Three Remarkable Alabamians to be Inducted into C&IS Hall of Fame at UA

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Three renowned communication and information leaders will be inducted into The University of Alabama College of Communication and Information Sciences Hall of Fame Thursday, Nov. 6. The induction ceremonies will be at the NorthRiver Yacht Club.

Established by the C&IS Board of Visitors, the Communication Hall of Fame was created in 1998 to honor, preserve and perpetuate the names and accomplishments of civic and communication personalities who have brought lasting fame to the state of Alabama. This year’s honored individuals include:

• Nelle Harper Lee
• Dr. James D. Ramer
• H. Pettus Randall III

The Communication Hall of Fame Gallery is located in the rotunda of Reese Phifer Hall on the UA campus. Permanent archives will be established and maintained for the collection of memorabilia related to the lives and careers of those chosen for placement in the Hall of Fame.

2008 College of Communication and Information Sciences Hall of Fame Inductees

Nelle Harper Lee

In the early years of the 21st century, surely the most widely recognized name among American writers must be Harper Lee.

Lee’s 1960 novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” required reading in most American schools, is the novel most often chosen in the “one community reads one book” programs, and is read around the world in 30 different languages.

This global fame is all the more remarkable since Lee was born and raised in Monroeville, Ala. After a year at Huntingdon College in Montgomery and four years at The University of Alabama where she was an undergraduate who wrote for The Crimson White and the Rammer-Jammer and studied law, Lee moved to New York City, and wrote her novel.

“Mockingbird,” set in the 1930s, is a straightforward story of a young girl, Scout, growing up and learning the nature of justice and honorable behavior from her father, Atticus Finch, who has become a standard by which attorneys everywhere will forever be measured.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” has sold more than 30 million copies and is perhaps the most successful American novel ever. It achieved that success right from the start. Critics loved it at publication. “Mockingbird” won the 1960 Pulitzer Prize. The movie version won Academy Awards for actor Gregory Peck and screenwriter Horton Foote.

Recently, in November of 2007, Lee received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George Bush, who called “Mockingbird” “a gift to the entire world” and praised Lee’s “wise and kind heart.”

“Nelle Lee changed the world – and didn’t change,” said Dr. Cathy Randall, retired director of the UA Computer-Based Honors Program and friend of Lee’s. “She is still Scout, with her boundless joy and wonder in all God’s works, especially God’s children. As Scout turned away the angry townspeople at the jail, Nelle turns us away from hatred and violence by her fearless faith in us. Long live Scout!”

Dr. James D. Ramer

In the world of The University of Alabama, there are many who love books. Dr. James D. Ramer was one such person – but, as founding dean of the UA School of Library and Information Studies, he was also dedicated to helping those who love books. As a librarian, professor and administrator, Ramer was instrumental in establishing a strong and successful program that has been continuously accredited since 1972.

When he retired from UA in 1988, Ramer had developed the Master of Library Service degree and the educational specialist degree in librarianship. Just after his retirement, the doctor of philosophy in librarianship program was instituted, yet another program he helped develop.

Ramer also oversaw the development of one of the few Master of Fine Arts in book arts programs in the country. His interest in the history of bookmaking and in traditional printing techniques went back at least as far as his doctoral dissertation at Columbia University, “Fifteenth Century Spanish Printing,” for which he received Columbia’s Fuller Award.

Ramer came to UA in 1971 after working at the University of Maryland in College Park, Columbia University, University of North Carolina-Charlotte and Emory University. His devotion to the field of librarianship was recognized by the Alabama Library Association in 1987 with the awarding of the Citation of Exceptional Service. Ramer created a doctoral dissertation award for doctoral students in the School of Library and Information Studies, and faculty in the school as well as friends and colleagues established a fellowship fund for graduate students in library studies at UA in his honor.

H. Pettus Randall III

H. Pettus Randall III would have been a successful and honored member of the Tuscaloosa business community if, after earning a bachelor’s degree at The University of Alabama in 1962 and a law degree in 1971, he had simply taken over the family business and run it well.

Randall had far too much energy to settle for that, however. Randall took control of Randall Publishing’s “Who’s Who Among Students in American University and Colleges” and “Who’s Who Among Students in American Junior Colleges,” merged them with his own Award Company of America, and thus began the expansion into new and different areas and media.

Randall Publishing (now Randall-Reilly Publishing) produces trucking magazines, especially Overdrive and Truckers News. It produces Equipment World and Top Bid magazine, called “the bible” of off-highway and equipment auctions. The company also produces the magazines Modern Woodworking and Pumps and Systems. In addition to these traditional media, Randall-Reilly Publishing conducts market research and is a supplier of marketing services. There are now an astounding 30 magazines, directories of periodicals and more than 35 Web sites.

A hard-working businessman, Randall was also a devoted husband and father, a family man whose family included the employees of Randall Publishing.

One of Tuscaloosa’s most devoted civic leaders, Randall was dedicated to making Alabama, and especially Tuscaloosa, the best possible place to live and work. By participating in dozens of civic, fraternal and religious organizations, from Christ Church to the Boys Club, from the Chamber of Commerce to the Arts and Humanities Council, he did his best to improve life for all Tuscaloosans in many ways.