1983

1983 was the 112th year after the founding of the city of Birmingham.

Events

• The first Magic City Art Connection was held at Linn Park.
• Mountain Brook High School, Homewood High School and Homewood Middle School were named Blue Ribbon Schools by the US Department of Education.
• Isaac Stern joined the Alabama Symphony Orchestra for their 50th anniversary celebration.
• The Brother Bryan statue was returned to Five Points South from Vulcan Park.
• Frozen pipes forced a tenant evacuation of the Avon Building in Lakeview.
• Birmingham Festival of Arts Salute to India.
• Geneva Mercer donated Giuseppe Moretti's scrapbooks to the Julia Tutwiler Library at the University of West Alabama.
• Summerfest presented The Music Man, Annie, and Barbary Coast.

Elections

• Richard Arrington was re-elected as Mayor of Birmingham. William Bell, Jeff Germany, David Herring and Russell Yarbrough were re-elected to four-year terms in the Birmingham City Council. Eddie Blankenship won the two-year seat. Herring succeeded John Katopodis as Council President. (See 1983 Birmingham mayoral election)
• Ben Erdreich succeeded Albert L. Smith, Jr as Representative of the 6th Congressional District of Alabama.
• Gary White and George Perdue joined the Alabama House of Representatives.
• George Wallace succeeded Fob James as Governor of Alabama.
• Jim Bennett was elected to the Alabama State Senate.

Business

• Richard Scrushy left Lifemark Corporation in Houston to plan for the founding of HealthSouth.
• The Redmont Hotel was purchased by an investment group made up of NBA players, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Ralph Sampson.
• The Lincoln Theater in Bessemer closed.
• Parisian became a publicly-traded company.
• First National Bank of Birmingham began operating as AmSouth Bank.
• Joel's Restaurant opened in downtown Trussville.
• The first franchise location of Milo's Hamburgers opened on Southside.
• Arlington Broadcasting bought independent TV station WTTO.
• Brantley Homes was founded.
• The Cabana Hotel closed.
• SMI Steel purchased the Connors Steel plant.
• The Birmingham Large Users Group was organized.
• Symbol of Excellence Publishers was founded.
• Bruno's celebrated its 50th anniversary.
• Mike Warren left Bradley, Arant, Rose & White to become general counsel for Alagasco.
• Bill Edmonds became chair of BE&K.
• The Collegiate Licensing Company was formed by Bill Battle III.

Sports

• The 1983 Birmingham Barons won their first Southern League title since resuming play in 1981.
• The 1983 Birmingham Stallions played their inaugural season at Legion Field, finishing with a 9-9 record.
• Bo Jackson rushed for 256 yards to help Auburn to a 23-20 victory over Alabama in the 1983 Iron Bowl at Legion Field.
• West Virginia defeated Kentucky 20-16 in the 1983 Hall of Fame Classic at Legion Field.
• Alabama's Mike Davis was drafted by the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks.
• A new Birmingham Bulls played three games in the Atlantic Coast Hockey League before folding.
• Jack Wood became head football coach at Auburn High School.
• Carl Lewis set a personal best of 19.75 seconds in the 200 meter sprint.
• Bobby Allison won the NASCAR Winston Cup Championship.
• Alabama A&M University beat Alabama State University 27-14 in the Magic City Classic.
• Watson Brown served one season as head coach of the Cincinnati Bearcats.
• Rafael Santana played a season for the St Louis Cardinals.
• Vida Blue was released by the Kansas City Royals.
• David Branch and Linda McLennan won the men's and women's titles at the Vulcan Run.
• Jerome Mincy joined the Puerto Rican national basketball team.
• Lamar Johnson was released by the Texas Rangers.
• Rod Foster was drafted by the Phoenix Suns.
• Ennis Whatley was drafted by the Kansas City Kings.
• Bart Starr coached his final season for the Green Bay Packers, going 8-8.
• Bobby Bowden's Florida State Seminoles went 8-4 and won the Peach Bowl.
• Art Clarkson suggested the idea of Birmingham building a domed stadium.
• Steve Sloan became the head coach at Duke University.
• Wide receiver Mike Jones became an Atlanta Falcon.
• Preston Goldfarb became head coach of the BSC Panthers men's soccer team.

Works

• "Swordfishtrombone", song by Tom Waits which mentions Birmingham
• Kate Jackson starred in the television drama The Scarecrow and Mrs. King.
• Alexandra, feature film produced by David F. Friedman.
• "The Heaven That I Look For Up Above Had a Hole and I Fell Back to Earth" and "The Mystery of the White in Me", sculptures by Lonnie Holley
• "Wendel", a gay-themed comic strip by Howard Cruse, debuted in the Advocate.
• From the One That Cut You, novelty album featuring T. R. Reed.
• Coming Out, jazz album by pianist Johnny O'Neal.
• Love and Dance and Raw "Live Jazz" Featuring Miss Funky Lu albums by Cleveland Eaton
• Blue Thunder and WarGames, feature films directed by John Badham
• Shadow Waltz, feature film shot in Birmingham
• White Shoes, album by Emmylou Harris

Books

• Birmingham Inside Out by Glory Clark Angell
• Promethean fire: reflections on the origin of mind," by E. O. Wilson
• Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book by Walker Percy
• Mystery Walk by Robert R. McCammon
• Birmingham Bottlers: 1883-1983 by Dennis I. Smith
• Winning Isn't Everything (But it beats anything that comes in second). by Wendell Givens
• October Journey by Margaret Walker
• Escape the Night, by Richard North Patterson
• The University of Alabama: A Pictorial History by Suzanne Wolfe
• Flashbacks: An Autobiography by Timothy Leary
• Mr Bedford and the Muses by Gail Godwin
• True of False? Amazing Art Forgeries by Ann Waldron
• Vampires Unearthed, edited by J. Gordon Melton
• Táticas do signo: semiótica e ideologia by Eduardo Neiva

Buildings

• Bama 6 cinema
• Birmingham Parking Authority Deck 5
• Center Point 6 cinema
• Hoover Public Library (inside the Hoover Municipal Complex)
• Hoover Square 6 cinema
• Expansion of Midfield Theater
• Ski Lodge Apartments III
• Expansion of Southern Museum of Flight
• Refurbishing of the Jewish Community Center
• Improvements to Watercress Darter National Wildlife Refuge
• Acquisition of the Ramsay-McCormack building by the City of Birmingham.
• National Register of Historic Places: John A. Hand Building, Woodward Building, Cathedral Church of the Advent, Five Points South Historic District, Redmont Hotel, Loveman, Joseph & Loeb Department Store, Leeds Southern Railroad Depot

People

• Douglas K. S. Hyland succeeded Richard N. Murray as curator of the Birmingham Museum of Art
• Jim Bob & the Leisure Suits broke up.
• The Calton Phillips Group changed its name to Split the Dark.
• Thomas E. Corts succeeded Leslie Wright as President of Samford University.
• Scholar Roland Frye retired from full-time teaching.

Awards

• Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame: Hooper T. Abrams, Leroy Allen, Leatha Bell, Frank Carpenter, Paul B. Coman, LaVergne Comer, Dolly Brown Gibson, Marcellus Green, Frank Greer, Monroe Kennedy, Robert McCoy, Neal McLean, Bull Simpson, and Jesse Taylor.
• Alabama Sports Hall of Fame: Maxie Baughan, Tom Jenkins, George Lindsey, Billy Neighbors, Gabby Street and Billy Williams.
• Alabama Academy of Honor: Charley Boswell and Harry Brock, Jr
• Miss Alabama: Pam Battles
• Russ Fine earned tenure as a professor at UAB.
• Pat Dye was named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year.

Graduations

• Jimbo Wood graduated from the University of Montevallo.
• Howard Bayless and Jeff Herrod graduated from Banks High School.
• Actor Michael Papajohn graduated from Vestavia Hills High School.
• Running back Cornelius Bennett graduated from Ensley High School.
• Football player Curt Jarvis graduated from Gardendale High School.
• Hugh Martin was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Births

• March 24: Baseball player Eric West (Birmingham)
• May 9: Birmingham Barons pitcher Tyler Lumsden
• May 31: Baseball player Anthony Cupps (Birmingham)
• August 7: UAB Blazers quarterback Darell Hackney (Atlanta, Georgia)
• August 24: Baseball player Alan Johnson (Birmingham)
• August 30: Birmingham Barons infielder Christ Getz (Southfield, Michigan)
• October 17: Basketball player James Lang. (Mobile)
• 2006 Miss Alabama USA 2006 Haleigh Stidham
• 2007 Miss Alabama Jamie Langley

Deaths

• January 26: Former Alabama head football coach Bear Bryant died in Tuscaloosa.
• Warren Carlile, restauranteur

See also: List of Birmingham homicides in 1983

Context

In 1983

1980s

<< 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 >>

Births - Deaths - Establishments - Events - Works