1993

1993 was the 122nd year after the founding of the City of Birmingham.

Events

• January: Jefferson State Community College's Shelby Campus opened.
• February: The Southside Giant Puppet Workshop closed down.
• March 12-14: Blizzard of 1993
• April 22: Guy Hunt resigned as Alabama's governor after a criminal conviction of misuse of campaign funds.
• April 22: Jim Folsom, Jr was appointed as governor of Alabama.
• May 8: Agnes gallery opened on the ground floor of the Dulion Apartments building in Five Points South.
• June 15: A wild black bear was captured in Smithfield.
• July 31: Twins Jennifer and Rachel Vacca were found starved and shackled in a house in Roebuck Gardens.
• August: The inaugural Birmingham Heritage Festival was held.
• October 20: Birmingham Airport was officially renamed as the Birmingham International Airport.
• December 1: Nirvana headlined at Boutwell Auditorium.
• December 31: The final "Country Boy Eddie Show" aired on WBRC-TV.
• Paul Finebaum's "The Paul Finebaum Show" started on WERC-AM radio.
• The Alabama Theatre was designated as the "official state historic theatre."
• Heather Whitestone finished as first runner-up in the Miss Alabama Pageant.
• Charles A. McCallum retired as UAB's president.
• J. Claude Bennett was appointed as UAB's president.
• Condoleezza Rice was appointed Provost of Stanford University.
• The Birmingham Festival of Arts Salute to Switzerland
• Paul Bailey was awarded an honorary doctorate by Birmingham-Southern College.
• The Lyric Theatre was donated to Birmingham Landmarks.
• The FBI released investigative materials relating to the 1963 bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church.
• McCoy United Methodist Church disbanded.
• The North Alabama United Methodist Conference recognized the Church of the Reconciler.
• Rocky Rawlins founded the American BBS Association in Birmingham.

Arts

• January 10: The Magic City Blues Society was incorporated.
• June 16: Groundbreaking for the Alys Stephens Center was held.
• The Alabama Symphony Orchestra declared bankruptcy.
• Charles Ghigna's poem "Returning to Earth" was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

Business

• January 19: Compass Bank acquired Cornerstone Bancshares of Dallas, Texas.
• February 9: Lucy's Coffee and Tea launched as an espresso stand operated on 20th Street South by Lucy Bonds.
• May: Melvon's Chuck Wagon Bar-B-Que opened.
• Fall: The Piggly Wiggly at Five Points South closed.
• October 14: Compass Bank acquireed First Federal Savings Bank of Northwest Florida.
• Alabama Byproducts Corporation was named as GMC's "Worldwide Supplier of the Year."
• The Stream of Consciousness Koffiehuis opened in the Terrace Court building.
• O'Henry's Coffees was founded.
• John Cassimus founded J-Rag Inc.
• Dreamland Bar-B-Que opened its Birmingham location at 1427 14th Avenue South.
• Charles E. Bugg was appointed as BioCryst's Chairman of the Board and CEO.
• Caremark Rx was founded.
• Chuck Evans purchased the 60-year old Art's Barber Shop from its original owners.
• Tippi's Deli and Bakery opened in Bessemer.
• The Comedy Club Stardome opened in Hoover.
• Greg Canfield founded Canfield Insurance & Financial Services.
• Plans for a 300-acre "Ecoplex" near Liberty Park to replace the Birmingham Zoo were announced.
• Stockham & Stockham law firm was founded.
• Yankee Pizzeria was opened.

Sports

• April 18: The first night game was played at UAB's Young Memorial Field.
• June: Charles Barkley was named NBA's Most Valuable Player.
• September: The Barons won the Southern League championship.
• October 6: Michael Jordan retired from the NBA.
• December 11: UAB Blazers men's basketball coach Gene Bartow celebrated his 600th career victory.
• Bob Murphy won the second annual Bruno's Memorial Classic.
• Bobby Allison was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame
• Bo Jackson was selected as 1993's AL Comeback Player of the Year.
• Alabama State defeated Alabama A&M 7-0 in the 1993 Magic City Classic.

Works

• Leaving Birmingham: Notes of a Native Son memoir by Paul Hemphill
• "Skinheads USA: Soldiers in the Race War" HBO documentary by Shari Cookson
• "Lithos II" statue by Elyn Zimmerman

Buildings

• Bevill Medical Research Center, UAB
• Lee & Nancy Bruno Education Center at Saint Rose Academy
• Fairfield Civic Center
• Mount Canaan Full Gospel Church
• Pratt City Library
• Southeastern Bible College
• Toshinan (tea house) at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens' Japanese Garden
• UAB Public Health Building
• Weather Forecast Office Birmingham
• Renovations of Carver Theater and Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame

Music

• Brother Cane debut album by Brother Cane
• For Old Time's Sake debut (and only) album by the Birmingham Sunlights
• "Mr President", song co-written and co-produced by Ray Reach and recorded by area musicians to benefit the homeless
• "When Jesus Left Birmingham", song written and recorded by John Mellencamp

Individuals

• Ralph Cook was appointed to the state Supreme Court to succeed Oscar Adams, Jr.
• Michael Duburiel ended his active Catholic ministry.
• William Maddox retired from UAB.
• Mary McLeod was consecrated as Episcopal Bishop of Vermont.
• Annetta Verin was appointed was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Circuit Court by by Jim Folsom, Jr.

Awards

• Alabama Broadcaster of the Year: Harry Mabry
• Alabama Business Hall of Fame: Sloan Bashinsky (Golden Flake), William H. Blount (Vulcan Materials), Harry Brock (Compass Bank), Emory Cunningham (Southern Progress), John Harbert (Harbert Construction), Thomas Rast (Johnson, Rast & Hays)
• Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame: Iola Baylor
• Miss Shelby County: Emily Bell Casey

Graduations

• Congressman Artur Davis from Harvard Law School.
• Math teacher Alison Grizzle from Homewood High School
• Spencer Horn, M.A. in education from UAB
• Attorney Abdul Kallon from the University of Pennsylvania School of Law
• Earnest Lumpkin from Woodlawn High School
• Stuart Rachels completed a bachelor of arts in philosophy and politics at Oxford University
• Nikki Still, from the University of Southern California

Deaths

• March 9: James Hatcher, founder of Town & Gown Theatre
• May 30: Sun Ra, jazz musician
• June: Nolan Harmon, Methodist bishop
• July 12: Davey Allison, NASCAR driver
• August 28: Elliott Dent, WWII fighter pilot and ad executive
• November 11: Erskine Hawkins, jazz musician
• November 27: Jim Hayes, baseball player
• December 21: Joe Rumore, radio announcer
• Cloochie Saltmarch, namesake of Cloochie clothing line

See also List of homicides in 1993

See Also

• 1993 City Stages
• 1993 Birmingham Barons
• 1993 UAB Blazers
• 1993 Iron Bowl
• 1993 National Apostolate of Maronites convention

1990s

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