Spirit of Alabama

SPIRIT OF ALABAMA: TUSCALOOSA CHURCH CELEBRATES BICENTENNIAL

By Sam Luther, WVUA 23 Student Reporter Before Tuscaloosa, even before the state of Alabama existed, there was the First Baptist Church of Tuscaloosa. Founded in 1818, the church was founded before the city in which it stands. Now, in 2018, the storied church celebrates turning 200 years old. The church’s official birthday is January

SPIRIT OF ALABAMA: LIFE SCOUT RETIRES FLAGS

By Elizabeth Elkin, WVUA 23 Student Reporter To many, the American flag is a symbol of freedom. Life Scout Bode Williams decided to honor that symbol this veterans weekend. Williams has been planning a flag retirement ceremony since February. “Today I have 50 flags, American flags, one from every state, and they’re going to be

SPIRIT OF ALABAMA: UA STUDENT WINS 2017 INTERNATIONAL HORN COMPETITION

By WVUA 23 Web Writer Makenna Cross Joshua Williams, a doctoral student at the University of Alabama, won first place in the 2017 International Horn Competition held in September. Williams first picked up a French horn as a seventh-grader at Hillcrest Middle School. It wasn’t long before he made music, and the horn, his career.

UA FRENCH HORN PLAYER WINS NATIONAL RECOGNITION

By Elizabeth Elkin, WVUA 23 Student Reporter Joshua Williams first picked up a French horn as a seventh grader at Hillcrest Junior High School. It wasn’t long before he started to think about making music, and the horn, his career. He’s never regretted this decision. “I’ve just grown with instrument over the past however many

SPIRIT OF ALABAMA: B.T. SERVES TUSCALOOSANS WITH A BIG HEART, A BIG SMILE

By WVUA 23 Student Reporter Bryn Caswell Here at WVUA 23, we get many phone calls from viewers and readers every day. But none are quite like the ones we get from a man most known as B.T. And through a sea of hardware supplies and shopping carts found at The Home Depot, lies their

SPIRIT OF ALABAMA: BAMA BELLE OFFERS A LOOK AT THE PAST

By WVUA 23 Student Reporter Molly Catherine Walsh Time travel doesn’t exist, so you can’t exactly go back in time. But you can imagine what things might have been like back in the days of steam engines and paddle boats with a trip down the Black Warrior River on the Bama Belle. After years of

SPIRIT OF ALABAMA: TEEN SNAGS EQUESTRIAN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP WIN

National championships aren’t rare around Tuscaloosa, but one local teenager is adding one to the pile after she won the Interscholastic Equestrian Association’s Hunt Seat National Final in Lexington, Virginia. Abbey Whitmer first took to the saddle when she was 8 years old, but ever since she’s been training for competition. “I wasn’t expecting to

SPIRIT OF ALABAMA: WHEN CHILDREN READ, LIBBY LISTENS

Many people believe if you can read well and retain the content, you can teach yourself almost anything. When children are learning, reading out loud is one of the best ways to get better, but children can be shy when it comes to speaking up. That’s where Mary Calhoun and Libby come in. Readers can’t get enough

SPIRIT OF ALABAMA: ALABAMA SWIMMER SETS RECORDS, BUILDS HOUSES

University of Alabama swimmer Caroline Korst knew she was destined to be a swimmer from an early age. “That’s when my mom said she knew I was going to be a swimmer,” Korst said. “When she just couldn’t keep me out of the water.” As a full-time student and a leader of the swim team

SPIRIT OF ALABAMA: ALABAMA CHOIR SCHOOL INVITED TO CARNEGIE HALL

A group of talented musicians from the Alabama Choir School were in New York City over the weekend, but they weren’t just visiting. The group was performing at the famed Carnegie Hall. Students singing in the Ambassador and Chamber choirs were invited to perform in the “I Hear America Singing” concert Sunday. Eighth-grader Jordan Hall is

SPIRIT OF ALABAMA: A WITNESS TO HISTORY

Some of the most historic moments in World War II can now be found in images spread across a dining room table in Tuscaloosa. The man behind the camera for some of those moments is Tuscaloosa native Ray Farabee. Drafted into World War II, Mr. Farabee served in the U.S. Army’s 32nd Infantry Red Arrow Division.

SPIRIT OF ALABAMA: ORGANIZATION’S WATER FILTER HELPING MILLIONS IN NEED

By WVUA 23 Student Reporter Kelderick Conwell Have you had some water today? Most people probably have, and gave no thought to where it came from or how safe it may be. But for millions around the world, clean and safe drinking water is not taken for granted. Filter of Hope delivers water filters to

WOMEN’S GROUP OFFERS STUDENTS DICTIONARIES, CONSTITUTION COPIES

For years, a local women’s organization has provided dictionaries and copies of the U.S. Constitution to all elementary schools in Tuscaloosa County. The Republican Women of Tuscaloosa County has offered area fifth-graders free copies of the U.S. Constitution and dictionaries for third-graders for 14 years, and while technology is changing, there’s nothing like flipping through a book when

FAIR HOPE FOUNDATION SELECTS FIRST SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT

By WVUA 23 Student Reporter Elizabeth Elkin Saint Mark United Methodist Church Pastor Byron Fair received life-changing news in July 2014 when he was diagnosed with an uncommon type of lymphoma while he was finishing his masters at The University of Alabama. “Just something sparked,” he said. “And I started looking to see if there were any scholarships available

FIRST YEAR UA MEDICAL STUDENTS SERVE TUSCALOOSA COMMUNITY

By WVUA 23 Student Reporter Elizabeth Elkin Before picking up their books and beginning medical school, first-year Alabama medical students committed a day doing good in the community. As part of orientation week, incoming med students participated in “fun day,” a day of service in the Tuscaloosa community. This year’s fun day involved working in

GREG AND PAM ROGERS HELP STUDENTS START NEW SCHOOL YEAR OFF RIGHT

Tuscaloosa City and County students are back in class beginning Aug. 11, and one local ministry is ensuring they all get started on the right foot. Greg and Pam Rogers headed up the Tuscaloosa Backpack Coalition and Apples for Education more than a decade ago, with the goal of giving students in need their best chance

Spirit of Alabama

Popular Articles

Facebook Feed