1992

1992 was the 121st year after the founding of the City of Birmingham.

Events

• April: Esquire magazine published a cover story about "The Machine", a secretive political organization at the University of Alabama.
• City Stages featured James Brown, Al Green, George Jones, and Richie Havens.
• The Birmingham Festival of Arts' Salute to Spain.
• Larry "Bud" Melman was grand marshall of the Do Dah Day parade.
• The 7th Congressional District of Alabama was redrawn.
• The Weather Forecast Office Birmingham moved to the Shelby County Airport.
• United Way-Community Chest of Central Alabama became United Way of Central Alabama.
• Rites of Spring organized its first annual dance party at Sloss Furnaces.
• Rock bands Brother Cane and the Shame Idols were formed.
• Jim Dearth founded Voices for Alabama's Children.
• The revived "Cousin Cliff's Clubhouse" starring Cliff Holman ended its 2-year run on WBRC-TV.
• Sam Mockbee and D. K. Ruth founded Auburn University's Rural Studio in west Alabama.
• MountainTop Community Church was founded by Bill Elder.

Business

• Black & White newspaper debuted.
• May 2: First Alabama Bank became Regions Bank.
• EWTN launched WEWN, a 24-hour shortwave radio broadcast.
• December 22: Compass Bank acquired FWNB Bancshares of Carrollton, Texas.
• Books-A-Million went public.
• CapitalSouth Bank was founded.
• The Hyatt House reopened as the Sheraton Birmingham Hotel.
• WJOX-AM was launched as a reformatting of oldies station WVOK-AM on AM 690.
• LAH Real Estate was founded by Jim Lawrence, Keith Arendall and Maurice Humphries.
• Michael's steak house closed.
• David Dyson and Johnny Johnson founded the Dyson Institute.
• Cinema City 8 on Parkway East closed.
• Green Springs 6 on Green Springs Highway closed.
• Pete Flach bought Hamburger Heaven from Jack Caddell.
• The architecture firm of Mims and Gaunt closed.
• Grundy's Music Room closed.
• South Central Bell merged with Southern Bell to form BellSouth.

Sports

• The Friends of Rickwood took over management of Rickwood Field.
• The Birmingham Bulls returned to the ice as part of the East Coast Hockey League.
• The Birmingham Fire compiled a 7-3-1 record, losing a first-round playoff game to the Orlando Thunder in the Citrus Bowl on May 30.
• Bobby Allison was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
• Terry Bowden succeeded Pat Dye as head coach of the Auburn Tigers football team.
• January 2: Pat Sullivan was hired as Texas Christian's head football coach.
• The 1992 Southeastern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was held at the BJCC Arena.
• Carl Lewis and Charles Barkley won gold medals at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona.
• August: George Archer won the inaugural Bruno's Memorial Classic at the Greystone Golf and Country Club.
• October 31: Bo Jackson's jersey number 34 was retired during a halftime ceremony at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
• November 4: Center Alan Ogg was waived by the Miami Heat.
• November 26: Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Auburn Tigers 17-0 in the Iron Bowl at Legion Field.
• December: Alabama State defeated Alabama A&M 14-11 in the Magic City Classic.

Works

• The Storyteller Fountain by Frank Fleming was installed at Five Points South.
• The Kneeling ministers statue was installed at Kelly Ingram Park.
• The Grammy-winning album Emmylou Harris & The Nash Ramblers At The Ryman was released.
• The film Shaking the Tree, starring Courteney Cox, was released.
• Christmas at the Alabama, featuring the Alabama Theatre's Mighty Wurlitzer played by Richard Phillips was released on cassette.
• The film Sleepwalkers, starring Glenn Shadix, was released.
• Jab magazine was launched by cartoonist Frank Cummings.

Buildings

• Kelly Ingram Park was renovated and rededicated as "a place of revolution and reconciliation."
• The Kirklin Clinic was dedicated at a large courtyard ceremony.
• Brook Highland Cinema opened.
• Crestwood Park was renovated with a new barbecue pavilion and parking lot layout.
• February: the Hoover Public Library opened.
• August: The new John Carroll Catholic High School campus on Lakeshore Parkway opened.
• November 14: the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute opened.
• A historical marker was dedicated at the Auburn Women's Club clubhouse.

Books

• A Walk Through Fire, novel by William Cobb
• Gone South, novel by Robert R. McCammon
• The History of Forest Park by Catherine Greene Browne
• The Diversity of Life by E. O. Wilson
• Pilgrim in the Ruins: A Life of Walker Percy by Jay Tolson.
• Of Power and Right : Hugo Black, William O. Douglas, and America's Constitutional Revolution. by Howard Ball
• Joshua and Bigtooth by Mark Childress
• Good Cats/Bad Cats, Good Dogs/Bad Dogs, and Wings of Fire by Charles Ghigna
• B-Four by Sam Hodges
• The Cost of Courage: The Journey of An American Congressman by Carl Elliott and Micheal D'Orso

People

• Scientist Larry DeLucas served on Space Shuttle Mission STS-50.
• Earl Hilliard became the first African American to represent Alabama in the United States Congress since Reconstruction.
• Mike Hathorne succeeded Jack Farr as principal of Homewood High School.
• Freeman Hrabowski became president of the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
• Jim Atkinson succeeded Robert Waldrop as Mayor of Homewood.
• William Bridgers retired from UAB.
• Kim J. Chaney was elected to the Cullman County bench.
• Artist John Rhoden was appointed head of the Art Commission of the City of New York.
• Director John Badham married Olivia Laughlin.
• Jan Willis was named the Walter A. Crowell Professorship of Social Sciences at the University of California-Santa Cruz.
• Richie Kingsmore left Shades Mountain Baptist Church to become composer-in-residence at Prestonwood Baptist in Dallas, Texas.

Births

• Carson Stalnaker, filmmaker ("Amazing Basketball Shots")

Awards

• Howell Raines was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing.
• Alabama Business Hall of Fame: Aaron Aronov, Angelo Bruno, Samuel Garner, Frank Moody, Hall Thompson
• Alabama Sports Hall of Fame: Dieter Brock, Clay Carroll, Mike Fuller, Ozzie Newsome, Donnie Salls, and Henry Seibels.
• Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame: Earlie Billups, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Trenton Harris, Samuel Lay, Consuela Lee
• Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame: Major Brown, Lenette Calvin, Bob Finley, Severne Frazier, James Glover, Bill Harris, Tom Jones, Doug Lockridge, Chuck Miller, Hugh O'Shields, James Porch, Jack Powell, Thompson Reynolds, Tom Tarleton

Graduations

• Vonetta Flowers graduated from Jackson-Olin High School.
• Vic Wilson graduated from the University of Alabama.

Deaths

• April 17: Hank Penny, western swing bandleader
• April 21: Johnny Shines, blues guitarist
• May 26: Helen Walpole, radio actress and writer
• July 16: Buck Buchanan, pro football hall of famer
• August 13: Clifford Allison, race car driverSpeedway.
• October 5: Eddie Kendricks, singer
• November 7: Richard Yates, novelist

• see also List of Birmingham homicides in 1992.

See Also

• 1992 City Stages
• 1992 Birmingham Barons
• 1992 Birmingham Fire
• 1992 UAB Blazers
• 1992 Iron Bowl

1990s

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Births - Deaths - Establishments - Events - Works