1961

1961 was the 90th year after the founding of the city of Birmingham.

Events

• The first senior class at Banks High School graduated.
• The 117th Tactical Reconnaissance Group was activated during the Berlin Crisis.
• Sun Ra moved his Arkestra from Chicago to New York City.
• Dorothy Love Coates reformed the Gospel Harmonettes.
• The Downtown Action Committee was created.
• The Lane Park Committee was created by Mayor Jimmy Morgan to oversee development of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.
• Birmingham Festival of Arts: 1961 Salute to the South
• Children's Hospital formed an agreement with UAB Hospital and the UAB Department of Pediatric Medicine.
• Kel Osbourne left "The Primes", leaving Eddie Kendricks and Paul Williams to form "The Elgins", which signed with Motown Records and became The Temptations.
• The Cumberland School of Law relocated from Lebanon, Tennessee to Samford University.
• Ben Morton donated a group of Tang dynasty ceramics to the Birmingham Museum of Art Asian collection.
• A 1961 Birmingham comprehensive plan called for massive redevelopment of the City Center with elevated pedestrian skyways.

• February 8: The Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company closed its Docena mine.
• February 20: Floodwaters engulfed areas of Mountaindale in Crestline
• May 30: 1961 Birmingham mayoral election: Art Hanes defeated Tom King and succeeded Jimmy Morgan as President of the Birmingham City Commission.
• July 8: The 20th Special Forces Group was organized at the Homewood National Guard Armory.
• August 11: Phantini the Mentalist drove police chief Jamie Moore and Mayor-elect Art Hanes from Birmingham City Hall to the Thomas Jefferson Hotel while wearing a blindfold.
• October: A group of pilots from the 106th Bomb Squadron (Light) participated covertly in the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba.
• November 11: Jones Valley High School was destroyed by arson.
• December 25: Light snow flurries fell on Birmingham at Christmas.

Civil Rights Movement

• January: Birmingham Police detectives began recording mass meetings of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights.
• * February 6: Fred Shuttlesworth's car was impounded as part of the judgment against him in the case later overturned as New York Times Co. v. Sullivan.
• February 17: The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit ruled against segregated facilities at the Birmingham Terminal Station.
• May 4: Freedom Riders departed from Washington D.C. en route to New Orleans on Trailways and Greyhound buses.
• May 14: Freedom Riders were attacked at the Birmingham Trailways Station.
• May 15: U. S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy was unsuccessful in attempts to negotiate safe passage for the Freedom Riders out of Birmingham.
• May 17: Fred Shuttlesworth was arrested for failure to obey a Birmingham Police officer.
• May 18: "Who Speaks for Birmingham?", a documentary by Howard K. Smith, aired on CBS
• August 1: ACMHR founder Fred Shuttlesworth moved his family to Cincinnati, Ohio.
• September 23: The Interstate Commerce Commission issued rules prohibiting segregation of interstate passengers, effective November 1.
• October 24: Judge Harlan Grooms ruled that Birmingham parks must be integrated. Rather than comply with the order, the Birmingham City Commission closed all parks.

Business

• WBRC switched from the CBS network to ABC.
• WAPI-TV picked up CBS programming along with NBC, favoring NBC's news broadcasts.
• Ed Boutwell founded Boutwell Studios at his home.
• The Newhouse Broadcasting Corporation purchased WAPI-AM.
• Bromberg's acquired Montgomery's Ruth & Sons Jewelers.
• Ingalls Iron Works sold its shipyard business to Litton Industries.
• Van Keuren, Davis and Company became Davis Speake & Thrasher architects.
• Architects Pembleton and Mims became Mims and Gaunt.
• The architecture firm of Poole, Pardue and Morrison was formed.
• Architect David O. Whilldin retired from practice.
• Kenneth Daniel was promoted to executive vice-president at ACIPCO.
• WJLD-AM was upgraded to 1000 watts in the daytime and 250 at night.
• Birmingham View Company, one of the city's first professional photography studios, closed.
• Krown Kredit opened on 3rd Avenue North

Sports

• The 1961 Alabama Crimson Tide football team went 11-0 and defeated Arkansas In the Sugar Bowl to claim a national championship.
• The 1961 Auburn Tigers football team went 6-4.
• 1961 Iron Bowl: Alabama 34-Auburn 0
• The 1961 Birmingham Barons played a final season in the Southern Association.
• Shorty White became the head football coach at Banks High School, winning a city-wide championship in his first year.
• Banks High School also won city-wide championships in basketball and baseball.
• Willie Scoggins became head basketball coach at Hayes High School.
• 56-year-old Satchel Paige pitched 25 innings with the AAA Portland Beavers.
• Sam Hairston began his scouting and coaching career with the Chicago White Sox.
• Bart Starr led the Green Bay Packers to an NFL Championship.
• Lum Harris managed the Baltimore Orioles.
• Tennis player Ed Terrell earned the #1 singles and doubles ranking in Alabama.
• Shreveport's Paul Seitz started on the mound for Rickwood Field's first racially-integrated game.
• Lee May signed with the Cincinnati Reds.
• Ted Kubiak signed with the Kansas City Athletics.

Works

• The Futuristic Sounds of Sun Ra, album by Sun Ra and his Arkestra
• Wayne Rogers starred in ABC's Stagecoach West.
• Birmingham magazine was relaunched.
• Unidentified jazz album by Country swing star Hank Penny
• "Bozo the Clown" debuted on WBRC with Bart Darby as host.
• The Birmingham Grotto published its final edition of Cavea Novea.
• "Oogsy-Moo"/"Locomotive" and "Are You Alright?" singles by The Premiers
• Betty Lou Gerson starred as Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmations.
• Marion Worth's single "I Think I Know" peaked at #7 on the country charts.

Books

• The Moviegoer, National Book Award-winning novel by Walker Percy.
• Revolutionary Road, National Book Award finalist by Richard Yates.

Buildings

• March 13: Pizitz Roebuck Plaza
• Birmingham Fire Station No. 18 in Pratt City
• Manoir Minette on Old Leeds Road
• A 9,000-seat upper deck was installed at Legion Field.
• An F-86D SabreJet was installed on the roof of Banks High School.
• Phillips High School gymnasium
• Tuxedo Court housing project
• John Carroll Catholic High School athletic complex on Montclair Road
• Crow Building on 6th Avenue North
• Weiss Dam on the Coosa River in Cherokee County, forming Weiss Lake
• Lewis Smith Dam on the Black Warrior River in Walker County, forming Smith Lake
• The 15-story Sheraton Motor Inn on Highland Avenue
• The west-side stands were completed at Samford University's Seibert Stadium.
• New 4-story Children's Hospital at 1600 7th Avenue South
• Paved 1/4-mile track at the Birmingham International Raceway
• A second wing of Hayes High School was completed.
• Putnam Elementary School
• W. J. Christian School
• Avondale Regional Library at Avondale Park
• Green Acres Baptist Church new sanctuary
• Greater Shiloh Baptist Church new sanctuary
• Central section of Mountain Brook Shopping Center with Britling By The Brook cafeteria
• Treadwell Barber Shop
• Modernization of Vaughan-Weil, Krown Kredit and Epp's Jewelry storefronts on the 1800 block of 3rd Avenue North (Block 72)
• Addition to the Purcell Wing at Carraway Hospital.
• Second addition to Roebuck Shopping Center
• Bowl-O-Bama bowling lanes at Roebuck Plaza Shopping Center

People

• Oliver Adams joined the Bessemer Police Department.
• Gene Bartow began his coaching career at Central Missouri State University.
• Frank Bettencourt left the Jan Garber Orchestra to start his own group.
• Thomas Brigham was founding president of the Birmingham Ski Club.
• Martin Buerger succeeded Hans Reuter as Pastor of First Lutheran Church.
• Alice Chalifoux succeeded Carlos Salzedo as director of the Salzedo Summer Harp Colony in Camden, Maine.
• Bernard Feld, Jr succeeded Julian Aland as President of Temple Emanu-El.
• Karl Friedman succeeded Sidney Ziff as President of Temple Beth-El.
• Roland Frye was made a researcher in residence at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington D.C.
• John Grenier chaired the Alabama Young Republicans.
• Angela Hernández began a 30-year career at the University of Montevallo.
• Basil Hirschowitz was naturalized as an American citizen.
• A. D. King became pastor of the First Baptist Church of Ensley.
• Martin Luther King, Jr dubbed Odetta the "Queen of American folk music"
• Ida Moffett was appointed to the United States Surgeon General's Consulting Group on Nursing.
• Joe O'Donnell joined the staff of Birmingham magazine.
• Lucius Pitts succeeded William A. Bell as president of Miles College.
• V. C. Provitt succeeded Fred Shuttlesworth as pastor of Bethel Baptist Church.
• Henry Stanford announced his resignation from the presidency of Birmingham-Southern College.
• Earl Stallings succeeded J. T. Ford as pastor of First Baptist Church of Birmingham.

Graduations

• Film director John Badham earned his B.A. in philosophy at Yale University.
• Dermatologist Robert Bentley graduated from Shelby County High School.
• Civil Rights leader James Bevel graduated from the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee.
• Robert Carter completed a master's degree in education at Alabama State University.
• Judge U. W. Clemon graduated as valedictorian of his class at Westfield High School.
• Novelist William Cobb earned his bachelor of arts at Livingston University.
• Engineer Garry Drummond earned his civil engineering degree at the University of Alabama.
• Historian Wayne Flynt graduated from Samford University.
• Architect Joseph Giattina, Jr earned his bachelor of architecture at the University of Notre Dame.
• Civil Rights leader James Orange graduated from Parker High School.
• Journalist Karl Seitz graduated high school in Troy, Pike County.
• University of Montevallo president John W. Stewart earned his doctorate of education at Florida State University.
• Attorney J. Bryan Whitworth completed his degree at the University of Alabama School of Law.

Awards

• Sculptor John Rhoden won grants from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller foundations.
• Miss Alabama: Delores Hodgens
• Miss Samford: Janette Weaver
• Mr Crestwood: Doyle Edwards
• Birmingham Festival of Arts Award for Industrial Architecture: Fritz Woehle for Pilgrim Church

Births

• January 15: Jeremiah Castille, NFL football player
• January 25: Claude Cotten, artist and community volunteer
• February 25: Davey Allison, NASCAR driver (died 1993)
• April 12: Jimbo Wood, radio personality
• April 17: Rebecca Luker, Broadway singer
• July 1: Carl Lewis, Olympic track and field medalist
• September 25: Allen Treadaway, Alabama State Representative
• September 29: Eddie Phillips, NBA basketball player
• December 28: Gene Chizik, football coach
• December 30: Brian Glusman, rabbi
• Keith Aaron, president of the Arlington-West End neighborhood
• Gary Chapman, artist and UAB professor
• Will Cotchery, basketball coach
• Lolly Lee, singer
• Kenneth Livesay, former CIO for HealthSouth
• Drew Mays, ophthalmologist and Van Cliburn competition-winning pianist
• Bob Roller, athletics director for Samford University
• Sheila Tyson, accountant and community activist
• Janie Lee Wallace, daughter of George and Lurleen Wallace
• Stuart Whitehurst, auctioneer and appraiser

Deaths

• January: George Bender, caterer and restaurant manager
• April 10: Architect Harry Pembleton
• June 30: Baseball player Dizzy Dismukes
• November 22: Shopkeeper Gus Jebeles
• Joseph Zoettl, creator of Ave Maria Grotto

See also: List of homicides in 1961

Context

In 1961

Notable 1961 births include

Top grossing films of 1961 included

1960s

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Births - Deaths - Establishments - Events - Works