Tag Archives: 1950’s

February 1956: When the Eyes of the World Were on Us

Sixty years ago, the first major step was made toward desegregating the University of Alabama. Autherine Lucy, a black woman from Shiloh, Alabama, was enrolled – and a few days later suspended, eventually expelled, though she had done nothing wrong. … Continue reading

Newly Online: James B. Tipton papers

This year for Veterans Day, we celebrate a man who was a veteran twice over during his long career in the military. Major General James B. Tipton was a pilot and pilot instructor with the United States Army Air Forces (later … Continue reading

A Day in the Life: June 1

Here’s a slice of life from June 1st over the last 170 some-odd years, representing a cross-section of materials from the digital archive — from the serious to the silly, the magical to the mundane.

Roland Harper’s Southern churches, 1901-1958

Roland Harper (1878-1966) was a lot of things, notably a geologist and botanist. According to a biographical sketch published two years after his death (see end of post for reference), “Roland Harper was intent. He botanized, observed, photographed, walked, editorialized, criticized, lived, … Continue reading

Campus Rewind: Foster Auditorium and Coleman Coliseum

It seems like it’s impossible to write a blog post about any building on campus without talking about what came before or after. In this case, a look at Foster Auditorium led down an unexpected path — to Coleman Coliseum. But how? … Continue reading

Campus Pinups?

Rammer Jammer, UA’s campus magazine from the 1920s to the 1950s, often featured cover art that was surprisingly risqué for the time. Or was it? I think we tend to see 1920s-1940s through the lens of the 1950s, with its heavily censored films (see … Continue reading

Goodbye, Corolla, Goodbye: 1950s-1960s

Continuing our look at Corollas of the past, these two volumes from the 1950s and 1960s are both in Acumen, and they document a rapidly changing student body and new student attitudes. 1959 With the Space Race now underway, the … Continue reading

Women and Their Cars

Over a hundred years ago, Alice Ramsey and her friends took the first all-female cross country automobile trip. You can read about Ramsey’s experience at Smithsonian Magazine online — what they ate, where they stayed, how they found their way … Continue reading

Campus Rewind: Alabama Union Building

Before there was the Ferguson Center, there was the Alabama Union building. Now known as Reese Phifer Hall, housing the College of Communication and Information Sciences, the building served as the student union for forty years, from its construction in … Continue reading

Sorority Rush 2013

Sorority rush is upon us here at UA. Today we revisit images of rushes past. (Alpha Gamma Delta Rush Tea, 1943) (1957) (1958) (Alpha Delta Pi rush, ca. 1965) (ca. 1965 — Do you know which sorority this is? Let … Continue reading