2007 Inductees

 

James C. Barton

James Barton was devoted to helping reporters investigate and report their stories over a legal career spanning 55 years.

Since the 1950s, Barton had represented The Birmingham News, and one of the most frequently told anecdotes about him involves 2005 Communication Hall of Fame inductee and “News” reporter Ron Casey. Casey had been interviewing Shelby County Sheriff C. P. “Red” Walker in 1974 regarding Walker’s re-election campaign and charges of corruption in his department. Walker threw Casey and another reporter into jail on charges of plotting to murder him, and it was Barton who secured Casey’s release. (more)

William H. Melson

Students of today’s College of Communication and Information Sciences owe a great deal to former dean of the College William H. “Bill” Melson. During the years he served as dean, 1976-1983, his professionalism, leadership and devotion to education laid the groundwork for the College as it is today.

Since its inception in 1973, the College has grown to be one of the top 10 largest programs in the country, with enrollment growing from 275 to more than 2,300 students. It’s home to nationally and internationally recognized faculty, and its facilities for teaching and research in broadcast, graphics, print, communication performance and new technology are among the best in the nation. “Bill is the architect of the current College of Communication and Information Sciences, a national powerhouse in all aspects of academic and professional communication,” said Dr. Ed Mullins, retired journalism professor and former dean of the College. “Under him, C&IS became a first tier school and has remained so ever since.” (more)

Charles L. Moore

Charles Moore, at the age of 16, could not have known how valuable his training as a Golden Gloves boxer would be. At about the same time, Moore developed an interest in art and in photography and became skilled enough, at age 17, to be admitted into the United States Marine Corps school for combat photography. Moore would, in the course of his career, see a lot of combat, most of it here in America, on the streets of Oxford, Miss. and Montgomery, Birmingham and Selma.

After the Marine Corps, Moore briefly trained to photograph fashion models, but this, fortunately for the Civil Rights Movement, was not to be. In 1957 Moore returned to Alabama, to work at the Montgomery Advertiser. He had had no real exposure to the Movement, but that was to change, and fast. (more)

Mignon C. Smith

Carrying on a family tradition that goes back more than a century, Mignon Comer Smith has worked for the betterment of Alabama and Alabamians throughout her life, in journalism, politics and higher education. Her great-grandfather, Alabama Gov. Braxton Bragg Comer, doubled the state’s support for public education while in office. He founded Avondale Mills which, under the leadership of Mignon Smith’s father, J. Craig Smith, was one of the first in the country to offer profit-sharing, educational opportunities for mill workers and their children, and even recreational facilities to its employees.

Sen. Richard Shelby says Smith is proud of her family and follows in their illustrious footsteps: she is “pleasant, diligent, honest . . . she comes from a distinguished Alabama family. She’s had a lot, and she’s given a lot.” He adds that she knows how to work hard but has “a great sense of humor.” (more)