The Lecture that never Was: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Death of President Foster

On the back of an unassuming phys ed grade chart, the discovery of a lecture that never was has come to our attention and to our collections, thanks to Ken Gaddy and the staff at the Bryant Museum. 

On November 18, 1941, Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt, first lady of the United States, was scheduled to deliver a lecture entitled, "The America We Want" in The University of Alabama auditorium.

The lecture was never to be.  According to Mrs. Roosevelt's "My Day" column for November 19, 1941, she was asked to cancel her engagement at The University of Alabama because of President Richard Clarke Foster's illness. "After my lecture last night, in Greenville, we returned home, for, unfortunately, the President of the University of Alabama, where I was to lecture tonight, was taken seriously ill, and they asked me if I would cancel the lecture. To find myself at home with two unexpected days of leisure is something really to rejoice over, though I am sorry the cause had to be somebody's illness."

Sadly, the sudden illness that struck President Foster took his life.  He passed away on November 19, 1941.  He was much beloved on campus, and in addition to an immediate fund drive to purchase the Richard Clarke Foster Memorial Iron Lung for Druid City Hospital (his sudden illness brought to light the immediate need for such a machine), the very auditorium where Mrs. Roosevelt was to speak was named in his honor soon after.

Foster Auditorium, in its newly renovated glory, served as the site for countless dances, pep rallies, performances, basketball games, class registrations, as well as the very place where integration finally came to pass at The University of Alabama.  While many may remember hearing of Mrs. Roosevelt's lecture that never was, and know of Dr. Foster's sudden and untimely death, might not realize how these two events were connected. 

Favorite Things: Rockwell Kent's Lump of Coal

 

 

  

 

Portrait of Rockwell Kent by Carl Van Vechten (1933), from the Library of Congress

People often ask archivists and special collections librarians, "what's your favorite thing in your library?"  This is, of course, impossible to answer. But if forced to compile a list of "a few of my favorite things", this would be high on the list.

The painting, "That the Days of Our Years May Grow Fuller" was done by the famed artist and illustrator, Rockwell Kent. The University of Alabama received in 1948 one of ten paintings commissioned by the Bituminous Coal Institute from Rockwell Kent. Each painting was given to a university that was strongly linked with the history of coal and the coal industry. 

If to the viewer's eyes, my world appears less beautiful than his, I'm to be pitied and the viewer praised."  -- Rockwell Kent

100 Years, A Million Dollars, 1000 Strong and a Few Cool Photos!

 

 

 

 

HAPPY 100TH ANNIVERSARY TO THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA'S

MILLION DOLLAR BAND!

The Million Dollar Band will be joined on the field tomorrow, September 22, 2012 by Million Dollar Band alums during the halftime show, making the band 1000 strong!

Bonus points if you can tell me the name of the Drum Major in that first picture!   

Got a minute? Tag it! Crowdsourcing Comes to University Libraries!!!

Think you know The University of Alabama? Well, come on and tag it! The University Libraries has started a new crowdsourcing project, allowing anyone to view and tag photographs from the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library!

Why tag our photographs?


We have thousands of digitized photographs! Many of these photos may lack adequate or complete descriptions of the people, places, or objects displayed. By applying your own "tags" (key words, descriptions) to our photographs, you can help us fill in the blanks and provide more thorough and accurate information for students and researchers using our collections.

The more you tag, the richer the experience for all! And besides, it's not only easy, but it's FUN!

Visit http://tagit.lib.ua.edu/ and get started! It's easy, no password is needed, so just get in there, pick some photographs, and start tagging away! If you have questions, feel free to contact us!

Happy Tagging!!!!!

More Vintage Hoop Shots!

These were too good not to share --- part of a little something I'm working on today, here are some University of Alabama basketball action shots and players from the 1940s-60s! Roll Tide!

Costumed Kids and Co-Eds!

Educational Media Photographs, ca. early 1960s, Hoole Special Collections Library

A Jester and a Fairy, ca. 1900. Perkins Family Papers, Hoole Special Collections Library

Halloween Party at UA, ca. early 1950s,
The George Nichols Photographic Collection, Hoole Special Collections Library

Here are just a few of the many costumed characters that show up in our photo collections! Stay tuned for more this week! Happy Halloween!

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Homecoming Memories

Here are just a few of many, many images relating to the Homecoming tradition at The University of Alabama. Images from the 1920s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s! What is your favorite Homecoming memory!?

Save the Date! 9/20 at 5 pm for E.A. Smith@Hoole

Aftermath of the 1932 Tornado Outbreak in Alabama

These five images are from the Roland Harper Photographs Collection -- photographs by Roland Harper of aftermath of the deadly tornado outbreak in the deep south on March 21 and 22, 1932. The destruction and loss of life was staggering, with the state of Alabama being the hardest hit.

The Roland Harper Photographs collection, 1878-1966 contains over 7500 photographs, as well as negatives and albums. Subject include botanical and geological subjects, as well as images of farms, people, houses and everyday scenes. The photographs cover thirty-one states, the bulk of the collection are from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, New York, California, Arkansas, and Maryland. These images are a powerful and essential resource in understanding the natural history of this region, providing accurate, precise, and well-documented snapshots of a time and place.

The papers of Roland Harper are also housed in the Hoole Library. Sixty three linear feet of materials from Harper, include his diaries, correspondence, research notes, writings, publications, personal and family materials, cemetery records, scrapbooks, as well as photographs, materials relating to race relations, and a substantial collection of transportation timetables and clippings. Some of the photographs and other materials from the collections are available online through our Digital Collections.

These images can in no way allow us to understand the tragedy of those 1932 tornadoes, where 268 people in Alabama alone lost their lives.

The devastation from the April 27, 2011 tornado outbreak in Alabama is beyond comprehension. The University of Alabama, while in the center of the city of Tuscaloosa, was physically untouched. There are areas all around the campus that are damaged and destroyed. And we have lost members of our UA community to these storms.

These images from the 1932 tornadoes are a testament to the resilience of Alabamians -- we will be back, with the help of countless supporters from all over the world, and we will be stronger and better than ever. Please continue to help in any way that you can.