Cecil Whitmire

Cecil Whitmire at the Mighty Wurlitzer

Cecil M. Whitmire (born December 24, 1935, died August 22, 2010 in Corryton, Tennessee) was the president of Birmingham Landmarks, which owns and manages the Alabama Theatre. From the about 1976 until his retirement in 2007, Whitmire was also the theater's principal organist.

Biography

Whitmire grew up in Knoxville. He began taking organ lessons at the age of 12 and continued playing through his college years at the University of Tennessee and beyond to earn extra money. Whitmire's full-time job was at a wholesale hardware company in Knoxville, but he also spent 22 years as the house organist at the Tennessee Theatre.

Whitmire moved to Birmingham with his wife, Linda, in 1976 from Tennessee. Not long after, he began working as part-time house organist at the Alabama. His stint was interrupted by a 14-month return to Knoxville from 1981 to 1982. During that time, he and Linda were involved in the restoration of the Tennessee Theatre and Atlanta's "Save the Fox" campaign.

Whitmire then returned to Birmingham, working for Long Lewis Hardware. He also eventually became president of the Alabama Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society (ATOS). When Costa and Head, owners of the Alabama, declared bankruptcy in 1986, Whitmire led the effort to save the Alabama. Birmingham Landmarks was created to be the non-profit owner of the Alabama in 1987 and Whitmire has been its only president to date.

Whitmire eventually gave up his job at Long Lewis Hardware in 1992 to work full-time for the Alabama. Whitmire was also re-elected as president of the Alabama Chapter of ATOS in 1999, serving for one or two years. In 2001, Whitmire lost his wife after a long battle against cancer. The following year, he published a book about the Alabama, The Alabama Theatre: Showplace of the South, co-authored by Alabama Theatre house manager Jeannie Hanks.

In 2007, at 71, Whitmire announced his retirement as house organist. Although he was the primary organist for the Alabama classic movie series, other organists from the local ATOS chapter had been sharing those duties with him for several years and they have continued in his place. Whitmire continued to act as president of Birmingham Landmarks and as the Alabama Theatre's number one advocate until his death in 2010. He was succeeded as general manager by Brant Beene.

References

• Mays, Vernon. (May/June 1995). "Center Stage." Historic Preservation.
• Harvey, Alec. (2003). "Cecil Whitmire." AlabamaArts. (Alabama State Council on the Arts.)
• Harvey, Alec. (August 28, 2007). "The mighty Cecil retires from the Wurlitzer." The Birmingham News.
• Harvey, Alec. (August 22, 2010). "Cecil Whitmire, who led transformation of the Alabama Theatre, dies at 74." Breaking News from The Birmingham News. Accessed August 22, 2010.
• Harvey, Alec (August 29, 2010) "Cecil Whitmire, longtime guardian of Alabama Theatre, is gone, but others determined to realize his vision." Birmingham News