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'''1969''' was the 97th year after the founding of the City of [[Birmingham]].
'''1968''' was the 97th year after the founding of the City of [[Birmingham]].


==Events==
==Events==
[[Image:1st 911 call 1968.jpg|right|thumb|250px|U.S. Rep. Tom Bevill answers the first 911 call]]
* [[January 5]]: The final episode of ''Bozo the Clown'' aired on [[WBRC 6]]. [[Ward McIntyre]] played the title role.
* [[January 30]]: [[Tuscaloosa]]'s [[Coleman Coliseum|Memorial Coliseum]] opened its doors for a performance of "The Roar of the Greasepaint - The Smell of the Crowd".
* [[February 16]]: The nation's first 911 call was taken at the [[Haleyville]] police station.
* [[March 16]]: A [[Shower of Stars|WVOK Shower of Stars]] concert featured The Young Rascals, The Lemon Pipers, The Union Gap, Roy Head, Billy Joe Royal, [[The Rockin' Rebellions]], The Brotherhood, and Gene & Debbie.
* [[March 29]]: [[James Earl Ray]] used an alias to purchase a .243 caliber hunting rifle and scope at [[Aeromarine]] on [[Airport Highway]].
* [[March 30]]: Ray exchanged the rifle from the previous day for a .30-06 caliber Remington Model 760 Gamemaster.
* [[April 4]]: [[Civil Rights Movement]] leader [[Martin Luther King Jr]] was assassinated by Ray in Memphis, Tennessee with the Birmingham-purchased rifle.
* [[May 8]]: A caravan from Birmingham to Washington D.C. for the [[SCLC]]'s "Poor People's Campaign" was scheduled.
* [[May 20]]: The [[Hillcrest Golf & Country Club]] merged with the [[Fairmont Country Club]] to create the new [[Pine Tree Country Club]].
* [[July 27]]: A Shower of Stars concert featured The Troggs, Herman's Hermits, The Buckinghams, The Ohio Express, Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart, Roy Head, and Four Jacks & a Jill.
* [[August 3]]: A Shower of Stars concert featured Paul Revere and the Raiders, Lou Christie, Billy Joe Royal, George Fame, The People, The Magistrates, and Mitch Ryder & His Revue.
* [[November 16]]:  The [[Holiday Balloon Parade]] was held downtown.
* [[November 30]]: A Shower of Stars concert featured Davy Jones, Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, The Buckinghams, Tommy Boyce & Bobby Hart, The Grass Roots, Billy Joe Royal, Andy Kim, and Four Jacks & a Jill.
* [[Birmingham]] voters approved $400,000 in bonds for the purchase of land to expand the [[Birmingham Museum of Art]].  
* [[Birmingham]] voters approved $400,000 in bonds for the purchase of land to expand the [[Birmingham Museum of Art]].  
* [[Margaret Walker]] founded the Institute for the Study of History, Life, and Culture of Black People.
* The [[Birmingham Festival of Arts]] held the [[1968 Salute to Greece|Salute to Greece]].
* [[Branchville]] was incorporated.
* [[Branchville]] was incorporated.
* [[Green Valley]] elected to incorporate but was struck down after challenged by nearby [[Hoover]].
* [[Green Valley]] elected to incorporate but was struck down after challenged by nearby [[Hoover]].
* [[February 16]]: The nation's first 911 call was taken at the [[Haleyville]] police station.
* Construction of {{I-20/59}} severed [[Norwood]] from [[downtown]].
* [[Margaret Walker]] founded the Institute for the Study of History, Life, and Culture of Black People.


===Business===
===Business===
* [[Sol's Sandwich Shop]] opened on the bottom floor of the [[John A. Hand Building]].
[[Image:Ollie's BBQ.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Ollie's Barbecue]]
* [[Cinema West]] opened.
* August: A new [[Bruno's]] location opened in [[Dora]].
* [[Thunderbird Drive-In]] opened.  
* [[Andy Straynar]], [[Charlie Lawrence]], and another investor purchase [[Bogue's]] restaurant from the Bogues.
* Buck Creek Industries sold [[Buck Creek Mill]] to Reeves Brothers.
* [[The Chukker]] founder [[Bill Thompson]] sold the bar to [[Earl Hilyer]].
* Mercy Home was renamed [[Gateway]].
* [[Golden Flake]] became a publicly traded company.
* [[Greg's Cookies]] was bought by [[Bud Cason]], nephew of the company's founders.
* [[Ollie's Barbecue]] relocated a few blocks west on [[University Boulevard|8th Avenue South]] from its original location due to construction of [[Interstate 65]].
* [[Southern Natural Gas Company|Southern Natural Gas Resources]] expanded into forestry with its Southern Forest Products division and into real estate through the Southern Natural Realty Corporation.
* [[SMI Steel]] merged with [[CMC Steel Alabama]].
* [[SMI Steel]] merged with [[CMC Steel Alabama]].
* [[Sikes & Youngs Shoe Company]] opened in [[Vestavia Hills]].  
* [[A. E. Burgess Co., Inc.]] became [[Burgess Mining & Construction]].
* Mercy Home was renamed [[Gateway]].
* [[Peco Foods|Hickman Farms]] merged with [[Peco Foods|Harris Poultry & Egg Co.]] to form [[Peco Foods]].
* [[Jim Boone]] succeeded his father, [[Buford Boone]], as president and publisher of [[Tuscaloosa Newspapers Inc.]]
 
==== Establishments ====
[[Image:South Central Bell 1967.png|right]]
* [[April 22]]: Christian radio station [[WDJC-FM]] debuted.
* July: [[South Central Bell]] was founded as a split from Southern Bell.
* [[Arlington Properties]] was founded.
* [[BASS]] was founded by [[Ray Scott]] in Montgomery.
* [[BASS]] was founded by [[Ray Scott]] in Montgomery.
* [[Big B Drugs]] began operation as part of [[Bruno's Supermarkets]].
* [[Big B Drugs]] began operation as part of [[Bruno's Supermarkets]].
* July: [[South Central Bell]] was founded as a split from Southern Bell.
* [[Cinema West]] opened.
* [[Sikes & Youngs Shoe Company]] opened in [[Vestavia Hills]].
* [[David Walbert]] opened [[Society's Child]]
* [[Sol's Sandwich Shop]] opened on the bottom floor of the [[John A. Hand Building]].
* [[Thunderbird Drive-In]] opened.
* [[Jody Ford|Sidney Ford]] opened [[Mr Sid's Coiffures]] in [[Five Points South]].
* [[Specification Rubber Products]] was founded in [[Alabaster]].
* [[Wilkerson Heating & Cooling]] was founded.
 
==== Disestablishments ====
* September: [[Shades Mountain Drive-In Theatre]] in [[Vestavia Hills]] closed.
 
=== Education ===
* [[April 6]]: 300 students at [[Tuskegee University|Tuskegee Institute]] [[1968 Tuskegee student uprising|barricaded a meeting of the board of trustees]] at [[Dorothy Hall]], eventually winning concessions.
* June: [[Mountain Brook High School]]'s first graduation ceremony was held.
* [[July 1]]: The [[Alabama High School Athletic Association]] was integrated under court order by merging with the [[Alabama Interscholastic Athletic Association]].
* September: [[Wenonah High School|Wenonah Area Vocational School]] opened to students.
* [[John Blackburn]] was promoted to dean for student development at the [[University of Alabama]].
* [[Helen Fuller]] succeeded [[Estelle McNutt]] as principal of [[Edgewood Elementary School]].
* [[Gardendale High School]] held its first graduation ceremony.
* [[Jack Granata]] became chair of the [[University of Alabama]] art department.
* [[Revis Hall]] succeeded [[Kermit Johnson]] has Superintendent of [[Jefferson County Schools]].
* [[Robert F. Henry]] succeeded [[Howard M. Phillips]] as [[List of Birmingham-Southern College presidents|president]] of [[Birmingham-Southern College]].
* Henry and Suzanne Herzing purchased the [[Herzing University|Electronics Computer Programming Institute]].
* [[Kermit Johnson]] succeeded [[Delos P. Culp]] as [[president of the University of Montevallo]].
* [[Ann Jordan]] succeeded [[Aleen Mitchell]] as principal of [[Hall-Kent Elementary School]].
* [[Lawson State Community College|Wenonah State Junior College]] was accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
* [[James Pharris]] succeeded [[Benjamin McGhee]] as principal of [[Washington K-8 School]].
* [[Roebuck Plaza Elementary School]] closed at the conclusion of the school year as part of school desegregation.
* [[Evan Zeiger, Sr]] was named vice-president for financial affairs of [[Samford University]].
 
=== Government ===
[[Image:Arthur Shores.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Arthur Shores {{BPL permission caption|http://bplonline.cdmhost.com/u?/p4017coll6,2266}}]]
* [[January 9]]: The [[1968 Roosevelt City municipal election]] was held.
* [[February 27]]: The first officials of [[Roosevelt City]] were sworn in.
* [[May 7]]: [[Lieutenant Governor of Alabama|Lieutenant Governor]] [[Albert Brewer]] became [[Governor of Alabama]] upon [[Lurleen Wallace]]'s death.
* June: Attorney [[Arthur Shores]] became the first black [[Birmingham City Council]]or after being appointed to fill the seat vacated upon the death of [[R. W. Douglas]].
* [[James Allen]] was elected to the U.S. Senate.
* [[J. P. Campbell]] succeeded [[Wally Watson]] as [[Mayor of Hueytown]].
* [[Bull Connor]] was re-elected as [[Alabama Public Service Commission]] director.
* [[Jack Courson]] succeeded [[James Bailey]] as [[Mayor of Leeds]].
* [[Edward Ernest]] succeeded [[Don Watts]] as [[Mayor of Hoover]].
* [[Afton Lee Sr]] was elected to the [[Homewood City Council]].
* [[Sonny Penhale]] was elected [[Mayor of Helena]], his first of 11 terms.
* [[Robert Waldrop]] succeeded [[E. G. Walker]] as [[Mayor of Homewood]], his first of six terms.


===Religion===
===Religion===
* April: [[J. Peter Sheehan]] succeeded [[John Colreavy]] as pastor of [[St Anthony's Church]].
* August: [[Wayne Wallace]] began working as a broadcaster at [[WDJC-FM]].
* [[C. W. Box]] became pastor of [[First Baptist Church of Boldo]].
* [[James Crutcher]] succeeded [[John Cross]] as pastor of [[16th Street Baptist Church]].
* [[Philip Silverstein]] became rabbi at [[Temple Beth-El]].
* [[Philip Silverstein]] became rabbi at [[Temple Beth-El]].
* Reverend [[John Cross]] left as pastor of [[16th Street Baptist Church]].
* [[Sixth Avenue Baptist Church]] sold its property on [[Sixth Avenue South]].
* [[Moshe Stern]] became rabbi of [[Knesseth Israel Congregation]].


===Sports===
===Sports===
* [[February 24]]: NHL player [[Garry Unger]] began his record-setting string of 914 consecutive games.
* [[May 23]]: Groundbreaking was held for [[Talladega Superspeedway]].
* [[August 23]]: The AFL's New York Jets defeated the NFL's Atlanta Falcons 27-12 in an inter-league exhibition game at [[Legion Field]].
* [[September 22]]: The AFL's Boston Patriots defeated the New York Jets 47-31 in a [[1968 Boston Patriots vs. New York Jets football game|regular season game]] played at [[Legion Field]] because Fenway Park was unavailable.
* [[December 3]]: [[Auburn Tigers|Auburn]] lost to [[Alabama Crimson Tide|Alabama]] by a score of 24-16 in the [[1968 Iron Bowl]] at [[Legion Field]].
* The final NASCAR race was held at [[Birmingham International Raceway]].
* The final NASCAR race was held at [[Birmingham International Raceway]].
* [[May 23]]: Groundbreaking was held for [[Talladega Superspeedway]].  
* Former [[Auburn Tigers football]] player [[Forrest Blue]] was selected 15th overall by the San Francisco 49ers in the NFL draft.
* [[September 22]]: A [[1968 Boston Patriots vs. New York Jets football game|NFL exhibition game]] was held at [[Legion Field]]
* [[Homer Brown]] competed in his first U.S. Open Table Tennis Championship.
* [[December 3]]: [[Auburn Tigers|Auburn]] lost to [[Alabama Crimson Tide|Alabama]] by a score of 24-16 in the [[1968 Iron Bowl]] at [[Legion Field]].
* [[Paul Seitz]] returned to Birmingham to play baseball for the [[Birmingham A's]].
* [[University of Alabama Crimson Tide football|Alabama]] quarterback [[Kenny Stabler]] was drafted in the second round of the NFL draft.
 
==Individuals==
[[Image:John Robertson.jpg|right|thumb|150px|John Robertson]]
* [[May 20]]: [[John Robertson]] was shot down while participating in a classified resupply mission flying into Laos on a Vietnamese helicopter crewed by Vietnamese soldiers.
* [[June 7]]: [[Lamar Johnson]] was a third round draft pick by the Chicago White Sox.
* [[October 20]]: [[Joseph Raya]] was appointed archbishop of Akko, Haifa, Nazareth and All Galilee.
* [[BBVA Compass|Central Bank]] CEO [[Harry Brock Jr]] took control of the board of the State National Bank of Alabama.
* [[Wallace Cohen]] succeeded [[Karl B. Friedman]] as president of the [[Levite Jewish Community Center]].
* [[Ralph Cook]] was admitted to the [[Alabama State Bar]].
* Reverend [[Edward Gardner]] became president of the [[Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights]].
* Leonard and Bettie Lawley purchased the [[R. F. McKibbon residence]] in [[Montevallo]].
* [[J. Gordon Melton]] was ordained as an elder in the United Methodist Church.
* [[Robert Miller]] was ordained by the Episcopal Church.
* [[Don Morrison]] served as president of [[AIA Birmingham]].
* [[William Noble]] became city attorney of [[Gardendale]].
* [[Dave Roddy]] broke his back when he slipped while helping a stuck motorist at the [[Oporto National Guard Armory]].
* [[Muzaffar I. Sheikh]] arrived in the United States for graduate study.
* Judge [[Robert Vance]] led the first racially mixed [[Alabama]] delegation to a Democratic National Convention.
* [[Marvin Warner]] was appointed a delegate to the 23rd General Assembly of the United Nations.
* U.S. Air Force officer [[James H. Woodward]] was promoted to Captain.
* [[James Jett]] was elected to the first of numerous terms on the [[Warrior City Council]].
 
===Births===
[[Image:DeDee Nathan.jpg|right|thumb|150px|DeDee Nathan]]
[[Image:Frank Thomas.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Frank Thomas]]
* [[January 3]]: [[Thomas Rayam]], football player and coach
* February: [[Thomas Robey]], chef
* [[March 13]]: [[Andy Kennedy]], [[UAB Blazers]] basketball coach
* [[April 2]]: [[Shannon Ealy]], former [[UAB]] senior associate athletic director
* [[April 6]]: [[Ron Crumpton]], political activist
* April 6: [[Eric Major]], politician
* [[April 17]]: [[Cary Allbritton]], artist
* [[April 20]]: [[DeDee Nathan]], Olympic heptathlete
* [[April 24]]: [[Todd Jones]], baseball player
* [[May 6]]: [[Tyler Layton]], actor
* [[May 27]]: [[Frank Thomas]], baseball player
* [[June 14]]: [[Slade Blackwell]], lobbyist
* [[June 28]]: [[Bill Clark]], football coach
* [[August 6]]: [[Siran Stacy]], football player
* [[August 10]]: [[Pat Snow]], artist
* [[August 20]]: [[Tonya West]], chef, food stylist, and drummer
* [[August 24]]: [[Zeb Little]], attorney and politician
* [[August 25]]: [[Jeremy Erdreich]], architect
* [[August 27]]: [[Randy Sandford]], [[UAB]] staffer
* [[September 6]]: [[Kevin Dudley]], robber
* [[September 14]]: [[DeMond Winston]], football player
* [[November 21]]: [[Candace Michelle Brown]], [[Miss Alabama USA]] [[1992]]
* [[Steve Ammons]], [[Jefferson County Commission]]
* [[Johnny Brown]], [[Columbiana Police Department|Columbiana police chief]]
* [[Ann Hodges Goolsby]], [[Maytown]] mayor
* [[Jeff Hager]], [[Jefferson County]] CFO
* [[Vanessa Hirschowitz]], architect and jewelry designer
* [[Julie Keith]], magazine editor
* [[Shawn King]], police officer
* [[Scott Praytor]], chief of [[Warrior Police Department]]
* [[Hoyt Sanders]], [[Mayor of Pinson]]
* [[Ken Shaia]], retailer
* [[Pam Siddall]], newspaper publisher
* [[Jerry Tate]], project manager and education activist
* [[John Trobaugh]], photographer
 
===Graduations===
* [[Janet Awtrey]] earned her M.S. in nursing from [[UAB]].
* [[Robert Bentley]] earned his M.D. from the [[University of Alabama School of Medicine]].
* [[Nell Carter]] graduated from [[A. H. Parker High School]].
* [[Howard Cruse]] earned a degree from [[Birmingham-Southern College]].
* [[Chriss Doss]] earned a juris doctorate at [[Samford University]]'s [[Cumberland School of Law]].
* [[Suzanne Durham]] graduated from the [[University of Montevallo]].
* [[Bill Elder]] completed a master of divinity at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.
* [[Mickey Gee]] earned bachelor's in marketing at the [[University of Alabama]].
* [[Gail Godwin]] earned her M.A. in English from the University of Iowa.
* [[Hubert Green]] earned a degree in marketing from Florida State University.
* Literary scholar [[Barry Ivker]] completed his Ph.D at Indiana University.
* [[J. Gordon Melton]] earned his M. Div. at Garrett Theological Seminary.
* [[Richard North Patterson]] earned a degree from Ohio Wesleyan University.
* [[Martha Jane Patton]] graduated from [[Birmingham-Southern College]].
* [[James Redfield]] graduated from [[Thompson High School]].
* [[Carole Samuelson]] graduated from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill.
* [[Don Siegelman]] graduated from the [[University of Alabama]].
 
=== Employment ===
* [[April 1]]: [[John Garrett]] became a traffic engineer for the [[City of Birmingham]].
* [[September 6]]: [[Carlos May]] began his major league career with the Chicago White Sox.
* [[Charles E. Bugg]] and [[William Bridgers]] accepted positions at [[UAB]].
* Artist and photographer [[William Christenberry]] began teaching at the Corcoran College of Art and Design in Washington, D.C.
* [[Newton H. DeBardeleben]] succeeded [[John A. Hand]] as CEO of [[First National Bank of Birmingham]].
* [[Don Drennen Jr]] became president of the [[Don Drennen Motor Co.]].
* Attorney [[D. Paul Jones]] joined the [[Balch & Bingham]] firm.
* [[Mac Parsons]] began serving as a bailiff  for the [[Jefferson County Circuit Court]].
* [[Jim Woodward]] transferred from the [[Bessemer Police Department]] to the [[Jefferson County Sheriff's Office]].
 
=== Marriages ===
* Actress [[Elizabeth MacQueen]] married  talent manager Raymond Gonzalez.
* Singer [[Linda Manning]] married baseball player, actor, and minister Mel Novak.
* [[Sonia Sanchez]] married poet Etheridge Knight.
 
=== Divorces ===
* Actress [[Lili Gentle]] divorced Richard Zanuck.
 
===Awards===
* Female Vocalist of the Year (Country Music Association): [[Tammy Wynette]]
* Fogarty Award: [[George Turner]]
* Medal of Honor: Sgt. [[Matthew Leonard]] (post-houmous)
* [[Miss Alabama]]: [[Dellynne Catching]]
* [[Miss Alabama USA]]: [[Claudia Robinson]]
* [[Miss Samford]]: [[Linda Hughes Beck]]
* [[October 25]]: The first fourteen members of the [[Alabama Academy of Honor]] were announced.
 
===Deaths===
[[Image:Lurleen Wallace postcard.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Lurleen Wallace postcard]]
* [[January 30]]: [[F. Page Seibert]], [[Samford University]] benefactor
* [[April 4]]: [[Martin Luther King Jr]], [[Civil Rights Movement]] leader
* [[April 12]]: [[Victorine]], gorilla
* [[April 30]]: [[Ron Parr]], leader of [[The Hard Times]], was killed in action in Viet Nam
* [[May 7]]: [[Lurleen Wallace]], [[Governor of Alabama]]
* [[August 26]]: [[Lawrence Whitten]], architect
* [[November 6]]: [[Chauncey Sparks]], former Governor of Alabama
* [[December 12]]: [[Tallulah Bankhead]], actress
* [[Martha Fort Anderson]], printmaker
* [[Kenneth Forbes]], businessman
* [[Billy Smith]], businessman
 
:''See also [[List of Birmingham homicides in 1968]]''


==Works==
==Works==
[[Image:Early Days of Birmingham.jpg|right|175px|thumb|''Early Days in Birmingham'']]
===Buildings===
* [[April 14]] (Easter): A "pioneer homestead" opened in [[Noccalula Falls Park]] containing the reconstructed [[Gilliland Bridge]], [[William Clayton]]'s log-built blacksmith shop, and other historic structures.
* [[May 23]]: Ground was broken for the [[Talladega Superspeedway]].
* [[July 30]]: Ground was broken for [[Lister Hill Library]].
* [[Broadway Street]] was repaved, covering the disused rails of the [[Birmingham & Edgewood Electric Railway]].
* [[Calder Building]] was renovated as [[Citizens Federal Savings Bank]]'s headquarters.
* One floor was added to [[Children's Hospital]].
* [[Green Acres Baptist Church]] education building was added to the campus.
* The [[The Parisian|former Parisian store]] was purchased by businessman [[A. G. Gaston]] for $1.5 million.
* Construction of the [[AT&T City Center|South Central Bell Building]] began.


===Buildings===
====Completed====
* [[117 56th Street South]], 8-unit apartment building
* [[Ellis Lake]]
* [[Rogers Area Vocational Center|Gardendale Area Vocational School]]
* [[Higgins residence]]
* [[Inglenook Community Center]]
* [[Lawson Field]]
* [[Lawson Field]]
* [[Calder Building]] renovated as [[Citizens Federal Savings Bank]]'s headquarters
* [[Park Tower]] apartments on [[Highland Avenue]]
* [[Green Acres Baptist Church]] education building
* [[Coleman Coliseum|Memorial Coliseum]] at the [[University of Alabama]]
* [[Inglenook Community Center]]
* [[Tutwiler Hall (1968)|Tutwiler Hall]] at the [[University of Alabama]]
 
====Demolitions====
* [[Linger Longer Lodge]] and street [[Grace Way]], for the [[Interstate 65]] [[Shades Mountain]] cut.
* [[6th Avenue Presbyterian Church]] was sold to [[South Central Bell]].
 
[[Image:Early Days of Birmingham.jpg|right|150px|thumb|''Early Days in Birmingham'']]


===Books===
===Books===
* September: ''Early Days in Birmingham''
* September: ''Early Days in Birmingham''
 
* [[Paul Hemphill]] spent a year-long Niemen Fellowship at Harvard University working on his first book, ''The Nashville Sound''.


===Films and TV===
===Films and TV===
* The [[Alabama Television Corporation]], headed by [[John Jemison]] was awarded the broadcast rights to [[WTTO|UHF Channel 21]] by the FCC.
* [[December 9]]: [[The Temptations]] and Diana Ross & the Supremes starred in musical revue television special called ''TCB''.
* The [[Alabama Television Corporation]], headed by [[John Jemison]], was awarded the broadcast rights to [[WTTO|UHF Channel 21]] by the FCC.
* "The Story of Babar, the Little Elephant" featuring [[B. J. Baker]].


===Music===
===Music===
* [[Dennis Edwards]] replaced David Ruffin as lead singer of [[The Temptations]].  
* [[Dennis Edwards]] replaced David Ruffin as lead singer of [[The Temptations]].  
* "The Last Goodbye" by [[Dave Roddy]].
*  ''Looking at You'' and ''The Very Best of Sandy Posey'' by [[Sandy Posey]] were released.
* [[Samford Memorial Pipe Organ]] was constructed at [[Southside Baptist Church]].
* [[Candi Staton]] launched her solo career as a Southern soul stylist.
* [[The Torquays]] disbanded.
* [[The Torquays]] disbanded.


===Theater===
===Theater===
* [[Birmingham Dinner Theatre]] was founded.
* [[Birmingham Dinner Theatre]] was founded and held its first performances at [[Mrs Todd's Cafeteria]].
 
==Individuals==
* [[Bull Connor]] was re-elected as [[Alabama Public Service Commission]] director.
* Judge [[Robert Vance]] led the first racially mixed [[Alabama]] delegation to a Democratic National Convention.
* [[Newton H. DeBardeleben]] succeeded [[John A. Hand]] as CEO of [[First National Bank of Birmingham]].
* [[Muzaffar I. Sheikh]] arrived in the United States for graduate study.
* [[Marvin Warner]] was appointed a delegate to the 23rd General Assembly of the United Nations.
* [[Helen Fuller]] succeeded [[Estelle McNutt]] as principal of [[Edgewood Elementary School]].
* [[Ann Jordan]] succeeded [[Aleen Mitchell]] as principal of [[Hall-Kent Elementary School]].
* Leonard and Bettie Lawley purchased the [[R. F. McKibbon residence]] in [[Montevallo]].
* [[Charles E. Bugg]] and [[William Bridgers]] accepted positions at [[UAB]].
* [[Robert F. Henry]] succeeded [[Howard M. Phillips]] as [[List of Birmingham-Southern College presidents|president]] of [[Birmingham-Southern College]].
* Reverend [[Edward Gardner]] became president of the [[Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights]].
* [[Sonia Sanchez]] married poet Etheridge Knight.
* [[Don Morrison]] served as president of [[AIA Birmingham]].
* [[Edward Ernest]] succeeded [[Don Watts]] as [[Mayor of Hoover]].
* [[April 1]]: [[John Garrett]] became a traffic engineer for the [[City of Birmingham]].
* [[May 7]]: [[Albert Brewer]] was appointed [[Governor of Alabama]] upon [[Lurleen Wallace]]'s death.
* June: Attorney [[Arthur Shores]] became the first black [[Birmingham City Council]]or after being appointed to fill the seat vacated upon the death of [[R. W. Douglas]].


===Births===
==Gallery==
* [[Maytown]] mayor [[Ann Hodges Goolsby]]
<gallery>
* Retailer [[Ken Shaia]]
Image:Lee Roy Jordan 1968.jpg|1968 [[Lee Roy Jordan]] trading card by Topps
* [[Jefferson County]] CFO [[Jeff Hager]]
Image:Memorial Hospital Bessemer PC Scan.jpg|[[UAB Medical West|Memorial Hospital]]
* [[Columbiana]] [[Columbiana Police Department|police chief]] [[Johnny Brown]]
Image:Princeton Baptist Hospital 1968.png|[[Princeton Baptist Medical Center|Birmingham Baptist Hospital]] from 1968 ad
* Magazine editor [[Julie Keith]]
Image:Sneaky Petes 1968.jpg|1968 ad for [[Sneaky Pete's]]
* Politician [[Eric Major]]
</gallery>
* [[Mayor of Pinson]] [[Hoyt Sanders]]
* Newspaper publisher [[Pam Siddall]]
* Photographer [[John Trobaugh]]
* [[January 3]]: Football player and coach [[Thomas Rayam]]
* February: Chef [[Thomas Robey]]
* [[April 20]]: Olympic heptathlete [[DeDee Nathan]]
* [[April 24]]: Baseball player [[Todd Jones]]
* [[May 6]]: Actor [[Tyler Layton]]
* [[May 27]]: Baseball player [[Frank Thomas]]
* [[June 14]]: Lobbyist [[Slade Blackwell]]
* [[August 6]]: Football player [[Siran Stacy]]
* [[August 24]]: Attorney and politician [[Zeb Little]]
* [[August 25]]: Architect [[Jeremy Erdreich]]
* [[August 27]]: [[UAB]] staffer [[Randy Sandford]]
* [[September 6]]: Robber [[Kevin Dudley]]
* [[September 14]]: Football player [[DeMond Winston]]
* [[November 21]]: [[Miss Alabama USA]] [[1992]] [[Candace Michelle Brown]]


==Context==
[[Image:George Wallace.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Presidential candidate George Wallace in 1968]]
In 1968, the Vietnam War continued and the Tet Offensive took place.  A U.S. B-52 Stratofortress crashed in Greenland near Thule Air Base, discharging four nuclear bombs.  The Winter Olympics were held in Grenoble, France.  Madison Square Garden in New York City opened.  Civil Rights Movement leader [[Martin Luther King Jr]] was assassinated by [[James Earl Ray]] in Memphis, Tennessee.  The Civil Rights Act of 1968, including the Fair Housing Act, became law. The Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren Church to form the United Methodist Church. The musical ''Hair'' officially opened on Broadway.  U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was shot in Los Angeles, dying the next day.


===Graduations===
Also in 1968, the semiconductor company Intel was founded.  The first International Special Olympics Summer Games were held in Chicago, Illinois.  Swaziland became independent.  ''Apollo 7'', the first manned Apollo mission, launched.  Mattel's Hot Wheels toy cars were introduced.  The Summer Olympics were held in Mexico City, Mexico. Republican challenger Richard Nixon defeated the Democratic candidate, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, and American Independent Party candidate [[George Wallace]] in the presidential election. ''Apollo 8'' orbited around the Moon.
* June: [[Mountain Brook High School]]'s first graduation ceremoney was held.
* [[Nell Carter]] from [[A. H. Parker High School]]
* [[Howard Cruse]] from [[Birmingham-Southern College]]
* [[Richard North Patterson]] from Ohio Wesleyan University
* [[Don Siegelman]] from [[University of Alabama]]
 
===Awards===


Fiction published in 1968 included ''Eva Trout'' by Elizabeth Bowen, ''2001: A Space Odyssey'' by Arthur C. Clarke, ''The Goblin Tower'' by L. Sprague de Camp, ''Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?'' by Philip K. Dick, ''Airport'' by Arthur Hailey, and ''Colonel Sun'' by Robert Markham.  Non-fiction included ''Soul On Ice'' by Eldridge Cleaver and ''The Population Bomb'' by Paul R. Ehrlich.  The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction went to ''The Confessions of Nat Turner'' by William Styron.


===Deaths===
Top pop music hits in 1968 included "Love is Blue" by Paul Mauriat, "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro, "People Got to Be Free" by The Rascals, and "Hey Jude" by The Beatles. The top selling album was ''The Beatles'' (a.k.a. the ''White Album'').  The Grammy for Record of the Year went to "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkel. Album of the Year was ''By the Time I Get to Phoenix'' by Glen Campbell. Song of the Year was "Little Green Apples" by O. C. Smith. The Best New Artist Grammy went to José Feliciano.
* [[List of artists|Printmaker]] [[Martha Fort Anderson]]
* [[April 12]]: Gorilla [[Victorine]]
* [[May 7]]: [[Governor]] [[Lurleen Wallace]]
* [[November 6]]: Governor [[Chauncey Sparks]]
* [[December 12]]: Actress [[Tallulah Bankhead]]


The top-grossing films in 1968 included ''2001: A Space Odyssey'', ''Funny Girl'', ''The Love Bug'', ''The Odd Couple'', ''Bullitt'', ''Romeo and Juliet'', ''Oliver!'', ''Rosemary's Baby'', ''Planet of the Apes'', and ''Night of the Living Dead''.  ''Oliver!'' took the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director (Carol Reed).  Best Actor went to Cliff Robertson for ''Charly''.  Best Actress went to both Katharine Hepburn for ''The Lion in Winter'' and Barbra Streisand for ''Funny Girl'' in the Best Actress award's only tie in history.


:''See also [[List of Birmingham homicides in 1968]]''
Television premieres in 1968 included ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'', ''Mister Rogers' Neighborhood'', ''One Life to Live'', ''The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour'', ''Adam-12'', ''Here's Lucy'', ''The Doris Day Show'', ''The Mod Squad'', ''Hawaii 5-O'', and ''60 Minutes''.  Series ending included ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'', ''Lost in Space'', ''The Lucy Show'', ''Batman'', ''The Monkees'', and ''The Bell Telephone Hour''.


==Context==
Notable births in 1968 included actors Cuba Gooding Jr, Gary Coleman, Hugh Jackman, Owen Wilson, and Brendan Fraser, actresses Molly Ringwald, Ashley Judd, Debra Messing, and Lucy Liu,  rappers and actors LL Cool J and Will Smith, gymnast Mary Lou Retton, singers Sarah McLachlan, Lisa Marie Presley, Lisa Loeb, Céline Dion, Macy Gray, and Ziggy Marley, skateboarder Tony Hawk, baseball players Jeff Bagwell, Frank Thomas, Mike Piazza, and Sammy Sosa, television chef and host Rachael Ray, and comedian Margaret Cho.  Notable deaths included singer Frankie Lymon, actor Bobby Driscoll, Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, spokeswoman for the deaf and blind Helen Keller, politician Robert F. Kennedy, physicist George Gamow, artist Marcel Duchamp, and writer Upton Sinclair.
1968


{{Decade box|196|195|197}}
{{Decade box|196|195|197}}
[[Category:1968|*]]
[[Category:1968|*]]

Latest revision as of 10:04, 7 April 2024

1968 was the 97th year after the founding of the City of Birmingham.

Events

U.S. Rep. Tom Bevill answers the first 911 call

Business

Ollie's Barbecue

Establishments

South Central Bell 1967.png

Disestablishments

Education

Government

Arthur Shores courtesy BPL Archives

Religion

Sports

Individuals

John Robertson

Births

DeDee Nathan
Frank Thomas

Graduations

Employment

Marriages

Divorces

Awards

Deaths

Lurleen Wallace postcard
See also List of Birmingham homicides in 1968

Works

Buildings

Completed

Demolitions

Early Days in Birmingham

Books

  • September: Early Days in Birmingham
  • Paul Hemphill spent a year-long Niemen Fellowship at Harvard University working on his first book, The Nashville Sound.

Films and TV

Music

Theater

Gallery

Context

Presidential candidate George Wallace in 1968

In 1968, the Vietnam War continued and the Tet Offensive took place. A U.S. B-52 Stratofortress crashed in Greenland near Thule Air Base, discharging four nuclear bombs. The Winter Olympics were held in Grenoble, France. Madison Square Garden in New York City opened. Civil Rights Movement leader Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tennessee. The Civil Rights Act of 1968, including the Fair Housing Act, became law. The Methodist Church merged with the Evangelical United Brethren Church to form the United Methodist Church. The musical Hair officially opened on Broadway. U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy was shot in Los Angeles, dying the next day.

Also in 1968, the semiconductor company Intel was founded. The first International Special Olympics Summer Games were held in Chicago, Illinois. Swaziland became independent. Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission, launched. Mattel's Hot Wheels toy cars were introduced. The Summer Olympics were held in Mexico City, Mexico. Republican challenger Richard Nixon defeated the Democratic candidate, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, and American Independent Party candidate George Wallace in the presidential election. Apollo 8 orbited around the Moon.

Fiction published in 1968 included Eva Trout by Elizabeth Bowen, 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, The Goblin Tower by L. Sprague de Camp, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, Airport by Arthur Hailey, and Colonel Sun by Robert Markham. Non-fiction included Soul On Ice by Eldridge Cleaver and The Population Bomb by Paul R. Ehrlich. The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction went to The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron.

Top pop music hits in 1968 included "Love is Blue" by Paul Mauriat, "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro, "People Got to Be Free" by The Rascals, and "Hey Jude" by The Beatles. The top selling album was The Beatles (a.k.a. the White Album). The Grammy for Record of the Year went to "Mrs. Robinson" by Simon & Garfunkel. Album of the Year was By the Time I Get to Phoenix by Glen Campbell. Song of the Year was "Little Green Apples" by O. C. Smith. The Best New Artist Grammy went to José Feliciano.

The top-grossing films in 1968 included 2001: A Space Odyssey, Funny Girl, The Love Bug, The Odd Couple, Bullitt, Romeo and Juliet, Oliver!, Rosemary's Baby, Planet of the Apes, and Night of the Living Dead. Oliver! took the Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Director (Carol Reed). Best Actor went to Cliff Robertson for Charly. Best Actress went to both Katharine Hepburn for The Lion in Winter and Barbra Streisand for Funny Girl in the Best Actress award's only tie in history.

Television premieres in 1968 included Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, One Life to Live, The Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour, Adam-12, Here's Lucy, The Doris Day Show, The Mod Squad, Hawaii 5-O, and 60 Minutes. Series ending included The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Lost in Space, The Lucy Show, Batman, The Monkees, and The Bell Telephone Hour.

Notable births in 1968 included actors Cuba Gooding Jr, Gary Coleman, Hugh Jackman, Owen Wilson, and Brendan Fraser, actresses Molly Ringwald, Ashley Judd, Debra Messing, and Lucy Liu, rappers and actors LL Cool J and Will Smith, gymnast Mary Lou Retton, singers Sarah McLachlan, Lisa Marie Presley, Lisa Loeb, Céline Dion, Macy Gray, and Ziggy Marley, skateboarder Tony Hawk, baseball players Jeff Bagwell, Frank Thomas, Mike Piazza, and Sammy Sosa, television chef and host Rachael Ray, and comedian Margaret Cho. Notable deaths included singer Frankie Lymon, actor Bobby Driscoll, Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, spokeswoman for the deaf and blind Helen Keller, politician Robert F. Kennedy, physicist George Gamow, artist Marcel Duchamp, and writer Upton Sinclair.

1960s
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Births - Deaths - Establishments - Events - Works
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