Crimson White, UA Student Paper, Celebrates 110th Year

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The Crimson White (CW), the student-run newspaper at The University of Alabama, is celebrating its 110th year of publication with events scheduled for Oct. 14-16 in Tuscaloosa.

Some notable CW alumni include author and journalist Gay Talese, former Birmingham News editor Jim Jacobson, “Crazy in Alabama” author Mark Childress, horror novelist Rick McCammon and former U.S. Sen. John Sparkman. First published in 1894, the CW is the oldest continually published newspaper in Tuscaloosa and has received numerous awards over the years including All-American recognition in national competition several times.

On Thursday, Oct. 14, from 6-8 pm, the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library (located on the 2nd floor of Mary Harmon Bryant Hall, 500 Hackberry Lane) will be the site of a reception and exhibition honoring the CW’s 110th anniversary. The event and exhibit is sponsored by the UA Office of Student Media and University Libraries. Refreshments will be served and the event is free and open to the public.

This reception and exhibition are part of the anniversary events honoring the former editors and business managers of the CW.

Ann Wood Waldron, one of the first women editors of the CW, and a successful reporter and celebrated mystery writer, will be the guest speaker at the reception.

Waldron served as the editor of the CW from 1944-1945. A native of Birmingham, she worked as a reporter for the Atlanta Constitution, wrote a weekly column for the Tampa Tribune and later for the St. Petersburg Times and Miami Herald. She was also book editor of the Houston Chronicle for five years.

She is the author of 14 books, including three novels for children and three works of nonfiction for children, including biographies of Monet, Goya, and a book about art forgeries. Waldron has recently written three adult biographies of Southern literary figures, as well as a series of mystery novels.

The exhibition features artifacts from the CW’s past, as well as a history of the CW featuring front pages from the past 110 years. Also included are photographs and other memorabilia. Special features of the exhibition will highlight the CW’s coverage of the Civil Rights era and the U.S. at War throughout the years. Microfilm editions of the CW will be made available during the event on the library’s three microfilm readers for visitors to review the papers from their era.

The exhibition, “Crimson White: One Hundred and Ten Years in Print,” will be on display in the lobby of the Hoole Library through Dec. 24. The Hoole Library is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. with Thursday evening hours until 9 pm.

Anniversary events are being held around the state. The schedule of events for the Crimson White 110th Anniversary Celebration in Tuscaloosa includes:

Thursday, Oct. 14:

6-8 p.m.: Anniversary Reception at W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library
Guest speaker Ann Wood Waldron (CW editor in 1944-45)
Refreshments will be served

Friday, Oct. 15:

Open House all day at the Student Media building
2-4 p.m.: Two forums at the Ferguson Center:
Forum for Past CW Editors in room 300
Forum for Past CW Business/Advertising Managers in room 305
4:30 p.m.: Cake-cutting ceremony with UA President Robert E. Witt
-Ann Wood Waldron will be inducted into the Wall of Fame
5-7 p.m.: Barbecue with face painting and special events for children

Saturday, Oct. 16:

9 a.m.: Stop by the Office of Student Media for pastry and beverages while watching the UA Homecoming Parade.

For more information, contact Anna Cary in the UA Office of Student Media at 205/348-8045, osmalum@sa.ua.edu, or Jessica Lacher-Feldman in the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library at 205/348-0500, jlfeldma@bama.ua.edu.