Significant Events in the History of The University of West Alabama

1
Significant Events in the History ofThe
University of West Alabama
2
Early History 1835-1900

• 1835 Livingston Female Academy and Livingston
  Female Seminary founded on February 22.
• 1839 First students admitted.
• 1840 Livingston Female Academy incorporated by
  Alabama Legislature deed recorded in Sumter
  County Probate Court from J. W. Hawthorn to
  Trustees for two acres.

July 4, 1836 Trustees electedJudge Samuel
Chapman Dr. J. L. McCants Seaborn Mims William P.
Beers Willis Crenshaw A. S. Arrington R. F.
Houston
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1843
Name is changed to Livingston Collegiate
Institute.
First diploma awarded to Miss Elizabeth Houston
of Livingston.
4
1847

• Name changed to Livingston Female Academy.
• Men barred from attending the Academy.

5
1881
Julia Strudwick Tutwiler becomes co-principal
then first president

• Served for 29 years, the longest of any president
• UWAs only female president
• Wrote the Alabama state song

• During Miss Julias tenure
• 1882 The first Legislative appropriation is
  received it is the first from any southern
  state for the education of women
• 1883 Name changes to Alabama Normal College for
  Girls and Livingston Female Academy
• 1886 Sumter County becomes a dry county as the
  result of Miss Julias involvement in the
  Temperance Movement.

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1883

• Name is changed to Alabama Normal College for
  Girls and Livingston Female Academy

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The 20th Century Part 1 1900-1950

• 1900 Men are admitted
• 1901 First diploma is awarded to a male
  student, Frank L. Grove

Clipping of Groves retirement from 28 years of
service to the Alabama Education Association
The Birmingham News June 17, 1956
Groves Diploma
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1907

• The institution becomes a public institution
  controlled by the State of Alabama

1908

• First alumni association is organized

1909

• The first Webb Hall, built in 1895, burns. It is
  pictured at right.

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1910
Dr. G. W. Brock becomes president, serving until
1936

• Dr. Brock bought the famous Webb Hall rocking
  chairs
• Dr. Brock was known for rigid rules but was loved
  by students

• During Dr. Brocks tenure
• The university expands from 4 to 35 acres
• Foust, Bibb Graves and Brock Halls are
  constructed Webb Hall is rebuilt
• Enrollment breaks 500 for the first time in the
  schools history
• Local Greek societies begin to appear on campus

Students in Brocks Era
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1910

• First yearbook (Calyx) is published
• First alumni meeting is held

1911

• School becomes the Alabama Normal College and
  School of Arts for Women, under the control of a
  state-wide Board of Trustees of State Normal
  Schools
• Men are again barred from attendance

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1911

• Webb Hall is rebuilt in halves, with about a year
  between each half

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1914

• The second Webb Hall burns

1915

• Men are readmitted
• Name changes to State Normal School, Livingston,
  Alabama
• The third and current Webb Hall is built and
  occupied, though funding does not allow for it to
  be completed until 1926

13
1919

• Institution is placed under the supervision of
  the State Board of Education

1922

• Kilby Hall built as a new elementary school
  building

1929

• The name is changed to State Teachers College
  (STC), Livingston, Alabama
• The College is authorized to grant Bachelor of
  Science degrees

1930

• Bibb Graves Hall is built to house administrative
  offices, classrooms, and an auditorium

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1931

• First football team is formed of students and
  local boys

c.1934

• Local Greek societies begin to appear on campus

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1936
Dr. N. F. Greenhill becomes president, serving
until 1944

• Dr. Greenhill led faculty in the reorganization
  of the teacher-education program
• The tiger mascot appeared first during his tenure.

• During Dr. Greenhills tenure
• STC is one of the first institutions in the State
  to receive accreditation by the Southern
  Association of Colleges and Schools 1938
• First collegiate sports are played 1938
• A Director of Athletics is added to the
  University faculty

Students in Greenhills Era
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1939

• First homecoming football game is played
• L-Club is formed

1940

• Baseball team wins Alabama Inter-Collegiate
  Conference championship
• Tiger mascot is born when the basketball team is
  called the Ramblin Tigers

L-Club in 1962
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1940

• Alma Mater is first sung at assembly
• Marching band is formed
• First student newspaper is published (Livingston
  Life)

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1944
Dr. W. W. Hill becomes president, serving until
1954

• His efforts in recruitment helped raise
  enrollment from 92 to 431 within two years.
• Was known for his public relations skills.

• During Dr. Hills tenure
• 1944 First off-campus classes are taught in
  Mobile and Butler.
• 1947 The institution is authorized to grant
  Bachelor of Arts degrees. Faculty and course
  offerings are expanded.
• 1952 Tiger Stadium is built.

Students in Hills era
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The 20th CenturyPart II 1951-1999
1952

• Tiger Stadium is constructed on filled in land
  previously known as Crawdad Creek.

1953

• Birmingham News says Livingston is known as the
  friendly college.

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1954
Dr. D. P. Culp becomes president, serving until
1963

• Had a talent for stretching a dollar.
• Made efforts to guard students moral and
  ethical lives.

• During Dr. Culps tenure
• Many buildings are added on campus Faculty
  Apartments, Patterson Apartments, the Julia
  Tutwiler Library, Young Cafeteria, Sisk Hall and
  Pruitt Hall.
• The school achieves NCATE accreditation and SACS
  reaccreditation.
• The first masters degrees are awarded in 1959.

Students in Culps era
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1957

• Name is changed to Livingston State College

1958

• Graduate Division and masters degrees in
  education are authorized

1961

• The institution is first in Alabama to receive
  accreditation by the National Council for
  Accreditation of Teacher Education

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1961

• Julia Tutwiler Library is constructed, opened in
  1962

1963

• The Society of the Golden Key is founded

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1963

• Dr. John E. Deloney becomes president, serving
  until 1972

• Enrollment reaches an all-time high and faculty
  doubles.
• Institution divides into four colleges Arts and
  Sciences, Business, Education, and the Graduate
  School.

• During Dr. Deloneys tenure
• Programs in Early Childhood Education and a
  graduate program in Guidance and Counseling are
  added.
• Masters in Continuing Education and Educational
  Specialist degrees are offered.
• 1963The Society of the Golden Key is founded.

Students in Deloneys era
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1964

• Tau Kappa Epsilon becomes the first national
  fraternity on campus and the first national
  fraternity on any campus of the former state
  normal colleges.

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1966

• Liza Howard is UWAs first African-American
  student

Majoring in elementary education, she graduated
in 1969, then earned her masters degree in
education from Livingston State University. She
retired from the Sumter County School System in
2001 after 30 dedicated years.
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1968
1967

• Legislature approves name change to Livingston
  State University

• James D. Crawford writes a new Alma Mater
• The word state is removed from the official
  university name

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1971

• The Tigers win the National Association of
  Intercollegiate Athletics Football Championship

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1972

• UWAs Covered Bridge is dedicated on campus.
  Built in 1861, it is one of the oldest covered
  bridges in Alabama. It was moved to campus from
  the Alamuchee Creek by the Sumter County
  Historical society.

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1973

• Dr. Asa N. Green becomes president, serving until
  1993

• He was an avid supporter of athletics, serving on
  the Executive Committee of the GSC.
• He continues to be active in the community.

• During Dr.Greens tenure
• 1981 Bachelor of Science in Technology degree is
  established.
• 1987 Technology Division is established.
• 1993 Livingston University Foundation is
  established.
• 1993 University is reorganized College of
  Natural Sciences and Mathematics, College of
  Business, College of Liberal Arts, Division of
  Nursing, and College of Education.

Students in Greens Era
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1974

• The Division of Nursing is established and placed
  under the supervision of Dr. Dagmar Brodt,
  Frederick Brodt, Celeste Kaul and Sylvia Homan.
  Students have class on campus and work at the
  Sumter County Memorial Hospital.

Pictured L-R are Kaul, Homan, Dr. Brodt, and Mr.
Brodt
19751978

• The institution sees its first nationally
  broadcast athletic event, NCAA Division II
  Football Playoff, on ABC
• Womens intercollegiate athletics are established

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1982

• First microcomputers appear on campus

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• 1984 Jody Wise is elected first female
  president of the Student Government
  Association
• 1985 Bobby Warren is elected first
  African-American president of the Student
  Government Association

Bobby Warren and President Asa Green
Bobby Warren in the Homecoming Parade
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1994
Dr. Don C. Hines becomes president, serving until
1998

• Served as Dean of the UWA College of Business,
  1981 to 1987.
• Promoted regional economic development.

• During Dr. Hiness tenure
• UWA Rodeo Team is established and rodeo complex
  built.
• Computers introduced for use in all aspects of
  student life.
• Programs developed in agribusiness, forestry, and
  psychology.

Students in Hiness Era
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• 1995 Name is changed to The University of West
  Alabama.
• 1997 UWAs Phi Kappa Phi honor society chapter
  is chartered.

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1998
Dr. Ed D. Roach becomes president, serving until
2002

• Served as Provost before becoming President
• Was a first-generation college graduate who
  identified well with students

• During Dr. Roachs tenure
• UWA becomes the first e-Campus in the state.
• The softball complex is built and facilities at
  Tartt Field are enhanced.
• Construction begins on an addition to the Julia
  Tutwiler Library.
• The university changes to semester system.

Students in Roachs era
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A New Millennium and Into the Future 2000 and
Beyond
2000

• UWA converts from the quarter system to the
  semester system

2001

• UWA has the most extensive network of wireless
  Internet connections in the state
• Dr. Jay Wenger (UWA faculty member) is a
  Fulbright Scholar

37
2002
Dr. Richard D. Holland becomes president

• He is the first UWA alumnus to be named
  President.
• He began his service to UWA as a graduate
  assistant in 1965.

• During Dr. Hollands tenure
• The Center for the Study of the Black Belt has
  been established.
• Online graduate and undergraduate degree programs
  are now offered.
• The Regional Center for Community and Economic
  Development and the West Alabama Regional
  Alliance have been developed.

Students in Hollands era
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2002

• Regional Center for Community and Economic
  Development is established
• Dr. Jay Wenger, UWA faculty member, is a
  Fulbright Scholar
• Alfa Environmental Center opens

2003

• The Universitys first female football player,
  Tonya Butler, joins the UWA Tigers, playing the
  position of kicker. Tonya becomes the first
  female in recorded NCAA history to successfully
  convert a field goal.

39
2003
Loraine McIlwain Bell (right), for whom the Bell
Conference Center is named, sits with a friend,
Ollie Odum, while enrolled at Livingston Normal
College, c.1914

• Bell Conference Center opens

40
2004

• Dr. Nol Alembong of Cameroon, Africa, is first
  visiting Fulbright Scholar
• Sucarnochee Folklife Festival begins
• Teaching Excellence Fund is established

2005

• Night football games return to campus
• UWA Baseball Team wins Gulf South Conference
• Mens and womens tennis returns to UWA
• Sucarnochee Revue radio show begins

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2006

• Enrollment reaches 3,000
• Division of Outreach Services and Office of
  Sponsored Programs are established
• Howard R. Vaughan Tennis Complex is dedicated
• Locker room and new dugout are added to Softball
  Complex

2007

• The University We Will Be capital campaign
  began, the first in UWA history
• Program Enhancement Fund established

42
2008

• Division of Educational Outreach is established
  (Center for the Study of the Black Belt,
  Continuing Education, bby Publications)

• Suttles Entrepreneurship Institute and
  Division of Online Programs are established

43
2009

• Cross Country club house opens
• Foust Gym is converted to band room
• International Education Programs begin with
  Chinese, South Korean, Nicaraguan and Mexican
  institutions
• SGA presents bronze Tiger
• Enrollment reaches 5,000
• Named managing partner of Demopolis Higher
  Education Center
• University acquires Wesley Foundation and Baptist
  Campus Ministries properties

44
2010

• Faculty Leadership Development Program is
  established
• Comprehensive master facilties plan is adopted
• Celebration of UWAs 175th Anniversary

45
Suggested Further Reading

• Lyon, Ralph M. A History of Livingston
  University 1835-1963. Livingston Livingston
  University Press, 1976. Located in the Alabama
  Room, UWA Julia Tutwiler Library, Call Number
  976.141 L994h
• Smith, Louis Roycraft. A History of Sumter
  County, Alabama, Through 1886. Ph.D. Diss.,
  University of Alabama, 1988. Located in the
  Alabama Room, UWA Julia Tutwiler Library, Call
  Number 378t Sm61h 1988.
• Snider, Dr. Neil, and Shelly Stapp Findley. A
  Biographical Guide to The Gallery of Presidential
  Portraits at The University of West Alabama,
  Livingston, Alabama. Livingston UWA Department
  of Printing.
• Spratt, R. D. A History of the Town of
  Livingston, Alabama. Livingston Livingston
  Press, 1997. Located in the Alabama Room, UWA
  Julia Tutwiler Library, Call Number 976.1
  Sp76h.
• University Records Collection (Archives), UWA
  Julia Tutwiler Library Vault. Web link
  http//library.uwa.edu/Ala_Room/FAids/Collection_I
  nfo.aspUniv
• Sumter County History Collection (Archives), UWA
  Julia Tutwiler Library Vertical Files. Web link
  http//library.uwa.edu/Ala_Room/FAids/Sumter_Coun
  ty_History.asp

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Credits

• University of West Alabama Historical Timeline
  created by UWA President Richard D. Holland
• Significant Events in the History of the
  University of West Alabama PowerPoint
  presentation created by Sheila Blackmon Limerick,
  Archives and Special Collections Librarian, UWA
  Julia Tutwiler Library. Slides 40-43 created by
  Deivid Delgado, Presidents Office.
• Special thanks to Charlie Cook, Area Technology
  Specialist, UWA Information Systems Department,
  for consultation and assistance on PowerPoint
  design, organization and operation
• Special thanks to Martha Shirley, Information
  Technologies Librarian, UWA Julia Tutwiler
  Library, for assistance in the Julia Tutwiler
  Library Archives
• Special thanks to Dr. Tina Naremore Jones, Dean
  of the UWA Division of Outreach Services, for
  updates to the initial timeline by Dr. Holland
• Special thanks to Dr. Louis Smith for his
  presentation of this PowerPoint.

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Sources for Images

• UWA Archives, University Records Collection,
  Commencement and Graduation, Julia Tutwiler
  Library Vault digital images Web link
  http//library.uwa.edu/Ala_Room/FAids/University_D
  iploma_Images.asp
• UWA Archives, University Records Collection,
  Administration Alumni, Julia Tutwiler Library
  Vault, V.F2.1
• UWA Archives, University Records Collection,
  Buildings, Julia Tutwiler Library Vault, UWA,
  Livingston, AL.
• UWA Archives, University Records Collection,
  Miscellaneous, Julia Tutwiler Library Vault, UWA,
  Livingston, AL
• Paragon Volume 78, 1988 Volume 73, 1983
  Volume 65, 1975 Volume 62, 1972. UWA Archives,
  University Records Collection, Yearbooks, Julia
  Tutwiler Library Vault, UWA, Livingston, AL
• Calyx (yearbook), 1910 UWA Archives, University
  Records Collection, Yearbooks, Julia Tutwiler
  Library Vault, UWA, Livingston, AL
• Snider, Dr. Neil, and Shelly Stapp Findley. A
  Biographical Guide to The Gallery of Presidential
  Portraits at The University of West Alabama,
  Livingston, Alabama. Livingston UWA Department
  of Printing.