The quarterly Alabama Alumni Magazine serves as a campus link for members of the National Alumni Association and a vehicle to highlight alumni and campus activities. The magazine includes in depth features as well as shorter profiles, combined with campus news, sports briefs and other regular departments. Each issue also includes class notes, with alumni updates on jobs, moves and other life events.

For more information, or if you know of interesting alumni who we might feature in our magazine, contact the editor at the address below:

Alabama Alumni Magazine 
P. O. Box 870148
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
205-348-1549
alumni_magazine@ua.edu

Send address changes to bioupdate@advance.ua.edu

Cover Stories

Alumni Magazine

Making Waves

Summer 2023

For more than 35 years, former U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby ’57, LLB ’63, DHL ’00, served as an advocate for the state of Alabama in our nation’s capital. He used his position of service to help make Alabama richer, smarter and environmentally safer.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine spring 2023 issue cover art

Rise of the Machines

Spring 2023

Admit it— when you think about artificial intelligence, your first thoughts are of Arnold Schwarzenegger, Skynet and T-800 cyborgs.  That’s understandable. The Terminator movies— about self-aware machines determined to wipe out the human race—are wildly popular and have a huge impact on how we think of artificial intelligence.  But AI is not science fiction doom-and-gloom.  In simple terms, AI is the simulation of human intelligence processes by machines. The two types of AI are weak and strong. Weak AI are systems that are trained for a particular task. When you ask Siri a question on your iPhone or tell Alexa to play your favorite song, that’s weak AI in action.  Strong AI is more complex. It deals in systems with cognitive functions that mimic the human brain. This mirrors what you see in the movies: The Terminator, The Matrix, Blade Runner or 2001: A Space Odyssey.  There may come a day when Hollywood’s version of AI technology is achieved. Right now, AI is about optimizing machine learning and task performance. 

Alumni Magazine

To the End of the Earth

Winter 2022 Volume 103 No. 1

UA Professor Researches Impacts on Coastal Communities

Alumni Magazine

A Common Bond

Fall 2022 Volume 102 No. 4

Generations of UA women recall the true meaning of Tutwiler Hall.

Alumni Magazine

Distinctively Capstone

Summer 2022 Volume 102 No. 3

Take a look at places, events and traditions that make the University unique and endearing for alumni.

Alumni Magazine

A Vital Resource

Spring 2022 Volume 102 No. 2

In recent years, The University of Alabama has become a hub for water research.

Alumni Magazine

Best Kept Secrets

Winter 2021 Volume 102 No. 1

Read more to discover 20 awesome things at UA you probably never knew about.

Alumni Magazine

The Rising Tide

Fall 2021 Volume 101 No. 4

UA is launching The Rising Tide Capital Campaign-the largest fundraising campaign in state history.

Alumni Magazine

The Makers

Summer 2021 Volume 101 No. 3

These artisan alumni are puttig their talents to use-and share how you can get crafty, too.

Alumni Magazine

Something That Can’t Be Forgotten

Spring 2021 Volume 101 No. 2

The April 27, 2011, tornado left a lasting impression on those who experienced it, even 10 years later.

Alumni Magazine

The Odd and Unconventional

Winter 2020 Volume 101 No. 1

UA offers something for everyone. We explore some of the more unconventional classes and clubs.

Alumni Magazine

ALUMNI AND STUDENTS LEND A HELPING HAND DURING THE PANDEMIC

Fall 2020 Volume 100 No. 4

This isue is dedicated to the "helpers" of all kinds who have stepped up during the pandemic.

Alumni Magazine

The History Makers: Celebrating 50 Years of Inclusive University of Alabama Athletics

Summer 2020 Volume 100 No. 3

Celebrating 50 years of inclusive University of Alabama athletics.

Alumni Magazine

The Decision that Changed Everything

Spring 2020 Volume 100 No. 2

Five alums from five decades share an experience that changed their futures.

Alumni Magazine

The origins of crimson lore: why we are who we are

Winter 2019 Volume 100 No. 1

It's hard to think about Alabama Football without the "Yea, Alabama!" fight song coming to memory, or iterating the phrase "Roll Tide." And the Capstone wouldn't be the same without the Crimson Tide or Big Al. Here, we dive deep into the origins of UA's icons and traditions.

Alumni Magazine

International Influence

Fall 2019 Volume 99 No. 4

Three UA alumni are having an impact in the world of business abroad.

Alumni Magazine Black and White Denny Chimes, spring 2019 cover

Expanding Boundaries

Spring 2019 Volume 99 No. 2

UA has had a record year in research.

Alumni Magazine Winter2018 Cover

Cuisine of the Capstone

Winter 2018 Volume 99 No. 1

We look at six iconic dishes-and one drink-that are synonymous with the Capstone.

Alumni Magazine 18 Fall Mag Cover

125 Years of Women at the Capstone

Fall 2018 Volume 98 No. 4

It has been 125 years since the first female students were admitted to UA. We take a look at how times have changed, and how women at the Capstone continue to make their mark.

Alumni Magazine Summer 18 mag cover

A Legacy Inscribed

Summer 2018 Volume 98 No. 3

Thirty-five years after Paul W. "Bear" Bryant's death, his impact is still apparent.

Alumni Magazine 2018 Spring Mag Cover

Forever Home

Spring 2018 Volume 98 No. 2

An Iconic Alumni Hall is coming to the Capstone.

Alumni Magazine Winter 2017 Mag Cover

A Path to Success: UA Alumni Head Major, Multinational Corporations

Winter 2017 Volume 98 No. 1

Three UA alumni head up some of the world's largest corporations. We talk to them about what they do and how they got to where they are today.

Alumni Magazine Fall 2017 Mag Cover

A Lasting Legacy

Fall 2017 Volume 97 No. 4

The alumni scholarship program began a half-century ago, impacting lives ever since.

Alumni Magazine Summer 2017 cover

The Elephant in the Trunk

Summer 2017 Volume 97 No. 3

Big Al is a big part of the tradition at UA, but that hasn't always been the case. Take a look at how far Big Al has come.

Alumni Magazine Spring 2017 Cover

The Next Scene

Spring 2017 Volume 97 No. 2

UA's Fast-Growing Department of Theatre and Dance Will Have A New Home.

Alumni Magazine winter 2016 cover

Bama and Beyond

Winter 2016 Volume 97 No. 1

Students are making an impact beyond campus through service programs.

Alumni Magazine Fall 2016 Cover

Million Dollar Dreams

Fall 2016 Volumne 96 No. 4

The University of Alabama is undergoing a transformation, turning big dreams into reality.

Alumni Magazine

90 Miles South

Summer 2016 Volume 96 No. 3

The Cuba Center at UA opens doors for learning opportunities in a country that has been closed off to the U.S. for decades.

Alumni Magazine Spring 2016 Cover

Recovery and Resilience

Spring 2016 Volume 96 No. 2

Five years later: A look at how Tuscaloosa recovered from the April 27, 2011, tornado and how UA was vital to the process.

Alumni Magazine Winter 2015 Cover

Mastering the New Millennium

Winter 2015 Volume 96 No. 1

Meet our "15 in 15," graduates from recent years who are off to a strong start.

Alumni Magazine Fall 2015 Cover

Capturing Reality

Fall 2015 Volume 95 No. 4

Documentarians bring together people, places and ideas to raise awareness for causes close to their hearts.

Alumni Magazine Summer 2015 Cover

What You Can’t Hear

Summer 2015 Volume 95 No. 3

Hundreds of musicians have come to the recording studios of a small, North Alabama town to make hits and make history.

Alumni Magazine Spring 2015 Cover

The Plot Thickens

Spring 2015 Volume 95 No. 2

With a penchant for both grammar and the gavel, writers of legal fiction keep us glued to their pages.

Alumni Magazine Winter 2014 Cover

Bound and Determined

Winter 2014 Volume 95 No. 1

Preserving and restoring literary treasures is a labor of love at this 90-year-old book bindery.

Alumni Magazine Fall 2014 Cover

A Laugh a Minute

Fall 2014 Volume 94 No. 4

If humor keeps us healthy, then these comedians are skilled clinicians at finding the funny bone.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Summer 2014

The World, Up Close

Summer 2014 Volume 94 No. 3

This cultural anthropologist and elder statesman of the Smithsonian Institution has never found a place he didn't love.

Alumni Magazine Spring 2014 Cover

A Sense of Direction

Spring 2014 Volume 94 No. 2

Crossing paths with one certain person can change the course of a lifetime, and launch a career.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Winter 2013

Finding a Voice

Winter 2013 Volume 94 No. 1

In its seven years, UA's opera theatre program has earned a place among the best in the country.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Fall 2013

Solving History’s Mysteries

Fall 2013 Volume 93 No. 4

Through crowdsourcing, missing details about photos and documents from historical collections can be provided by anyone.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Summer 2013

Warming the Welcome

Summer 2013 Volume 93 No. 3

Literary tourism and community collaborations are designed to attract visitors to the beauty, history and culture of the Southeast.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Spring 2013

A Servant’s Heart

Spring 2013 Volume 93 No. 2

After 31 years with the faculty and administration, Dr. Judy Bonner takes her place as UA's first woman president.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Winter 2012

Homeward Bound

Winter 2012 Volume 93 No. 1

With the nation facing a homelessness crisis, those on the front lines are determined to change the odds.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Fall 2012

Passing It On

Fall 2012 Volume 92 No. 4

Some young graduates follow in very familiar footsteps, joining companies that have been in their families for generations.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Summer 2012

Taking Center Stage

Summer 2012 Volume 92 No. 3

Although the theater world has been dominated by men in the past, talented women playwrights are changing that script.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Spring 2012

The Best Defense

Spring 2012 Volume 92 No. 2

High-ranking defense officials discuss their decisions to study at UA and their dedication to keeping us safe.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Winter 2011

Capital Connections

Winter 2011 Volume 92 No. 1

Social work interns gain experience with children's programs in the nation's capital, determined to create a better tomorrow.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Fall 2011

Losing to Win

Fall 2011 Volume 91 No. 4

Those who have successfully overhauled their diet and fitness habits teach us that tomorrow's results come from concentrating on today.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Summer 2011

I’ll Be There

Summer 2011 Volume 91 No. 3

In the wake of destructive storms, the outpouring of support from the campus, the state, the country and the world has left us awestruck.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Spring 2011

The Best of Times

Spring 2011 Volume 91 No. 2

How does the Alumni Association say goodbye to someone who has helped make us what we are? There's no adequate way, but our cover story gives it a try.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Winter 2010

Through Another’s Eyes

Winter 2010, Volume 91, No. 1

Medical and outreach initiatives help bring focus to the lives of those with vision impairments.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Fall 2010

Striking a Balance

Fall 2010, Volume 90, No. 4

The Campus Master Plan blends rapid expansion with a careful preservation of our past.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Summer 2010

A Different World

Summer 2010, Volume 90, No. 3

Those who explore the deep waters for research and recreation are also preserving our undersea wonders.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Spring 2010

The Top of the World

Spring 2010, Volume 90, No. 2

Several Alabama graduates share their stories of summiting Mount Kilimanjaro, one of the world's seven highest peaks.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Winter 2009

So Shines a Good Deed

Winter 2009, Volume 90, No. 1

A UA faculty member becomes the first American to direct a play in Cuba since its 1959 revolution.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Fall 2009

Uncommon Friends

Fall 2009, Volume 89, No. 4

With no UA degrees or family ties, some of our strongest supporters fell in love with us "just because."

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Summer 2009

On the Home Front

Summer 2009, Volume 89, No. 3

Generations of soldiers have left the campus for the battlefield, with their send-offs and homecomings reflecting the world around them.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Spring 2009

The Call of the Wild

Spring 2009, Volume 89, No. 2

Medical expertise and compassion are blended in equal parts for the treatment of man's best friends

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Winter 2008

Everyday Miracles

Winter 2008, Volume 89, No. 1

Young children with disabilities attend the Rise Program along with their mainstreamed peers, and both come out transformed.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Fall 2008

Halls of Air

Fall 2008, Volume 88, No. 4

As the Second World War loomed, Allied forces turned to Alabama's aeronautics program to train thousands of young aviators for service.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Summer 2008

A Sustainable Future

Summer 2008, Volume 88, No. 3

To worry or not to worry? Climatologists, researchers, environmental advocates and all the rest of us try to decide what is and isn't happening to the Earth's environment.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Spring 2008

You Ought to Be in Pictures

Spring 2008, Volume 88, No. 2

From their roots in the Southeast, two actors from the early film industry moved to Hollywood, and reached the stars.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Winter 2007

A Saving Grace

Winter 2007, Volume 88, No. 1

The Capstone College of Nursing responds to the nation's shortage of nurses and instructors with new collaborative graduate programs, rigorous clinical experience and flexible classes for nontraditional students.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Fall 2007

A Brighter Tomorrow

Fall 2007, Volume 87, No. 4

Two University graduates have devoted themselves to improving the lives of children through leadership positions with programs that offer comfort and strength.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Summer 2007

A Nutrition Mission

Summer 2007, Volume 87, No. 3

The campus joins the country in efforts toward wiser food choices and lower obesity rates, while preparing students to enter a changing food-service industry.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Spring 2007

Going Places

Spring 2007, Volume 87, No.2

Today's students benefit from a myriad of choices to study abroad, and each year more and more are choosing to gain a global perspective.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Winter 2006

Comfort and Joy

Winter 2006, Volume 87, No. 1

Since early childhood, the Lamb siblings have performed as a violin quartet for audiences ranging from one to thousands, while growing into unique and confident individuals--and virtuosos--along the way.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Fall 2006

Faithful Friends

Fall 2006, Volume 86, No. 4

As The University of Alabama celebrates its 175th anniversary, we pay tribute to the graduates and friends who helped to mold its early years--and also those who changed it for the better.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Summer 2006

The Bridge Builders

Summer 2006, Volume 86, No. 3

Our alumni and friends tell why it is important to them to support the University's upcoming generations of students, positively impacting the lives of young people they may never know, and shaping the future for us all.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Spring 2006

Popular Science

Spring 2006, Volume 86, No. 2

These alumni and faculty inventors have developed successful gadgets, products and technologies, some after years of tinkering, and others by a stroke of luck.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Winter 2005

Shelter From the Storm

Winter 2005, Volume 86, No. 1

Hurricane evacuees from the Gulf Coast were welcomed to their temporary home on the UA campus by scores of newfound friends.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Fall 2005

Daddies’ Girls

Fall 2005, Volume 85, No. 4

Though these days UA football sons like Brodie Croyle and Tim and Simeon Castille draw a lot of attention, they seem to be in the minority. When it comes to offspring, Alabama's All-American linebackers and running backs have fathered a lot of pink. And they couldn't be prouder.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Summer 2005

A Wonderful Ride

Summer 2005, Volume 85, No. 3

Jim Nabors reflects on his entertainment career, his college days and a critical illness.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Spring 2005

The Keepers of Dreams

Spring 2005, Volume 85, No.2

Recent college graduates dedicate themselves to closing the country's education gap for the next generation.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Winter 2004

For One English Officer

Winter 2004, Volume 85, No.1

An award-winning World War II documentary captures the story of an American Red Cross volunteer whose solo journeys into enemy lines saved countless allied lives.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Fall 2004

A Solid Start

Fall 2004, Volume 84, No.4

Today's incoming freshmen have access to many new tools for success as they begin their university experience.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Summer 2004

Ancient Lessons

Summer 2004, Volume 84, No.3

Eight hundred years ago, the area now called Moundville, Ala., was the largest city north of Mexico, where a long-ago civilization built earth mounds as platforms for ceremonies and homes. Today, this historical site serves as a world-class research and training ground.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Spring 2004

A Pride of Place

Spring 2004, Volume 84, No. 2

The University's landscape and grounds staff keeps the Capstone shining for those who live, work and visit here.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Winter 2003

Artist to Artist

Winter 2003, Volume 84, No. 1

The University's Book Arts Program collaborates with Cuban book artists to produce a one-of-a-kind book of poetry, and build lasting relationships that surmount political barriers.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - Fall 2003

Return to the Schoolhouse Door

Fall 2003 - Volume 83, No. 4

The University commemorates a moment in history, and the years that have followed.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - June 1003

The Best and Brightest, Times Five

June 2003 - Volume 83, No.3

A record number of UA students are named to USA Today's College Academic Team, besting the Ivies.

Alumni Magazine Alabama Alumni Magazine - March 2003

Sela Comes Home

March 2003 - Volume 83, No.2

Emmy-winning actress Sela Ward explores her roots in a new book about growing up in the South.