1957
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1957 was the 86th year after the founding of the City of Birmingham.
Events
- February: The Country Boy Eddie Show debuted on WBRC 6.
- February 7: The U.S. Army Reserve's 87th Maneuver Area Command was formed.
- March 3: A group of hooded Klan members toured the Jimmy Morgan Zoo.
- March 21: Sen. John Kennedy spoke on "Labour Racketeering" at a banquet for the Alabama League of Municipalities in Birmingham.
- April 8: Singer Bobby Darin began a week long engagement at Mike's South Pacific in Homewood.
- April 23: A minor earthquake centered near the Tennessee River below Guntersville Dam alarmed residents across the Birmingham area.
- June: Susie the elephant joined Mona at the Jimmy Morgan Zoo.
- September: Co-producer Gail Patrick brought Raymond Burr to Birmingham to promote their new series "Perry Mason".
- November 4: The William Elias B. Davis statue was rededicated at its present location at Hillman Hospital.
- November 17: An F4 tornado tore through western Walker County.
- The Alabama Theatre's marquee was upgraded with "new display effects."
- The Birmingham Public Library's Titusville Branch Library was established.
- A new well for Center Point was tapped by Cullen Scott.
- Birmingham's Downtown Improvement Association was established.
- Humphry Osmond coined the term "psychedelic" to describe the effects of hallucinogenic drugs.
- The Association for Retarded Citizens of Jefferson County was founded.
- Local doo-wop group "The Cavaliers" (Eddie Kendricks, Paul Williams, and Kell Osbourne) relocated to Cleveland, Ohio.
- The Roma Country Club in Homewood was incorporated.
- Naval officer Jeremiah Denton developed the "Haystack Concept" for concealing aircraft carriers from radar.
- Tom York's "Morning Show" debuted on WBRC-TV.
- The Festival of Arts hosted a "Salute to England and Alabama".
- The Zoo Express miniature railroad began service at the Jimmy Morgan Zoo.
- Gastroenterologist Basil Hirschowitz and two physicists produced a working prototype of the first fiber-optic endoscope.
- The 1896 Tuskegee Chapel was destroyed in a fire.
- The Buten Museum of Wedgewood opened in Merion, Pennsylvania.
- The Birmingham Humane Society stopped providing boarding and grooming services.
- W. A. Belcher donated the 17-acre property surrounding Hawkins Spring to the city of Midfield for a park.
- The Birmingham Museum of Art hosted an exhibition of "Chinese Ivories from the Smithsonian Institution".
- Allright Parking System purchased the ground lease for the Morris Hotel block.
Civil Rights movement
- January 25: Carl and Alexinia Baldwin sued to desegregate the waiting rooms at Birmingham Terminal Station.
- February 14: Fred Shuttlesworth joined Martin Luther King Jr, Ralph Abernathy, Joseph Lowery and others to form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
- March 4: Judge Seybourn Lynne dismissed the Baldwins' lawsuit. They appealed.
- March 6: Fred and Ruby Shuttlesworth challenged the segregation of the Birmingham Terminal Station waiting rooms. Lamar Weaver was assaulted outside after he greeted the couple.
- April 10: George Dickerson's home at 1143 12th Place North in Fountain Heights, which he had purchased two days earlier, was destroyed by a bomb.
- April: The Ashbury Howard residence in Bessemer was damaged by a bomb.
- April 28: The Allen Temple AME Church in Bessemer was bombed during a service.
- May 17: Shuttlesworth spoke on "The New Negro Church" at a "Prayer Pilgrimage" of black leaders in Washington D.C.
- July: A home under construction on Dynamite Hill was damaged by a bomb.
- July: A home at 1216 13th Street North in Fountain Heights was damaged by two bomb blasts.
- August 29: The U.S. Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1957 over Strom Thurmond's filibuster, establishing federal oversight of voting rights for federal offices.
- September 2 (Labor Day): Edward "Judge" Aaron was abducted from Airport Road by six members of the Ku Klux Klan of the Confederacy and then tortured and mutilated in Chalkville.
- September 9: Fred Shuttlesworth and other parents were assaulted by an armed mob when they attempted to enroll their children at Phillips High School.
- November: A home under construction in Bessemer was damaged by a bomb.
- December: Five homes on Dynamite Hill were damaged by a single large bomb blast.
- Birmingham Post-Herald reporter Andrew Glaze testified against a Jefferson County Sheriff's Office deputy accused of beating two black men and then moved to New York City in fear for his life.
Business
- June 19: Colonial Stores opened a new location in Norwood.
- June 27: Hill's Food Stores opened a new location in Norwood.
- July: Vincent Carnaggio founded Pediatrics East in East Lake.
- July: The Orange Crush-Grapico Bottling Company changed its name to the Orange Crush Grapico Company.
- September: Bartell Broadcasters purchased WILD-AM and switched to a Top-40 format, which it called WYDE-AM.
- John Hontzas opened Niki's West restaurant on Finley Avenue.
- Bob and Maxine Sykes opened "The Ice Spot" in Central Park
- Vernon Braden opened Braden's Furniture in Trussville.
- Storer Broadcasting sold WBRC 6 to Taft Radio and Television of Cincinnati, Ohio.
- Tommy Charles and Doug Layton left WSGN-AM for WYDE-AM.
- Western Supermarkets opened a fourth location at Crestwood Shopping Center.
- John Collins opened Lyric Hot Dogs.
- The Atlanta Stove Works closed their Georgia foundry and consolidated production at their Birmingham Stove & Range Company plant in Collegeville.
- Milton and Frank House joined with Bob Wright to operate the Alabama Farmers Market.
- Utopia Cleaners and Laundry opened new locations at Five Points West Shopping City and Crestwood Shopping Center.
- Morris Barstein and Max Corenblum founded their first War Surplus Store on 4th Avenue North.
- Standard Furnishing Co. changed their name to Standard Furniture.
- Hall Thompson purchased the North Alabama Caterpillar dealership in Birmingham.
- Sergei Kampakis purchased the Birmingham Beverage Company from the Cohen family.
- After going public, Vulcan Materials Company acquired Lambert Brothers, the Union Chemicals and Materials Corporation, and seven other companies.
- After suffering a stroke, Charles Carraway turned the operation of Carraway Hospital over to his son, Ben.
- The Woodlawn Theatre closed down.
Education
- Howard College moved from East Lake to Shades Valley.
- Banks High School opened to freshmen.
- Western-Olin High School was accredited.
- The University Hospital School of Nursing was accredited.
- Wilkerson Middle School opened.
- Saint Rose Academy opened a kindergarten in the Terence Mackin residence's former garage.
Government
- May 22: The town of Sylvan Springs was incorporated.
- May 31: The town of Trussville was elevated to the status of "city".
- The Town of County Line was incorporated.
Religion
- May 6: Vestavia Hills Baptist Church was organized.
- The 1957 Presbyterian General Assembly was hosted in Birmingham by South Highland Presbyterian Church.
- Warrior First Baptist Church changed its name to First Baptist Church of Warrior.
Sports
- August 31: The NFL's Detroit Lions defeated the Washington Redskins 31-14 in an exhibition game at Legion Field.
- November 30: Auburn shut out Alabama in the Iron Bowl at Legion Field.
- Johnny Pesky managed the 1957 Birmingham Barons.
- Bear Bryant accepted an offer to leave Texas A&M to coach the Alabama Crimson Tide football team.
- Gene Bartow's St Charles High School boys' basketball team won the Missouri state championship
- H. B. Thompson founded the Gardendale Youth Baseball program.
- The Detroit Tigers traded pitcher Virgil Trucks to the Kansas City Athletics.
- Cyclone Anaya defeated Tor Yamata to claim the NWA Southern Junior Heavyweight title in Birmingham.
- Elmer Moree's St Clair County High School Saints won the state basketball championship.
- Elbert Jemison won a 2nd consecutive Alabama amateur golf championship.
- Jim Pyburn played his final season with the Baltimore Orioles.
Individuals
- Inez Andrews left the Gospel Harmonettes to join the Caravans.
- Betty Jane Baker divorced musician Buddy Baker.
- Clarence Baldwin succeeded Claude Warren as pastor of Pilgrim Congregational Church.
- Raymond Boland was ordained as a Catholic priest.
- Frank Moore Cross was appointed an associate professor at Harvard Divinity School.
- Noel Gaylor was promoted to operations officer for the Commander of the Pacific Fleet in the U.S. Navy.
- Lili Gentle appeared in the film "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?" with Tony Randall.
- Elijah Gilliam joined the 1957 Birmingham Black Barons roster.
- Nathan Glick began his career as an illustrator for Progressive Farmer.
- Nathan Goldstein succeeded Hyman Miller as president of the Jewish Community Center.
- Jack Gotta joined the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.
- Tod Griffin appeared in the B-movie feature "She Devil".
- Glenn Ireland II joined the board of Vulcan Materials Company.
- Clarence Kelly was appointed to supervise the FBI Birmingham Field Office.
- R. B. Knox succeeded Hoyt Ayers as Chief of the Birmingham Fire Department.
- Max Kimerling succeeded J. Harold Shevin as president of Temple Beth-El.
- Virgil Ledbetter began coaching the Howard Bulldogs football team.
- W. Landon Miller became pastor of Ruhama Baptist Church.
- Harold Newman took the orders of a Theravādin monk in Laos and adopted the Dharma name "Sumangalo".
- James Newman succeeded Oliver Carmichael as President of the University of Alabama.
- David Orange joined the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.
- Howard Phillips succeeded F. Edward Lund as President of the University of Montevallo.
- Alma Johnson began hosting "Lunching with Alma" on WJLD-AM.
- Madelyn Poole began her tenure as pianist and music director for Town and Gown Theatre.
- Carl Salter served as president of the Crestwood Civic Club.
- Henry Stanford succeeded Guy Snavely as President of Birmingham-Southern College.
Births
- January: Dandy, an African lion
- January 8: Doug Jones, Helena police chief
- February 10: Samantha Shaw, former Alabama State Auditor
- February 14: Alan Hunter, MTV VJ
- February 14: Reggie King, NBA player
- February 18: Gary Richardson, Midfield mayor and radio executive
- March 17: Barry Krauss, football player
- April: Jesse Chambers, reporter
- April 10: Robert Leslie Palmer, attorney and author
- April 18: Finis St John IV, attorney and University of Alabama trustee
- April 25: Johnny High, NBA player
- May 27: Carol Hendrickson, Navy nurse
- June 11: Dewayne Davis, minister and chorister
- June 20: Stuart Oates, Oak Hill Cemetery director
- June 22: Keith McCord, NBA player
- August 30: Otis Dismuke, educator
- September 7: Jack Williams, legislator
- September 21: Mark Childress, novelist
- November 20: Dwight Stephenson, NFL player
- November 23: Andrew Toney, NBA player
- December 31: Steve Gaines, Baptist minister
- Samm Bennett, percussionist
- Donnetta Brown, educator
- Brad Creed, college administrator
- David Dionne, park director
- Buddy Gray, Baptist minister
- Eric Jack, dean of the Collat School of Business
- Alan Jacobs, academic
- Mama Petite, hippopotamus
- Willie Pittman, mechanic and entrepreneur
- Jeff Pizitz, president of Pizitz Management Group
- James Raper, nurse practitioner
- Dolester Miles, pastry chef
- Walter Moore, educator
- Bill Riccio, founder of the Aryan National Front
- Greg Shaw, Chief Judge of the Alabama Court of the Judiciary
- Bob Sims, Al.com directpr
- Randy Smith, Birmingham Police Department officer
- Glennon Threatt, attorney
- Anthony Underwood, automobile dealer
- Andrew Westmoreland, President of Samford University
- Meged Yisra'el (born Melvin Miller), NFL player
Awards
- Tommy Charles was named "Best DJ of the Year" by the Birmingham Advertising Club.
- Harry Brock Jr received the "Young Bankers Award" from the Alabama Bankers Association.
- Don Hawkins was named "Mr Crestwood" by the Crestwood Civic Club.
- Shug Jordan split the "SEC Coach of the Year" voting with Wade Walker.
- Anna Strange was named "Miss Alabama".
- Golfer Charley Boswell was given an award from the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association.
- Bertha Smith won the first "Miss University Center" pageant.
- Toni Moore was crowned "Miss Howard College".
- Civitan International founder Courtney Shropshire was given a Key to the City of Birmingham.
- Willie Mays won the first of twelve consecutive "Gold Glove" awards.
Graduations
- John Badham graduated from Indian Springs School.
- Kirkwood Balton graduated from Miles College.
- Harry Brock Jr completed a degree from the School of Financial Public Relations at Northwestern University.
- John Buchanan Jr earned his doctorate from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.
- Max D. Cooper graduated from Tulane University.
- Bob Curlee graduated from Howard College.
- Chriss Doss graduated from Howard College.
- Roland Frye completed a Guggenheim Fellowship.
- John C. Fletcher Jr completed a Fulbright Fellowship in Heidelberg, Germany.
- Robert F. Gibbons completed a Ph.D. at Tulane University.
- Miller Gorrie graduated from Auburn University
- Bill Holdefer earned his M.D. at the University of Maryland.
- Chervis Isom graduated from Phillips High School.
- Fob James earned a degree in civil engineering at Auburn University.
- Ray Mohl graduated from Washington Irving High School in Tarrytown, New York.
- Bud Moore graduated from West End High School.
- Sam Pointer Jr completed a juris doctorate at the University of Alabama School of Law.
- Alma Powell completed a bachelor of arts at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee.
- Richard Shelby graduated from the University of Alabama.
- Gene Stallings graduated from Texas A&M University.
- Joab Thomas completed a master's degree in botany at Harvard University.
Marriages
- March: Jim Phillips married Mickey Kennedy.
- September 21: Attorney Orzell Billingsley married Geselda Hill.
- G. B. Burt married.
Retirements
- Journalist Joe David Brown left TIME magazine.
- Blanche Dean retired from teaching.
- Troy Ingram resigned from the position of Exalted Cyclops of the Alabama Knights, Knights of the Ku Klux Klan.
- Clarence Mullins retired from the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.
- Clarence Going, assistant superintendent of Birmingham City Schools, retired.
- Mildred Warner retired from the presidency of Gulf States Paper.
Deaths
- An iron worker was killed when the new steeple at Hunter Street Baptist Church collapsed.
- March 9: Malcolm Dabney, dentist
- March 17: Seale Harris, physician
- April 8: Dorothy Sebastian, actress
- May 26: Luther Patrick, attorney and former U.S. Representative
- June: Caroline Johnson, social activist
- July 10: George Salem Sr, restaurateur
- July 25: Frank Welch, baseball player
- September 24: Carrie Hill, artist
- November: Hubert Harper, cartoonist
- John C. Forney, attorney and Alderman
- Sally Comer Blount Lathrop
- Lynn Strickland, tire dealer
- See also: List of homicides in 1957
Works
- Glenn House's neon sign for Moon Winx Lodge in Alberta City was installed.
- Anthony Perkins starred as Jimmy Piersall in the film based on his memoir, "Fear Strikes Out.
- Cartoonist Phil Neel's drawing of "Aubie" debuted on the Auburn Tigers media guide.
Books
- The Gospel According to Jesus by Ted Hightower was published by Fleming H. Revell of Westwood, New Jersey.
Buildings
- Banks High School
- Birmingham Zoo Bear Moat
- Bush K-8 School addition
- Federal Reserve building expansion
- Birmingham Terminal Cold Storage at the Birmingham Food Terminal
- Municipal Auditorium lobby and meeting rooms
- Crestwood Shopping Center
- Erwin Middle School
- [[First Christian Church] on 21st Street North
- First Presbyterian Church education building
- Hill Elementary School addition
- Hunter Street Baptist Church in Bush Hills
- Leland Shopping Center in Alberta City
- Liberty Motors building
- McElwain Baptist Church fellowship hall
- Newfound Creek Trestle was rebuilt and decked.
- Purcell Wing at Carraway Hospital
- Bethel Baptist Church parsonage, Collegeville
- Lawrence Reynolds Library (groundbreaking)
- Roebuck Marketplace
- Russell Hall at Samford University
- Lewis Smith Dam (groundbreaking)
- The Club men's club room and ladies' card room
- Tuggle Elementary School addition
- Ullman High School classroom annex
- Wilkerson Middle School
- December 1: The A. E. Burgess Co. started the state's first interstate highway construction project.
Music
- Sun Ra's first album, "Super-Sonic Jazz" was released on Saturn Records.
- Tommy Charles' single, "(I'm Afraid) The Masquerade is Over"/"Love, You're a Stranger" was released on Decca Records.
- Haywood Henry's record "I Love You Truly" was released on Davis Records
- Bill Justis' single "Raunchy", released on Sun Records, reached #2 on the Billboard U.S. chart.
- Urbie Green's album, "Let's Face the Music and Dance" was released on RCA Victor.
- Odetta's album, "At the Gate of Horn" was released on Tradition Records.
- Sammy Salvo's single "One Little Baby"/"Lonely Dreamer" was released on Mark V Records
Context
Notable 1956 births included __. Deaths that year included __.
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