MONTGOMERY, Ala. -a A single on the very first black college students who enrolled with 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 Household in Gadsden stated they can be managing arrangements for Hood, who died Thursday.
Then-Alabama Gov. George Wallace manufactured his infamous "stand inside the schoolhouse door" inside a failed energy to stop Hood and Vivian Malone from registering for courses in the university in 1963.
Hood and Malone have been accompanied by Deputy U.S. Lawyer Common Nicholas Katzenbach whenever they have been confronted by Wallace because they attempted to enter the university's Foster Auditorium to register for courses and shell out costs.
Wallace backed down later on that day and Hood and Malone registered for courses.
UA President Judy Bonner remembered Hood like a guy of "courage and conviction" for becoming a single from the 1st black college students to enroll in the university.
"His connection on the university continued decades later on when he returned to UA to earn his doctorate in 1997. He was a valued member from the University of Alabama local community, and he'll be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his loved ones all through this challenging time," Bonner mentioned.
Hood was the final survivor amid the key figures from 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 any couple of months and moved to Michigan, exactly where he obtained a bachelor's degree from Wayne State University plus a master's degree from Michigan State.
He later on moved to Wisconsin, the place he worked on the Madison Place Technical School for 26 many years. He retired in 2002 as chairman of public security providers in charge of police and fire teaching.
He eventually returned to UA later on in existence to earn his doctorate.
Culpepper Clark, writer of "The Schoolhouse Door: Segregation's Final Stand in the University of Alabama," named the schoolhouse door incident "an iconic moment" within the Civil Rights Motion for the reason that it supplied a confrontation involving Wallace along with the Kennedy administration. He explained the incident was "symbolically important" and assisted cause passage of your Voting Rights Act.
Clark described Hood like a guy which has a great deal of "intellectual energy" who understood the significance of what he did on the University of Alabama in 1963.
"He did not test for making it into a lot more than what it had been," Clark explained.
The Rev. Preston Nix grew up in Etowah County and explained he knew of Hood, who was a number of many years older than he.
Nix explained it took a great deal of courage for Hood to challenge the segregation on the University of Alabama in 1963.
Nix mentioned he felt Hood did what he did partly to "pave the way" for other people to get capable of boost themselves and obtain a increased schooling and partly for the reason that he desired to attend the University of Alabama.
Samory Pruitt, vice president for local community affairs at UA, agreed with Nix.
"Because of what he did, individuals like me have been afforded the chance to visit the University of Alabama," explained Pruitt, who's black. "I believe it truly is about men and women getting the chance to get the ideal they are able to be."
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