OUR LEGENDS

MEL ALLEN

Renowned Sports Broadcaster

Voice of the Yankees for 25 seasons (1939-1964).
58-year career in sports broadcasting, including calling thousands of Yankee games, 24 MLB World Series, 20 All-Star Games, 14 Rose Bowls, five Orange Bowls, two Sugar Bowls and more than 2,000 newsreels.
Inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame as the inaugural Ford C. Frick Award winner (1978).
Student manager for Crimson Tide football and baseball, earning the opportunity to call play-by-play for UA football games.

WILLIAM B. BANKHEAD

Generational American Politician

The 42nd Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives — the sole Alabamian ever elected to the office (1936-1940).
Played on UA’s first football team (1892).
Portions of US Highway 78 and Alabama's William B. Bankhead National Forest are named in his honor.
Father of acclaimed theatrical, radio and motion picture actress Tallulah Bankhead.

HUGO BLACK

Influential Supreme Court Justice

Represented Alabama in the United States Senate (1927-1937).
The first of nine nominees to the Supreme Court by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
34-year tenure as Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1937-1971).
Fifth longest-serving justice in Supreme Court history.

WINTON "RED" BLOUNT JR.

Prolific American Philanthropist and Politician

U.S. Postmaster General appointed by President Richard Nixon (1969-1972).
Led the privatization of the USPS and served as its first Director.
Founded a building contractor company which built Cape Canaveral’s Complex 39A and launched Apollo 11.
Established a new home for the Alabama Shakespeare Festival through the largest private donation to American theater at the time.

NANETTE "NAN" BODEN

Proven Tech Executive and Business Leader

Google’s Chief of Staff and Head of Strategy and Operations.
Everyday Robots’ former Chief Operating Officer.
Google’s former Senior Director, Strategic Customer Programs – leading the organization that develops and operates strategic programs for Google Cloud customers.
Former Chief Operating Officer of Myricom, a successful Caltech spinoff.

NORBERT LEO BUTZ

Celebrated Actor and Musician

Two-time Tony Award winner for Best Actor in a Musical.
One of only nine actors in history to win a Tony Award twice as lead actor.
Starred on stage in “Rent,” “Thou Shalt Not,” “Wicked,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “Catch Me If You Can."
Television credits include “Law & Order: Criminal Intent,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “The Good Wife,” “Blue Bloods,” “Bloodline” and “Mercy Street.”

SYLVIA HITCHCOCK CARSON

Admired Beauty Queen and Model

Dubbed the most beautiful woman in the world.
Named Miss Alabama, Miss USA and Miss Universe in the same year (1967).
One of only nine Miss USA winners in history who went on to wear the Miss Universe crown.
Modeled in New York, acted in commercials and worked for a Miami television station following her reign as Miss Universe.

TOM CHERONES

Accomplished Director and Producer

Best known for directing “Seinfeld,” “Growing Pains,” “Annie McGuire,” “My Sister Sam” and “Just in Time."
Winner of a Directors Guild of America Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award.
Author of “The Hardley Boys,” a parody of the popular “Hardy Boys” books.
Inducted into the Alabama Stage and Screen Hall of Fame (2003).
Taught film production at UA in for over a decade.

MARK CHILDRESS

Gifted Novelist and Southern Writer

Author of three children’s books and seven novels, including “One Mississippi,” a Book Sense Notable Book of the Year.
Wrote the film screenplay for “Crazy in Alabama” based on his 1993 novel by the same name, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.
Received the Thomas Wolfe Award and the University of Alabama Distinguished Alumni Award.
Named the Alabama Library Association's Writer of the Year.

WILLIAM CHRISTENBERRY

Skilled Photographer and Artist

Described as one of the most prolific artists of the 20th century.
Highly acclaimed for a wide variety of media - including painting, drawing, photography, sculpture and assemblage.
Known for his artistic exploration of the psychology of place, in particular the Black Belt region of west-central Alabama.
Featured in many public and private collections including New York’s Museum of Modern Art and UA’s Sarah Moody Gallery of Art.

WOODROW WILSON "FOOTS" CLEMENTS

Esteemed Business Executive

Dr. Pepper Company’s former President and CEO, boosting a regional Texas soft drink into a global brand (1974-1986).
Recipient of the Norman Vincent Peale Award for exceptional humanitarian contributions to society.
Beverage Industry “Man of the Year” (1976) and Financial World “Chief Executive Officer of the Year Beverage Industry” (1977).
Former member of the U.S. Senatorial Business Advisory Board.
Started selling Dr. Pepper from a delivery truck when he was a student at UA (1935).

JOHN COCHRAN

Highly Praised Journalist

21-year career as NBC correspondent in Washington D.C. and overseas.
Chief Capitol Hill correspondent for ABC News (1994-2011).
Received three Emmy Awards for his reporting, including one for his role in ABC News coverage of the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.
Recipient of the Peabody and Alfred I. duPont awards.
UA’s College of Communication and Information Sciences Outstanding Alumnus awardee and Hall of Fame inductee.

JAN CRAWFORD

Resourceful Journalist, Author and Attorney

CBS News chief legal correspondent.
Recognized Supreme Court authority.
Author of the New York Times bestseller, “Supreme Court Conflict: The Inside Story of the Struggle for Control of the United States Supreme Court” (2007).
Contributes regularly to the “CBS Evening News,” “CBS Mornings,” and “Face the Nation,” as well as CBSNews.com and CBS News Radio.

NANCY BATSON CREWS

Ace Female World War II Pilot

First woman from Alabama to fly military aircrafts and one of the first 28 women to pilot a U.S. plane during World War II.
One of the original women to participate in the Women’s Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron (WAFS) and the first president of the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPS).
Inductee of the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame (1989) and Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame (2004).
Logged nearly 80 hours as a turbojet pilot during her final flight at age 80.

BRUCE CULPEPPER

Powerful Business Leader

Shell Oil Company’s former U.S. Country Chair and President, with a 38-year career with Shell.
Established and advocated for innovating, industry-leading solutions for securing safe, stable and sustainable energy sources.
Led regional coordination for Shell in the Americas and oversaw corporate reputation initiatives and social investment programs in the U.S.
Served in a number of leadership positions of increasing responsibility and scope — both internationally and in the U.S.

LAURECE "RECE" DAVIS

Industry-Leading Television Sports Journalist

One of the sports industry’s leading hosts and a mainstay on ESPN for more than 25 years.
Host of ESPN’s award-winning College GameDay football road show and host for premier college football events including the College Football Playoff National Championship and the NFL Draft on ABC.
Regular contributor to SportsCenter and host of the College Football Playoff Top 25 Ranking Show.
Recipient of CoSIDA’s Lester Jordan (2019) and Jake Wade (2016) awards, both for outstanding contributions to intercollegiate athletics, and Best Sports Host (2008).

SAMUEL A. DIPIAZZA JR.

Expert Business Executive

Warner Bros. Discovery’s current Board Chair.
Served as PwC Global Chief Executive Officer, having previously served as chairman of the U.S. firm, the largest professional services firm in the world, also known as PricewaterhouseCoopers. Former Chairman of the world-renowned Mayo Clinic.
Led as Vice Chairman, Global Corporate and Investment Bank for Citigroup Inc.
Internationally recognized author and commentator in fields such as corporate reporting, transparency, anti-corruption and sustainable development.

DOUGLAS EDWARDS

Enterprising Veteran Newscaster

Anchored CBS nightly news broadcasts for more than four decades (1948-1988).
Notable for interviewing Winston Churchill, Eleanor Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, among many others.
One of the first television reporters to work on location, providing an on-the-scene report when Puerto Rican Nationalists shot five congressmen in the House of Representatives (1954) and providing an eyewitness account of the sinking of the Italian liner Andrea Doria (1956).
Recipient of the George Foster Peabody Award for best television news (1956).

CARL ELLIOT

Transformative Advocate

First recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award (1990).
Represented Alabama in the US House of Representatives from 1949 to 1965.
A champion for equal rights for minorities and the underprivileged, collaborating with Sen. J. Lister Hill to author the National Defense Education Act.
Authored the Library Services Act, bringing mobile libraries (bookmobiles) to millions of rural Americans (1956).
The Elliot Society, a community service-based university-wide honorary dedicated to social justice, is named in his honor.
Rumored to have entered UA with only $2.30 in his pocket, he worked several jobs, was elected President of the student body and was the first person in his family to graduate with a undergraduate and law degrees.

CHRIS EMERSON

Ambitious Aerospace Industry Leader

Operating Partner at AE Industrial, bringing over 25 years of aerospace experience in the commercial aviation, U.S. Defense, rotorcraft, and space sectors.
Former Chairman and President of Airbus U.S. Space and Defense, a subsidiary of Airbus Americas (2015-2019).
Airbus Helicopters’ former President and Head of the North American Region, where he led a turnaround in the U.S. civil market by growing market share from 40% to 70% in four years.
Former member of the DaimlerChrysler Aerospace team in Germany and part of the internal team that formed — through a simultaneous IPO and merger of three national entities — EADS (today, Airbus Group).

MICHAEL EMERSON

Talented Award-Winning Actor

Worked extensively in theater and narration and is best known for his television roles as serial killer William Hinks .on “The Practice,” Benjamin Linus on “Lost,” Cayden James on “Arrow” and Harold Finch in “Person of Interest,” as well as Zep Hindle in the first “Saw” film.
Acting awards include six wins and over 30 nominations, including winning two Primetime Emmy Awards.
Performed in A.R. Gurney’s Pulitzer-nominated “Love Letters.”

DR. AUTHERINE LUCY FOSTER

Courageous Educator and Advocate

First Black student to attend The University of Alabama.
Recognized as one of three desegregation pioneers at UA; the Autherine Lucy Clock Tower was dedicated in tribute to her strength.
Awarded an honorary doctorate of humane letters from the University amid a standing ovation and named a master teacher by the state of Alabama — a title reserved for her alone.
The UA College of Education building was officially renamed Autherine Lucy Hall in her honor (2022).

MILLARD FULLER

Compassionate Founder and Executive

Habitat for Humanity International Founder and former President.
Widely known as the leader of the modern-day movement for affordable housing.
Rose from humble beginnings to a young, self-made millionaire by age 29.
Received more than 50 honorary degrees and numerous awards during his lifetime, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest honor.

JOSEPH E. GIBBS

Entrepreneurial Television Executive

Created and launched the concept for the Golf Channel with co-founder Arnold Palmer, serving as Vice President, Chairman and CEO (1991-2001).
Secured $80 million in financing to launch the network, among the first cable networks developed to cover one singular sport and now seen in 200 million households in 84 countries and 11 languages.
Former executive at Crowley Cellular Telecommunications and at Birmingham, Alabama-headquartered Masada Corp.

CHARLES "CHUCK" GORDON

Box-Office Busting Film Producer

Film credits include “Die Hard,” “Die Hard II: Die Harder,” “Waterworld,” “The Super” and “October Sky.”
His films have grossed more than $1 billion worldwide since 1988.
Nominated for a Best Picture Oscar for “Field of Dreams” (1989).
Spent 10 years writing for television, including “Sonny & Cher,” “Dick Van Dyke” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” before going into movie production.

HUBAN GOWADIA

Collaborative Change Agent

Principal Associate Director, Global Security at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
Former Acting Administrator of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), responsible for a workforce of 60,000 charged with protecting U.S. transportation systems and the traveling public.
After Sept. 11, 2001, led TSA’s initiative to replace all walk-through metal detectors at airports with enhanced systems.
Previously served as Director of the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, where she led DHS’s coordinated efforts to protect the U.S. from nuclear attack.
Inducted into the State of Alabama’s Engineering Hall of Fame (2022).

WINSTON GROOM

Sensational Novelist and Nonfiction Writer

Best known for his novel “Forrest Gump,” a cultural phenomenon adapted into a 1994 film of the same name starring Tom Hanks and winning six Academy Awards.
Authored 16 books, including “A Storm in Flanders,” “Better Times Than These,” “As Summers Die,” “El Paso,” “Gone the Sun,” the prizewinning Civil War history “Shrouds of Glory,” and the Pulitzer Prize finalist “Conversations with the Enemy.”
Wrote for numerous magazines, including Vanity Fair, Southern Living, Condé Nast Traveler, Newsweek, Esquire, and the New York Times Magazine, and contributed editorial articles to the New York Times and the Washington Post.

JANET GURWITCH

Remarkable Businesswoman and Investor

Current Operating Partner for Advent International, one of the largest and most experienced global private equity firms with deep sector expertise.
Gurwitch Products Co-founder (1995), launching the Laura Mercier Cosmetics boutique line in 1996.
Neiman Marcus former Executive Vice President, and Foley’s department store former Senior Vice President of Merchandising.
Serves on the Houston Astros Board of Directors, Olaplex Board of Directors, and Cosmetic Executive Women Board of Governors.

JOHN SAMUEL HENDRICKS

Respected Visionary and Businessman

Founded the Discovery Channel while Founder and Chairman of Discovery Communications (1982), serving 32 years at the helm.
Current Chairman of the Board at CuriosityStream, a video-on-demand subscription service.
Honored with a Primetime Emmy Award and the Governor’s Award, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ highest honor, for conceiving the TLC series “Great Books.”
Received the National Education Association’s Friend of Education award for expanding educational opportunities for America’s schoolchildren.
Inducted into the Cable Center Hall of Fame for service to the cable industry (2003).

MARILLYN HEWSON

Commanding Businesswoman

Former Lockheed Martin Corporation Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, serving for more than 39 years.
One of TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” (2019).
No. 1 on Fortune magazine’s list of “50 Most Powerful Women in Business” (2019).
Named “CEO of the Year” by Chief Executive magazine (2018).
Classified as one of the “World’s 100 Most Powerful Women” by Forbes (2018).

BOB HINES

Awe-inspiring NASA Astronaut and U.S. Air Force Colonel

Served as pilot on NASA’s Space X Crew 4 mission to the International Space Station where he logged 170 days in space.
Served as instructor pilot, fighter pilot and test pilot in the United States Air Force where he flew 76 combat missions while supporting contingency operations around the world.
Accumulated more than 4,000 hours of flight time in 50 different types of aircraft.
Received numerous U.S. Air Force and NASA awards, including the NASA Stuart Present Flight Achievement Award, the U.S. Air Force Bobby Bond Memorial Aviator Award and two meritorious service medals.

VICKI HOLLUB

Trailblazing Businesswoman and Engineer

President and CEO of Occidental Petroleum Corporation and the first female CEO of a major U.S. oil and gas company.
Previous Senior Executive Vice President, Occidental, and President, Oxy Oil and Gas – Americas (2014 - 2015); Executive Vice President, Occidental, and Executive Vice President, U.S. Operations and Oxy Oil and Gas (2013-2014).
Teamed up with Warren Buffett to back Occidental’s $57 billion bid for Anadarko Petroleum, and closed the deal.
No. 22 on Fortune magazine’s “Most Powerful Women” list (2019).
Serves on the board of directors for Lockheed Martin, the American Petroleum Institute and Khalifa University for Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi.

JAMES HOOD

Undaunted Community College Educator

The first Black male student to register and attend classes at The University of Alabama, helping integrate the University in the face of adversity.
An activist at a young age, becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement through his English teacher, who was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s sister.
Active in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Returned to The University of Alabama to earn a doctorate in higher education in 1997 after a career in law enforcement and education.

FRANK MINIS JOHNSON

Milestone-Making Government Leader

“Altered forever the face of the South,” making landmark civil rights rulings that helped end segregation in the South.
Ruled in favor of Rosa Parks, striking down the “blacks in the back of the bus” law; struck down attempts to block the Selma voting rights march led by Martin Luther King Jr.
Served as a U.S. Federal Judge at the District and Appeals levels (1955-1999).
Named U.S. District Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama and to the federal bench by President Eisenhower.
Nominated to the position of FBI Director by President Carter, but withdrew due to an aneurysm.

VIVIAN MALONE JONES

Fearless Advocate

One of the first two Black students to attend UA; The University of Alabama’s first Black graduate.
Involved in community activities in her youth, focusing on ending racial discrimination and working toward desegregation.
Employed by the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Veteran’s Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Voter Education Project former Executive Director.
Received the Lurleen B. Wallace Award for Courage from former Gov. George Wallace as well as an honorary doctorate of humane letters from The University of Alabama (2000).

JAMES M. KELLY

Honored Airman and NASA Astronaut

Former NASA astronaut and pilot for the eighth shuttle mission to the International Space Station and the return to flight activities following the space shuttle Columbia accident.
Logged more than 641 hours in space during his NASA career.
Received two Defense Superior Service Medals, a Meritorious Service Medal, two Air Force Commendation Medals, three Outstanding Unit Awards and two Combat Readiness Medals, among other awards.
Retired from the Air Force in 2007 after logging over 3,800 flight hours in more than 35 aircrafts.

MAUD MCLURE KELLY

Progressive Female Attorney

Alabama’s first female attorney.
The first Southern woman admitted to the bar of the U.S. Supreme Court (1914).
Worked as a federal attorney for the Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C., and for the Alabama Department of Archives and History.
Wrote the entrance exam for The University of Alabama School of Law, was admitted as the school’s second-ever female student and graduated third in her class.

HARPER LEE

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Literary Icon

Author of the highly acclaimed Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “To Kill a Mockingbird” (1960), which became a classic of modern American literature.
Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her contribution to literature.
Published a second novel, “Go Set a Watchman (2015),” a sequel to “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Known for assisting her friend Truman Capote in research for his book “In Cold Blood” and was the inspiration for the character Idabel in Capote’s book “Other Voices, Other Rooms.”

ROBERT M. LIGHTFOOT, JR.

High-Powered Business Administrator

Lockheed Martin Space Executive Vice President, leading a team of 22,000 employees to set the vision for what the space industry can look like in the future.
Former NASA Associate Administrator, the agency’s highest-ranking civil servant, with a career there longer than 30 years.
Led the return to flight activities in Washington, D.C., following the space shuttle Columbia accident.
Received NASA’s Outstanding Leadership Medal (2007).

MICHAEL LUWOYE

Acclaimed Broadway Actor

Performed as the Alexander Hamilton alternate in the popular Broadway production “Hamilton,” which won 11 Tony Awards (2016) and a Pulitzer Prize for Drama.
Made Broadway history as the first actor cast in both male principal roles in the national “Hamilton” tour, playing both Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr (2017).
Appeared off-Broadway as Jacob in “Invisible Thread” — a role that earned him a 2016 Lucille Lortel Award nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Musical.
Played a leading role in the feature drama “Emancipation” opposite actor Will Smith (2022).
Nominated for the Children’s and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice Performance in a Preschool Animated Program for “Baby Shark’s Big Show” (2022).

SONEQUA MARTIN-GREEN

Rising Film and TV Star

Best known for her role as Sasha Williams in the television hit “The Walking Dead.”
Starred opposite LeBron James and a host of other NBA superstars as the female lead in “Space Jam: A New Legacy” (2021).
Awarded a lead actress role in “Star Trek: The Discovery” as lieutenant commander of the USS Discovery, making her the first Black woman to lead the cast of a “Star Trek” ensemble.
Recurring television roles include “The Good Wife,” “Once Upon a Time,” “Army Wives” and “NYC-22,” and appearances on episodes of “Lip Sync Battle” and “New Girl.”

RICHARD M. MYERS

Passionate Geneticist and Biochemist

Known for his mission to change the world through genomics.
Served as Professor and Chair in the department of genetics at Stanford University; his work contributed to more than 10% of the data for the Human Genome Project.
Operated as President, Scientific Director, Faculty Investigator and M. A. Loya Chair in Genomics for the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, which has advanced the understanding and treatment of conditions from ALS to childhood genetic disorders.
Received numerous awards including the UA Darden Lecture Award, the UA Blount Initiative Award and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from UA.

JIM NABORS

Beloved Classic Television Icon and Singer

Widely known for playing his signature character, Gomer Pyle, on “The Andy Griffith Show.”
Given his own spinoff show, “Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.” in which his character joined the U.S. Marine Corps.
Became a popular guest on variety shows in the 1960s and 1970s after revealing a rich baritone voice and subsequently recorded numerous singles and albums, most of them containing romantic ballads.
While at UA, his acting debut came in the form of his fraternity’s skit show.

BARBARA PARK

Creative Children's Author

Most well-known for the popular “Junie B. Jones” book series, which follows the adventures of an opinionated kindergartner with a penchant for mischief.
Her “Junie B. Jones” books sold over 55 million copies and spent over 180 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.
Won more than 40 children’s book awards, including seven Children’s Choice Awards and four Parents’ Choice Awards.
Founded Sisters in Survival (SIS), a nonprofit organization that gives 100% of its donations to women diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

LISA PATTON

Bestselling Author of Southern Culture Novels

Popular author of four novels, including: “Whistlin’ Dixie in a Nor’easter,” “Yankee Doodle Dixie,” “Southern as a Second Language” and “Rush”
Hired by multi-Grammy Award winning recording artist and songwriter, Michael McDonald, as his right-hand person and worked on several albums and video projects including the Grammy nominated, certified Platinum, Motown.
Member of Kappa Delta, the first women’s sorority on the UA campus and the first women’s sorority in the state of Alabama

BETSY PLANK

Revolutionary Public Relations Champion

Known as a public relations pioneer and the First Lady of Public Relations.
Achieved multiple firsts for women, attained national and international stature and won many top awards in the public relations field.
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Foundation established its first ever scholarship endowment fund in her name, which has helped ensure the availability of public relations education funds for students at more than 40 colleges nationwide.
The University’s board of trustees established the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations in 2005, which develops research, scholarships and forums that advance ethical PR practices.

THOM RAINER

Insightful Theologian and Christian Business Leader

Writer, researcher, speaker, and former President and CEO of LifeWay Christian Resources, one of the world’s largest Christian resource providers.
Current founder and CEO of Church Answers, an online community and resource for church leaders.
Served as pastor of churches in four states before joining the faculty of SBTS and becoming the founding Dean of the Billy Graham School of Missions, Evangelism and Church Growth (1994).
Founded and served as President and CEO of the Rainer Group.
Author of several books, including “Simple Church,” which has won several awards.

ADM. CHARLES RICHARD

Tactical Navy Commander

Naval veteran of more than 37 years.
The 11^th commander of the United States Strategic Command with all four branches of the military assigned to the command.
Operational assignments include command of USS Parche (SSN 683) and Submarine NR-1, then the U.S. Navy’s only nuclear-powered, deep-submergence submarine.
Previously served as commander, Submarine Forces, and was the undersea domain lead responsible for the submarine force’s strategic vision.
Awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal for exceptionally meritorious and distinguished service in a position of great responsibility to the Government of the United States.

MARIE ROBINSON

Adept Operations and Logistics Leader

Current Sysco Corporation Executive Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer.
Previously served as Michael Kors’ Vice President of Corporate Strategy and Chief Operations Officer, and she earlier held the position of Senior Vice President, Global Operations.
Former Toys R Us Senior Vice President and Chief Logistics Officer as well as Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company Senior Vice President of Supply, Logistics and Customer Experience.
Dedicated 11 years to the Army as a logistics officer and then transitioned to the role of Vice President of Logistics for Walmart.

JOE SCARBOROUGH

Prominent Television Host and Former Congressman

Television host, attorney, political commentator and former politician who is the co-host of “Morning Joe” on MSNBC with his wife Mika Brzezinski.
Previously hosted “Scarborough Country” on the same channel.
Served in the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida’s 1^st Congressional District (1995-2001).
Named one of TIME magazine’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” (2011).

WINSTON MACKINLEY SCOTT

Decorated CIA Officer

Recipient of the Distinguished Intelligence Medal from the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency.
Joined the FBI as a special agent in 1941 following a brief teaching career and served as the CIA’s first London station chief.
Became head of the Western European division of the Office of Special Operations and oversaw espionage throughout Western Europe.
Involved in the investigations into Lee Harvey Oswald’s ties to Cuba and into the Tlatelolco Massacre of 1968.
The book “Our Man in Mexico – Winston Scott and the Hidden History of the CIA,” was based on his memoirs (2008).

ALMA GATES SCROGGINS

Pioneering Cable Television News Executive

Spent 30 years with Turner Broadcasting System and was with CNN from its infancy.
As CFO and Senior Vice President, was the first female member of the CNN executive team and retired as Executive Vice President of the CNN News Group (2000), which in her tenure grew to encompass CNN, Headline News, CNN Radio, CNN International, CNN Newsource, CNN Airport Network, CNN/Sports Illustrated, and CNN En Español.
Founding partner and treasurer of One Hundred Shares, an Atlanta-area Christ-centered nonprofit women’s charity, with a vision of expanding this concept to other communities.
Chapter president of Alpha Chi Omega sorority while at UA, which she credits as being her first experience with running a business.

RICHARD AND ANNETTE SHELBY

Distinguished U.S. Senator and Philanthropic Family

Richard Shelby’ retired in 2023 after serving for 36 years in the U.S. Senate – longer than any Alabamian in state history.
Former Sen. Shelby served eight years in the House of Representatives before beginning his Senate tenure in 1986 and is known for earmarking federal funds to support efforts in his home state.
Dr. Annette N. Shelby specializes in management communication and has served as Associate Editor of the Journal of Management Communication, Associate Editor of the Journal of Financial Research and on the editorial board of the Journal of Business Communication.
UA’s interdisciplinary science and engineering complex, Shelby Hall, is named after Sen. Shelby and his wife, Annette Shelby, and is one of the largest academic buildings on campus.
Honoring their legacy, The Shelby Institute for Policy and Leadership was established at UA and is focused on providing premier educational programs for students interested in policy. The Institute benefits from the official Senate papers, records and materials donated by Shelby at the conclusion of his public service.
The Shelby Endowment for Distinguished Faculty leverages $100 million in Congressionally-directed funding to create a permanent endowment that supports the recruitment and retention of exceptional faculty members in STEM disciplines at UA.

DEBRA SHRIVER

Leading Media Communications Executive and Author

Former Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer of The Hearst Corporation, one of the nation’s largest private diversified media and information companies.
Prior to joining Hearst, held executive positions with the Newspaper Association of America, MCI Communications Corporation, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and Ogilvy & Mather advertising agency.
Photographer, documentary producer and author of three books, “In the Spirit of New Orleans,” “Stealing Magnolias: Tales from a New Orleans Courtyard,” and “The French Leave: From Paris to Orleans Parish.”

CHET SIMMONS

Groundbreaking Sports Television Executive

Worked at ABC Sports, NBC Sports and ESPN, and later became the first Commissioner of the USFL (United States Football League).
Helped build ABC Sports into a leader in sports programming and played a key part in the development of “Wide World of Sports” (1957-1964).
Joined NBC Sports (1964) and became its first President (1977) and then the second President of ESPN (1979).
Pioneered instant replay and the coverage of the Olympics and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four at NBC.
Received the Sports Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award (2005) and inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame (2010) and the UA College of Communication and Information Sciences Hall of Fame.

JODI SINGER

Spearheading NASA Director

Retired former Director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama — the first female center director.
Led the Marshall team through the 2022 successful launch of the historic Artemis I mission which restored America’s capability to send humans to the Moon — a feat not undertaken since 1972.
In leadership roles of increasing responsibility in human spaceflight, technology and science flight mission projects, including return to flight activities after the space shuttle Challenger accident, served as the first female project manager for the Reusable Solid Rocket Booster Project.
In 38 years of service, received numerous awards, including NASA Outstanding Leadership Medals, two Presidential Rank of Meritorious Executive Awards, the Space Flight Awareness Leadership Award and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal.

KATHRYN STOCKETT

Determined Literary Sensation

Best known for her 2009 debut novel “The Help” which spent more than 100 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list; published in 42 languages with over 10 million copies sold, the manuscript was rejected by 60 literary agents before successful publication.
“The Help” was adapted as a period drama film with the same name starring Alabama native Octavia Spencer who won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Stockett’s character, Minny.
Recipient of the Townsend Prize for Fiction (2010).

DR. JOHN SULLIVAN

Equipped Researcher and Clinician

One of the nation’s top experts in the treatment of poisonous snakebites.
Well known for his work in toxicology, developing a rattlesnake bite anti-venom that is the standard treatment today for its effectiveness and lower toxicity.
Helped develop medication container features to prevent product tampering following seven deaths from Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide in Chicago in 1982.

GAY TALESE

Eminent Sports Editor and Author

Wrote for the New York Times and Esquire magazine, including famous articles about Joe DiMaggio and Frank Sinatra.
Authored several books, including “Honor They Father,” “Thy Neighbor’s Wife” and “A Writer’s Life” – his autobiography.
Received the Norman Mailer Prize for Distinguished Journalism (2011).
Sports editor for the Crimson White and member of Phi Sigma Kappa while earning his journalism degree from UA.

HARRY TOWNES

Long-Standing Television and Movie Actor

Began his acting career on Broadway; was a familiar face on television during the 1950s and ‘60s and later appeared in 16 movies.
Most well-known for memorable roles and guest appearances in “Santee,” “Operation Manhunt,” “Heaven with a Gun,” “The Twilight Zone,” “Perry Mason,” “Star Trek,” “Bonanza,” “Gunsmoke,” “The Big Valley,” “Father Knows Best,” “The Outer Limits,” “The Incredible Hulk,” “Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century,” “Planet of the Apes,” “The Fugitive,” and many others.
An ordained Episcopal priest who served at St. Mary of the Angels Church in Hollywood, California.

ROBERT JEMISON VAN DE GRAAFF

Innovative Physicist

Invented the Van de Graaff generator, an electrostatic generator that could produce high voltages to accelerate subatomic particles and was the precursor for the modern study of particle acceleration for research, medicine, industry and the military.
Rhodes Scholar, research fellow and professor of physics at MIT.
Founded and served as Chief Scientist for the High Voltage Engineering Corporation, the first company to manufacture particle accelerators.

MICHAEL VICKERS

Formative American Defense Official

Served as Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence within the U.S. Department of Defense where he led the Defense Intelligence Enterprise that includes the National Security Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, and the intelligence components of the military services and combatant commands.
Oversaw counterterrorism efforts in multiple countries, playing a major role in the elimination of numerous terrorist leaders and leading a comprehensive transformation of defense intelligence.
Served as an Operations Officer with the CIA, where he played a key role in the largest and most successful covert action program in CIA history, the paramilitary operation that defeated the Red Army and helped bring an end to the Cold War and was featured in the book “Charlie Wilson’s War” as well as the 2007 movie adaptation.

ANN WALDRON

Clever Murder Mystery Author

Wrote biographies of Southern writers and books for children and young adults, then at age 78 shifted to writing murder mysteries.
Wrote three biographies about Southern writers and editors with “Hodding Carter: The Reconstruction of a Racist” named a Notable Book of the Year by the New York Times in 1993.
Editor of the Crimson White while earning her degree in journalism at UA and studying creative writing under notable author and professor Hudson Strode.

JIMMY WALES

Instrumental Entrepreneur

Co-founder of Wikipedia, the largest free online nonprofit encyclopedia.
Set up and serves on the Board of Trustees for Wikimedia, a nonprofit organization that develops and maintains open-content, multilingual, wiki-based projects and provides the full contents of those projects to the public free of charge.
Recipient of the President’s Medal of the British Academy, the Dan David Prize and the UNESCO Niels Bohr Medal for making outstanding contributions that could have a significant influence on the world.

SELA WARD

Award-Winning Television and Film Actress Producer

Best known for starring in the television series “Sisters,” which ran for six seasons; other prominent roles were in “Once and Again” and “CSI: NY.”
Winner of numerous awards, including two Emmys and a Golden Globe as well as Screen Actors Guild award nominations for outstanding performances by a female actor.
Has starred in 19 movies, including “The Fugitive,” “The Day After Tomorrow,” “Double Jeopardy,” “Gone Girl,” and “Independence Day: Resurgence.”
UA’s Homecoming Queen, a Crimson Tide cheerleader and member of Chi Omega sorority.

E.O. WILSON

Legendary Biologist

Considered a pioneer and true visionary for his scientific study of sociobiology and ecosystems; known as the “the father of biodiversity.”
Biologist, researcher, theorist, naturalist and author; the world’s leading expert in myrmecology – the study of ants.
Developed the theory of island biogeography which is considered the foundation of the development of conservation area design, as well as the unified neutral theory of biodiversity of Stephen Hubbell.
Two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction for ”On Human Nature” and a New York Times bestseller for “The Social Conquest of Earth,” “Letters to a Young Scientist,” and “The Meaning of Human Existence.”

SHERYL YUENGLING

Thriving Business Administrator

One of four sisters, a sixth-generation heir and operator of America’s oldest brewery —D.G. Yuengling & Son.
Helped the family-owned company, which has been in business since 1829 and sells products in over 22 states, achieve the ranking of top craft beer company in the United States by sales volume, selling more beer than any other U.S. brand with over 2.2 billion barrels per year.
Partnered with a family business in Farmland, Indiana, to unveil the world’s largest QR code grown from crops, a one-of-a-kind version of an iconic Stars and Stripes QR code that appeared on special cans of Yuengling Lager.
Inducted into the UA Hospitality Hall of Fame (2013).

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