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MosaicALABAMA HUMANITIES FOUNDATION
Summer 2008
AHF Gets a New Look
Governor Bob Riley to Launch EOA at the
Alabama Humanities Awards Luncheon
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Pike County, Alabama, 2008
AL
A B A MA
HUM A N I T
I E S
CL
ASS
ICS
JURI
SPRU
DENCE
THEATRE & ART HISTORY PH
ILOS
OPH
Y
LITERATU
RE HIS
TORY LANGUAGES ETHICS
FILM
STUD
IE
S
Chi Psi fraternity, Amherst College, 1975
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A small reminiscence, if you dont mind. During my eighth-grade debate class, the teacher
assigned me to present the affirmative case for the proposition: Should the House Un-
American Activities Committee be abolished? The HUAC was not wildly popular even in
conservative Tuscaloosa in the late 1960s. But I still approached my assignment with a natu-
ral trepidation that came from having to criticize this infamous redbaiting Congressional com-
mittee. So what was I to say when my opponent exclaimed, But Communism might take over
the world! Thinking on my feet like any smart aleck fourteen year-old, I replied, But so
might kudzu! (After the class stopped laughing, I think I won the debate on style points if
not substance.)
Today, of course, there arent communists lurking around every corner in Alabama, but it sure
seems like kudzu is. Now more than sixty years after Southerners introduced the Japanese vine
to prevent erosion, its everywhere in the landscape and shows no sign of retreat. Clearly the
green menace of kudzu has succeeded where the Red Menace of the Soviet Union failed.
The Alabama photographer William Christenberry has recorded kudzus widespread impact in
the Black Belt even documenting how it literally pulled down a small tenant shanty south of
Moundville over the course of a few decades. When he talks about kudzu, he speaks with both
admiration for its tenacity and energy (each plant grows an estimated twelve inches a day), but
also with fear of what might lurk in the dark unknown under its tendrils (mythical hoop
snakes, for example).
Like it or hate it, kudzu is truly a ubiquitous feature of our state as well as our Southern neigh-
bors. Thus I was more than comfortable with the idea of using an image of kudzu vines and
leaves for our new AHF logo. I enthusiastically embraced it as a whimsical foil to convention-
al images from academia and the liberal arts. Nevertheless, I am also pleased that one version
of the logo includes an oval list of humanities disciplines surrounding the plant: Human intel-
ligence frames nature, or some such similar metaphor?
A few years after my junior high debate, I left the South to attend Amherst College, a mem-
ber of the Little Ivy League in Massachusetts. In fact, my fraternity house was covered in
English ivy - as should any self-respecting New England college building. (The college has
since removed all of it, probably because that much ivy can damage the mortar on brick struc-tures. Plus, like kudzu, ivy can be pretty ugly in winter.) Its a stretch to say that kudzu is our
own ivy league. I certainly wouldnt push the metaphor that far. But it is beyond debate to
say that the humanities in Alabama arise from the commonplace as well as the sublime; the
vernacular as well as the learned; and the pesky, stubborn, even nasty features of our land as
well as the elegant and manicured ones. Let us know what you think.
CONTENTS
From the Directors Desk 3
News 4
SUPER Teacher Program 7
How You Can Help AHF 9
2007 Annual Report 10
Grants Awarded 12
Grant Spotlight:
World War I Symposium 13
Dr. Wayne Flynt on EOA 14
THE MISSION OF THE ALABAMA
HUMANITIES FOUNDATION (AHF)
IS TO CREATE AND FOSTER
OPPORTUNITIES TO EXPLORE
HUMAN VALUES AND MEANING
THROUGH THE HUMANITIES.
Robert C. Stewart
Executive Director
From the Directors Desk
Cover Photo: A collection of photos from the Encyclopedia of Alabama.
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HUMANITIES LEADERSHIP SUMMIT FOR CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS
The Alabama Humanities Foundation and Caroline Marshall Draugh
Center for the Arts & Humanities in the College of Liberal Arts
Auburn University are co-sponsoring Alabamas first humanities conf
ence on technology in Birmingham, September 14-15, 2008. Face
Future Humanities Leadership Summit: Humanities and Technology in 2
Centurywill convene Alabama cultural, historical, art, and education
organizations to explore new possibilities through technology and bu
relationships for future partnerships.
The conference will feature keynote speakers Colleen Jennings-Roggensack, Execut
Director for Public and Cultural Events at Arizona State University, and Jamil S. Zainaldi
President of the Georgia Humanities Council. Other sessions will focus on technology a
education, development, and communications/promotion. The Summit will culminate wi
the Alabama Humanities Awards Luncheon and the public launch of the online Encyclope
of Alabamaon Monday, September 15.
For online registration, program and schedule details, go to www.ahf.net. Contact Sus
Perry, AHF Grants Director, at 205-558-3993 or [email protected] for further information.
AHF ANNOUNCES 2009 New Harmonies SITES
In 2009 the traveling Museum on Main Street exhibit New Harmonies: Celebrating Americ
Roots Musicwill bring the toe-tapping story of our nations musical heritage to six Alabam
cities. New Harmoniesis sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution and provides a fascinatin
inspiring listen to the American story of multi-cultural exchange. Its the story of people in
New World, places they have left behind, and ideas they have brought with them. Their d
tinct cultural identities are carried in sound both sacred and secular.
Make plans now to attend New Harmoniesat one of the following sites next year:
newsPURCHASE TICKETS NOW:
Governor Bob Rileyto Launch EOA at theAlabama HumanitiesAwards Luncheon
The 2008 Alabama Humanities Awards
Luncheon will feature Alabama Governor
Bob Riley to launch the much anticipated
Encyclopedia of Alabama on Monday,
September 15, 2008. The luncheon will
be held at noon at the Wynfrey Hotel in
Birmingham. The luncheon will also
honor the recipient of this years Alabama
Humanities Award, Senator Richard C.
Shelby, and the 2008 Jenice Riley
Memorial Scholarship winners. Purchase
tickets today to reserve your seats. Visit
www.ahf.net to download the registrationform, or phone Paul Lawson, AHF
Development Director, at (205) 558-3992.
Governor Bob Riley
Senator Richard Shelby
Colleen Jennings-
Roggensack
March 12 - May 9, 2009
Tennessee Valley Art Center Tuscumbia
May 14 - June 24, 2009
Center for the Study of the Black Belt
The University of West Alabama Livingston
July 2 - August 12, 2009
Washington County Public Library
Co-sponsored by Washington County Museum
Chatom
August 20 - September 24, 2009
Depot Museum/City of Fort Payne Fort Payne
October 1 - November 11, 2009
Troy-Pike Cultural Arts Center, Inc. Troy
November 19 - December 31, 2009
Tuskegee Human & Civil Rights Multicultural
Center Tuskegee
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AHF Welcomes New Board Members
David Donaldson is Director of Community Relations and Vice President of the Vulcan
Foundation at Vulcan Materials Company, where he is responsible for the community and
governmental relations programs of the companys corporate office and eight operating divi-
sions. David graduated from the University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee, with a B.A. in
English Literature and holds a Master of Arts Degree in Public and Private Management from
Birmingham-Southern College. He currently serves as chairman of the Board of Trustees of
the Nature Conservancy, Alabama Chapter. He is also on the Board of Directors of the
Salvation Army Advisory Board, Birmingham, and serves on Leadership Birminghams
Members Council, where he is co-chairman of the councils program committee. David lives
in Homewood with his wife and two sons.
Lisa Narrell-Mead of Birmingham leads Corporate Employee
Relations and is responsible for all employment law matters for
Regions Financial Corporation. Lisa joined Regions in 1998 as
Counsel and in 2002 became Assistant General Counsel. She previ-
ously served as a partner of Constangy, Brooks & Smith. Lisa has a
bachelors degree in Political Science from Birmingham-Southern
College, as well as a juris doctorate from Emory University. She cur-
rently serves on the Board of Judicial Ethics by appointment of theAlabama Supreme Court and is President of the Junior Board of the YWCA. She is an active
member of the Labor and Litigation Sections of the American Bar Association and serves
on the Executive Committee of the Labor and Employment Law Section of the Alabama
State Bar.
NEH Chairman Bruce Cole with Jack Warner, AHF Board Chair David Campbell
and Executive Director Robert Stewart (L-R).
NEH CHAIRMAN BRUCE COLE
ATTENDS AHF RECEPTION IN
TUSCALOOSA
Dr. Bruce Cole, Chairman of the National
Endowment for the Humanities and Dr
Carole Watson, Assistant Chairman of the
National Endowment for the Humanities
Partnership and National Affairs, visited
Tuscaloosa to present a collection of
Picturing America to Marjorie Freyer of the
Teaching American History program
(TAH). Cole made the presentation at the
NorthRiver Yacht Club on Thursday, April
24, 2008, during a reception hosted by the
Alabama Humanities Foundation.
Picturing America is a program of the
NEH meant to enhance students knowl-
edge, understanding and appreciation of
American history. It is a collection of forty
high-quality reproductions of artwork andartifacts that tell the story of our nations
past.
We were honored to have Bruce Cole
come to Alabama and personally present
Picturing America to the Teaching
American History program, Robe
Stewart, AHF Executive Director, said
Picturing America will engage and moti-
vate students by bringing powerful images
of American history to life in Tuscaloosaclassrooms.
The following day, Cole attended an AHF
board meeting. He enjoyed tours of the
Westervelt Warner Museum a
Whispering Cliffs Garden and lunch at the
home of Jack and Susan Warner. We are
grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Warner for their
hospitality in hosting the NEH Chairman
AHF Board and staff at the NorthRive
Yacht Club.
NEWS
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NEWS
JENICE RILEY FUNDS EUFAULA LIVING WAX MUSEUM
Jane Johnson, a 3rd-5th grade teacher at Western Heights Elementary in Eufaula was a rec
ient of the 2007 Jenice Riley Memorial Scholarship award. She used her $1,000 scholarsh
to premier Eufaulas Living Wax Museum as a part of 2007s annual Eufaula Pilgrimage. M
Johnsons 5th graders extensively researched important figures from Eufaulas past and prese
who have made significant contributions to Alabama. During the pilgrimage, students play
the roles of their characters in order to educate and entertain guests.
The kids did such a good job and had a really good time, Ms. Johnson said. The 'pilgrim
who came by were extremely complimentary and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the studen
performances. We are looking forward to doing this again next year and making it even bi
ger and better. Thanks so much to the AHF for your support of this project. We would ha
never taken the leap to do this if we had not been awarded the Jenice Riley Memor
Scholarship.
Ms. Johnson plans to involve her 5th graders in the project again next year, helping them b
ter understand their heritage and appreciate the important people who have helped ma
Eufaula and Alabama a better place.
Western Heights Elementary 5th graders pose
as important historical figures during
Eufaulas Living Wax Museum, sponsored
by the Jenice Riley Memorial Scholarship.
Photos courtesy of Jane Johnson
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SUPERTeacher Institute
2008 SUPER Teacher Program Institutes and Workshops
"Spanish Language, Hispanics and the Alabama Workforce," was held at the University of
Alabama Huntsville, June 16-20. Led by Mrs. Peggy M. Bilbro (retired, Randolph School),
nationally recognized leader in foreign language instruction for secondary educators in
Alabama and the Southern U.S., and Dr. Linda L. Maier, Ph.D., Associate Professor and Chair
of the UAH Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures, the program provided Spanish
teachers the invaluable opportunity to spend a week immersed exclusively in the target lan-
guage while studying a host of important, timely topics and issues concerning the rapidly
growing Hispanic population in Alabama.
"eResearch, eWriting: Preparing Students for Tech-Savvy College-Level Work in the
Humanities" took place at the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa), June 23-27. This program,
directed by Karen H. Gardiner, Ph.D., Director of the UA First-Year Writing Program,
explored how technology is changing student research and the "research paper." Participants
were brought up-to-date on the latest information for accessing primary and secondary textson-line, preventing plagiarism, online citation and documentation issues, and evaluation of
web sources. They were given extensive experience working with cutting-edge knowledge from
leaders in the field, notably Mike Palmquist, Ph.D., Professor of English and Director,
Institute for the Center for Research on Writing and Communication Technologies, Colorado
State University.
Dr. Karen Gardiner speaks on eResearch and eWriting
Dr. Linda Maier lectures during the Spanish
Language Institute.
Dr. Linda Maier speaks one-on-one with
a teacher.
Eighty middle and high school teachers from around the state were selected to participate in the
2008 SUPER Summer Teacher Institutes and One-day Workshops. The Institutes, intensive, gradu-
ate-level, weeklong, residential programs consisted of:
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SUPER NEWS
Super News
Congratulations to Roy Hudson, Theater Director at Jefferson Countys Shades Valley Hi
School, on being named the 2008-09 Alabama Teacher of the Year by the Alabam
Department of Education. Roy served as co-lead scholar for the 2007 SUPER SummTeacher Institute, The Will to Teach: Shakespeare in Context Then and Now.
Lillian McKinnis, teacher of World History, U.S. History, Government, and Economics,
Central High School in Lowndes County, was recently selected by the East Asian Stud
Center (EASC) at Indiana University to join other outstanding teachers from across the cou
try in a three-week study tour of Korea and Japan. The study tour is sponsored by the Nation
Consortium for Teaching About Asia, an outreach project of the Freeman Foundation. Lilli
participated in the 2005 SUPER Summer Teacher Institute, East Asia: A Cultural Stud
Tour of China, Korea and Japan, co-sponsored by the EASC.
"History and Culture of Mobile and Alabama's Gulf Coast" took place at Spring Hill Colle
July 6-11. Directed by Margaret H. Davis, Ph.D., and John H. Hafner, Ph.D., Professors
English, Spring Hill College, provided participants an unusual opportunity to spend a we
of intensive study of the history and culture of Alabama's oldest city through the subject ar
of geography, history, economics, politics, race, class and civil rights studies, literature, the a
and architecture, culinary traditions and eating habits. Guest scholars and speakers includ
David Alsobrook, Ph.D., Director of the Museum of Mobile, the University of Sou
Alabama's Philip Forbus, Ph.D., Professor of Economics, Frye Gaillard, Author a
Instructor, Gregory Waselkov, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology and Anthropology, Director
Archives, and Sue Walker, Professor of English and Alabama's Poet Laureate. Among seve
field trips was a tour of the architectural treasures of old Mobile, led by John Sledge of t
Mobile Historic Development Commission and Books Editor, Mobile Press-Register, a
an introduction to Mobile's coastal cuisine traditions, presented by acclaimed local ch
Vincent Henderson.
Since 1991, AHF has
taken a leading role
in the professional
development of Alabama
teachers through SUPER(School and University
Partners for Educational
Renewal).
Participants at the Mobile SUPER Institute
visit Eugene Walters grave.
Vincent Henderson prepared a delicious m
for the SUPER Mobile participants, highligh
the regions coastal cuisine and traditions.
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BEATING THE AHF DRUM
You may be familiar with the Battle of Shiloh. It was an epic Civil War battle fought in
Western Tennessee in 1862. Confederate forces launched a surprise attack against the
Union troops of Maj. Gen. Ulysses S.Grant and came very close to defeating his army.
As the story goes, during the battle a young boy serving as the drummer for a Northern
regiment, was ordered to beat attack. Responding to his sharp summons, the troops
stormed up a hill but met fierce enemy fire and came to a halt. The captain called to the
boy to beat retreat. The young lad drummed, but again beat attack. Retreat! the offi-
cer yelled. Tears flowed from the boys eyes. Captain, he shouted, Attack is all I know.
They never taught me retreat. Hearing the familiar signal, the men resumed their
onslaught, and to their own surprise captured the hill.
Likewise, the AHF drum-beat has always been advance. We feel our mission statement
is unique: To create and foster opportunities to explore human values and meaning through the
humanities. Ours is a very focused mission and our donors and supporters are appreciative
of that fact. We continually hear words of encouragement to continue our practice of put-
ting every available dollar into AHF programs and services. Elsewhere in this edition of
Mosaicyou can review a complete annual financial report on how these dollars are mak-
ing a difference.
Perhaps you would like to know more about how you can help advance AHF with aplanned gift. This type of gift can have a major impact and requires more thought on the
amount and how the gift will be used. These gifts often are financed from estate assets or
other sources. There are many questions to ask. What is the best way to make this gift? Do
you need temporary or life-time income from your gift arrangement? What are the tax
implications?
Careful planning can actually enhance the long-term impact of any gift. Consider these
potential benefits of planning your gift:
Maximize the size of your gift
Utilize stocks, bonds or other property
Optimize the tax-related benefits Tailor your gift to a specific AHF program
Bequests, major gifts, property gifts and endowments are important to AHF and what we
can accomplish in the future. Please phone (205) 558-3992 if you would like to discuss a
planned gift or the multiple ways you can help AHF.
Paul LawsonDirector of Development
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LAUDERDALEB S T LIMESTONE
B SMADISON
B S RT G
JACKSONB S G
COLBERTB G
FRANKLIN LAWRENCE
TMORGAN
B S T MMARSHALL
S TDEKALBB S T
MARIONB
WINSTONCULLMAN
B S
BLOUNT
B T
ETOWAHB S T
CHEROKEEG M
CALHOUNB G
CLEBURNE
ST. CLAIRB ST GJEFFERSON
B S T G
WALKERB S GFAYETTE
S G
LAMAR
S
PICKENS TUSCALOOSAS
BIBBB M
SHELBYB S R G
TALLED
EGA
BS
CLAY BRANDOLPH
CHAMBERSB
LEEB S GELMORE
S R T
MACON
B RUSSELLT
AUTAUGA
B S
DALLASS R T G
MARENGOG M
CHOCTAW
WILCOXS
LOWDNESS
BUTLERS M
MONROE
B T G
CLARKEB
WASHINGTON CONECUHT
COVINGTON
GESCAMBIAB
COFFEE DALE
HENRYM S G
GENEVAHOUSTON
T
MOBILEB S T G
BALDWIN
B S T
MONTGOMERY
B
S
G
BULLOCK
BARBOUR
R GPIKES
CRENSHAW
GREENE
S
SUMTERB
HALE
SPERRY
S
CHILTON
B
COOSAS
TALLAPOOSA
B
S
2007Annual Report
R Riley Scholarship Recipients T Motheread Trainee B Speakers Bureau
S SUPER Teacher G Grants M Museum on Main Street
B
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Presented below is condensed financial information for the Alabama Humanities Foundation for the yearending December 31, 2007. For a complete financial report, please contact the AHF offices at 205-558-3980.
EXPENSES
STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION For the Year Ended December 31, 2007
INCOME
ASSETS
Cash and Equivalents $317,933
Grants Receivable 129,756
Pledges Receivable 10,500
Prepaid Expenses 7,761
Property and Equipment - Net of Accumulated Depreciation 56,331
TOTAL ASSETS 522,281
LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETSLiabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $6,016
Lease Liability 15,323
Regrants Payable 101,322
Accrued Vacation 19,806
Total Liabilities 142,467
Net Assets:
Unrestricted 197,132
Temporarily Restricted 182,682
Total Net Assets 379,814
TOTAL LIABILITIES AND NET ASSETS 522,281
$139,164$432,199
$184,266
$962,468
$361,047
$342,290
$162,194
$135,358
$128,600
Program Services
Regrants and Regrant Management 342,290
Speakers Bureau and Resource Center 162,194
SUPER 135,358
Motheread 139,164
Encyclopedia of Alabama 361,047
Supporting Services 432,199
Total Expenses 1,572,252
Income
Federal 70% 962,468
State 9% 128,600
Private 14% 184,266
Other 7% 89,355
Total Income 1,364,689
$89,355
ANNUAL REPORT
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February 08
Philip Henry Gosse: Painter and Naturalist in Antebellum
Alabama
College of Arts and Science,
Troy University-Dothan Campus
$500 outright
Dr. Gary Mullen will present a lecture on Philip Henry Gosse, a
British itinerant portrait artist who traveled through Alabama during
the 1830s, at Troy University-Dothan Campus.
Cassandra King: A Voice from Home
Wallace State Community College
$1,700 outrightCassandra King will lead discussions on her book Same Sweet Girls.
Montevallo Literary Festival, 2008
University of Montevallo
$2,000 outright, $1,000 matching
The Montevallo Literary Festival will feature five readings and
discussion of poetry and fiction.
March 08
Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project, 2008-2009
Humanities Classes
Department of Psychology, Auburn University$8,500 outright
Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project will offer humanities cours-
es in Southern literature, world literature, African-American theatre
and literature.
Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World
Birmingham Public Library
$4,000 outright
To complement NEHs traveling exhibition Benjamin Franklin: In
Search of a Better World, the Birmingham Public Library will spon-
sor public programs about Benjamin Franklin.
Symposium on Alabama in World War I
English Dept., Troy University-Montgomery
$5,300 outright
This symposium on the history and importance of World War I and
Alabama is featured on page 13.
Southern Literary Trail: Alabama Writers and Their Places
Marengo County Historical Society
$8,500 outright
The Southern Literary Trail is a collaboration of six Alabama commu-
nities from Hartselle to Mobile and from Demopolis to Tuskegee that
will celebrate 20th century Alabama writers.
The Year of Alabama History: ArchiTreats 2009
Friends of the Alabama Archives
$4,000 outright
For the 2009 Year of Alabama History, the Alabama Department o
Archives and History will present a monthly lecture series to bring
the story of Alabama history to the people of the state.
Our Mockingbird
Birmingham Pledge Foundation
$6,000 matching
The media grant will fund the completion of filming and editing of
Our Mockingbird, a one hour documentary about the influence of
Harper Lees story To Kill A Mockingbird.
W.I.L.D. Weekend Immersed in Language Development
Alabama Foreign Language Teachers
$6,626 outright
Alabama Association of Foreign Language Teachers (AAFLT) is
hosting W.I.L.D. for students and teachers of French, Spanish and
German to explore film, music, dance, art history, history and
culture.
May 08
The Story of Alabama Music
University of West Alabama
$2,000 outright
The Story of Alabama Music will accompany the SmithsoniansMuseum on Main Street exhibition New Harmonies: Celebrating
American Roots Music in 2009.
The Merchant of Havana
Dept. of TCF, University of Alabama
$2,000 outright
The documentary film retells the story of Shakespeares The
Merchant of Venice through a unique production of the play with
Cuban and American actors from the University of Alabama.
Humanities Grants Awarded 2008AHF awarded grants totaling $46,126 to date in Fiscal Year 2008.
Susan PerryGrants Director
2
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Americas active participation in World War I lasted only 19 months, from April 1917 until
November 1918. American doughboys did not arrive in significant numbers until mid-
1918, and though they participated in the intense fighting of late summer and early fall, they
left Europe almost immediately after the Armistice and were demobilized before the
European belligerents signed the Treaty of Versailles (the United States never signed the
treaty). This short involvement, coupled with the far bloodier wars of the 20th century
means that the War to End All Wars neither ended war nor remained long in Americans
memories. Nevertheless it had important impacts on American culture and institutions.
This year, 2008, is the 90th anniversary of the Armistice that ended the worlds first truly
industrialized war. With grant funding from AHF and other sponsors, this two-day
Symposium focused on Alabama and World War I on July 25 - 26 in Montgomery. Focusing
on the history of World War I, the ramification of mobilization on the people and institu-
tions of the State of Alabama, and the wars impact on the Fitzgeralds writings, this confer-
ence featured a day devoted to Teachers Workshops and another to a public program.
The Teachers Workshops offered Alabama course of study compliant workshops to help
educators teach about the war. The Workshops also included a tour of World War I sites in
Photo courtesy of the Alabama Department of Archives and History, Montgomery, Alabama
Symposium on World War I
World War I victory celebration in
Montgomery.
GRANT SPOTLIGHT
World War I victory parade on Dexter Ave.
Montgomery, screening of the movie
Company K, Robert Clems AHF-sup-
ported film based on William Marchs
novel, and a keynote address by Dr. James
Meredith on literature of the war. Friday
night the participants celebrated Zelda
Fitzgeralds birthday at the Fitzgerald
Museum. On Saturday, the public attend-
ed sessions about the war, tours of
war-related sites and listened to several
scholars speak on the impact and legacy
the war left on our state. Many of the
speakers are contributors to the upcoming
book from the University of Alabama
Press, The Great War in the Heart of
Dixie: Alabama During World War I, edit-
ed by Martin T. Olliff.
Because World War I does not fare well in
our collective memory, this conference
had an impact on teachers, students and
Alabama citizens. This Symposium exam-ined the war with a focus on Alabama, giv-
ing participants insight into its impor-
tance.
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Sometimes we overuse words to express those opinions we most sincer
believe. Every one of us has been guilty. We have the most beautiful/han
some children, the cutest grandchildren, work for the best boss, support t
greatest team, bake the tastiest cookies, make the best pies, or engage in t
biggest lies and grandest exaggerations. So, I have noticed in meetings t
past six years that eyes roll and brows furrow when I say that the Encycloped
of Alabama is the most expansive and ambitious intellectual collaboration
state history. I can mentally see inside brains as the auditors try to come
with a project they have known that trumps this one.
Of course, skeptics may be correct. Some where, some time, some place, some project m
have exceeded this one in allies, contributors, sponsors, and funders. But up to this mom
no one has made a convincing case to me. The public launch of the Encyclopediawill oc
with Governor Bob Rileys announcement at the Alabama Humanities Foundation Awa
Luncheon on September 15. Those who quickly respond, and there will be thousands, can r
between 500 and 600 articles (the teaser for some 5,000 now commissioned or planned) w
ten by some of the best scholars worldwide who are experts in all things Alabama. Not just
torians either. Geologists, biologists, geographers, sociologists, agronomists, archaeologi
paleontologists; experts on timber, sports, country music, theater, business and industry; s
diers, sailors, airmen; plain ordinary people who have taken the time to love and become exp
about a subject important to Alabama; they have written articles on coon dog cemeter
Hank Williams, Harper Lee, the Tuskegee Airmen, Rosa Parks, Helen Keller, catfish farmithe Bankhead National Forest, African American colleges, tenant farming, Alabama Pow
Company, and hundreds of other fascinating topics. Dozens of individuals, foundations, c
porations, federal and state agencies have caught the vision and contributed substantial fun
Auburn University has given us a home, with history professor Jeff Jakeman serving as E
editor and the projects on-campus champion. The Alabama Humanities Foundation has b
our stalwart ally, led by its Executive Director and EOAadvocate Bob Stewart. The Univer
of Alabama Press was there from EOAs inception, starting with its former Director, Nic
Mitchell, as an original project partner and now carried forward by UAP Director Dan Ro
Newspapers, photographic archives, university film makers, the state archives, and individu
have contributed thousands of images and hours of video tape to allow full illustration of
stories being told. Go online. Read carefully. Then send me your nomination for a more expsive vision of the state or a more extensive collaboration.
Am I proud? You bet! Am I chauvinistic? Why not. In my opinion we have for one of the
times in our intellectual history not trailed the nation, but led it. We have an incredible st
whose hard work and technological savvy have created a product that other states will envy. B
here is the real source of my pride.
For the first time in the states history, we will have written the major narrative of who we
what we believe, how we have lived, and what we have accomplished. We tell the story, wa
and all. But we depict the beauty as well as the pollution, the dreams as well as the failures,
4
The Encyclopedia of Alabam
LA
UN
CH
!BY: DR. WAYNE FLYNT
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triumphs as well as the disasters. The honesty with which authors depict the warts will lend
credence to the honesty with which authors also depict the grandeur.
For the first time in the states history, 750,000 school children, whether public, homeschooled
or private, will have free, equal access to the best scholarship in the world about Alabama, con-
stantly expanded and updated. We have worked from the beginning with the State Department
of Education, a teacher advisory group, the Alabama Learning Exchange, Superintendents Ed
Richardson and Joe Morton, who could not have been more supportive. We are presently
building technology that will allow teachers to collate articles relevant to their students by les-
son plan, course objective, and graduation exam, as well as to personalize their site with their
own illustrations, music, or information.
And finally, for the first time in the states history, corporations, businesses, and tourists inter-
ested to coming to Alabama to locate, live, manufacture, or just to visit can go online and learn
most of what they need to know. Just a click of a computer pad embeds them in a world far
more fascinating and complex than they contemplated.
The online Encyclopedia of Alabama, the first attempt to categorize the states rich history, cul-
ture, business, flora, fauna, and geography in nearly a century, is an intellectual buffet guaran-
teed to both satisfy your appetite and whet it at the same time. Come join us at the banquet!
Dr. Wayne Flynt is Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Alabama. He is a leading authority on Alabama history and Baptist history in Alabama. He is the author of eleven books, including
Alabama in the Twentieth Century, Dixie's Forgotten People: The South's Poor Whites, and the
Pulitzer Prize-nominated Poor But Proud: Alabama's Poor Whites. Dr. Flynt will join Governor
Riley in launching the Encyclopedia of Alabama on September 15, at the 2008 Alabama
Humanities Awards Luncheon in Birmingham.
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Non-Profit Or
U.S. Postage
PAIDPermit 3379Birmingham, A
Alabama Humanities Foundation
1100 Ireland Way, Suite 101
Birmingham, AL 35205
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Board of Directors: David Campbell, Rainsville, Chair; *Lynne Berry,
Huntsville, Vice Chair; Ralph G. Holberg III, Mobile, Secretary; *Calvin Brown,
Decatur, Treasurer; *Marthanne Brown, Jasper; Malik Browne, Eutaw; Rick
Cook, Auburn; David Donaldson, Birmingham; Kathleen W. Dotts, Huntsville;
Wayne Greenhaw, Montgomery; Reginald T. Hamner, Montgomery; *Janice
Hawkins, Troy; Mary D. Hubbard, Birmingham; Kay L. Kimbrough, Mobile;Marilyn Kurata, Birmingham; Lisa Narrell-Mead, Birmingham; Donald R.
Noble, Cottondale; Jim Noles, Birmingham; Martin T. Olliff, Dothan; Danny K.
Patterson, Mobile; Angela Roberts, Monroeville; Janie Spencer, Birmingham;
Edgar Welden, Birmingham; *Bob Whetstone, Birmingham; Billie Jean Young,
Pennington.
*Governors Appointee
Staff: Robert C. Stewart, Executive Director; Alma Anthony, Administrative
Assistant; Tom Bryant, Director of Programs and SUPER Manager; Melissa
Morgan, Public Relations Manager; Paul Lawson, Director of Development
and Public Relations; Susan Perry, Grants Director; Patricia Williams, Financial
Officer; Cynthia Martin, Program and Development Assistant; Dionne Clark,
Community Programs Manager
Alabama Humanities Foundation205-558-3980 fax 205-558-3981
Nancy Rohr at Auburn University Montgomery.
Road Scholars on the Move
Dolores Hydock speaks on the history of Cajun music at the Orange Beac
Public Library.