Bama grad, ‘first lady of PR’ dies at 86
Tuscaloosa News – May 25
A University of Alabama graduate known as the ‘first lady of public relations’ died Sunday morning at her home in Chicago. Betsy Plank, 86, was born in Tuscaloosa and graduated from UA in 1944. She soon became a well-respected member of the emerging public relations field and was honored dozens of times during her more than 60-year career…UA established the Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations in 2005. ‘The center is led by a national advisory board of leading practitioners and educators, but Betsy was its heart and soul,’ said center director Karla Gower. ‘It was Betsy’s vision that everyone connected with the center worked to realize, and they are dedicated to continue doing so.’ Part of Plank’s vision was to create collaborations between PR practitioners, educators and students, Gower said. Although Gower was the director, she always ran plans and ideas by Plank, who served as the center’s chairwoman. Plank was very hands-on, Gower said, calling often but never sending e-mails — she preferred the old-fashioned fax…
Museum at Moundville Archaeological Park reopens
IndianCountry.com – May 24
The museum at the Moundville Archaeological Park has reopened after a two-year renovation costing $5 million. The University of Alabama Museums oversees the Jones Archaeological Museum. The program’s executive director, Robert Clouse, says Moundville offers a rare look into the lives of upper-class Native Americans. The museum’s main hall shows what a Native American wedding ceremony would have looked like in Moundville. The other two wings explore the dwelling of the tribe’s sacred ruler and the tribe’s belief in the afterlife. The museum reopened May 15 with dancing, music and crafts celebrating the people who lived at the site along the Black Warrior River from about 1000 to 1450 A.D.
Mapping program used to aid communities
Tuscaloosa News – May 25
In Lamar County, University of Alabama students majoring in geography work alongside officials using hand-held GPS devices to develop computerized maps of the county’s six water systems. The aim is to have a complete inventory of each water systems’ pumps, hydrants, storage tanks, springs, wells, lines and even each individual water meter — an inventory that can be updated as changes are made. Under the direction of the West Alabama Regional Commission, the team recently completed a computerized mapping of the five water systems in Fayette County. And before that, they mapped water systems in Bibb, Hale and Pickens counties…
Alabama home sales rise before tax credits end
Birmingham News – May 25
…During the month, 3,834 homes were sold in the state, compared to 3,031 in April 2009, the Alabama Center for Real Estate at the University of Alabama said today. The median selling price was $118,074, a 6 percent decline from a year ago, while the average selling price slipped 2.5 percent to $139,347…