TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Editor and journalist Suzanne Wolfe, known statewide for bringing Alabama history to life for the mainstream reader through the awarding winning magazine Alabama Heritage, which she founded in 1985, will retire as editor of the magazine in August.
“No other publication in our state has had the singular impact of Alabama Heritage in celebrating and popularizing Alabama history and culture,” said Dr. Nancy Barrett, provost and vice president for academic affairs at The University of Alabama. “Alabama Heritage is widely respected for covering aspects of the state’s history seldom addressed in-depth in textbooks, telling the diverse life stories of individuals involved in them, and doing so with articles that are beautifully crafted and meticulously researched.
“Wolfe’s exemplary editorship of Alabama Heritage has given our state a defining cultural voice in a publication that can be appreciated and enjoyed by the young student, lay historian, and scholar alike,” Barrett said. “We are grateful for her vision for – and dedication to – Alabama Heritage.”
A search for a new editor will be conducted.
Early on, the quarterly, non-fictional historical publication earned a reputation as one of the nation’s premier magazines produced by a university. Within two years of its founding, Alabama Heritage was awarded a Gold Medal by a panel from Newsweek in a national CASE competition, joining Harvard, Duke, Cornell, and Johns Hopkins universities as one of the top 10 university produced magazines in the country.
In its 15 years, the magazine has received more than 30 national and regional awards for excellence in publishing including commendations by state, regional, and national historical associations.
Alabama Heritage has also been praised for its role in historical preservation. In 1994 the Endangered Historic Properties Program, initiated through the magazine, targeted 10 structures in danger of being destroyed. The magazine brought public recognition to the structures’ importance and the need for preservation.
In 1995, Wolfe received the Alabama Humanities Award given by the Alabama Humanities Foundation for her work with Alabama Heritage.
Wolfe has worked as a writer and editor for The University of Alabama since 1973. For the University’s sesquicentennial in 1983, she wrote and edited the highly popular A Pictorial History of the University of Alabama, which remains one of the most frequently referenced books on University history.
A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Wolfe holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in English from the University of Mississippi and the University of Rhode Island.
Contact
Rebecca Paul Florence, (205) 348-8663