1975

1975 was the 104th year after the founding of the city of Birmingham.

Events

• February: The first meeting of the Birmingham Citizens Advisory Board was held.
• June 23–29: Birmingham hosted the premier of the Thornton Wilder classic “The Skin of Our Teeth” by American Bicentennial Theatre at the BJCC Theater.
• October 23–25: Spirit of Labor Festival was held at Western Hills Mall.
• November: George Wallace announced his fourth and final bid for the presidency.
• December 18: USGA executive Elbert Jemison enrolled President Gerald Ford into the USGA's Associates Program in the Oval Office.
• The Alabama Museum of the Health Sciences was established at UAB.
• American Revolution Bicentennial celebrations began to be held.
• The Birmingham Asian Art Society was founded.
• The Birmingham Festival of Arts celebrated a Salute to Brazil.
• Birmingham University School merged with Brooke Hill School for Girls to form the Altamont School.
• Brookside Junior High School was destroyed by fire.
• Dora High School began awarding the "Andrews Award" to graduating senior athletes.
• The first phase of revitalizing Highland Avenue began.
• Indian Springs School became coeducational.
• Mercy Hospital was re-named Cooper Green Hospital
• Ramsay High School became a magnet school.
• Sea lions Rumplesealskin, Julie, Jaws, and a fourth arrived at the Birmingham Zoo's Sea Lion Pool.
• The Vestavia Hills High School Math Team was founded by Kay Tipton.

Business

• September: Mr P's Deli opened in Bluff Park.
• October 16: The proposed development of Riverchase was announced.
• November: O'Carr's started in Homewood as an ice cream parlor.
• Alabama Outdoors was founded.
• Bank of Alabama was founded as Fultondale's first bank.
• The Book Rack opened in Roebuck.
• Century Plaza opened in Eastwood.
• Mortgage Corporation of the South was spun off from Cobbs, Allen, and Hall.
• Harry Crawford purchased what became The Flagman in Columbiana business.
• Dale's Cellar restaurant moved to the Essex House.
• Oak Grove Mine was opened by U. S. Steel in Adger.
• The Pizitz Management Group purchased the Birmingham location of Gus Mayer and kept the rights to the name.
• Investment banking firm Porter, White & Company was founded.
• Vincent Joseph Sazera bought East Side Barbecue and renamed it VJ's on the Runway.
• Alternative newspaper Southern Style began publication.
• Spiller Furniture purchased the Allen & Jemison Warehouse in Tuscaloosa.
• Stancil R. Starnes and his son, Stan Starnes, co-founded the firm of Starnes & Starnes.
• U. S. Steel began shutting down the Ensley Works.
• The Birmingham location of Victoria Station restaurant opened.
• Vinyl-Mark Products Inc. was founded.

Government

• Mayor of Hoover O. E. Braddock died in office; John Hodnett was appointed to finish the term.
• Earl Hilliard began his term in the Alabama house.
• Roger McCondichie joined the Brookside Town Council.
• Thomas Stubbs ended his run as Alabama State Senator.
• David Vann succeeded George Seibels as Mayor of Birmingham.

Religion

• June: Joe Moore succeeded J. Grant Parris as pastor of Avondale United Methodist Church.
• Jerry Butler became pastor of Pelham First Baptist Church.
• Carter Gaston became pastor of Bethel Baptist Church.
• Milton Grafman retired as rabbi of Temple Emanu-El.
• Henry Tuttle succeeded S. Lawrence Johnson as pastor of Pilgrim Congregational Church.

Sports

• January: The WFL revoked the Birmingham Americans' franchise.
• July–October: The Birmingham Vulcans played their only season with the WFL.
• November 27: The first Vulcan Run took place under the name "Bicentennial Run".
• November 29: Alabama defeated Auburn in the Iron Bowl, 28–0.
• The Alabama Crimson Tide won the SEC championship and the Sugar Bowl.
• The Birmingham A's folded.
• Lyman Bostock, Jr was promoted to the major leagues.
• Bobby Bragan became president of the the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues.
• Coach Robert Higginbotham led the Mountain Brook Spartans to the state football championship.
• Shug Jordan retired as Auburn University's head football coach.
• Legion Field's Poly-Turf was replaced with AstroTurf.
• Tiny Lund is killed in the running of the Talladega 500 in a seventh lap crash.
• Larry McReynolds began his NASCAR career.
• Shorty White became a member of the coaching staff for the Alabama Crimson Tide football teams.

Works

Albums

• Elite Hotel by Emmylou Harris
• Pieces of the Sky by Emmylou Harris, including "Boulder to Birmingham"

Books

• Disturbing the Peace by Richard Yates
• The House on Pendleton Block by Ann Waldron
• The Integration of Mary-Larkin Thornhill by Ann Waldron
• Sociobiology: The New Synthesis by E. O. Wilson

Buildings

Postcard of the Hyatt House

• Brookwood Metroplex, phase II
• Century Plaza
• Clarion Hotel
• Hyatt House Birmingham Hotel
• Palmer Norris Center
• Pelham City Hall
• Red Cross Building renovations and expansion
• Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage: Donnelly House, McDaniel House, Oak Hill Cemetery

Film

• One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest featuring Louise Fletcher as Nurse Ratched
• The film version of Stay Hungry was shot in Birmingham.

Television

• September 6: The Lost Saucer, co-starring Jim Nabors, premiered.

Individuals

• Paul Bailey became acting president of Birmingham-Southern College.
• Radio DJ Greg Bass joined Boutwell Studios.
• Bo Berry joined the jazz group Alpaca Phase III.
• Tommy Charles returned to WSGN-AM, co-hosting the T. C. and John Ed morning show with newcomer John Ed Willoughby.
• Don Cornutt became principal of Homewood Middle School.
• Russ Fine was recruited to UAB by the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine.
• Frank Fleming returned to the University of Alabama as an artist in residence.
• John Floyd began directing Jefferson State Junior College's Agricultural Technology Program.
• Vince Gibson became head football coach at the University of Louisville.
• Cliff Holman was promoted to general manager and vice-president of the Parliament House Hotel.
• Juliet Lovoy became chef of Lovoy's Italian Restaurant.
• Lou Marini joined the Saturday Night Live house band.
• Pat Morrow succeeded Freddie Pollard as the director of the Homewood High School band.
• Jack Nelson was promoted to bureau chief of the Los Angeles Times' Washington, D.C. office.
• Wayne Rogers left the TV show M*A*S*H after three seasons.
• Future master engraver Bob Rosser received a book called "The Art of Engraving".
• Carole Samuelson joined the Jefferson County Health Department as a part-time clinic physician.
• Steve Sloan became head football coach at Texas Tech.
• Nelson H. Smith began serving on the general council for the Baptist World Alliance.
• Margaret Tutwiler was called to Washington as Assistant Office Manager for the Fund for Government Investors. She later assumed the job of Executive Director of President Ford's Committee for Alabama.

Births

Bo Bice

• April 7: Kenya Marshall, attorney
• April 14: Avner Dorman, composer
• August 29: André Natta, publisher
• September 2: Cedric Sparks, Birmingham Department of Youth Services director
• October 6: Koundu, gorilla
• November 1: Bo Bice, rock musician
• Melanie Bouyer, Mayor of Lipscomb
• Walton Creel, artist
• Matthew Dent, businessman
• Chris Graves, basketball coach
• Corey McKern, opera singer
• Larry Rackley, painter
• Brandee Skinner
• Tommie Watkins, AIDS activist

Awards

• Alabama Business Hall of Fame: Charles Henderson (Troy University), Frank Rushton (City Ice and Delivery & National Coal and Coke Company), Wallace Malone, Sr (First National Bank), Louis Pizitz (Pizitz), Ben May (Gulf Lumber Company), Mervyn Sterne (Sterne, Agee and Leach)
• Alabama Sports Hall of Fame: Paul Grist, Billy Hitchcock, Frank House, Zipp Newman, Euil Snider, Travis Tidwell, Pat Trammell, and George Wallace
• Miss Alabama: Susie Vaughn
• Miss Samford: Wynne Wilson
• Mr Crestwood: Murry Davis
• Ed Boutwell won three Clio awards for his jingle for Southern Airlines.

Graduations

• Robert Baker from Gregorian University, graduate degree in dogmatic theology
• William B. Blount from the University of Alabama, bachelor's
• John L. Carroll from Harvard University, master of laws
• Anthony Gardner from Hayes High School
• Alan Jacobs from Banks High School
• James Jones from the University of Alabama Law Enforcement Academy
• Ed McMahon from Georgetown University Law School, Juris Doctorate
• J. Gordon Melton from Northwestern University, Ph.D. in the History and Literature of Religions
• Melvin Miller from Indiana University, masters in recreation and parks administration.
• Pat Moore from UAB, bachelor's in accounting
• Dwayne Murray from Stillman College, bachelor of science in business administration
• Samantha Shaw from Homewood High School

Divorces

• Richard Yates and his second wife, Martha Speers

Deaths

• February 4: Howard Hill, archer

See also: List of homicides in 1975

1970s

<< 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 >>

Births - Deaths - Establishments - Events - Works