Showdown May Cast Alabama’s First Heisman
New York Times – Dec. 3
The Paul W. Bryant Museum on the campus of the University of Alabama has everything from a Waterford crystal houndstooth hat to 15,000 cans of 16-millimeter game film to the couch and desk from Bryant’s old office. Alabama’s football history is so rich and treasured that the museum employs seven people full time, four part time and six to eight students each semester. But amid all this history, which includes claiming 12 national championships and more than 90 all-Americans, there is something missing. No Alabama player has ever won a Heisman Trophy…Ingram and Tebow are expected to head to New York as finalists. If Ingram does run over Florida and pick up enough momentum to win the trophy, it will be Alabama’s first Heisman, but the second one on its campus. The 1957 Heisman won by John David Crow under Bryant at Texas A&M sits to the right of the entrance to the Bryant museum…Since the museum itself is a timeline of Alabama football, the trophy does not really fit, said the museum director, Kenneth Gaddy. Too good to tuck in the archives, Crow’s Heisman is left at the entrance. But if Ingram brought a Heisman to Tuscaloosa, Gaddy would find room for it. “Certainly it would be a nice award, not only for Mark, but for his teammates,” Gaddy said. “And the fans would certainly enjoy it and embrace it…
C-Class move earns praise
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 3
…“This announcement is very good news for Tuscaloosa County and those who live here,” said James Cashman, a University of Alabama management professor whose has worked with the automotive industry. “If it did not occur, there would be a great deal of uncertainty about the Vance plant’s future.”…Cashman said Mercedes made a very rational decision to move its production of C-Class sedans that it will sell in North America to Vance. The C-Class is Mercedes’ most popular vehicle in the United States, and it makes sense to build vehicles in the markets where they are sold, he said. That reduces shipping costs and was a leading factor in Mercedes’ decision in the early ’90s to build its first SUVs in America. The weak dollar in comparison with the euro also will make it more profitable to build the C-Class here. Cashman said he believes the dollar will continue to decline, particularly if inflation occurs, which he said appears likely. The final part of the equation, he said, is the excess capacity at the Vance factory. Although Mercedes said it will continue making its M-Class and GL-Class SUVs and its R-Class crossover vehicle in Vance, Cashman said there are strong indications that the SUV market may have peaked. He said the economy, higher gasoline prices and the movement to more fuel-efficient vehicles have cut into SUV sales over the past several years. “That is not where the (automotive) market growth is likely to occur,” he said. “At best, it will be stable, but it may be a declining market.” Mercedes thus needed to make sure it could get a good return out of its investment in Vance, he said.“I would hate to think what might have happened (here) if they had not made this decision,” he said…
Birmingham News – Dec. 3
Tuscaloosa gives $100M incentive
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 3
…On Wednesday, Gov. Bob Riley announced a $100 million incentive package to lure production of the C-Class sedan, the company’s best-selling car in the U.S., to the German automaker’s assembly plant in Vance. Local governments would provide $10 million in cash, and a portion of the $15 million the company would receive in tax abatements would be local. Both the cash payments and the abatements would be spread out over 10 years. “This project will have a generational effect on this community,” said Mayor Walt Maddox. “The benefits to this community will last well into the future.”…The original incentive package came under heavy criticism when it was announced, but the impact of Mercedes on the state now measures in the billions of dollars. A study by the University of Alabama-based Center for Business and Economic Research released in 2007 found that Mercedes contributes $6 billion annually to Alabama’s economy, and has created more than 40,000 jobs. According to the study, which was completed before the recession took hold, the automaker’s impact on Tuscaloosa County alone includes $545 million a year in worker earnings from jobs created directly or indirectly by Mercedes, $11.5 million in local sales tax revenue and $3.2 to $5.8 million in property tax revenue…
Professor to discuss link between human, animal intelligence
Crimson White – Dec. 3
David J. Povinelli, an expert in animal intelligence, will be the fifth guest to speak as part of the Alabama Lectures on Life’s Evolution series, also known as the ALLELE lecture series. Povinelli will present his lecture tonight at 7:30 in the Biology Building auditorium. The lecture is co-sponsored by the UA department of psychology. Povinelli’s lecture, titled “Humanizing the Human Mind,” will focus on the research he has conducted about the link between the minds of chimpanzees and humans…
Prof. to lecture on Gitmo
Crimson White – Dec. 3
Stephen Schwab, a professor in the UA history department, will discuss his new book about the history of Guantánamo Bay this afternoon. The lecture will be held from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. in Gorgas Library Room 205. Schwab’s book, titled “Guantánamo, USA: The Untold History of America’s Cuban Outpost,” provides one of the first complete histories of Guantánamo Bay from its beginnings as the United States’ first foreign naval base to the many roles it serves today…
Retired UA professor edits encyclopedia on death and the human experience
Crimson White – Dec. 3
Dennis L. Peck, UA professor emeritus of sociology, retired from teaching in 2008, but he has yet to stop working. While he began working on the “Encyclopedia of Death and the Human Experience” in 2006, he said the project continued well past his retirement date…As lead editor of the 330-page, two-volume work, Peck has been busy researching and writing about traditional death and death-related topics. The book attempts to provide a unique focus on the human experience to create a new dimension to his field of study…”Once again, Dr. Peck has achieved yet another tour de force with the Encyclopedia of Death and the Human Experience,” said Robert Olin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, in an e-mailed statement. “This remarkably comprehensive collection of key topics that address the many and complex aspects of human death is certain to be read and referenced extensively by the academic community.”…In a statement released by the UA College of Arts and Sciences, Linda W. Olivet, a retired UA professor of nursing and contributor to the encyclopedia, said Peck and the other editors engaged many contributors to offer a variety of diverse and comprehensive perspectives…
Super 6 will serve as showcase for Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 3
…And for Tuscaloosa Sports Foundation executive director Don Staley, today and Friday will also be a big plus. While not as big a University of Alabama home football game, the Super 6 is expected to attract between 45,000 and 60,000 people, Staley said. “We feel like this town could benefit from this, anywhere from conservative estimates of $3 million, anywhere close to $5, $6 million,” Staley said. “It all depends on the weather and what the people spend while they’re here, but it’s a lot of people.
Crimson White – Dec. 3
WSFA (Montgomery) – Dec. 2
FOX6 (Birmingham) – Dec. 2