Category: G – I

Biography: Writer; professor of English. Born– October 20, 1943, in Pennsylvania; spent his childhood in Alabama. Parents– Claudius Lee and Jeanette Lucy Goodwin. Married–Lucia Stanton, June 16, 1964.  Children–one.  Education– Harvard University, B.A., 1965; University of Virginia, M.A., 1969.  US Army, 1966-68. Instructor at Washington and Lee University, 1969-73; assistant professor, Bryn Mawr College, 1973-78;…

Biography: Engineer. Born– March 10, 1918, in Vicksburg, Ms. Parents– John C. and Josephine (Beaufort) Goodrum. Married– Sarah Grace Bratton, May 22, 1948.  Children–two. Education– Mississippi State University, B.S., 1939; State University of Iowa, M.S., 1941. Employed as an engineer, Canal Zone, 1940-1941; Vicksburg, 1946-1958; director, IE division of Army Ballistic Missile Agency at Redstone Arsenal,…

Biography: Clergyman. Born– January 7, 1925, Rutledge, Tenn. Parents– Herbert and Mabel (Doyal) Gilmore. Education– Carson-Newman College, B.A., 1945; George Peabody College, M.A., 1949; Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, B.D., 1950; Th.M., 1951; Th.D., 1959; Yale University. Married– Joyce Marie Wade, June 17, 1946. Children– Four. Served as pastor in Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Alabama, Washington, D.C.; …

Biography: Journalist. Born– May 28, 1907, Selma. Parents– Eddy Lanier and Evelyn (King) Gilmore. Married– Tamara Chernashova, July 13, 1943. Children– Three. Education– Studied at Washington and Lee University, 1925-1926; graduate of Carnegie Institute of Technology, 1928. News reporter for Atlanta Journal, 1929-1932; Washington Daily News, 1932-1935; Associated Press, 1935-67. Worked for Associated Press in…

Biography: Writer, lecturer; advocate for education. Born– 1860, Greensboro. Parents– Captain Enoch and Sophie E. (Barkley) Sawyer. Married– Henry J. Gielow, February 4, 1880. Children– Two. Published works in several genres–fiction, educational articles, dialect stories, and others. Founder and vice-president of Southern Industrial Education Association, Washington, D.C. which was organized for the purpose of promoting industrial…

Biography: Physicist; university professor. Born– November 26, 1913, Ottawa, Kan. Parents–Jonathan and Lettie Young Ikenberry. Married–Janice Turnipseed, 3 June 1953. Education– University of Ottawa, Kansas, B.A., 1936; University of Kansas, M.A., 1938; Louisiana State University, Ph.D., 1950. U. S. Navy, WWII. Taught at Louisiana State University, 1946-1950, and at Auburn University, 1950-1975. Visiting professor at Johns…

Biography: Psychologist. Born– September 7, 1949, Birmingham. Parents– Joseph Benton and Louise (Butterworth) Howell. Married– Lark Dill, August 16, 1975. Children–two.  Education– Samford University, B.A., 1971; Yale University, M.A. in Religion, 1974; University of Virginia, Ph.D., 1979. Internship in Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School. Practicing Psychologist in Anniston, 1979-. Presents lectures and workshops. Founded the Institute…

Biography: Baptist clergyman; religious journalist.  Born– December 5, 1941, Birmingham. Parents– Wallace Boynton and Wilfred (Vassar) Henley. Married– Mary Irene Lambert, September 4, 1961. Children– Two. Education– Samford University, B.A.; graduate study at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1964-1965; Joint master’s program, Trinity Theological Seminary and Canterbury Christchurch University College. Ordained to the Baptist ministry, 1962;…

Biography: Writer (novels and screenplays). Born– August 22, 1943, Elba. Parents– Louis Frederick and Emma Margaret (Cooper) Inman. Married– Paulette Strong, April 15, 1967. Children– Two. Education– University of Alabama, B.A., 1965, M.F.A., 1979. Employed by WSFA-TV, Montgomery, 1965-1968; press secretary for Governor Albert Brewer 1968-1970; employed by WBTV, Charlotte, N.C., 1970-1975; worked for the…

Biography: Author of children’s books; librarian, editor; university professor. Born– October 6, 1942, Wilsonville. Parents– Kenneth and Elizabeth (Barrett) Gould. Married– Michael Claffey. Children– Two. Education– Wooster College, B.A., 1964; University of Chicago, M.A., 1968;  Ph. D., 1985. Children’s librarian, Wayne County, Ohio, Public Library, 1964-1965, University of Chicago Laboratory Schools, 1967-1968;  children’s book editor, Booklist,…

Biography; Writer; engineer. Born September 30, 1951, South Carolina.  Parents– William Watson and Una Mae Spears Guillebeau. Married–Pat Leary, 1988. Children–three. Software engineer for NASA, U. S. Department of Defense, Boeing. Author of mysteries; published many short stories in anthologies, websites, and periodicals. Finalist for Silver Falchion Award for Best First Novel in Literary Suspense, 2014.…

Biography: Food journalist and critic; culinary historian. Born- Montgomery, October 30, 1884. Parents–George William and Jennie Baldwin Craik.  Education– Study in France. Married– Paxton Hibben, 1916. Children– One. Lived in Greece and Russia with her husband, an American diplomat.  After his death in 1928, a resident of New York. Originated the food column in The New Yorker and…

Biography: Poet; children’s author;  teacher of writing.  Born– August 25, 1946, in Bayside, Queens, New York City. Parents– Charles Vincent and Patricia (Pelletier) Ghigna. Married– Nancy Minnicks.  Children–one. Married–Debra Holmes, August 2, 1975.  Children–one. Education– Attended Edison Community College, 1964-1966; Florida Atlantic University, B.A., 1968; M.A., 1969; University of South Florida; Florida State University.  Taught high…

Biography: Sportswriter; novelist.  Born– February 18, 1936, Birmingham. Parents– Paul and Velma Rebecca (Nelson) Hemphill. Married– Susan Milliage Olive, September 23, 1961. Children– Three. Married Susan Farran Percy, 1977. Children–one.  Education– Auburn University, B.A., 1959; Nieman Fellowship to Harvard, 1968-1969. Alabama Air National Guard, on active duty, serving in France, 1961-1962. Sportswriter for newspapers in…

Biography: Professor, lexicographer, editor. Born– December 21, 1903, Flora Vista, N.M. Parents– Reuben W. and Naomi (Henry) Heflin. Married–Margaret L. Moser, August 7, 1942. Education– University of New Mexico, A.B., 1906; Stanford, M.A., 1927; Oxford University, M.A., 1930; University of Chicago, Ph.D., 1941.  Served in U.S. Air Force, 1942-1946; served in India. Taught at Huron…

Biography; Author; educator. Born; June 1, 1800, Lancaster, Massachusetts. Parents– John and Orpah Danforth Whiting. Married– Nicholas Marcellus Hentz, September 30, 1824. Children–5. Education–attended a private school conducted by Jared Sparks. Taught at the Lancaster Common School, 1817-24. Worked with her husband who conducted schools in several states, including Kentucky, Ohio, and Alabama (in Florence…

Biography: Journalist, writer; composer.  Born– June 18, 1937, Birmingham. Parents– Mose Winston and Kathleen (Krahenbuhl) Godwin. Married– Douglas Kennedy, 1960; married– Ian Marshall, July 17, 1965. Education– University of North Carolina, B.A.; University of Iowa, M.A., 1968; Ph.D., 1971. Worked for Miami Herald, 1959-1960; U.S. Embassy in London and U.S. Travel Service, 1962-1965; editorial assistant,…

Biography: Social worker. Born– July 30, 1883,  Mount Willing, Lowndes Co. Parents– Henry and Mary Carnes Ross. Married– George Edmond Haynes, December 14, 1910. Children– One. Education– Diploma from State Normal School, Montgomery, 1898; Fisk University, A.B., 1903; study at University of Chicago in summers, 1905-1907; Columbia University, M.A., 1907. Taught in St. Louis, 1903-1904; head…

Biography: Physician, professor of medicine. Born– July 12, 1869, Mobile. Parents– Aristide and Amante (Gaines) Hamelin. Adopted by grandparents, Edmund Pendleton and Mary Jane (Toulmin) Gaines. Married– Augusta Brooks Henry, April 25, 1896. Children– Two. Education– University of Alabama, degrees in pharmacy and medicine, 1890. Intern, City Hospital of Mobile; assistant surgeon at New Orleans…

Biography: Journalist, novelist. Born– November 13, 1910, Hartselle. Parents– John Bradford and Margaret Lois (Brindley) Huie. Married– Ruth Puckett, October 27, 1934 (died 1973). Married– Martha Hunt Robertson, July 16, 1977. Education– University of Alabama, A.B., 1930. Served in U.S. Navy, WWII. Employed by the Birmingham Post, 1932-1936; co-founder of magazine Alabama: The News Magazine of…

Biography: Literary scholar; university professor of English. Born– 1897 in Queen City, Mo. Parents– William and Onnye Margrett Meara Gosser.  Married–Gladys Hulsted.  Children–two. Education– Kirksville State Teacher’s College, B.S.; University of Chicago, Ph.D. Taught at Alabama Polytechnic Institute (Auburn University), 1927-. Died May 1987. Source: Auburn University Library. Publication(s): A Medical-Vocabulary Workbook. Auburn, Ala.; API…

Biography; Writer; university professor of creative writing. Born–May 25, 1984, Fort Wayne, Indiana. Married; children–one.  Education– B.A., Knox College; M. F. A., University of Alabama, 2010.  Associate professor of creative writing, University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire. Founder and executive director, Chippewa Valley Writers Guild.  Society of Midland Authors Award for Adult Nonfiction, 2012. Blei/Derleth Nonfiction Award, 2014. Source; Contemporary Authors online.…

Biography: Journalist; Publisher. Born–October 9, 1880.  Parents– John Charles and Antoinette Aurelia (Linn) Matthews Henley. Married–Lamira Minter Parker, April 26, 1906.  Children–four.  Education– Pantops Academy, Charlottesville, Va.; Princeton University, B.A., 1902.  Reporter, Birmingham News; founded Birmingham Publishing Company, 1910, served as president until his death in 1949. Founder and president, Birmingham Historical Society. Active in…

Biography: Reporter; fiction writer. Born– September 29, 1924, in Lake Village, Ark. Parents– Charles Merrill and Ann Maples Heath. Reared by his grandmother after his mother’s death when he was an infant. Grew up in Scottsboro, Ala. Married– Mary Anne Stahler, 1950.  Children–three.  Education– Baylor School in Chattanooga; University of Virginia, B.A., 1949. U.S. Army…

Biography: Professor. Born– April 7, 1933 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Married– Mary Jean Woodruff.  Children– two. Education– University of Michigan, A.B., 1955; A.M., 1956; Ph.D., 1968. Taught at Jackson (Mich.) High School, 1958-1961; Ann Arbor High School, 1961-1963; University of Michigan, 1965-1968; St. Louis University, 1963-1973; University of Alabama in Birmingham 1973-. Published articles in…

Biography: Sociologist; Professor. Born– December 15, 1942, in Watonga, Okla. Parents– Leo Carl and Clara (Van Dorn) Gundlach. Education– Oklahoma State University, B.A., 1969; University of Texas, M.A., 1975; Ph.D., 1978. Married– Carol, April 31, 1969. Children– One. Professor of sociology at Auburn University, retired 2007.   Whistle-blower for an academic scandal at Auburn in…

Biography: Elocutionist; poet. Born– June 26, 1889, River Bend. Parents– Frank F. and Linnie P. Crowe. Married– William Porcher Guerard. Children– one. Education– Graduate of Alabama College, student of expression and poetry at Columbia College of Expression, Chicago. Presented readings throughout the South; won awards for poems, including the ballad prize of the Poetry Society of Alabama…

Biography: Historian; College professor. Born– April 22, 1936, Wedowee. Parents– Carey Arlin and Minnie Lee (Parker) Gross. Education– Baylor University, B.A., 1957; Auburn University, M.A., 1962; University of Georgia, Ph.D., 1969. Teacher, Augusta College; graduate fellow, Institute of Higher Education, University of Georgia; professor of history at Armstrong State College in Savannah, Georgia,  1967-97. Contributor to the…

Biography: Attorney, journalist. Born– November 23, 1890, Birmingham. Parents– Adolph and Sarah (Kaufman) Gross. Married– Kathleen Cotter, December 21, 1931. Education– Study at Tulane University; University of Alabama, LL.B., 1914. Served with U.S.Army in France, WWI. Admitted to State Bar of Alabama in 1915, practiced law in Birmingham, 1915-17; reporter for the Bronx Home News,…

Biography: Musician; musicologist; university professor. Born– March 29, 1924, Birmingham; grew up in Chapel Hill, NC. Parents– Mitchell Bennett and Dora Mayfred (Matthews) Garrett. Married– Louise Lynch Jones, June 5, 1948. Children– Three. Education– University of North Carolina, A.B., 1947, M.A., 1949, Ph.D., 1952. Served in the U. S. Navy, WWII. Faculty member, Catholic University…

Biography: Writer. Born– Robinson Springs, Elmore County,  August 2, 1873. Parents– Joseph Archibald and India (Crenshaw) Harris. Education– At home and with private tutors. Contributor of short stories, essays, and one-act plays to Harpers Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, The Atlantic, Lippincotts, and other magazines. Worked as a clerk in the state tax office,  Elmore County. Died…

Biography: Reporter, free-lance writer. Born– March 30, 1919, in Atlanta, Ga. (moved to Birmingham at the age of three with her family).  Parents– John and Floy (Jarrett) Bradford. Married– John Robert Greer, Sr., December 23, 1936.  Children–three. Education– diploma, Newspaper Institute of America, 1952.  Reporter for Mobile Register, 1954-1955, 1962-1965.  Wrote stories and articles for…

Biography; Writer; ethnologist; folklorist.  Born January 7, 1891, Notasulga (moved to Eatonville, Florida, with her family as a child).  Parents–John and Lucy Potts Hurston.  Married– Herbert Sheen, 1927; Albert Price III, 1939.  Education:  graduated from Morgan Academy, Baltimore; Howard College, A.A., 1920; Barnard College, B.A., 1928; graduate study at Columbia University (studied  with the anthropologist…

Biography: Attorney, judge, historian. Born– March 19, 1859, Mobile. Parents– Peter and Anna Martha Hamilton. Married– Rachel Wheeler. Children– Three. Education– Princeton University, A.B., 1879, A.M., 1882,; University of Alabama, LL.B., 1910; further study at the University of Leipzig and at Spring Hill College. Admitted to the bar in 1882; Practiced law in Mobile, serving…

Biography: College Professor of business. Born– April 22, 1924, in Lynchburg, S.C. Parents– Simon and Mary Sue (Kirby) Griffin. Education– Winthrop College, B.S., 1945; University of Tennessee, M.S., 1948; Ohio State University, Ph.D., 1961. Taught at Brevard College, 1945-1947; Georgia State University, 1947-1948; University of Alabama, 1949-1959, 1961-1962; University of Illinois, 1962-1963; Clemson University, 1963-1964;…

Biography: Artist. Born– August 2, 1930, in Oklahoma City, Okla. Parents– Vernon H. and Louise (Harris) Padgett. Education– Mary Washington College; Ringling Art School; graduated from Art Instruction, Inc., correspondence school. Married– Louis Graf. Children– Three. Named Outstanding Young Woman, 1965. Died January 1, 1985. Source: Dot Graf, Cullman, Ala. Publication(s): Color Cullman County. S.l.;…

Biography: City manager, college administrator, university president. Born– July 22, 1929, in Mars Hill, Me. Parents– Clayton John and Annie Glenna (Shaw) Green.  Married–Elizabeth Jean Zirkelback Ross, May 27, 1965. Children–one. Education– Bates College, A.B., 1951; University of Alabama, M.A., 1955.  Military service: Korean conflict.  Served as research director for the Alabama League of Municipalities,…

Biography: Home economist; University professor. Born–November 20, 1888, Snowden; raised in Selma.  Parents–Edward Samuel and Minnie Taylor Gatchell. Columbia University Teachers College, B.S., 1923; M.S., 1928.  Professor in  Foods and Nutrition Department, School of Home Economics, Auburn University, 1923-56. Died February 22, 1960. Source: Owen’s The Story of Alabama, Vol. 3; ancestry.com Publication(s): Handbook of Menu…

Biography: Historian; University professor. Born– April 17, 1881, near Lineville. Parents– Mitchell Bennett and Matilda Caroline (McCain) Garrett. Married– Dora Mayfred Matthews, May 12, 1923. Children– Two. Education– Howard College, B.A., 1900, M.A., 1903; Cornell University, Ph.D., 1910. Instructor of history at several institutions including University of Mississippi, University of Michigan, St. Lawrence University, and  Howard…

Biography: Educator, writer for children and young adults, consultant. Born– September 19, 1941, Demopolis. Parents– Henry and Julia (Brown) Haskins. Married–Kathy Benson.  Children–three.  Education– Boston Latin School; Georgetown University, B.S.(Social psychology), 1960; Alabama State University, B.S. (history), 1962; University of New Mexico, M.A., 1963; further graduate study at New School for Social Research, 1965-1967; Queens…

Biography: Attorney, banker, state senator. Born– October 29, 1907, Columbiana. Parents–William Edward and Georgia Exa Scott Harrison.  Married–Mildred Holland Bennett.  Children–one.  Education– University of Alabama, 1925-1927; graduate of American Institute of Banking, 1930; Birmingham School of Law, 1934. Admitted to the State Bar in 1934; practiced law in Columbiana after 1936. Member, Alabama State Senate,…

Biography: Realtor, cattleman, author. Born– November 27, 1907,  Washington, D.C. Parents– Richmond Pearson and Grizelda Houston (Hull) Hobson. Married– Gloria McIntosh of Vancouver, British Columbia. Children– One. Attended Stanford University.  Employed as a realtor in New York; ranch hand in Wyoming; owner with partner Pan Phillips of Frontier Cattle Company, 1936.  Settled in the Vanderhoof, British…

Biography: Naval officer, congressman. Born– August 17, 1870, Greensboro. Parents– James Marcellus and Sarah Croom (Pearson) Hobson. Married– Grizelda Houston Hull, May 25, 1905. Children– Three. Education– Southern University, 1881-1885;  U.S. Naval Academy, graduated 1889; Washington and Jefferson College, M.S., 1889; further study at Ecole National Superieur des Mines; graduate of Ecole d’Application du Genie…

Biography: Historian, archivist, teacher. Born– October 21, 1933, Montgomery. Parents– Milo Barrett and Mary Josepha (Key) Howard. Education– Auburn University, A.B., 1955, M.A. 1960. Served in the U.S. Army 1955-1957; employed by the Alabama State Department of Archives and History 1958-81, director, 1967-81; taught at the University of Alabama, 1964-1968 and at Auburn University, 1968. Published…

Biography: Librarian. Born– October 9, 1911, in The Rock, Upson, Ga. Parents–Cornelius S. and Rosa Ogletree Marchman. Married– Wilfred Main Honour.  Children– one. Education– Alabama Polytechnic Institute, 1951-1954; Tennessee Polytechnic Institute, B.A., 1955; University of Southern California, M.S.L.S., 1959; Auburn University, M.A., 1962. Reference, gifts and exchange librarian, Auburn University, 1955-. Received an award for excellence in…

Biography: Teacher. Born– March 14, 1899, Stroud, Chambers Co. Parents– J.T. and Sarah F. (Danielly) Lee. Married– Britt Higgins, June 3, 1936. Children– One. Education– George Peabody College, B.S.; Columbia University, M.A. Teacher for six years, Western Kentucky Teachers College training school; six years, George Peabody College Demonstration School; afterward, teacher at LaFayette, Ala., until…

Biography: Businessman. Born– September 29, 1940, Rome, Ga. Parents– Gilbert and Mable (Burkhalter) Howard. Married– Sue Crow, October 1961. Children– Two. Education– University of Alabama, B.S., 1977; graduate school of the University of Alabama in Birmingham. Worked for Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, 1965-92. Source: Gene L. Howard, Wellington, Ala. Publication(s): Death at Cross Plains.…