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Tag: Alumni

603 Entertains at First Tuscaloosa Alumni Happy Hour

Get back, Paul McCartney: there’s a new band in town! On March 1, the Department of History held its first (but not last) Alumni Happy Hour. Alums from across generations took over the back patio at Loosa Brews to see old friends and make new ones—all while enjoying the fabulous music of the department’s new band, 603. Led by Dr. Jimmy Mixson on keyboard, and named after his legendary graduate reading seminar, 603 pulled together the musical talents of Dr. […]

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Fred Brugge, Class of ‘81, Remembers Dr. F. Russell Bryant

Alumnus Fred Brugge, Class of 1981, recently visited the University’s campus for the first time in twenty years. Wandering around the halls of ten Hoor (nearly identical to when he had been a student), he wondered if the students today might sit in the exact chairs he did. They sure look the same, he thought. He wondered if his favorite professor might still teach classes and host dinners for his students. When Brugge attended the Capstone, the student population numbered […]

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Stewart McLaurin, Class of ‘81, Director of the White House Historical Association

Stewart McLaurin, a 1981 graduate of The University of Alabama Department of History and current president of the White House Historical Association (WHHA), returned to campus on March 1st to speak to a packed audience as part of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute‘s lifelong learning lecture series. His lecture, titled “The White House Historical Association and Five Chapters of White House History,” traced the history of the United States’ Executive Mansion from President George Washington’s selection of the site in […]

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603 Entertains at First Tuscaloosa Alumni Happy Hour

Get back, Paul McCartney: there’s a new band in town! On March 1, the Department of History held its first (but not last) Alumni Happy Hour. Alums from across generations took over the back patio at Loosa Brews to see old friends and make new ones—all while enjoying the fabulous music of the department’s new band, 603. Led by Dr. Jimmy Mixson on keyboard, and named after his legendary graduate reading seminar, 603 pulled together the musical talents of Dr. […]

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Tuscaloosa-area Alumni Happy Hour Set for March 1

The Department of History is pleased to announce our first-ever Tuscaloosa-area alumni happy hour, which will be held on March 1, from 5-7 at Loosa Brews, 412 20th Avenue, across University Boulevard from the Federal Courthouse in downtown Tuscaloosa. We hope to see as many of our alumni as possible and learn of all you’ve accomplished since graduation. Feel free to spread the word of this event to your fellow alums! This will be the first of many exciting new […]

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Department Alum & WHHA President Stewart McLaurin to Speak March 1

Stewart McLaurin, a 1981 graduate of The University of Alabama Department of History and current president of the White House Historical Association (WHHA), will return to campus on March 1 to speak as part of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute‘s (OLLI) lifelong learning lecture series. McLaurin will be in town to discuss the WHHA’s history, current projects, and role in preserving the presidential mansion for future generations. His presentation is entitled, “The White House Historical Association and Five Chapters of […]

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Department Alumni and Friends Make Contact, Connections

The University of Alabama Department of History is proud of its many alumni—over 6,000 in all. They can be found around the country and around the world, but many are close to campus, especially in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, and the department has been actively working with young alumni to grow its “Friends of History” program, a network of alumni and supporters who gather to build relationships and enrich their understanding of the past. In addition to a faculty steering committee, […]

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Alumnus Elected to College Football Hall of Fame

Sylvester Croom, Jr., a 1975 graduate from The University of Alabama’s Department of History, was selected as a member of the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame induction class. Croom played center for the Crimson Tide from 1972 to 1974, and completed his college degree before turning twenty-one. He was a captain on the 1974 squad, won the 1974 Jacobs Blocking Trophy, and was named a Kodak All-American. As a player, Croom was a part of three SEC championship teams […]

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Department Alum Marcus Witcher Featured on WaPo’s “Made By History.”

UA Department of History Alum Marcus Witcher, currently a scholar in residence with the department of history and the Arkansas Center for Research in Economics at the University of Central Arkansas, was featured recently in the Washington Post‘s “Made By History” series. His piece, entitled “Why Joe Biden had to work with segregationists,” explores the extent of political power held by segregationist senators into the early 1980s, forcing even the most left-leaning Democratic politicians to work with them. From Witcher’s […]

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Department Hosts Friends & Alumni at SHA-Birmingham

The Department of History was happy to host a Department Friends & Alumni Meet-Up for all attendees at the 2019 Southern Historical Association Conference in Birmingham this November. Current professors and graduate students were able to mingle with alumni, former and emeritus faculty, and other friends of the department. The event was sponsored by the the Summersell Chair of Southern History Endowment Fund. The Summersell Center for the Study of the South also sponsored membership and housing for four undergraduate students – Margaret […]

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Alumnus Adam Petty Working with Joseph Smith Papers

Department alumnus Adam Petty (PhD 2018, MA 2014) has recently accepted a position as a Historian and Documentary Editor for the Joseph Smith Papers. Petty completed his doctorate under George Rable last year, with a focus on the Civil War era. His dissertation “Virginia’s Wilderness: Investigating the Landscape of War,” focused on the interaction between the environment and three military campaigns in Virginia. After earning his BA at Brigham Young University, Petty chose Alabama because he was “looking for a […]

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Former Ambassador and UA Alum Lino Gutiérrez to Discuss Post-Graduate Career Options in the Federal Government

Former US ambassador to Nicaragua and Argentina, UA alum Lino Gutiérrez, will hold an informal discussion with History & Political Science graduate and undergraduate students on employment options, requisite skills, and how to negotiate the hiring process for employment in the federal government’s foreign service. Ambassador Lino Gutiérrez is CEO of Gutiérrez Global LLC, a consulting firm specializing on strategic advice for corporations interested in investing in Latin America and Europe. He serves as an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins […]

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Noted Civil War Historian William C. Harris’s Career Began in the Department of History at The University of Alabama

Alumnus William C. Harris, professor emeritus at North Carolina State University, began his fifty-year career as a Civil War historian here in Tuscaloosa, earning both his undergraduate and graduate history degrees from The University of Alabama Department of History. Harris, a native of Mount Meigs, Alabama, earned his BA from Alabama in 1954 and, after serving four years in the United States Air Force, returned to the Capstone for graduate school. Initially drawn to Latin American history, Harris switched to […]

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Congratulations to Dr. James Mixson, Winner of the 2016 Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award

The History Department is proud to congratulate Dr. James Mixson, winner of the 2016 Outstanding Commitment to Teaching Award. This award is given by the National Alumni Association annually to four full-time faculty members whose work with students demonstrates an exceptional commitment to their students’ success, both inside and outside the classroom. Dr. Mixson is the department’s Undergraduate Director and beloved by undergraduate and graduate students alike. He is the department’s eighth faculty member to be so honored. Previous winners […]

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