1969

1969 was the 98th year after the founding of the City of Birmingham.

Events

Ann Fowler

• The Birmingham Weather Bureau Office was designated as the forecast office for Alabama and Northwest Florida with Robert M. Ferry as Meteorologist-In-Charge.
• WENN-FM went on the air at FM 107.7.
• Ginger and Grant Boatwright joined with Dale Whitcomb to form Red, White and Blue(grass).
• United Appeal expanded operations into Shelby County.
• June: Members of the Lost Found Nation of Islam purchased the 541-acre Big Beaver Ranch in southern St Clair County and another 376-acre farm in the northern part of the county.
• June 7: Hueytown Public Library opened in a hallway in the Hueytown City Hall.
• June 13: The Birmingham Dinner Theatre moved to Barber's Cafeteria at Eastwood Mall.
• July 5: Ann Fowler was crowned Miss Alabama for 1970.
• A troop of Boy Scouts discovered the Oglesby Cemetery at Tannehill Historical State Park.
• The Norwood Community Ministry lost its lease.
• Birmingham public swimming pools were closed down after the death of Birmingham Police Officer Kenneth Spencer at an altercation at Harris Park.
• August: the Medical Information Service via Telephone (MIST) program was instituted at UAB Medical Center.
• October 15: UAB students protested for a moratorium in the Vietnam War outside Tidwell Hall.
• November 29: The Downtown Action Committee sponsored its final Birmingham Christmas parade.

Business

• July 23: Ashby Gholson opened Say Hey Willie Mays' restaurant in downtown Birmingham.
• Tuscaloosa's McFarland Mall opened.
• U. S. Pipe was purchased by the Jim Walter Corporation.
• Pemco Space Vector, part of the Pemco Aviation Group, was founded.
• Pasquale Gramaglia sold Pasquale's Pizza & Pasta to Neal Andrews.
• Tommy Charles sold WAQY-AM.
• The Dandé Lion shop was opened by Joan Conzelman.
• Day Eye Care moved from Birmingham to Gardendale.
• Dowd Ritter began his banking career at First National Bank of Birmingham.
• Joe Farley became president of the Alabama Power Company
• Jack Caddell sold Jack's Hamburgers to Florida Capital.
• Walt Shaw founded Avanti Polar Lipids.
• T. J.'s BBQ opened on 5th Avenue South.
• William Rushton III became CEO of the Protective Life Corporation.
• Z. W. Ford III opened the Tape Village record store chain.
• The Alabama Independent and Birmingham Independent became The Alabama Independent
• Walter Morris and Dick Shea left Harbert Construction to found the Morris-Shea Bridge Co.
• Specification Rubber Products was acquired by American Cast Iron Pipe Co.

Education

• Fairfield Industrial High School closed as Fairfield High School was integrated.
• Wenonah State Junior College was renamed Lawson State Junior College in honor of Theodore Lawson.
• Alabama College became the University of Montevallo and began enrolling male students.
• James H. Woodward joined the faculty of UAB.
• June 16: Governor Albert Brewer announced the creation of the University of Alabama in Birmingham (UAB) as a separate institution within the University of Alabama System.
• September 12: The Medical College of Alabama was officially renamed the University of Alabama School of Medicine.
• December 22: The Homewood Board of Education was created, but did not yet assume authority.

Government

• Liston Corcoran, Nina Miglionico, E. C. Overton, Arthur Shores, and Russell Yarbrough were elected to the Birmingham City Council.
• The Marijuana Tax Act was found unconstitutional in Timothy Leary v. United States, 1969
• April 24: Blount, Jefferson, Shelby, St Clair, and Walker Counties joined the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham.
• The Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau and Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center Authority were established by law.

Religion

• 6th Avenue Baptist Church began construction of a new, 12-acre campus on Montevallo Road (Elyton).
• Greater Birmingham Ministries was founded.
• Vestavia Church of God was organized by Joe Edwards.

Sports

• August 2: The AFL's Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Oakland Raiders 23-17 in an exhibition game at Legion Field.
• September 6: The AFL's Miami Dolphins defeated the Boston Patriots 13-0 in an exhibition game at Legion Field.
• The 1969 Birmingham A's went 78-62.
• Alabama State defeated Alabama A&M 26-6 in the Magic City Classic at Legion Field.
• The Atlanta Braves signed Satchel Paige as a pitching coach.
• Red Farmer won the first of three consecutive NASCAR National Late Model Sportsman championships.
• Pat Sullivan became the starting quarterback for the Auburn Tigers
• Watson Brown became the starting quarterback for the Vanderbilt Commodores.
• Auburn (8-3) defeated Alabama (6-5) by a score of 49-26 in the 1969 Iron Bowl at Legion Field.
• Jim Davenport played his last season as a starter for the San Francisco Giants.
• Quarterback Joe Namath delivered on his guaranteed victory for the New York Jets in Super Bowl III.
• A lawsuit was filed on behalf of black students at the University of Alabama to compel football coach Bear Bryant to admit African Americans to the team.

Works

• "Complex Vision", op-art installation by Yaacov Agam at the Eye Foundation Hospital.
• "Noccalula", bronze statue at Noccalula Falls Park in Gadsden.

Buildings

• The "Touch and See Nature Trail" opened at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
• Additional property was purchased to enlarge the site of the Birmingham Museum of Art.
• The Birmingham Terminal Station was demolished.
• BTNB Eastwood branch.
• Center for Developmental and Learning Disorders (now known as the Sparks Center).
• Citizens Federal building.
• The Crestwood Park swimming pool was dedicated
• Essex House was purchased by the Birmingham Housing Authority.
• The Festival Cinema opened in Southside
• Kingsridge on Highland apartments
• "Multi-Vapor" lighting was installed at Legion Field.
• 116,000 square-foot addition to the Lyons Harrison Research Building at UAB.
• Four classrooms were added to the church hall at St Elias Maronite Church.
• Murchison Hall at Miles College
• Opportunity Center School addition
• Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic School 6-classroom addition
• Parisian opened at Eastwood Mall.
• Rust Computer Center at UAB
• The Talladega Superspeedway opened.
• University Hall at UAB
• The Vestavia Hills Civic Center, including the Vestavia Hills Public Library, opened in Wald Park.
• West Lake Mall
• Ten new Birmingham public swimming pools opened.
• Mountain Brook Presbyterian Church
• McFarland Mall in Tuscaloosa

Demolitions

• Birmingham Terminal Station
• Cullom Apartments (UAB Medical Center Annex)
• 6th Avenue Presbyterian Church
• West Lake Park

Books

• Birmingham-Jefferson Civic Center National Architectural Competition, edited by Les Adams
• Populism to Progressivism in Alabama by Sheldon Hackney

Films and TV

• Starlet!, Thar She Blows! and Ramrodder, produced by David F. Friedman.
• September 15: "The Popeye Show" starring "Cousin Cliff" Holman aired for the last time.

Music

• "Cloud Nine", The Temptations (featuring Dennis Edwards on lead vocal), charted single
• It's All Wrong (It's All Right)" / "Don't Keep Hanging On" and "Easier to Say Than Do" / "Soul Sister" singles by Sam Dees on Lolo Records
• Atlantis, jazz album by Sun Ra and his Astro Infinity Arkestra
• Sam Dees founded the Moonsong Publishing Company.

Individuals

• George M. Murray succeeded C. C. J. Carpenter as the Episcopal Bishop of Alabama.
• Angela Davis was fired from UC-San Diego because of her membership in the Communist Party.
• Joseph A. Durick became the 8th Catholic Bishop of Nashville.
• Poet John Beecher took a job at the North Shore Community College in Beverly, Massachusetts
• Gynecologic pathologist Hazel Gore was recruited to UAB.
• Gloria Goldstein was appointed as UAB's director of public affairs.
• Charles D. Hounshell succeeded Robert F. Henry as President of Birmingham-Southern College.
• William Maddox was appointed a clinical professor of surgery at the University of Alabama School of Medicine in Birmingham.
• Charles Moss served as president of AIA Birmingham
• Jim Luker succeeded Jim Dultz as display director for Pizitz department stores.
• Astronaut Hank Hartsfield joined NASA.
• Actress and producer Gail Patrick divorced Cornwell Jackson.
• Kitchen manager Shirley Posey began working at the Pell City Steak House.
• Fred Shuttlesworth separated from his wife, Ruby.
• Joseph Kula presided over the Holy Infant of Prague Catholic Church.
• O. E. Braddock succeeded Edward Ernest as Mayor of Hoover.
• David Mathews succeeded Frank Rose as president of the University of Alabama.

Births

• February 1: Anne Durward, Jefferson County Circuit Court judge
• March 8: Sharrif Simmons, poet and educator
• April 13: Greg Glover, record label executive and DJ
• April 21: Scott Register, music promoter and DJ
• May 21: Ben Short, professional baseball pitcher
• June 12: Kevin Turner, NFL fullback
• June 16: State Representative Earl Hilliard Jr
• June 18: Mark Prater, meteorologist
• August 2: David Phillips, taxidermist
• August 20: Cara McClure, social activist
• September 10: John Cantelow, pastor
• September 13: Russ Davis, MLB baseball player
• September 26: Stuart Rachels, chess champion and philosopher
• October 13: Scott Beason, state senator
• October 17: Warren St John, writer
• November 22: Lisa Mason, radio host
• December 17: Gerald Swindle, angler
• December 31: Iva Williams III, political consultant
• Jarralynne Agee, Miles College provost
• Celia Carey, documentary filmmaker
• Lara Embry, psychologist and wife of actress Jane Lynch
• Walter Gonsoulin, superintendent of Jefferson County Schools
• Chatham Hellmers, shopkeeper and makeup artist
• Abdul Kallon, attorney and judicial nominee
• Wayne Mills, country singer and bandleader
• Larry "Tater" Potter, street resident
• Gregory Slay, drummer for Remy Zero
• Scott Strand, runner and Trak Shak co-owner
• Beck Taylor, president of Samford University

Graduations

• Tom Cosby earned a bachelor's degree in sociology at the University of Alabama.
• Broadcast engineer Joe Dentici graduated from the Elkins Institute in Texas.
• Bill Featheringill completed a law degree from Columbia University.
• Jefferson County Sheriff Mike Hale graduated from Woodlawn High School.
• MetLife CEO Rob Henrikson completed a bachelor of arts in English literature at the University of Pennsylvania.
• Future Mayor of Oneonta Ross Norris graduated from Oneonta High School.
• Banker Dowd Ritter completed a bachelor's degree in economics at Birmingham-Southern College.
• Jan Willis completed her Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy at Cornell University.

Marriages

• January 7: Former Miss Birmingham Toula Hagestratou married attorney Clifford Fulford.
• February 25: Hilda Jo Patrick married Joe Minter.
• Howell Raines married Susan Woodley.
• Hoover City Schools superintendent Jack Farr married Janice Smith.
• Emmylou Harris married Tom Slocum.
• Muzaffar Sheikh married Linda Ann Cooke.

Awards

• Alabama Academy of Honor: Winton Blount, Albert Brewer, Paul "Bear" Bryant, Jim Folsom Sr, A. G. Gaston, Lister Hill, Thomas Moorer, John Patterson, Frank Rose, Frank Samford Sr, Bertha Smolian, John Sparkman, Werner von Braun and George Wallace
• Female Vocalist of the Year (Country Music Association): Tammy Wynette (second year in a row)
• P.E.N. Writing Award: Sonia Sanchez
• Southern Amateur Golf Championship: Hubert Green

Deaths

• March 21: Mike "Pinky" Higgins, baseball player and manager
• April 20: Benny Benjamin, Motown drummer
• June 1: William Harrison, Birmingham City Commissioner
• June: Wilbur Harden, trumpeter, flügelhornist and jazz composer
• June 29: Shorty Long, singer and record producer
• July 3: Soldier Bill Terry Jr was killed in action.
• July 13: Birmingham police officer Kenneth Spencer was killed during an altercation at Harris Park.
• July 21: Minister and Civil Rights leader A. D. King drowned.
• August 9: Hair stylist Jay Sebring, was murdered.
• September 25: Sports columnist Benny Marshall committed suicide.
• December 31: Geneaologist and gardener Nouna Chenoweth died.
• Dorsey Whittington, pianist and director of the Birmingham Civic Symphony and Birmingham Conservatory of Music
• A 6-day old polar bear cub drowned at the Birmingham Zoo.

See also List of Birmingham homicides in 1969

Context

1969 saw the last issue of The Saturday Evening Post and the first album by Led Zeppelin. Richard Nixon began his presidency and Yasser Arafat became leader of the Palestine Liberation Organization. John Lennon married Yoko Ono in Gibraltar. Hee Haw debuted on CBS, Monty Python's Flying Circus debuted on the BBC, and Sesame Street debuted on PBS. Apollo 11 successfully brought Neal Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin onto the lunar surface. The Woodstock Festival was held in New York. Hurricane Camille devastated the Mississippi coast. The first ATM was installed in Rockville, New York. 109 Vietnamese civilians died in the My Lai massacre. The New York Mets won the World Series. Wal Mart Stores was incorporated. The ARPANET was created.

Notable 1969 births include Jennifer Aniston, Cate Blanchett, Steffi Graf, Ice Cube, Jennifer Lopez, Edward Norton, Brett Favre, Ken Griffey, Jr, and Nancy Kerrigan. Deaths in 1969 included Dwight Eisenhower, Judy Garland, Rocky Marciano, Ho Chi Minh, and Jack Kerouac. Murray Gell-Mann won the Nobel Prize for Physics and Samuel Beckett won for Literature.

Top grossing films in 1969 included The Love Bug, Funny Girl, Bullitt, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, True Grit, and Easy Rider. Midnight Cowboy was voted "Best Picture" by the Academy.

1960s

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Births - Deaths - Establishments - Events - Works