2001
2001 was the 130th year after the founding of the City of Birmingham.
Events
- January 17: Agnes gallery, after 77 exhibitions and working with over 75 artists, closed.
- February 6: Fraternal Order of Police Birmingham Lodge No. 1 held their first meeting in their new meeting hall on Winewood Road.
- April 27: Pop trio 3rd Faze signed a recording contract with GFI Productions, a subsidiary of HealthSouth.
- May 12: The first Schaeffer Eye Center Crawfish Boil after the departure of Aaron Beam was held.
- June 19: Malayan tiger Kumar arrived at the Birmingham Zoo.
- June 21: President George W. Bush visited the Birmingham area.
- July 3: The Birmingham Film Commission was established by the City of Birmingham.
- August 7: A planned stadium concert by N'Sync at Legion Field was canceled due to inclement weather.
- September 22: Six people were killed in an apartment fire deliberately set in Fairfield.
- September 23: 13 miners were killed in the 2001 Jim Walter No. 5 Mine explosion.
- 2001 Birmingham City Council election
- October 21: Topper Price and the Upsetters played as part of the Phelan Park Music Series.
- The Northport Heritage Museum opened.
- Thomas Blanton was convicted of murder for his role in the 1963 bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church.
- The Birmingham Museum of Art acquired Luis Jiménez's monumental sculpture "Steelworker".
- December 31: The vacant former Gantts Quarry community lost its incorporation.
Business
- January: Adam Stocks purchased WFHK-AM for a reported $275,000.
- August 4: Books-A-Million opened at The Summit.
- September: The Bama Belle began service in Tuscaloosa.
- November 9: Shelia Smoot's contract with WBRC 6 ended.
- December 28: Yester Ceramic Laboratory dissolved.
- Balch & Bingham merged with the Mississippi firm of Eaton & Cottrell.
- Mike Rediker joined the Haskell Slaughter law firm.
- Real Records was founded.
- Suiza Foods merged with Dean Foods, the Dallas, Texas-based parent of Barber's Dairy.
- Charles McCrary was elected president and CEO of Alabama Power.
Establishments
- January: Rob and Sherri Fairbairn opened Amphora Wine Merchants at The Summit
- July 16: Bank marketing consulting firm Bancography was founded.
- ProAssurance was created from the merger of the Mutual Assurance Society of Alabama and the Michigan-based Professionals Group, Inc.
- The Birmingham Children's Choir was incorporated.
- TicketBiscuit was founded by Jeff Gale.
- Magnolia Meadows Golf Course opened in Columbiana.
Disestablishments
- The Griffin Wheel Co. near Bessemer was shut down.
Media
- February 2: WRRS-FM switched formats to "modern rock/adult contemporary", becoming "101.1 the Spot".
Religion
- February 4: Church of the Highlands was founded.
- September: Nichols Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church moved to 701 18th Street Ensley.
- November 11: Emmanuel Lutheran Church was founded in north Shelby County.
Sports
- April 9: Tim Hummel tied a Birmingham Barons record with 3 triples in a game against Greenville.
- September 29: Miles College defeated Stillman College in the first Steel City Classic 24-22.
- November 17: The 2001-02 UAB Blazers men's basketball team began the season with a 79-66 victory over Eastern Michigan.
- The Birmingham Thunderbolts played in the XFL's lone season.
- Brian Shoop's BSC Panthers won the NAIA national championship in baseball.
- The Alabama Slammers began their only season as a part of the Women's American Football League.
Individuals
- January 15: Condoleezza Rice became National Security Advisor.
- March 29: Chris McNair resigned from the Jefferson County Commission.
- September 5: Howell Raines became Executive Editor of The New York Times.
- December 13: Kim Emerson was appointed Kimberly's Chief of Police.
- Oliver Adams retired as chief of the Bessemer Police Department.
- Michael Adler succeeded the retiring Aubrey Edwards as minister of music at Shades Mountain Baptist Church.
- Ralph Cook retired from the Alabama Supreme Court and joined the firm of Hare, Wynn, Newell & Newton.
- Noah Galloway enlisted in the U.S. Army.
- Walt Maddox became personnel director for Tuscaloosa City Schools and later a Tuscaloosa City Councilor.
- Mary McLeod retired as Episcopal Bishop of Vermont.
- Arthur Price succeeded Christopher Hamlin as Pastor of 16th Street Baptist Church.
- Patsy Stanley succeeded Cindy Cason as principal of Homewood Middle School.
- Ken Ward became a reporter for WVTM-TV.
Births
- July 6: Malik Kofi, cellist and public speaker
- July 16: Jaden Servania, Birmingham Legion FC player
- September 27: JerrMarius "Li Heat" Sills
- Frankie (tortoise)
Awards
- Alabama Academy of Honor: W. Ann Reynolds, Harper Lee, Sydney McDonald, Marvin Engel, Thomas Meredith
- Alabama Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame: Donald Green
- Alabama Business Hall of Fame: R. C. Cobb Jr, Edward Friend Jr, James Head, Wallace Malone Jr, Edward Robbins, Robert Weil
- Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame: Sara Finley, S. Richardson Hill Jr, Sandral Hullett, John Kirklin, James Pittman
- Associated Press "Best Anchor in Alabama": Janet Hall
- Birmingham Business Hall of Fame: Neal Berte, Thomas Bradford, John Eagan, J. Stanley Mackin, William Spencer III
- Miss Shelby County: Kristen Hilliard Bagwell
- National High School Coaches Association's Southeast Regional Wrestling Coach of the Year: Dickey Wright
Graduations
- Jason Simpson, B.S. in meteorology from Mississippi State University
- Stephen Wallace, J.D. from the University of Alabama School of Law
- Lyord Watson, B.A. in business management from Samford University
Retirements
- Victor Hanson II, Birmingham News publisher
Deaths
- January 4: John Rhoden, sculptor
- January 20: Arthur Jazwinski, former director of Birmingham Department of Traffic Engineering
- February 10: Gump Ariail, football player and army colonel
- March 2: Dennis Washburn, columnist and publisher
- March 14: Anne George, poet, publisher and novelist
- April 8: Jimmy Hill, Pleasant Grove grocer
- May 19: Musician and teacher Barbara Dorough Thomas
- May 24: Minister Caliph Washington
- July 10: baseball player Al Lary
- July 14: gynecologic pathologist Hazel Gore
- August 19: Paul "Tall Paul" White, disc jockey
- September 8: disc jockey Walter Anglin
- September 11: Lynn Edwards Angell
- September 11: Bill Godshalk
- September 11: Dwayne Williams, US Army Major
- September 17: Bubba Church, baseball player
- September 23: 13 coal miners
- November 5: Tex Ellison, restaurateur
- December 14: Orzell Billingsley, attorney and Civil Rights activist
- December 21: Ed Salem, former Alabama Crimson Tide football star and restaurateur
- Nancy Crews, aviator
- Arthur Stewart, portraitist
- See also List of Birmingham homicides in 2001
Works
- August 25: A new playground at Triangle Park in Forest Park was dedicated.
- September: 3rd Faze's self-titled debut album was released.
Books
- The Cost of Courage: The Journey of An American Congressman (reprint) by Carl Elliott and Micheal D'Orso
- Murder Boogies with Elvis by Anne George
Buildings
- Alabama Veterans Memorial Park
- Colonial Bank Building
- Colonial Brookwood Village renovations (including Gus Mayer interiors)
- Bright Star Restaurant bar addition
- Fraternal Order of Police Birmingham Lodge No. 1
- UAB's Hugh Kaul Human Genetics Building on 20th Street South.
- Magnolia Hills golf course
- Minor Elementary School
- MountainTop Community Church
- River Ridge Shopping Center / Super Target
- Spain Park High School
- Blount Hall
- Bruno's supermarket at Alabama Highway 150 in Hoover
- UAHSF Administration Building at 500 22nd Street South
- The Terrace at Greystone shopping center
Roads
- April 19: Lakeshore Parkway extension from Shannon Wenonah Road to Alabama State Highway 150
See Also
Context
In 2001, the Federal Trade Commission approved the merger of America Online and Time Warner to form AOL Time Warner. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, launched on the Internet. George W. Bush succeeded Bill Clinton as the 43rd President of the United States. Seven times Nascar Winston Cup champion Dale Earnhardt died after an accident in the last turn of the Daytona 500. The Russian space station Mir de-orbited. Terrorists used commercial airliners in suicide attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000. Letters containing anthrax spores are mailed to major news outlets. The U.S. and other countries invaded Afghanistan. Enron filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Notable films in 2001 included Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Monsters, Inc., Shrek, and Ocean's Eleven. The Academy Award for Best Picture went to A Beautiful Mind, as did Best Director (Ron Howard). Best Actor was awarded to Denzel Washington for Training Day while Best Actress went to Halle Berry for Monster's Ball.
Notable pop music hits in 2001 included "Independent Women Part I" by Destiny's Child, "Stutter" by Joe featuring Mystikal, "All for You" by Janet Jackson, "Lady Marmalade" by Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mýa & Pink, "U Remind Me" by Usher, "Fallin'" by Alicia Keys, "I'm Real" by Jennifer Lopez featuring Ja Rule, and "Family Affair" by Mary J. Blige. The biggest Grammy Award winner was Alicia Keys, winning five Grammys, including Best New Artist and Song of the Year for "Fallin'". U2 won four awards including Record of the Year and Best Rock Album. Best Album went to the soundtrack of O Brother, Where Art Thou? (various artists).
Notable births in 2001 included actor Raymond Ochoa. Notable deaths included businessman William Redington Hewlett, race car driver Dale Earnhardt, animator William Hanna, author Douglas Adams, singer Perry Como, actor Anthony Quinn, terrorist Timothy McVeigh (executed), actor Jack Lemmon, guitarist Chet Atkins, author Poul Anderson, and musician George Harrison.
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