2011

NWS map of the tornadoes confirmed during the April 2011 outbreak

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

Events

President Obama in Alberta City on April 29.

• 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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