By Sarah Kuper Now in its 31st year, the UAB Benevolent Fund campaign has reached a milestone. Employees from all facets of the UAB community have come together and raised a record $2 million to help UAB employees in need and fund local non-profits. The fund is governed by a council of UAB employees, and the wider UAB community has input on where the money goes. Through … [Read more...]
Corps Values: AmeriCorps Grad Finds A Home in Birmingham Through Service
By Emily Williams Though she grew up in Kennesaw, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, Bethany Reeves has made a home in Hoover and has forged a love of Birmingham through her participation in the AmeriCorps program. “Birmingham feels like home now, in fact, Hoover feels almost exactly like my hometown,” Reeves said. “Sometimes I’ll drive on 280 and it feels just like I’m on Barret … [Read more...]
The Five Fs of Fatherhood: Dr. Ron Henderson Reflects on His Life in New Memoir
By Emily Williams You can call Dr. Ronald E. Henderson, better known as Ron, a lot of things. You can call him a doctor – an OBGYN to be exact. You can call him an entrepreneur, leading him to found the Southeast’s first stand-alone surgical center. You can call him an advocate, writing a book on how to cope with myasthenia gravis. But you also can call him a farmer, the … [Read more...]
College Graduate at 85: Vestavia Hills Woman Finishes What She Started
By Sarah Kuper Lottie Jacks feels like any recent college graduate – glad not to have to study for another final or drag herself to an 8 a.m. class after a long night of studying. But unlike the average Samford University grad, Jacks is 85 years old. The octogenarian walked across the Wright Center stage May 14 to receive her degree in biology nearly 65 years after she began … [Read more...]
Reluctant Hero: First Alabama Vietnam Veteran Reflects on Real Tragedy of Any War
By Lee DavisJim Lawrence’s professorial looks and soft-spoken manner give him the appearance of a college dean or a teacher. In fact, Lawrence has been both. But he is much more than that. The Vestavia Hills resident is a war hero – even though he disputes that description. Lawrence, a Troy native, had just graduated from The Citadel in South Carolina when he decided … [Read more...]