2011

2011 is the 140th year after the founding of the City of Birmingham.

Events

• January 2: Bethel Metropolitan Community Church closed.
• January 3: The Fairfield City Council appointed Primus Mack to fill the District 2 seat left vacant by the retirement of Vincent Smith.
• January 5: A single-engine plane crashed near the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, killing pilot Eugene Scott.
• January 7: The vacant Powell School building caught fire.
• January 13: The Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham announced their "Prize 2 the Future" contest.
• January 13: A fire damaged part of the Porter Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church in Bessemer.
• January 15: "Dream, Child. Hope" by Adolphus Hailstork had its world premiere at the "Realizing the Dream Concert" in Tuscaloosa.
• January 16: A section of McMillon Avenue Southwest was dedicated in honor of Colonel Stone Johnson.
• January 16: "Reflect and Rejoice" concert at the Alys Stephens Center
• January 17: Robert Bentley was sworn in as the 53rd Governor of Alabama.
• January 17: Unity Breakfast at the BJCC
• January 20: The Alabama Tourism Department's Year of Alabama Music kicked off at the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame at Carver Theatre.
• February 2: Groundhog Birmingham Bill saw his shadow, portending 6 more weeks of winter.
• February 3: The Hood-McPherson building was sold at auction.
• February 5: The Year of Alabama Music kicked off with the "Abalalip!" concert at the Alabama Theatre.
• February 24: US Census data on population of cities and towns was released.
• April: Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q Blues Festival
• April 27: A major tornado outbreak struck mid- and north Alabama.
• June 14: The Bama Rising concert raised funds for tornado victims.
• 2011 Birmingham mayoral election

Business

• Bromberg's held a closeout sale of merchandise from its closed Riverchase Galleria location at its former flagship store in downtown Birmingham.
• Muzik & More relocated to the Crown Plaza Shopping Center.
• Brownell Travel relocated to The Summit.
• January: Southern Cal Transport was bought by Transport America of Eagan, Minnesota.
• January: Mix bakery and café opened in One Federal Place.
• January: EWTN News launched a Spanish-language version, called EWTN Noticias.
• January: Jenkins Brick was acquired by the Acme Brick Company of Fort Worth, Texas.
• January 22: The first FoodBlogSouth conference was held at Woodrow Hall.
• February: Gus Mayer moved from Brookwood Village to the Summit.
• February 1: EWTN acquired the National Catholic Register newspaper.
• February 2: Pinches Tacos opened at Hallman Hill.
• February 2: The new Ona's Music Room opened in the Martin Biscuit Building at Pepper Place.
• February 18: Dunkin' Donuts opened on 6th Avenue South near UAB.
• February 25: Gus Mayer opened at The Summit.
• February 25: Cans of Good People Brewing Company's Brown Ale and IPA appeared in stores.
• March 1: Law firms Feld Hyde and Dominick, Fletcher, Yeilding, Wood & Lloyd merged to form the new firm of Dominick Feld Hyde.
• March: Lazarus Capital Partners purchased NelBran Glass.
• April: Frio en La Paz, a second location of La Paz Mexican restaurant, opened at Vestavia Hills City Center.
• April: Don Drennen Motor Company was bought by Hendrick Automotive Group of North Carolina.
• April 1: Big Sky Bread Company consolidated all operations to the Cahaba Valley Business Park.
• April 15: Banking regulators seized Superior Bank and Nexity Bank.
• April: Grump's Great Grill closed.
• Mazer closed its final Green Springs Highway location.

Sports

• January 8: The first BBVA Compass Bowl saw the Pitt Panthers take on the Kentucky Wildcats.
• January 10: The 2010 Auburn Tigers football team defeated the Oregon Ducks in the BCS National Championship game in Glendale, Arizona.
• January 14–January 16: Alabama defeats Auburn 3 games to 0 to win the inaugural Iron Cup at the Pelham Civic Complex.
• January 22: Gerald Swindle won his first Bassmasters tournament.
• February 13: David Tuwei, a native of Kenya, set a new course record of 2:19:41 in the Mercedes Marathon.
• May 2–8: The Regions Tradition golf tournament was held at the Shoal Creek Golf and Country Club.

Individuals

• Ralph Cook succeeded Thomas Hamby as chairman of the board of directors for the Birmingham Museum of Art.
• Ted Cook succeeded Johnny Stanley as Chief of the Mountain Brook Police Department.
• After concluding his term as Representative for the 7th District of Alabama, Artur Davis joined the law firm SNR Denton in Washington D.C.
• Bill Foisy retired from the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham
• Aaron Miller was ordained a rabbi at Isaac M. Wise Temple in Cincinnati, Ohio.
• Henry Parsley retired as Episcopal Bishop of Alabama.
• Bud Precise became pastor of the Church of the Reconciler.
• Jim Roberson succeeded Phil Dodd as Homewood Police Chief.
• Butch Wilson retired as Chief of the Vestavia Hills Police Department.

Awards

• Alabama Business Hall of Fame: Larry Drummond (Drummond Company), John McMahon, Jr (Ligon Industries), Drayton Nabers, Jr (Protective Life Corporation), Ted Henry (Henry Brick Co.), Edward Spencer, Jr (AuburnBank)

Deaths

• January 2: Bill Ricker, former Operation New Birmingham director
• January 5: Eugene Scott, owner of Pee-Wee's Pawn Shop
• January 27: Vaugn Mancha, former Alabama football player and Florida State AD
• January 28: Sam Mitchell, former Samford University professor of English
• February 9: Luther Smith, former Salvation Army Birmingham Commander
• February 13: Dona Hardekopf, actress
• February 24: Charles Sutton, exterminator and former Homewood City Council president
• February 24: Martha Gaskins, educator, principal, and Birmingham School Board member
• February 25: Jim Jeffrey, football player, coach and educator
• February 28: Dewayne Davis, founder of UAB Gospel Choir and More Than Conquerors Faith Church
• March 2: Dude Hennessey, former Alabama Crimson Tide football coach
• March 2: Wallace Lockett, CME Bishop, died on a flight from Amsterdam
• March 4: Don Drennen, Jr, auto dealer
• March 5: Josh Newman, Jemison police officer
• March 11: Hugh Martin, songwriter
• March 13: Eleanor Harrison, insurance executive and community activist
• March 14: Butch Ridley, former NYPC detective
• March 16: Oliver Adams, former Bessemer Police Department chief
• March 24: Roszetta Johnson, soul and gospel singer
• March 24: Rod Abbott, computer technician
• March 25: David Barnes, former municipal judge and dean of Miles College School of Law
• April 1: Laura Knox, founder of Southern Danceworks
• April 4: David Crenshaw, WWII veteran and Pratt City community leader
• April 5: Gus Koutroulakis, owner of Pete's Famous Hot Dogs
• April 10: Homer Smith, former Alabama Crimson Tide football offensive coordinator
• April 13: Doris Powell, Fountain Heights president and BJCTA chair
• April 13: Camille Desmarais, rector of St John's Episcopal Church for the Deaf
• April 14: Donald Green, Jeff State baseball coach and athletic director
• April 17: Andrew Sorensen, former University of Alabama President
• April 27: Ernie Mundi, business owner
• April 30: Tennant Smallwood, judge
• May 21: Jim Pyburn, baseball player and football coach
• May 31: Wayne Greenhaw, journalist and author
• June 3: Raymond Josof, founder of Raymond's Five Points Market
• June 4: Vijay Misra, UAB cardiologist
• June 12: Kathryn Tucker Windham, storyteller

See also List of Birmingham homicides in 2011 and List of homicides in 2011

Works

• 2011 Alabama Waterfowl Stamp by David Nix
• Nick Saban statue
• "Freedom Riders" PBS documentary

Buildings

• Auburn Arena
• Center Point High School
• Hallman Hill phase II ("The Hill")
• Hayes K-8 School
• Tuscaloosa federal building
• renovations to Cullman County Courthouse
• Grants Mill Road bridge replacement
• Woodlawn United Methodist Church (ground broken January 23)
• Birmingham Regional Intermodal Facility (ground broken June 6)

Books

• Greenhaw, Wayne (2011) Fighting the Devil in Dixie: How Civil Rights Activists Took on the Ku Klux Klan in Alabama. Chicago: Illinois: Lawrence Hill Books. ISBN 1569763453
• Glover, Staci Simon (2011) Coal Mining in Jefferson County. Images of America Series. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738582177
• Fleming, David B. and Mary Allison Haynie (2011) Ensley and Tuxedo Junction. Images of America Series. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738586809

See Also

• 2011 Birmingham Barons
• 2011 Iron Bowl
• 2011 Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival
• 2011 UAB Blazers football

Context

In 2011, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan, causing a tsunami and destabilizing two nuclear power plants. There were major protests against repressive regimes across the Middle East and north Africa.

Notable deaths in 2011 included actresses Jane Russell & Elizabeth Taylor and former vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro.

2010s

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