MONTGOMERY, Ala. -a One particular of your 1st black college students who enrolled with the University of Alabama a half century ago in defiance of racial segregation has died. James Hood of Gadsden was 70.
Officials at Adams-Buggs Funeral House in Gadsden explained they can be managing arrangements for Hood, who died Thursday.
Then-Alabama Gov. George Wallace created his infamous "stand from the schoolhouse door" inside a failed work to stop Hood and Vivian Malone from registering for courses with the university in 1963.
Hood and Malone had been accompanied by Deputy U.S. Lawyer Common Nicholas Katzenbach after they have been confronted by Wallace because they attempted to enter the university's Foster Auditorium to register for courses and shell out costs.
Wallace backed down later on that day and Hood and Malone registered for courses.
UA President Judy Bonner remembered Hood like a guy of "courage and conviction" for currently being one particular with the 1st black college students to enroll on the university.
"His connection to your university continued decades later on when he returned to UA to earn his doctorate in 1997. He was a valued member in the University of Alabama local community, and he'll be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family members in the course of this tough time," Bonner stated.
Hood was the final survivor amongst the main figures while in the schoolhouse door incident. Wallace died in 1998, Vivian Malone Jones in 2005 and Katzenbach final yr.
Just after enrolling, Hood remained at UA for any number of months and moved to Michigan, exactly where he obtained a bachelor's degree from Wayne State University along with a master's degree from Michigan State.
He later on moved to Wisconsin, the place he worked with the Madison Place Technical University for 26 many years. He retired in 2002 as chairman of public security providers in charge of police and fire teaching.
He ultimately returned to UA later on in daily life to earn his doctorate.
Culpepper Clark, writer of "The Schoolhouse Door: Segregation's Final Stand on the University of Alabama," termed the schoolhouse door incident "an iconic moment" while in the Civil Rights Motion since it presented a confrontation in between Wallace as well as the Kennedy administration. He mentioned the incident was "symbolically important" and aided bring about passage of your Voting Rights Act.
Clark described Hood as being a guy which has a good deal of "intellectual energy" who understood the significance of what he did in the University of Alabama in 1963.
"He did not try out to create it into over what it had been," Clark mentioned.
The Rev. Preston Nix grew up in Etowah County and stated he knew of Hood, who was a number of many years older than he.
Nix explained it took lots of courage for Hood to challenge the segregation on the University of Alabama in 1963.
Nix explained he felt Hood did what he did partly to "pave the way" for other people to become capable of enhance themselves and obtain a increased training and partly due to the fact he desired to attend the University of Alabama.
Samory Pruitt, vice president for local community affairs at UA, agreed with Nix.
"Because of what he did, persons like me have been afforded the chance to visit the University of Alabama," stated Pruitt, who's black. "I consider it is about persons obtaining the chance to become the very best they're able to be."
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