When it comes to civic clubs, Birmingham, Alabama is the big winner! The city features the largest Kiwanis club, Rotary club, and Rotaract Club in the world. But that’s not all. All three clubs have a woman for a leader: Leigh Davis leads the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham, Brenda Hackney leads the Rotary Club of…
A Medical School with Heart: an Institution in the South Trains Doctors to Truly Care
Kevin Leon, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education at UAB, remembers an internship episode that made him decide to stay at the Birmingham institution. “It was my first night as an intern at the ER. At two o’clock in the morning, a patient came in with a rare disorder I had never encountered. I didn’t…
Profiles in History: Arthur Rankin Jr. and Jules Bass: Creators of Christmas Classics
November 30, 2022
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American EssenceArts & CultureBrightFilm & TVFrosty the SnowmanHistoryRankin/Bass ProductionsRudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
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Arthur Rankin Jr. (July 19, 1924–Jan. 30, 2014) Jules Bass (September 16, 1935–Oct. 25, 2022) It is practically impossible to think of Christmas without thinking of Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. In many ways, the memories many of us have of those fictional characters come from two individuals: Arthur Rankin…
Sister Schubert’s Dinner Rolls: A Southern Baking Tradition
All it took was a worn-out and wooden kitchen stool. When Patricia “Sister” Schubert was a child, she climbed onto a rickety stool and helped her grandmother, whom she called Grammy, make bread rolls. She learned from an early age that food not only fills your hungry stomach but has the power to bring families…
Connecting Through Mail
A recent Pew research poll stated that Americans have a 91 percent positive view of the United States Postal Service. However, a poll done by the USPS noted a drastic drop in service for delivering letters and First-Class mail. Of course, one is quick to realize the cause of this decline. Most Americans prefer the…
Profiles in History: Jimmy Durante: The Man With a Nose for Show Business
Jimmy Durante (February 10, 1893–January 29, 1980) When Jimmy Durante was born into an Italian immigrant family in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, he was cursed and blessed with a physical curiosity: a bulbous nose. In his early years, he hated his nose because it was often the center of ridicule. One day, several bullies beat…
Holiday Spirit: How An Alabama Homeless Shelter is Bringing Thanksgiving to Folks Going Through Tough Times
Their eyes shined with a humble thank you. The men’s faces gleamed with anticipation for the upcoming Thanksgiving feast. Life had been tough for these homeless men, but the folks at the Firehouse Shelter were there to lend support. On this Thanksgiving Day, their troubles will have to wait. On this day, the universe exhaled…
On Thanksgiving Day, A Grieving Family Found Love and Solace in Each Other
In the backyard of the Boyd’s home in Birmingham, the sun beamed, drying up the glistening dew on the grass, bringing warmth to the mildly chilly day. The sky gleamed with that deep purple you only see when the air is clear and cold, and when the V-formations of relentless geese fly overhead toward warmer…
Operating Antiques: A Small Town in Colorado is Still Printing Newspapers on Linotype Machines
Dean Coombs is surrounded by letters and words. In fact, publishing the only linotype-set newspaper in the country is all in a day’s work for Coombs. The Saguache (pronounced “swatch”) Crescent office in the Colorado town of the same name is seven-days-a-week, home away from home for the 70-year-old. The linotype machine is as comfortable…
Religious Liberty and the Freedom to Do Good: The Story of Casimira Kaupas
Discussions of the history of religious liberty in America tend to focus on the struggles of various religious minorities with oppression in their native lands. This tends to make the overall outlook one-sided, placing the focus on how these groups won civil liberties, whether in American society itself, or as a result of leaving behind religious…
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