1987

1987 was the 116th year after the founding of the city of Birmingham.

Events

• March 1: The Homewood Public Library moved into the former Homewood Church of Christ.
• April 3: A rare snowfall brought 5 inches to Birmingham.
• August 13: The Alabama State Legislature created the Alabama Men's Hall of Fame.
• September 29: The Jefferson County Occupational Tax was created.
• The Town of Argo was incorporated.
• Radio partners Mark & Brian moved their show to Los Angeles, California.
• St Symeon the New Theologian Orthodox Church purchased their building at 3101 Clairmont Avenue.
• The Birmingham Department of Community Development ended publication of its "'Cross Town" newsletter due to budget cuts.
• Habitat for Humanity Greater Birmingham was founded.

Business

• May: I Cover the War began publication.
• Blach's declared bankruptcy.
• The Clay-Chalkville Animal Clinic was founded.
• Cooking Light magazine began publication.
• Jim Dearth became CEO of Children's Hospital.
• Kiwanis Club of Birmingham opened its membership to women.
• Lou's Pub and Package Store opened.
• The Magic Platter opened.
• Highland Associates investment firm was founded.
• The Parisian Clearance Center moved to the Palisades.
• Several local Pizitz stores were converted to McRae's.
• Redmont School was founded.
• The Shepherd Centre was proposed.
• Southland Tube was founded.
• Space One Eleven opened with Jon Coffelt as the inaugural artist.
• TC opened.
• WBRC 6 was sold by Taft Radio and Television to Great American Radio & TV Corporation.
• WTTO was sold by Arlington Broadcasting to HR Broadcasting.
• Simply Fashions was founded.
• Barton-Clay Fine Jewelers was founded.
• Walter Industries, Inc. went private.
• BellSouth ended its lease of warehouse space at the Phoenix Building.
• A second location of Babe's Hot Dogs opened on 3rd Avenue North.
• WKXX-FM added "urban crossover" tracks to its format.
• The Land Title Mortgage Company moved their offices into the Family Reserve Insurance building.
• Raymond Harris left Dampier-Harris & Associates to found Harris & Associates Architects.
• Jerry Wootten founded HomTex in Cullman.
• Larry Argo, Bobby Bratton and Bill Proctor founded Marathon Electrical Contractors.
• Lisa Newsom and Charles Ross founded Veranda magazine in Atlanta, Georgia.

Government

• July 29: The League of Women Voters selected Birmingham to host the first of four presidential debates during the 1988 general election. They later withdrew their sponsorship and canceled the planned debates due to unreasonable demands placed on them by agreement between the Dukakis and Bush campaigns.
• The former site of the Alabama Army Ammunition Plant was placed on the National Priorities List by the EPA.
• The Gardendale Chamber of Commerce was formed.

Sports

• January 20: Baseball player Vida Blue signed with the Oakland Athletics.
• April 30: Bill Elliott set a record for the fastest recorded time in a stock car at 212.809 mph during qualifying at the Talladega Superspeedway.
• May 3: Bobby Allison crashed spectacularly at the Winston 500 at the Talladega Superspeedway, leading to a 4-hour red flag and a shortened race, won by his son, rookie Davey Allison.
• July 11: Bo Jackson signed a $7.4 million contract with the Los Angeles Raiders.
• July 24: Wrestler Sherri Martel made her World Wrestling Federation debut.
• August 30: Two Birmingham Barons records were set as Tom Forrester hit three home runs and another extra base hit in a game against Columbus.
• November 27: Auburn won the Iron Bowl, 10-0.
• The Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex hosted the first two rounds of the NCAA college basketball tournament.
• The Birmingham Barons changed their home field from Rickwood to Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.
• The 1987 class of the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame included Buck Buchanan, Joe Childress, Hubert Green, Homer Norton, Don Sutton and Jim Whatley. The first "Distinguished Alabama Sportsman" honor went to Shoal Creek developer Hall Thompson.
• Continental Championship Wrestling's Tracy Smothers wrestled a 550 pound grizzly bear during a Birmingham event.

Nonprofits and Churches

• 55th Place opened.
• The Alabama Wildlife Center moved to Oak Mountain State Park.
• Birmingham Civic Opera Association merged with the Southern Regional Opera to form the Birmingham Opera Theater.
• Birmingham Landmarks was founded to save the Alabama Theatre.
• EWTN expanded to broadcasting 24 hours a day.
• Guiding Light Church was founded.
• Hunter Street Baptist Church moved to Hoover.
• The Doctor Who Fan Club was founded by Lion & Unicorn owner Allen Hammack.

Individuals

• Michael Dubruiel was ordained for the Catholic Diocese of St Augustine, Florida.
• Alan Hunter left MTV.
• Harold Jackson joined the editorial board of The Birmingham News.
• Ron Nored became pastor of Bethel AME Church Ensley.
• Joe Langston retired from WBRC-TV to accept an endowed chair at Jacksonville State University.

Births

• January 7: Courtney Porter, Miss Alabama 2011
• January 25: Andre Smith, football player
• March 23: Earl Bennett, football player
• March: Caleb Bankston, train engineer
• May 1: Glen Coffee, former football player
• June 7: Daniel Scheinert, filmmaker
• June 11: Tyler Grisham, football player
• June 16: Diana DeGarmo, singer and actress (American Idol)
• December 16: Hector Santiago, pitcher for the 2011 Birmingham Barons
• Ryan Evans, murder victim and accused murderer
• Kayla Fanaei, UAB student and murder victim
• Wil Jones, videographer
• Anthony Mostella, football player
• Mike Ngangi, retail clerk and entrepreneur
• Maurice Thomas, football player and murder victim
• Mara, giraffe

Awards

• Miss Alabama: Julie Hitt was awarded the crown, but resigned two days later, giving Kym Williams the title.
• Miss Shelby County: Donnalee Davis Blankenship

Graduations

• Tim Ritchie, Juris Doctorate from the Duke University School of Law
• Roy Williams, B.A. in English from Jacksonville State University

Deaths

• February 14: Wendy Holcombe, banjo player
• March 7: A. H. Woodward Jr, industrialist
• April 28: William Rushton Jr, president of Protective Life
• May 2: Ivory Williams, bandleader and union organizer
• May 14: Luke Sewell, baseball player and manager
• June 5: Eleanor Bridges, artist and activist
• June 24: Wing Soon Joe, restaurateur
• July 1: Charles W. Ireland, chairman of Vulcan Materials
• July 13: Johnny High, basketball player
• July 14: Joseph Vath, first Bishop of Birmingham
• August 1: Carolyn Smith, architect
• August: John L. Howell, Carraway Hospital administrator
• October: Douglas Arant, attorney
• November 8: Ed Willis Barnett, photographer
• November 21: Jim Folsom Sr, 42nd Governor of Alabama
• Richard Howard, Birmingham Museum of Art director
• Bertha Smolian, philanthropist

See also, List of homicides in 1987

Works

• Jesús Moroles completed the Granite Garden sculpture installation for the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

Albums

• Angel Band by Emmylou Harris
• Trio by Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton, and Linda Ronstadt

Books

• Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg
• The first Birmingham Off Beat calendar
• Reprint edition of Ethel Armes' 1910 The Story of Coal and Iron in Alabama by Beechwood Books

Buildings

• 2320 Highland Avenue
• BE&K headquarters
• Hewitt-Trussville Junior High classroom annex
• Hugo L. Black Federal Courthouse
• Mervyn H. Sterne Library addition
• Park Building
• Pickwick Place
• Red Mountain cut granted National Natural Landmark status
• St Theresa Catholic Church church hall
• Stafford Plaza
• Turlington Camellia Solar House, dedicated October 18
• May 10: Ground was broken for St Patrick Catholic Church in Adamsville.
• July 12: The Chestnut Hill Historic District listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Context

In 1987, top stories in the United States included Gary Hart's withdrawal from the U.S. presidential race after his affair with Donna Rice was exposed, Jim Bakker's affair with Jessica Hahn, and baby Jessica McClure being rescued from a well. In Russia, Mathias Rust landed his plane in Red Square and Gorbachev introduced perestroika. And advertisers created the California Raisins.

1980s

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