MONTGOMERY, Ala. -a A single from the 1st black college students who enrolled on the University of Alabama a half century ago in defiance of racial segregation has died. James Hood of Gadsden was 70.
Officials at Adams-Buggs Funeral Dwelling in Gadsden stated they can be dealing with arrangements for Hood, who died Thursday.
Then-Alabama Gov. George Wallace manufactured his infamous "stand during the schoolhouse door" inside a failed hard work to stop Hood and Vivian Malone from registering for courses in the university in 1963.
Hood and Malone had been accompanied by Deputy U.S. Lawyer Common Nicholas Katzenbach after they had been confronted by Wallace because they attempted to enter the university's Foster Auditorium to register for courses and spend charges.
Wallace backed down later on that day and Hood and Malone registered for courses.
UA President Judy Bonner remembered Hood being a guy of "courage and conviction" for staying 1 on the 1st black college students to enroll in the university.
"His connection towards the university continued decades later on when he returned to UA to earn his doctorate in 1997. He was a valued member with the University of Alabama neighborhood, and he'll be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his household through this tricky time," Bonner mentioned.
Hood was the final survivor between the main figures while in the schoolhouse door incident. Wallace died in 1998, Vivian Malone Jones in 2005 and Katzenbach final yr.
Just after enrolling, Hood remained at UA for the handful of months and moved to Michigan, in which he obtained a bachelor's degree from Wayne State University in addition to a master's degree from Michigan State.
He later on moved to Wisconsin, in which he worked with the Madison Region Technical University for 26 many years. He retired in 2002 as chairman of public security solutions in charge of police and fire teaching.
He lastly returned to UA later on in existence to earn his doctorate.
Culpepper Clark, writer of "The Schoolhouse Door: Segregation's Final Stand on the University of Alabama," identified as the schoolhouse door incident "an iconic moment" inside the Civil Rights Motion mainly because it supplied a confrontation amongst Wallace as well as the Kennedy administration. He stated the incident was "symbolically important" and aided cause passage on the Voting Rights Act.
Clark described Hood being a guy by using a great deal of "intellectual energy" who understood the significance of what he did on the University of Alabama in 1963.
"He did not attempt to generate it into over what it had been," Clark stated.
The Rev. Preston Nix grew up in Etowah County and stated he knew of Hood, who was various many years older than he.
Nix explained it took a good deal of courage for Hood to challenge the segregation in the University of Alabama in 1963.
Nix stated he felt Hood did what he did partly to "pave the way" for other individuals to get capable of strengthen themselves and obtain a larger schooling and partly due to the fact he wished to attend the University of Alabama.
Samory Pruitt, vice president for local community affairs at UA, agreed with Nix.
"Because of what he did, persons like me had been afforded the chance to visit the University of Alabama," mentioned Pruitt, who's black. "I believe it is about persons getting the chance to get the top they'll be."
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