of Alabama, B.A., 2009. Worked as reporter and editor for the Magee Courier-Simpson County News, Magee, Miss., 2010; the Trussville Times, 2010-2012- and 2013-2015; for Cahaba Media Group, 2010.  Freelance writer for the Birmingham News. Source: amazon.com website; Trussville Times website Publications; Deep Green.  CreateSpace, 2016. Heart of the Plate. …

  • WILLIAMS, HORACE RANDALL, 1951-

    Biography; Publisher; editor.  Born– June 22, 1951, Chambers County.  Education–Samford University.  Began his career as a journalist and free-lance writer; worked at the Southern Poverty Law Center, 1976-86; founded its Klanwatch Project, 1980.  Founded and operated the Black Belt Press, 1986-1999.  co-founded the NewSouth Press in 2000 (with partner Suzanne LaRosa), served as its editor-in-chief. Source;…

  • HALBROOKS, RUTH THOMAS, 1914-2004

    Biography: Writer; homemaker. Born– October 4, 1914, Brilliant, Ala. Parents– Howard L. and Josephine (Cochran) Thomas. Married– Guy Thomas Halbrooks, September 30, 1935. Children– Two. Education– Graduate of John Herbert Phillips High School, 1933; correspondence course in creative writing, Christian Writers School, 1966. Contributor to anthologies, poetry magazines, and Sunday school materials. Awards from Alabama…

  • DRAUGHON, RALPH BROWN, 1899-1968

    Biography: Educator, administrator, college president. Born– September 1, 1899, Hartford. Parents– John William and Vashti (Roney) Draughon. Married– Caroline Marshall, June 9, 1931. Children– Two. Education– Alabama Polytechnic Institute, B.S., 1921; M.S., 1929; studied at the University of Chicago, summers of 1923 and 1939. High school teacher in Choctaw County, 1922-1923; school principal in Sumter County, 1925-1927;…

  • BOEHLKE, FREDERICK JOHN, JR., 1926-

    Biography: Historian; College instructor. Born March 6, 1926, Philadelphia, Pa. Parents– Frederick John and Freda Margaret Riess Boehlke. Education– University of Pennsylvania, A.B., M.A., Ph.D., 1958; Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary, Bachelor of Divinity, 1952. Served as history professor and chairman of the Social Science Division of Judson College in Marion, Ala., 1958-70. Professor of history,…

  • BUFFETT, JIMMY, 1946-

    Biography; Singer; songwriter; businessman; author.  Born– Pascagoula, MS, December 25, 1946.  Grew up in Mobile.  Parents– James Delaney and Lorraine Peets Buffett.  Married–Margie Washichek, 1969; Jane Slagsvol, August 27, 1977.  Children-two. Education–McGill Institute, Mobile; Auburn University; University of Southern Mississippi, B.S., 1969.  Writer for Billboard, Nashville, 1971-73.  Moved to Key West in 1973; worked as…

  • BRYANT, PAUL WILLIAM (BEAR), 1913-1983

    Biography: Football coach. Born–September 11, 1913,  Kingsland, Ark. Parents– Wilson Monroe and Ida (Kilgore) Bryant. Married– Mary Harmon Black, August 3, 1934. Children– Two. Education– University of Alabama, B.S., 1939.  U. S. Navy, WWII. Served as assistant football coach at the University of Alabama, 1936-1940; assistant football coach at Vanderbilt University 1940-1941; head football coach…

  • BLISS, ANDREW RICHARD, JR., 1887-1941

    Biography: Pharmacologist, professor of pharmacology, university dean. Born– November 10, 1887, New York, N.Y. Parents– Andrew Richard and Frances Revue (Sutton) Bliss. Married– Loretta Ann Deering, August 20, 1918. Education–Howard College; B.S., 1910, A,M., 1919;  Columbia University, Ph.Ch., 1908, Ph.B., 1909;  University of Alabama, M.D., 1932. Taught at various schools in the South, including the…

  • BLACKSHEAR, HELEN FRIEDMAN, 1911-2003

    Biography: Social worker, teacher, poet. Born– June 5, 1911, Tuscaloosa, Ala. Parents– Samuel and Annie Laurie Longshore Friedman. Married– William Blackshear, April 21, 1934. Children– Three. Education– Agnes Scott College, B.A., 1931; University of Alabama, M.A., 1932. Visitor for the Alabama Child Welfare Department in Montgomery, 1934-36; supervisor for the Tuscaloosa County Recreation Department, 1937-39;…

  • FRAZIER, GLENN DOWLING, 1923-

    Biography; Soldier; businessman; motivational speaker.  Born December 1, 1924, Fort Deposit, Lowndes County.  Parents:  John Herman and Glennie Gafford Frazier.  Married; children–two. Education: attended Meadows-Draughn Business College and Elmer Wheeler Sales Institute.  Volunteered for the U.S. Army, 1941; captured after the Battle of Bataan in 1942and spent three and a half years in Japanese prison camps.  Discharged…

  • BLACK, HUGO LAFAYETTE, 1886-1971

    Biography: Attorney; U.S.Senator; Supreme Court Justice. Born– February 27, 1886, Harlan, Clay County. Married– Josephine Patterson Foster, 1919. Children–three.Married– Elizabeth Seay DeMeritte, 1957.  Education– Ashland College, Birmingham Medical College, University of Alabama Law School, LL.B., 1906. Practiced law in Ashland and Birmingham; elected solicitor (prosecuting attorney) in Birmingham, 1914. Served in the U.S. Army, 1917-1919; attained…

  • BLACK, HUGO LAFAYETTE, 1886-1971

    Biography; Attorney; U.S.Senator; Associate Justice of the U. S. Supreme Court.  Born–Harlan, Clay County, Alabama, February 27, 1886. Parents–William Lafayette and Martha Toland Black.  Married–Josephine Foster, 1921.  Children–three.  Married–Elizabeth Demeritte, 1957.  Education– attended Birmingham Medical School for one year; attended the University of Alabama Law School, LL. B., 1906. Practiced law in Ashland, 1906-07;  in…

  • BAKER, GLADYS, 1900-1957

    Biography: Syndicated columnist; novelist. Born– about 1900, Jacksonville, FL.  Parents–  A. Herbert Baker and Johnnie Niblo Baker. Married– William H. Oates. Married– William H. Kettig, Jr. Married– Howard E. Coffin. Married– Roy Leonard Patrick. Beginning in 1918, worked for the Jacksonville Metropolis. In 1926 moved to Birmingham and became a feature writer for the Birmingham…

  • MILLER, ERNEST L., 1913-1992

    Biography: Dentist, professor. Born– Howard Lake, Minn., August 31, 1913. Parents—Peter H. and Anna E. Miller. Married– Mary L. Havens, 1935. Children– Four. Education– D.D.S., University of Detroit, 1940;  the M.S., Ohio State University in 1952. Employed as professor, Dental School, University of Alabama, Birmingham, 1966. Member– American Dental Association, American Prosthodontic Society and American…

  • BIRNEY, HERMAN HOFFMAN, 1891-1958

    Biography: Writer, editor. Born– April 1, 1891, Philadelphia, Pa. Parents– Herman Hoffman and Elizabeth Cherrill (Boude) Birney. Married– Marguerite Agnes Bovington, June 14, 1930. Children– One. Education– Dickinson College, Carlisle, Pa., 1908-1912. Served in the Army during World War I; attached to the Philadelphia Regional Office of the Office of War Sources, 1943-1947; technical writer…

  • BIDGOOD, LEE, 1884-1963

    Biography: Economist; university professor and administrator. Born– February 2, 1884, Norfolk County, Va. Married–Emily Mary Smith.  Children– Four. Education– Churchland Academy, Virginia; University of Virginia, B.A., M.A. Served as a fellow, assistant instructor, and instructor at the University of Wisconsin for four years; named professor of economics at the University of Alabama in 1913. Instrumental…

  • BROOKS, OLIVE, 1897-1985

    Biography: Clerical worker; public relations; journalist. Born–  July 23, 1897, Mobile. Parents– Stewart and Emma Connor Brooks. Education– Attended Shorter College, Randolph Macon Woman’s College, the University of Arizona, Columbia University and the New School of Social Research. Worked as a secretary in Mobile; Deputy clerk in the U.S. District Court in Mobile; worked in public…

  • ELLIS, HELEN

    Biography; Writer; professional poker player. Born– Tuscaloosa.  Married–Lex Harris.   Education–University of Colorado, B.A.; New York University, M.A., 1997. Lives in New York.  Nominated for the Los Angeles Times Best Book and the Southern Critics Circle Best Book of the Year, both for Eating the Cheshire Cat. Professional poker player on the national tournament circuit. Sources; Contemporary…

  • BEVERLY, JOHN WILLIAM, 1859-1924

    Biography: College professor and administrator. Born– Hale County, August 1859. Parents– Aaron and Susan (Wayne) Beverly. Married–Mattie E. Dale. Children– Six. Education– Lincoln Normal School, B.S., 1882; Brown University, Ph.D., 1894. Principal of Tullibody Academy at Greensboro, 1882-1884. Taught at Lincoln Normal School, 1887-90; became its assistant principal in 1894; continued to serve the school after…

  • BETTS, EDWARD CHAMBERS, 1890-1946

    Biography: Attorney; military officer; professor of military law. Born–Huntsville, Alabama, June 9, 1890. Parents–Judge Tancred Betts and Maud Broun Betts.Married–Pleasant Hobbs.  Children–two. Education– University of Alabama, LL.B., 1911; graduated from the U.S. Army Infantry School, 1925. Practiced law with the firm of Betts and Betts in Huntsville; first man from Madison County to volunteer for…

  • BERRY, EVA BELLE, 1905-1957

    Biography: Church and denominational administrator; secretary.  Born– January 6, 1905, Bellfactory, Madison County. Parents– Ephraim Jack and Martha Gemima Bouldin Berry.  Education– Howard College, A.B., 1930; Woman’s Missionary Union Training School in Louisville, Ky.  Church secretary for two churches; Birmingham Association WMU Young People’s secretary, 1933; Alabama WMU  Young People’s secretary, Alabama, 1934-1943; field worker, WMU, Missouri,…

  • BERNEY, WILLIAM CLAIBORNE, 1920-1961

    Biography: Dramatist. Born– May 6, 1920, Birmingham. Parents– William and Louise (Claiborne) Berney. Education– University of Alabama, B.A., 1942; University of Iowa, M.A. in drama. Collaborated with Howard Richardson on a thesis in the form of a drama.  After graduation the thesis was produced and ran for nine months on Broadway in 1944 as “Dark of the…

  • BENDITT, THEODORE MATTHEW, 1940-

    Biography: University professor; administrator. Born– October 23, 1940, Philadelphia, Pa. Married– Anne Rosamund Shaw, February 3, 1968.  Children–one. Education– University of Pennsylvania, B.A., 1962, LL.B, 1965, M.A., 1967 and Ph.D., 1971. Taught at Duke University, 1970-1975; University of Southern California 1975-1978; University of Alabama in Birmingham 1978-84; ;  chairman of the Department of Philosophy at…

  • BATTLE, HERBERT BEMERTON, 1862-1929

    Biography: Chemist. Born– May 29, 1862, Chapel Hill, N.C. Parents– Kemp Plummer and Martha Ann (Battle) Battle. Married– Alice M. Wilson, November 25, 1885. Children– Two. Education– University of North Carolina, B.S., 1881, Ph.D., 1887. Professor of chemistry at Leonard Medical School, 1886-1897; assistant chemist at the North Carolina Agriculture Experiment Station; state chemist and…

  • BEATTY, RICHMOND CROOM, 1905-1961

    Biography: Literary scholar; university professor. Born– January 6, 1905, Shawnee, Okla. Parents– William Henry and Caroline (Barbour) Beatty. Married– Floy Ward, May 7, 1927. Education– Public schools of Birmingham; Birmingham Southern College, A.B., 1926, M.A., 1928; Vanderbilt University, Ph.D., 1930. Taught at Tennessee State Teachers College in Memphis; University of Alabama; Vanderbilt University, 1937-56; literary…

  • BEASLEY, BUCKNER, 1881-1971

    Biography: Business executive. Born– May 28, 1881, Auburn. Parents– James G. Beasley, Sr. and Martha Goodwin Beasley. Married– Ethel Lou Teague, October 4, 1903  Children–six.  Education– Attended Auburn University. Resident of Montgomery and of Auburn for five years before his death. Employed with the United Fruit Company in Honduras in the 1920’s. Died September 24, 1971. Source:…

  • BASHINSKY, SLOAN YOUNG, II, 1942-

    Biography: Attorney. Born– October 7, 1942, Birmingham. Parents– Sloan Young and Nelle Francis (Major) Bashinsky. Married– Jane Shea, June 14, 1975. Children– Two. Education– Vanderbilt University, B.A.; University of Alabama, J.D. Practiced law in Birmingham 1968-2000.  Moved to Key West, Florida; ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Key West in 2007 and 2009. Source: Sloan Bashinsky,…

  • BARNWELL, WILLIAM CURTIS, 1943-

    Biography: Writer; University professor. Born– February 11, 1943, Macon, Ga. Parents– Mr. and Mrs. J. R. Barnwell. Married– Jo Ann Weeks.  Children–two. Education– Coffee High School in Florence; Florence State College  (now University of North Alabama), bachelor’s degree; University of Florida, Ph.D., 1972. Taught at the University of South Carolina, 1971-1977; Columbia College, writer-in-residence after 1977.…

  • BARNARD, WILLIAM DEAN, 1942-

    Biography: Educational administrator; University professor. Born– September 18, 1942, Birmingham. Married–Hollinger F. Barnard, 1964. Children– Three. Education– Birmingham Southern College, B.A., 1964; University of Virginia, Ph.D., 1971. Taught at the University of South Alabama, 1968-1972; employed by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education as research associate, 1972-1973, associate director of academic affairs, 1973-1977; assistant to the…

  • CHRISTIAN, MARIE ROBERTS, 1926-2001

    Biography; Teacher.  Born–May 12, 1926, Belle Mina, Alabama. Parents–Samuel Ward and Althea Tate Washington Roberts.  Married–Dick Christian, January 28, 1967.  Education– Florence State Teachers College,  B.S.; George Peabody College, M.A.; further study at the University of Alabama (earned AA Teaching Certificate).  Taught at Riverside Elementary School in Decatur and Verner Elementary School in Tuscaloosa (1953-1968). …

  • BARKSDALE, JELKS, 1901-1987

    Biography: Chemist; University professor. Born– September 30, 1901, Fernbank. Married– 1937. Children– One. Education– University of Alabama, B.S., 1922; M.S., 1930; Columbia University, M.A., 1931, Ph.D., 1934. Served in US Army, Quartermaster Corps, WWII.Employed as chemical engineer for the U. S. Bureau of Mines in Alabama, 1922-1927; staff geologist for the Alabama State Geological Survey,…