UA’s C&IS Announces 2011 Hall of Fame Inductees

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama’s College of Communication and Information Sciences inducted four new members to its Communication Hall of Fame in a recent ceremony in the North Zone of Bryant-Denny Stadium.

Inductees were cable television entrepreneur Joseph E. Gibbs, Hollywood producer Charles A. Gordon, former Birmingham News editor James E. Jacobson and celebrated library educator Ruth W. Waldrop.

Joseph Gibbs

Gibbs made a name for himself as an entrepreneur in the cable television business, most notably for his creation of The Golf Channel, the nation’s first 24/7 single-sport channel, which today has more than 80 million subscribers. He serves on the board of directors for CONVERGYS, a Fortune 500 company, and is on the International Advisory Board of the Arnold Palmer Women and Children’s Hospital in Orlando.

Charles Gordon

Gordon has served as a producer or executive producer for some of the biggest blockbusters to hit the screen in recent years, including “Field of Dreams,” “Die Hard” and “Waterworld.” He began his career working for Aaron Spelling and also worked on such popular television shows as “The Sonny & Cher Show,” “The Dick Van Dyke Show” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.”

James Jacobson

Jacobson concluded his distinguished 39-year career in journalism as editor-in-chief of The Birmingham News, Alabama’s largest newspaper. During his tenure, the News’ editorial page won a Pulitzer Prize for its series on the need for tax reform in Alabama.

Ruth Waldrop

Waldrop, who was inducted posthumously, was a tireless advocate for librarian education and laid the groundwork for the founding of the University’s School of Library and Information Studies. She also encouraged librarians to write fiction, nonfiction and plays for young people, asserting that librarians know better than anyone the reading needs of children.