MONTGOMERY, Ala. -a 1 with 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 House in Gadsden mentioned they're managing arrangements for Hood, who died Thursday.
Then-Alabama Gov. George Wallace created his infamous "stand inside the schoolhouse door" in the failed energy to avoid 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 once they had been confronted by Wallace because they attempted to enter the university's Foster Auditorium to register for courses and pay out charges.
Wallace backed down later on that day and Hood and Malone registered for courses.
UA President Judy Bonner remembered Hood as being a guy of "courage and conviction" for staying a single from the 1st black college students to enroll with 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 on the University of Alabama neighborhood, and he'll be missed. Our thoughts and prayers are with his household for the duration of this challenging time," Bonner explained.
Hood was the final survivor between the key 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 any number of months and moved to Michigan, in which he obtained a bachelor's degree from Wayne State University as well as a master's degree from Michigan State.
He later on moved to Wisconsin, exactly where he worked in the Madison Place Technical School for 26 many years. He retired in 2002 as chairman of public security companies in charge of police and fire teaching.
He ultimately returned to UA later on in daily life to earn his doctorate.
Culpepper Clark, writer of "The Schoolhouse Door: Segregation's Final Stand in the University of Alabama," termed the schoolhouse door incident "an iconic moment" from the Civil Rights Motion since it presented a confrontation in between Wallace and also the Kennedy administration. He stated the incident was "symbolically important" and aided result in passage on the Voting Rights Act.
Clark described Hood as being a guy that has a good deal of "intellectual energy" who understood the significance of what he did on the University of Alabama in 1963.
"He did not consider to create it into greater than what it had been," Clark stated.
The Rev. Preston Nix grew up in Etowah County and mentioned he knew of Hood, who was quite a few many years older than he.
Nix explained it took a whole lot of courage for Hood to challenge the segregation in the University of Alabama in 1963.
Nix explained he felt Hood did what he did partly to "pave the way" for other people to get capable to enhance 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, men and women like me had been afforded the chance to head to the University of Alabama," explained Pruitt, that is black. "I believe it really is about people today possessing the chance for being the top they're able to be."
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