John Mark Stallings, son of former coach, dies
Associated Press National Wire – Aug. 2
John Mark Stallings, son of former University of Alabama football coach Gene Stallings, died on Saturday. The 46-year-old John Mark was born with Down syndrome and suffered from health problems related to a congenital heart defect. In extending sympathy to the family, Mal Moore, Alabama’s athletic director, said for someone who never played or coach a game, “I think John Mark may have touched more Alabama fans than any other person ever did. I would like to thank the Stallings family for sharing their love for John Mark with all of us.”
CBS 42, Birmingham – Aug. 2
WBRC-Fox 6, Birmingham — Aug. 2 and 3
WZDX-Fox, Huntsville, Aug. 3
WAFF-NBC, Huntsville, Aug. 2
Former Tide coach’s son dead at 46
Montgomery Advertiser – Aug. 2
…“It’s a great loss but also a great tribute to the Good Lord,” said Clem Gryska, who worked alongside Gene Stallings as assistant coaches under Paul Bear” Bryant and who later worked with John Mark in the Bryant Museum. “John Mark wasn’t supposed to live this long. I believe he lived as long as he did because of the prayers and hopes of Gene and Ruth Ann and everybody, really.”…During his father’s seven-year tenure as head coach of the Crimson Tide, John Mark was a popular figure among the media and fans, often spending his day in his father’s office…The University of Alabama used the Stallings – Gene was a vocal proponent of developing organizations to deal with youth disabilities and the popular John Mark was a perfect spokesman – to raise money for a RISE Center designed to help young children under the age of 6 who were born with physical disabilities. The Stallings Center , as it was named, opened on campus on Nov. 30, 1994…On Dec. 8, 2005, the equipment room in the Crimson Tide’s football building was renamed the John Mark Stallings Equipment Room…
Mal Moore: “John Mark may have touched more Alabama fans than any other person”
Birmingham News – Aug. 2
Some sad news this morning… The son of former Alabama coach Gene Stallings has died. John Mark Stallings — Johnny, as he was called — passed away near the family’s ranch in Texas. John Mark, 46, was diagnosed with Down’s Syndrome and had been dealing with declining health. But for years, he was a fixture at the side of his father and a fan favorite. John Mark is also partially responsible for the extremely positive, long-standing relationship between Alabama and the Rise School of Tuscaloosa…
Al Benn: Father-son bond evident in every gaze
Montgomery Advertiser – Aug. 4
…Three years ago, Johnny accompanied his parents to the Stallings Center, now in its second decade of helping special children. Behind the big building is a playground that was named for Johnny that year. He lived long enough to see it, to visit as often as he could and to appreciate what was being done to honor him. Of all the photographs I’ve taken through the decades, one stands out above all the rest. It’s of a father and a son.
The former coach had just entered the Stallings Building, turned right and headed down a hallway. That’s where he saw Johnny. He gently cradled his big hands around his son’s neck, looked deeply into his eyes and smiled. Johnny returned it. His was even bigger.
It happened during a Father’s Day weekend and that moment in the hallway was the best present Gene Stallings could have ever received. It was a look of love
Funeral, visitation set for John Mark Stallings
Associated Press National Wire – Aug. 4
Friends and family will bid farewell on Tuesday to John Mark Stallings, the son of former University of Alabama football coach Gene Stallings…The Alabama Athletic Media Relations said in a statement that visitation will be held Monday, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Sparrett Funeral Home in Paris, Texas. The funeral service is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 5 p.m. at Lamar Avenue Church of Christ in Paris, Texas.
UA athletics officials speak about Stallings
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 4
Mal Moore made an impromptu visit to the press box at Bryant-Denny Stadium to express his thoughts to the media on former coach Gene Stallings’ son, who passed away Saturday morning in Texas. ‘I’ve been around a lot of people in my life but no one who could make people feel as loved as John Mark,’ said Moore, University of Alabama athletics director. ‘He was quite an ambassador for this university when he was here.’…Alabama head football coach Nick Saban opened Sunday morning’s press conference with his condolences for the Stallings family…. ‘The Stallings family will always be a great part of the tradition at the University of Alabama. Our thoughts and prayers are with them on this Sunday morning.’…The family suggests memorial donations be made to the Rise program in Tuscaloosa. For those who can’t make it to Texas, Donna Callahan, director of operations and outreach for the Arc of Tuscaloosa, said the Arc will hold a memorial service for John Mark at 8 a.m. Friday at the McGraw Center in the lunchroom that bears John Mark’s name
Montgomery Advertiser – Aug. 4
CECIL HURT: John Mark Stallings had the gift of insight
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 3
Among several lasting memories of John Mark Stallings, one always stands out in my mind. It was moments after the University of Alabama football team had soundly beaten Miami in New Orleans, clinching the 1992 national championship. Before he went to meet the national media, Alabama head coach Gene Stallings, always a friend to local reporters, slipped into a small room deep beneath the Superdome to speak briefly to me and to Charles Hollis, the Birmingham News’ beat reporter at the time. Amid the massive celebration that still echoed in the stadium, that tiny cubicle contained only the coach (still a little damp from the Gatorade bath he was given by his players), Larry White of the UA sports information staff, Hollis, myself — and the person who put it all in perspective: John Mark Stallings.
Real school teens not really as ‘mean’ as screen ‘Mean Girls’ counterparts
Newspostonline.com – Aug. 4
Unlike what the majority of teenage movies showcase, all social groups in middle and high schools are not filled with “mean” pupils, says a leading academic. In her new research, Dr. Natalie Adams of the University of Alabama shares why social groups are so influential in schools and how they create communities and develop social skills. Adams has also provided some tips to parents of children navigating these groups. “There are actually many positives to being in social groups during the teen years,” said Adams, an associate professor of educational leadership, policy and technology studies at UA. “Social groups provide a sense of community and support. This is where many people find their life-long friends. These groups also teach basic social skills such as negotiation, compromise, teamwork and communication,” she added…
Birmingham Star – Aug. 3
Malaysia Sun (India) – Aug. 3
WebIndia.com – Aug. 4
State gets NCLB results Monday
Montgomery Advertiser – Aug. 3
…Marcia Rock, associate professor of special education at the University of Alabama, said no matter who takes the White House, there likely will be changes to the law. “Early intervention will no doubt be a part of it because we know through longitudinal research that early intervention has positive adult outcomes for children,” she said. “We also know that teacher quality makes a significant difference in student achievement.” Rock said unfortunately as it stands there is about an 85 percent chance a child will end up in a classroom with a teacher who is average or less than average. She said that will have to change if NCLB, or its successor, are to boost student achievement and close the achievement gap for minorities, the poor and those who are disabled. “The emphasis needs to be redirected to teacher quality,” Rock said. “But that takes money and it takes time.”
Opinion: AT LARGE: Mortgage bailout sounds like socialism
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 3
…Even though capitalism is not a moral system —- nor should it pretend to be -— there is the concept of ‘moral hazard’ in economics, which means …Well, I’ll let Dr. William E. Jackson III, a professor of finance, management and the newly appointed Smith Foundation Chair of Business Ethics and Integrity at the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce, explain it: ‘The moral hazard idea is the notion that before things go bad, how can we put in place a system that would give all the players in the system an incentive to do the right thing?’ said Jackson…
Bullies now using cyberspace to attack their prey
Newspostonline.com (India) – Aug. 4
…“Cyberbullying,” as it’s now called, is like regular bullying except it’s done online through sites like Facebook and MySpace and the use of cell phones, says Dr. Vivian Wright of the University of Alabama…“‘Cyberbullying’ is much worse because you cannot see the bully, and it’s a 24/7 thing. You can’t get away from it,” says Wright…
Relax. Local experts say your bank account is safe
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 3
…Consumers worried about the viability of their own banks have little to worry about, said Robert McLeod, a professor of finance, economics and legal studies at the University of Alabama. McLeod believes the worst may be over for most struggling banks. ‘At this stage of the game most of the bad news is out, based on what I have seen of the write-offs of bad debt and the like for the second quarter of this year, which ended at the end of June,’ he said. ‘I think most of the banks have gone ahead, bitten the bullet and written off just about anything they had any doubts about…William E. Jackson III, a professor of finance and management at UA, agrees. ‘The problems in the markets are much worse for investors and shareholders than for banks themselves and the people who keep money in them,’ he said…
Bama fans have their day
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 4
…thousands of crimson-clad fans lined up outside Bryant-Denny Stadium for the annual UA Fan Day celebration…By 1 p.m., the line of Crimson Tide faithful had grown from a couple dozen early birds to several hundred, stretching around the side of the stadium. About 7,750 people were estimated, down a bit from last year’s Fan Day, which drew an estimated 9,000 people to Bryant-Denny Stadium…
UA grad seeks to vindicate grandfather with film
Associated Press – Aug. 4
…But now, Patton’s grandson, anthropology student Gardner Patton, and his filmmaker cousin are determined to vindicate their grandfather and his unpopular theories. This fictional plotline for ‘A Genesis Found’ was written by 22-year-old Hartselle native Lee Fanning. The recent University of Alabama graduate wrapped filming two weeks ago for the feature film he directed…Fanning worked with fellow UA graduate Ben Stark of Huntsville on the project…The 30 cast and crew members (mostly young novices looking for film experience) filmed the movie in Decatur, Hartselle and other Alabama sites, including Moundville Archaeological Park in Tuscaloosa…
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 4
Nick’s Kids awards $350K
Montgomery Advertiser – Aug. 4
Alabama head coach Nick Saban and wife Terry hosted a luncheon Friday at the Moore Athletic Facility, where approximately $350,000 was distributed to 70 charities. Since the Sabans arrived in Tuscaloosa, the Nick’s Kids Fund has helped raise more than $650,000 and made more than 140 donations to children’s charities throughout the state…The University of Alabama announced in June that Nick and Terry Saban had pledged $1M to the school for first-generation scholarships.
College news
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 4
The University of Alabama
Jennifer Horne of Cottondale has received a Poetry Fellowship. The $5,000 grant was awarded by the Alabama State Council on the Arts at its June meeting….Kacey Delaine Dunn, daughter of Rickey and Cindy Dunn of Tuscaloosa, has become recognized as a member of Sigma Alpha Lambda, National Leadership and Honors Organization at the University of Alabama….William Sherwood, son of Eddie and Amy Sherwood, has received one of 40 2008 Compass Bancshares’ DeWayne C. Cuthbertson Memorial Scholarship Awards….
UA Leases Space at The Bluffs
WVUA, Tuscaloosa – Aug. 3
Upperclassmen at The University of Alabama have a new option for housing. The university is leasing apartments at The Bluff at Waterworks Landing off Jack Warner Parkway. Workers on the scene tell WVUA they have to be finished in time for students to move in this August.
Sorority Girls Move In
WVUA, Tuscaloosa – Aug. 3
Many University of Alabama students moved into their new homes today. Many of the sorority houses opened back up this weekend so the girls can start getting ready for recruitment. We also saw lots of people moving into off-campus houses and apartments…
The beat goes on for high school bands
Times Daily (Florence) – Aug. 2
Audrey Michael has basically grown up around high school bands.Her mother was a section leader of the drum line in her high school. Audrey got involved in the band when her turn came, playing trumpet from the sixth through the ninth grade. But her focus would change when she decided to try out for Brooks High School’s dance line. “I knew how good they were, and everyone loved to see them,” Michael said. Not only did she make the group, but Michael later became the dance line’s captain. . . . For the University of Alabama’s “Million Dollar Band,” director of bands Kenneth Ozzello said the process for them begins Jan. 1 with scholarship auditions, which continued through the spring semester. In the meantime, the band staff begin to hold meetings in March to plan the show, Ozzello said. They send their ideas to an arranger, who writes the music for the band. After they get the music in the summer, the band staff puts the show together. “It really starts to heat up in the summer, the closer we get to the season,” Ozzello said.
Bailey Thomson luncheon Aug. 28
Mobile Press-Register – Aug. 3
The keynote speaker at the 2008 awards luncheon for the Alabama Citizens for Constitution Reform Foundation will address audiences in Mobile and Birmingham at the same time. Mark Berte, the foundation’s education director, said the Bailey Thomson Awards Luncheon will take place in Mobile on Aug. 28 and shown via telecast in Birmingham. . . . Thomson, a journalist who worked as a writer and editor at the Press-Register and later as a journalism professor at the University of Alabama, helped found the ACCR in 2000.