Man who grew up in segregation earns Ph.D. from Univ. of Alabama
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Dec. 13
A 62-year-old Birmingham man preparing to finish his Ph.D. is proof that anything is possible. Jessie Latten grew up in a segregated Birmingham, even participating in civil rights marches as a teenager. Now, he’s earning a Ph.D. from the University of Alabama. He first visited the school as part of an R&B band hired to play at rush parties. He was awed by the University, but never dreamed he would one day attend as a student. After high school, Latten left Alabama and toured with his band, but life took a hard turn. Latten struggled with alcohol until returning to his hometown. “I returned to Birmingham pretty much a defeated person. But one Sunday morning, the Lord save me. I became a new person. I went back to grad school at age 53. I received my Master’s degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2005 and I entered the doctoral program at the University of Alabama in 2006,” Latten said. Latten also earned a BA from the Universiity of Massachussetts, Amherst. This Saturday, Latten will receive his Ph.D. in Counselor Education.
UA doctoral student grew up on small island in extreme poverty
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Dec. 12
For any student, getting a diploma is a major achievement. Leigh Garner caught up with one grad whose story is nothing short of inspirational. Kiribati translation: Hi my name is Bwarenaba Kautu, I come from Kiribati. This is “Naba”. He is a PhD student at the University of Alabama. But his journey to this point hasn’t been easy. As an orphan, he lived in extreme poverty on the island of Kiribati, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. “I grew up mostly doing fishing and collecting coconuts for a living, things like that, I lived in a house made of coconut trees.” His grandmother pushed him to get an education, so he would survive. “I said to myself, well, maybe I’ll be a scientist someday.”
Doff Procter is UA’s voice of graduation
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Dec. 12
The University of Alabama is set to graduate more than 2,000 students during this weekend’s ceremonies. During the pomp and circumstance, there is a familiar and distinguished voice who reads the names of those who receive their diplomas…Doff Procter has taken his talents to opera stages all over the United States and Europe. He now performs on a smaller stage as the newly-named director of music at Christ Episcopal Church in downtown Tuscaloosa, but a few times a year, his voice echoes throughout Coleman Coliseum with the names of University of Alabama graduates.
Opera stars singing their merry best at Opera Birmingham’s ‘Home for the Holidays’
Al.com – Dec. 13
Opera Birmingham‘s sixth year for “Home for the Holidays” commences Dec. 21 and 23 with concerts at Brock Recital Hall on the Samford University campus. As in past years, the concerts will feature singers who have earned their wings in opera companies nationwide…Kevin Chance, a faculty member at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, will accompany on piano.