1953
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1953 was the 82nd year after the founding of the city of Birmingham.
Events
- The Birmingham Festival of Arts was held as a "Festival of the Seven Arts".
- Fountain Heights Methodist Church purchased the former Weather Forecast Office Birmingham on 13th Street North.
- March 4: "Confederate Flag Day" was recognized by the Alabama State Legislature.
- April 18: The 1953 Siluria tornado killed eight people and caused damage to the Buck Creek Mill.
- April 19: The Birmingham Transit Company's last streetcar trip was completed on the No. 27 Ensley No. 38 South East Lake streetcar line.
- September 17: Actress Gloria Swanson made special appearances at the downtown Loveman's store.
- September 17: The Crestwood Civic Club was organized.
- October 5-10: The 1953 Alabama State Fair was held.
- The Red Gap Branch of the Birmingham Mineral Railroad between Hedona and Irondale was abandoned.
Business
- Robert Luckie Jr founded Luckie & Co.
- Michael Matsos opened a second location of La Paree restaurant in the Holiday Inn on Bessemer Super Highway.
- Bert Bank founded the Alabama Football Network.
- Storer Broadcasting of Toledo, Ohio purchased WBRC-TV for $2.3 million and switched it from Channel 4 to Channel 6.
- The Birmingham News Company purchased WAFM-TV, WAPI-AM and WAPI-FM and moved their studios to Red Mountain.
- Pasquale and Vincent Gramaglia founded Pasquale's Pizza & Pasta in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- Riverbend Farm in Ragland ceased bottling and distribution of its dairy products.
Government
- February 23: The city of Alabaster was incorporated.
- April: Cooper Green resigned from the Birmingham City Commission to become a vice president of the Alabama Power Company.
- The Birmingham Department of Parks and Recreation purchased the Arlington home in West End for $53,000, raised through private donations.
- May 5: 1953 primary elections and 1953 Birmingham municipal election
- Jimmy Morgan succeeded Cooper Green as President of the Birmingham City Commission.
- October 6: The city of Midfield was incorporated.
- October 13: The city of Adamsville was re-incorporated.
- Hal McCall succeeded James Robertson as Mayor of Tuscaloosa.
- George Wallace was elected to the Third Judicial Circuit Court.
Education
- Birmingham's Western High School was renamed Western Olin High School.
- A. H. Parker High School was first accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges.
- The Birmingham Conservatory of Music merged with Birmingham-Southern College.
- Lawrence Reynolds donated his collection of over 13,000 rare books, manuscripts and artifacts to the Birmingham Extension Center of the University of Alabama.
- November 13: A fire seriously damaged Edgewood Elementary School.
Religion
- May 3: Concord Highland Baptist Church was dedicated.
- Fred Shuttlesworth succeeded Chester Laster as pastor of Bethel Baptist Church.
Sports
- The 1953 Birmingham Barons began a three-season association with the New York Yankees.
- May 18: Harold Grote tied a Birmingham Barons record with two home runs in one inning.
- August 28: The Southside Ball Association Little League team from Avondale Park defeated New York 1-0 to claim the 1953 Little League World Series.
- Sam Hairston was named Most Valuable Player of the Western League.
- Shug Jordan's 1953 Auburn Tigers football team went 7-3-1 and lost the Gator Bowl to Texas Tech.
- Pitcher Virgil Trucks was traded to the St Louis Cardinals.
- November 28: Alabama won the 1953 Iron Bowl 10-7.
Individuals
- Fant Thornley succeeded Emily Danton as director of the Birmingham Public Library.
- Eloise Hanna retired from WBRC-TV.
- A. C. Keily served as president of the Professional Photographers of Mississippi-Alabama.
- W. A. Parker retired as Superintendent of Tarrant City Schools.
- Henry Stanford became president of the Georgia State College for Women in Milledgeville.
- James Permutt succeeded Fred Nichols as president of Temple Beth-El.
- U.S. Attorney Tom King was made Chief Administrative Assistant to U. S. Representative George Huddleston Jr.
- R. G. Armstrong made his Broadway debut in "End as a Man."
- Cliff Holman was honorably discharged from the U.S. Army.
- Hardrock Gunter took a job in Wheeling, West Virginia producing "The World's Original Jamboree" radio show.
- Sol Rittenbaum succeeded James Permutt as president of the Jewish Community Center.
Births
- January 5: Mike DuBose, football coach
- January 23: Joseph Marino, Archbishop
- March 1: Luther Strange, Attorney General of Alabama and U.S. Senator
- March 2: Rodger Smitherman, state senator
- May 9: Ron "Papa Jack" Jackson, professional baseball player
- May 22: Radio disc jockey Coyote J. Calhoun (Jim Battan)
- June 12: Charlie Moore, professional baseball player
- July 15: Hugo Black III, attorney
- July 22: Tony Petelos, Jefferson County Manager
- July 28: Don Black, Ku Klux Klan leader and "Stormfront" founder
- August 14: Harold Jackson, newspaper columnist
- August 23: Billy Shields, professional football player
- September 16: Jerry Pate, professional golfer
- September 19: Ann Florie, Leadership Birmingham director
- October 23: Angelo Sarris, restaurateur
- December: Eli Gold, sports announcer
- December 20: Steve Orel, founder of World of Opportunity
- Emory Anthony, attorney
- Bill Bryant, orthopedist
- Robert W. Carter, Chief of the Adamsville Police Department
- Cathy Sloss Jones, real estate developer
- Myron Massey, Fairfield Police Department
- Michael Melvin, Chief of the Kimberly Police Department
Marriages
- Actor Mary Anderson married cimematographer Leon Shamroy.
- Theodore Peoples married Annie Louise Berry.
- Freddie Rogers married Pearlie McCarthy.
- Hank Penny married Sue Martin.
- August 22: Bill Steltemeier married Ramona Schnupp.
Awards
- Birmingham Woman of the Year: Eleanor Bridges
- Miss Alabama: Virginia McDavid
- Mr Crestwood: Carl Johnsey
- University of Alabama Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award: George Murray
Graduations
- Coach Bobby Bowden graduated from Howard College.
- Composer Ezra Sims earned a diploma in Chinese from the U.S. Army Language School.
- Pastor Fred Shuttlesworth completed a bachelor's degree in English from the Alabama State Teachers College in Montgomery.
- Gene Bartow earned a degree from Truman State University in Kirksville, Missouri.
- Ward McIntyre graduated from Birmingham-Southern College.
- John Grenier completed his law degree at Tulane University.
Deaths
- January 7: Joe Kelley died with 40 other servicemen returning from Korea in a plane crash near Bear Lake, Idaho.
- January 18: Newt Joseph, baseball player
- May 30: Oscar Wells, banker
- June 27: Mary Anderson, real-estate developer, rancher, viticulturist and inventor
- August 15: Erskine Ramsay, mining engineer, inventor and philanthropist
- Ned McCormack, Homewood Police Department
- See also: List of homicides in 1953
Works
- "Get It", single by The Royals with Hank Ballard
Books
Buildings
- March 22: The Birmingham VA Medical Center was dedicated.
- June 11: Howard College broke ground for its new Shades Valley campus.
- The Alabama Theatre's projection system and screen were upgraded for CinemaScope.
- The connector between U.S. Highway 31 and the "Florida Short Route" in Rosedale was begun.
- Widening of U.S. Highway 31 between Shades Mountain and the Cahaba River was begun.
- A playing field was constructed on the east side of Phillips High School.
- A parsonage for North Birmingham Church of God on 32nd Street North.
- Minor High School stadium
- St Theresa Catholic Church in Leeds
Context
1950s |
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