Inaugural Anne Campbell Bloom Government Forum to be Hosted by UA Honors College

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama Honors College will present the inaugural Anne Campbell Bloom Alabama Government Affairs Forum on Monday, April 16 at 7 p.m. in 205 Gorgas Library on campus.

The forum, moderated by Dr. Bill Stewart, UA political science professor emeritus, will focus on “A Discussion of the Future of Alabama’s Legislature” featuring State Representatives Paul J. DeMarco, a Republican from the 46th District in Jefferson County, and Jeff McLaughlin, a Democrat from the 27th District in Marshall County.

Refreshments will be provided. This event is free and open to the public.

The Anne Campbell Bloom Alabama Governmental Affairs Forum Endowed Support Fund is a gift from Hal Bloom in honor of his wife, a proud alumna and devoted supporter of UA. The fund creates an annual lecture intended to educate students on specific developments of the Alabama Legislature and to discuss in detail the inner workings of the political process in Alabama.

In his retirement from the chairmanship of UA’s political science department, Stewart contributes to The Encyclopedia of Alabama, remains active in the Alabama Political Science Association, informs the media on Alabama politics, and teaches part-time.

Rep. DeMarco, a Mountain Brook native, has a long history of leadership and community involvement. DeMarco graduated cum laude from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism in 1990. He received his law degree from UA in 1993, where he was editor-in-chief of the Alabama Law Review.

Since 1993, DeMarco has been a partner in the Parsons, Lee & Juliano law firm, representing clients who serve Alabama. He currently serves as the president of the Birmingham Bar Foundation, a charitable arm of the Birmingham Bar Association. DeMarco is also a member of the Governmental Committee for the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce. DeMarco currently resides in Homewood.

Rep. McLaughlin is serving his third term in the Alabama House of Representatives. He was elected in a special election in 2001 and ran unopposed in 2006. McLaughlin, a Guntersville native, graduated from Guntersville High School in 1978. He received his B.A. from Birmingham Southern College in 1982.

He taught high school history, government and biology for four years in Birmingham before going to law school at Harvard in 1990. He served as a law clerk for Judge Seybourn Lynne and also at the law firm of Maynard Cooper and Gale before returning to Guntersville to begin his own law practice. McLaughlin currently resides in Guntersville.

The mission of the UA Honors College is to recruit, educate and promote the best and brightest students at the University of Alabama. The creation of the Honors College in September 2003 affirms the University’s commitment to empower students to achieve the very top of their potential, and then be rewarded for their achievement.