Significant Events in the History of

The University of West Alabama

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

First diploma awarded to Miss Elizabeth Houston of Livingston.

Name is changed to Livingston Collegiate Institute.

1843

1847

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

1881

Julia Strudwick Tutwiler becomes co-principal then first president• Served for 29 years, the longest of any president

• UWA’s only female president

• Wrote the Alabama state song

During Miss Julia’s 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 Julia’s involvement in the Temperance Movement.

1883

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

The 20th Century Part 1: 1900-1950

• 1900 – Men are admitted

• 1901 – First diploma is awarded to a male student, Frank L. Grove

Grove’s Diploma

Clipping of Grove’s retirement from 28 years of service to the Alabama Education Association – The Birmingham News June 17, 1956

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.

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. Brock’s 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 school’s history

• Local Greek societies begin to appear on campus Students in Brock’s Era

1910• First yearbook (Calyx) is published• First alumni meeting is held

• 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

1911

1911• Webb Hall is rebuilt in

halves, with about a year between each half

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

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

1931• First football team is

formed of students and local boys

c.1934• Local Greek societies begin to appear on campus

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. Greenhill’s 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 facultyStudents in Greenhill’s Era

1939• First homecoming football game

is played• L-Club is formed

L-Club in 1962

1940• Baseball team wins Alabama

Inter-Collegiate Conference championship

• Tiger mascot is born when the basketball team is called the “Ramblin’ Tigers”

1940• Alma Mater is first sung at assembly• Marching band is formed• First student newspaper is published

(Livingston Life)

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

Students in Hill’s era

• His efforts in recruitment helped raise enrollment from 92 to 431 within two years.

• Was known for his public relations skills.

During Dr. Hill’s 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.

The 20th CenturyPart II: 1951-1999

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

1953

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

1952

1954

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

Students in Culp’s era

• Had a talent for “stretching a dollar.”• Made efforts to guard students’ “moral

and ethical lives.”

During Dr. Culp’s 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 master’s degrees are awarded in 1959.

1957 • Name is changed to Livingston State College

1958 • Graduate Division and master’s degrees in education are authorized

1961 • The institution is first in Alabama to receive accreditation by the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education

1963• The Society of the Golden Key is founded

1961• Julia Tutwiler Library is

constructed, opened in 1962

1963

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

Students in Deloney’s era

• 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. Deloney’s tenure…• Programs in Early Childhood Education and a graduate

program in Guidance and Counseling are added.• Master’s in Continuing Education and Educational

Specialist degrees are offered.• 1963–The Society of the Golden Key is founded.

• Tau Kappa Epsilon becomes the first national Tau Kappa Epsilon becomes the first national fraternity on campus and the first national fraternity on campus and the first national

fraternity on any campus of the former state fraternity on any campus of the former state normal colleges.normal colleges.

1964

Majoring in elementary education, she graduated in 1969, then earned her master’s degree in education from Livingston State University.

She retired from the Sumter County School System in 2001 after 30

dedicated years.

1966• Liza Howard is UWA’s first African-

American student

1968• James D. Crawford writes a new Alma Mater• The word “state” is removed from the official university

name

1967 • Legislature approves name change to Livingston State University

1971The Tigers win the National Association of Intercollegiate

Athletics Football Championship

1972• UWA’s 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.

1973

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

Students in Green’s Era

• 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.Green’s 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.

1974The 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.

1975

1978

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

• The institution sees its first nationally broadcast athletic event, NCAA Division II Football Playoff, on ABC

• Women’s intercollegiate athletics are established

1982• First microcomputers appear on campus

• 1984 Jody Wise is elected first female president of the Student

Government Association

• 1985 Bobby Warren is elected first African-American presidentof the Student Government Association

Bobby Warren and President Asa Green

Bobby Warren in the Homecoming Parade

1994

During Dr. Hines’s 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.

• Served as Dean of the UWA College of Business, 1981 to 1987.

• Promoted regional economic development.

Students in Hines’s Era

Dr. Don C. Hines becomes president, serving until 1998

• 1995 Name is changed toThe University of West Alabama.

• 1997 UWA’s Phi Kappa Phi honor society chapter is chartered.

1998

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

Students in Roach’s era

• Served as Provost before becoming President• Was a first-generation college graduate who

identified well with students

During Dr. Roach’s 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.

A New Millennium and Into the Future: 2000 and Beyond

• UWA converts from the quarter system to the semester system

2000

2001

• UWA has the most extensive network of wireless Internet connections in the state

• Dr. Jay Wenger (UWA faculty member) is a Fulbright Scholar

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. Holland’s 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 Holland’s era

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 University’s 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.

2003

• Bell Conference Center opens

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

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

• Men’s and women’s tennis returns to UWA

• Sucarnochee Revue radio show begins

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

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

• 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

2009

2010• Faculty Leadership Development Program

is established• Comprehensive master facilties plan is

adopted• Celebration of UWA’s 175th Anniversary

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_Info.asp#Univ

• Sumter County History Collection (Archives), UWA Julia Tutwiler Library Vertical Files. Web link: http://library.uwa.edu/Ala_Room/FAids/Sumter_County_History.asp

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, President’s 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.

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_Diploma_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.