1937

1937 was the 66th year after the founding of the City of Birmingham.

Events

• August 30: A "Reunion of Former Slaves" was held at Avondale Park, featuring sing-alongs and sermons.
• Montgomery Highway was improved with gentler grades and curves on the slopes of Shades Mountain, leaving bits of "Old Montgomery Highway" off of the main route.
• The Revolutionary War Veterans Memorial was moved to Woodrow Wilson Park from Five Points Circle.
• John Emery and Tallulah Bankhead were married at her family's "Sunset" estate in Jasper and hosted a rousing party afterward at the Tutwiler Hotel's "Continental Room".
• William Leslie Welton's collection of 1,500 mounted photographs of architectural subjects was donated to the Birmingham Public Library by his widow.

Business

• A. L. Gilliland's Alabama Ride Company debuted a new touring carnival, dubbed the, "Garden of Rides and Congress of Dare Devils."
• The "Rainbow Room" lounge opened at the Redmont Hotel.
• Parisian department store moved into the renovated Caheen Building and adjoining Roden Block at 20th Street and 2nd Avenue North.
• Ed Norton and Thad Holt purchased WAPI-AM and boosted its broadcast power to 50,000 Watts.
• Huffstutler's Hardware moved from 18th Street Homewood to 29th Avenue South.
• The Little Southerner Supper Club opened on 29th Avenue South.
• Eliose Smith took over WBRC-AM after the death of her husband.

Education

• John Bryan was made Superintendent of Jefferson County Schools.
• The Alabama State Training School for Girls opened on the former "Matsuyama" estate in Chalkville.
• Ullman High School was created from the former Ullman Grammar School.

Government

• January: The City of Pleasant Grove was incorporated.
• May 18: Bull Connor and Jimmy Morgan were elected to the Birmingham City Commission.
• Legal liquor sales returned to Alabama with the creation of the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.
• The Alabama State Legislature passed a law allowing public entertainments to be staged in Jefferson County on Sundays. (Birmingham already had an exemption to the blue laws).
• Luther Patrick succeeded George Huddleston Sr as U.S. Representative for the 9th District of Alabama.

Religion

• Alex Klein became rabbi of Knesseth Israel Congregation.
• Joseph Solomon succeeded Jacob Allen as president of Temple Emanu-El.

Sports

• January 1: The 1936 Auburn Tigers football team played Villanova Wildcats to a 7-7 tie in the 1937 Bacardi Bowl in Havana, Cuba.
• The Birmingham Black Barons joined the newly-formed Negro American League.
• Satchel Paige recruited several Negro Leagues stars as ringers for "Los Dragones" of Ciudad de Trujillo, a baseball club owned by Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo.

Works

• Black Earth, novel by Thomas Rowan
• "For My People", poem by Margaret Walker

Buildings

• Denny Stadium was expanded to 18,000 seats.
• Caheen Building and Roden Block renovations for Parisian.
• Works Progress Administration projects:
  • Mortimer Jordan High School gymnasium
  • Smithfield Court public housing project
  • Wilton Pump House

=Demolitions

• The 1889 Jefferson County Courthouse was torn down.

Movies

• Stage Door", starring Gail Patrick

Music

• Erskine Hawkins signed a record contract with RCA Victor's Bluebird label.
• Hank Penny formed the Radio Cowboys swing band.

Individuals

• August 12: President Franklin Roosevelt nominated Senator Hugo Black to the U.S. Supreme Court.
• Mel Allen successfully auditioned for an announcing job on the CBS Radio Network.
• Stanleigh Malotte began his tenure as house organist at the Alabama Theatre.
• Alf Brown succeeded B. O. Hargrove as Chief of the Birmingham Fire Department.

Births

• February 22: Sid Ingram, school administrator
• April 12: J. D. Weeks, health officer and author
• June 18: Gail Godwin, novelist
• July 2: Polly Holliday, actor
• October 20: William Cobb, novelist
• December 3: Bobby Allison, race car driver
• Keith Blayney, UAB administrator
• Ed Boutwell, recording studio owner
• Terry Oden, Mayor of Mountain Brook
• Edna Snow, Homewood City Schools administrator

Graduations

• Evelyn Williams graduated from Ensley High School.

Deaths

• May: Leon Friedman, Birmingham News editor
• M. D. Smith Jr, owner of WBRC-AM.

1930s

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