University of Alabama alumnus Earl Tilford will be holding a lecture on his book, “Turning the Tide: Birth of the ‘Third,’ The University of Alabama,” and conducting a coinciding tour around campus.
Tilford, who spent his undergraduate and graduate years at the University, chose the title in what he calls “the changing of the tides,” which refers to the changes in the University after segregation was eliminated June 12, 1963.
The University eventually began to lose its stigma as a “white” college, and this change led to the third era of the University, which was crucial to making the school what it is now.
“In 1994, while vacationing in the South, I read E. Culpepper Clark’s ‘The Schoolhouse Door: Segregation’s Last Stand at the University of Alabama.’” Tilford said. “Having written several books about institutional change in the U.S. Air Force resulting from the Vietnam War, I decided it would be interesting to pick up where Clark’s story left off immediately after desegregation in 1963 and explore what happened throughout the rest of the decade.”
Carolyn Gunter, coordinator for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, said Tilford’s name was submitted to the OLLI Bonus Committee as a possible speaker.
“I contacted him, and he agreed to come,” Gunter said.
In this new “tide” of the University, Tilford said several changes occurred over the years during his absence. He said he was amazed how the population of students had tripled.
“When I was a student, the campus ended in the woods behind the dorms across from Paty Hall,” Tilford said. “I don’t think I knew the Black Warrior River was back there. Hackberry Lane bounded the campus to the east.”
Tilford said this growth in population was due to its new found freedom. He said during his time at the University, 85 to 90 percent of the students were residents of the state of Alabama, and it wasn’t until he was in graduate school that he had a black classmate.
Since the Tide has changed, Tilford feels that the University has improved not only its rating, but its “stronger faculty.”
“We have lost some things, however,” Tilford said. “Our students had more of a sense of family in those days. We didn’t ‘boo’ opposing teams when they came on the field, not even Auburn or Tennessee, much less Chattanooga.”
Tilford’s first tour of the Capstone occurred by chance while escorting three FBI agents in December 2011.
“After the tornado on April 27, 2011, a lot of work teams began coming to Tuscaloosa to help clean up and later to help rebuild,” Tilford said. “Usually they spent four or five days living in facilities at one of our churches. I offered to take teams staying at my church on a walking tour of the University one afternoon during their stay if they were interested. Believe it or not, teams from Pennsylvania and Oklahoma were most interested in these tours.”
The theme of the tour is “The Three Universities of Alabama.” Led by Tilford himself, the tour is meant to show areas of the campus that reflect the three eras of the University.
“These buildings reflect the grace and tranquility of the Old South – tradition – and that’s important,” he said. “There’s a cultural theme evident in our buildings, even the new ones.”
The tour is free and not only allows those who attend to see what changes have been made on campus, but also walk the same trail Tilford used when researching for book. Sites include the Mound, Woods Hall, the Quad, Denny Chimes and Foster Auditorium.
The lecture will take place at the Bryant Conference Hall June 12 at noon. The tour will be held June 20.
