1994

1994 was the 123rd year after the founding of the City of Birmingham.

Events

• March 27: A Palm Sunday tornado injured 53 people and damaged businesses along U.S. Highway 31 in Shelby County.
• September 17: The UAB Marching Blazers debuted at Legion Field.
• October 18: Groundbreaking for the new Shades Valley High School in Irondale took place.
• The graves of Ellard Cemetery were moved to Trussville due to the expansion of the North-South runway at the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport.
• Jamie, a Western lowland gorilla, came to the Birmingham Zoo from Albuquerque, New Mexico.
• Cleveland Hammonds was forced out as Birmingham City Schools superintendent.
• Magic City Harvest was founded.
• Plans for a 300-acre "Ecoplex" near Liberty Park to replace the Birmingham Zoo were shelved for lack of public funding.

Business

• Abanks Mortuary opened.
• WBRC 6 was sold to New World Inc.
• Watkins Book Shop closed.
• Lazlo's Pizza opened in Lakeview.
• The Garage Café opened on 10th Terrace South.
• Jeff and Patti Pierce opened a franchised Big Sky Bread Company bakery in Mountain Brook Village.
• Steiner Bank was acquired by Highland Bank.
• Video Xpress was acquired by Movie Gallery.

Media

• Courteney Cox starred in the motion picture Ace Ventura: Pet Detective and began her role as Monica on the television series Friends.
• Cobb, filmed at Rickwood Field.

Religion

• The Church of the Reconciler moved to a building on 18th Street North.
• Woodlawn Baptist Church relocated to Vestavia Hills as Liberty Park Baptist Church.

Sports

• Mike Davis returned to Alabama as an assistant coach for the men's basketball team.
• Vestavia Hills Rebels won the first of seven straight state baseball titles under coach Sammy Dunn.
• Mark's Outdoor Sports hosted the 1st annual Lay Lake Open bass tournament at Paradise Point Marina on Lay Lake.

Individuals

• Actor Kate Jackson underwent open heart surgery.
• Methodist minister Willie Spencer retired after 36 years of service.
• Mac Underwood was named City of Birmingham's Director of the Finance Department.
• Coach Iola Baylor retired after 30 years in teaching.
• Buck Brock left Compass Bank to head the Express Oil Development Company.
• Reverend James Naughton came to Birmingham to be assistant pastor at Holy Rosary Catholic Church.
• Paul Zahl succeeded Larry Gipson as Dean of the Cathedral Church of the Advent.

Births

• January 6: Jameis Winston, Heisman Trophy winning quarterback
• August 29: Moti, white tiger
• Hoda Muthana: Expatriate militant Islamist
• Jessi, police dog
• Sugar, female mute swan
• Showdown, Birmingham Police Mounted Patrol horse

Awards

• Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame: Cholly Atkins, Mary Ogletree, and Willie Ruff.
• Alabama Sports Hall of Fame: Paul Crane, Luman Harris, Kirk Newell, Lloyd Nix, Jerry Pate, and Dwight Stephenson.
• Alabama Women's Hall of Fame: Lottice Howell
• Miss Alabama: Heather Whitestone
• Miss Shelby County: Bethany Pearson Ivey
• Associated Press "Best Anchor in Alabama": Janet Hall

Graduations

• Merrilee Challiss earned her bachelor of arts at UAB.
• Lawrence Conaway earned his MBA from UAB.
• Bernard Kincaid earned his J.D. from the Birmingham School of Law.
• Walter Maddox earned his bachelor's in political science from UAB.

Deaths

• February 7: Herman Frank Cash, suspect in the 1963 bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church
• February 11: Neil Bonnett, while practicing for the Daytona 500
• April 10: Alvin Vogtle, Southern Company CEO
• May 3: Mary Elizabeth Counselman, short story writer
• June 26: Joseph Durick, Civil Rights activist
• July 3: Petey Sarron, boxer
• July 13: Charlie Fonville, attorney and former shotputter
• September 15: Haywood Henry, jazz saxophonist
• October 16: Five people were shot to death by Stephen Pilley and Anthony Apicella during a robbery of the Changing Times Lounge.
• November 23: Bettie Crutcher, pediatric nurse and bookstore clerk

See also List of Birmingham homicides in 1994 and List of Jefferson County homicides in 1994

Works

Art

• Lonnie Holley, "Obstacles Before the Goal", showing at High Museeum of Art, Atlanta.

Books

• Best American Short Stories, Tobias Wolff, editor.
• Don't Look Back : Satchel Paige in the Shadows of Baseball, by Mark Ribowsky.
• In Pharaoh's Army, a memoir about Tobias Wolff's experiences as a soldier in the Vietnam War.
• Journey to the Ants: A Story of Scientific Exploration, by E. O. Wilson.
• Naturalist, by E. O. Wilson.
• The Vintage Book of Contemporary American Short Stories, Tobias Wolff, editor.

Buildings

• Brook Highland Cinema
• Central Park Elementary School
• Children's Park Place
• Hoover High School
• Southside Station
• Expansion of Cobb Festival 12 to 18 screens

Music

• The 6th annual City Stages music festival was held downtown.
• Little Red Rocket was formed.
• Document records released a compilation of Walter Roland's 1930s recordings.

See also

• 1994 Birmingham Barons
• 1994 Iron Bowl
• 1994 UAB Blazers

Context

1990s

<< 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 >>

Births - Deaths - Establishments - Events - Works