To: Members of the Birmingham-Jefferson Historical Society

What: Quarterly Meeting

Date: July 14, 2009

Time: 6:30 p.m. Social and Refreshments 7:00 p.m. Business and Program

Where: Emmett O’Neal Library Auditorium Crestline Village

Speaker: Mr. Ralph Yeilding Subject: An outstanding Birmingham and Alabama Family

Soon after the Civil War, as Birmingham was being born as a city, sev-eral members of a large family in North Alabama began moving to Bir-mingham. Beginning as merchants in the area of town north of the pre-sent civic center, one ancestor in particular produced a family of descen-dents who excelled in diverse occupations and professions which have been very important to the business, educational, political and civic life of the growing city. Many who were descended from the male members of the family, bearing varied surnames, have likewise contributed to the fab-ric of the city’s life. Ralph Yeilding is a direct descendent of the early patriarch. He is an attorney with the firm of Bradley, Arant Boult & Cummings (Formerly Bradley Arant Rose & White).

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HISTORIC ARTIFACT OBTAINED FOR THE MUSEUM

Williamson Hawkins was one of the original pioneer set-tlers in Jones Valley, with his friend, John Jones. In later life, he donated a church bell to the first Episcopal church in Birmingham, St. John’s Episcopal Church, in Elyton. This was the parent church of The Episcopal Church of the Advent, which further branched to form St. Mary’s on the Highlands. As years went by, St. John’s at Elyton became St. Johns Episcopal Church for the Deaf. When the original building was abandoned due to infirmi-ties of age, the church moved to Cahaba Heights and brought the original bell with them, where it silently rests upon a pedestal in the parking lot.

On June 14th, Jim Bennett, Dr. Ed Stevenson and Dr. Marvin Whiting met with the church congregation and pastor, and the historic sig-nificance of the bell was explained to them. The congregation voted unanimously to donate the bell to The Birmingham-Jefferson History Museum. It will be relocated to the museum next year, following a church anniversary celebration.

Williamson Hawkins Bell

BOOK REVIEW

TITLE: “A POWERFUL PRESENCE”, by Mark A. Kelly Subtitle: “The Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce and the History of Birmingham”. Available only at the Chamber of Commerce Office. Price $24

REVIEWER: Dr. Ed Stevenson

This book was published in 2008 and was commissioned by The Birmingham Re-gional Chamber of Commerce. The author, Mark A. Kelly, served as a senior staff member to Mayor Bernard Kincaid, and played a key role in coordinating the BATT Force process, and has served on the Board of Directors of TechBirmingham. For those interested in the history of the Birmingham region, this book provides an excellent chronological story with the emphasis on the part played by the Regional Chamber of Commerce and its predecessor, The Commercial Club. In so doing, it goes into depth in the analysis of the part played by the commercial and political leaders in the seminal events as they unfolded. The author had access to the writ-ten records of The Chamber, and was able to integrate the information that they contained with library sources, newspaper, book and magazine sources, and a sig-nificant number of personal interviews with important leaders who were - and are - still available, and who offered their personal memories and viewpoints. Those who were interviewed were frank, open and sometimes critical, at the same time offered generous praise of those people and events that were constantly struggling to reach the desired goals for improvement that are shared by all people of good will. Fasci-nating interviews are quoted by former Chamber chairmen Jim Head, Joe Farley, Wallace Malone, James Lee, Frank Young III, Dr. Neal Berte, Eddie Friend, Richard Pizitz and others. Sid Smyer is given great credit for his dogged pursuit of his goals for a bigger and better Birmingham – goals and ideas that have been passed down to other leaders long after Mr. Smyer’s passing from the scene of personal leader-ship.

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The recurring theme of this study is the “tilting at windmills” environment that has existed in the city and the region since early times. The outstanding “windmill” has been the influence of out-of-state ownership of the major industrial players. This book does not shrink from specific identification of the companies and their leaders who maintained a stranglehold on expansion and improvement. Specific compari-sons are made between the growth and success of Atlanta, Nashville, Memphis, Charlotte and Jacksonville when compared to Birmingham during the same time frame. The success of those cities has, in a large part, been due to successful re-gionalization of their governmental functions, using various formulas best suited to each of them. Several major efforts have been attempted to regionalize Birming-ham’s governmental organization. The Chamber of Commerce worked openly as well as privately to support these initiatives. All of these campaigns have failed. This study blames a combination of local and regional factors for these failures; but the last major effort was effectively killed by a specific action of the U.S. Steel Corpora-tion. The conclusion of the author seems to be that Birmingham has missed any op-portunity for significant regional advancement in the foreseeable future. The book is a well-researched and documented analysis of events. It is a valuable addition to the history of Birmingham, and It is written in a style that makes it easy to read. It will fascinate the older reader who remembers many of the events, and who is personally acquainted with many of the people whose interviews were source ma-terial. It will add a valuable resource for future historians. The Regional Chamber of Commerce should be commended for sponsoring this study while so many partici-pants could lend their personal memories and opinions.

VERY IMPORTANT MUSEUM INFORMATION

Most members are aware that the Birmingham-Jefferson History Museum is now located in downtown Birmingham, in the Young & Vann Building. More specifically it is at 1731 First Avenue North, across the street from Birmingham Police Head-quarters. There is plenty of parking in a lot on the west side of the building. It is a work in progress, and it will take time to set up artifacts and displays. However, for anyone that you know who may possess important and appropriate artifacts, but may have been holding back on donating them until a definite location had been es-tablished, now is the time to go to attics, basements or warehouses and bring them out. Call Tommy West at 871-5365 for details for donation. Please note that the telephone number of the museum is not in the telephone book, so write it in your personal address books, so you can pass the word to any inter-ested person:

Telephone: 202-4146

Email: myw@bham.rr.com

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An Eyewitness Account of Birmingham, Alabama

Through the Eyes of a 17-Year Old

In the Years 1914-1915

By Thomas Mabson West, Sr.

Edited by Thomas Mabson West, Jr.

SUBJECT: We are told that eyewitness accounts of early Birmingham are

very, very rare and this is one of the few known to exist.

SOURCE: The following is excerpted from my father’s autobiography These

Things I Remember, written beginning on March 10, 1960. It is

extensive, running 140+ pages, typewritten, single spaced, by him.

I have a bound original and a bound copy.

THE

AUTHOR: Thomas Mabson West, Sr. was born June 16, 1897, at home in the

large 10-bedroom home of his grandfather at 204 Court Street in

Montgomery, Alabama. Thomas Mabson West, Sr. moved to Bir-

mingham permanently in 1938, but was there off and on before

that.

THE

BIRMINGHAM

MOVE: Thomas Hill Mabson was a hotel operator and moved temporarily

to Birmingham with his large extended family to open the Mabson Hotel, now

demolished, which was located across the street from St. Paul’s Catholic

Church. The site is now a parking lot since being torn down in the 1950s. At

one time or another, Mr. Mabson owned or operated at least nine (9) hotels,

possibly more. His properties included Mabson Hotel (in Montgomery), Mab-

son Hotel (in Birmingham), Glenmore Hotel, Merchants Hotel, New Hotel, all

in Montgomery. He also had three (3) resort hotels: Verbena Hotel, and Talla-

dega Springs Hotel. Either Tom Mabson or his brother, Charles, most likely

owned the Metropolitan Hotel at 20th Street and Morris Avenue in Birmingham,

but deeds are missing at the Courthouse. The decision to establish a hotel in

Birmingham was an obvious one since in 1914 the city was booming. The fam-

ily was well aware of the business opportunities in Birmingham from its very

beginning in 1871, with some family members being stockholders in the found-

ing group, the Elyton Land Company. One family member, Dr. B.J. Baldwin,

had served as a president of the Elyton Land Company.

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From These Things I Remember

While at home for these holidays, my family informed me that they had decided to

move (Note: from Montgomery) to Birmingham to live. As for me, it didn’t make a great deal

of difference for I was having such a good time about then, I saw it as merely new fields to

conquer and new people to meet, but with my sisters, it was an entirely different story.

None of them wanted to go. They, like myself, were having a wonderful time and were

afraid that a change of towns might retard their popularity, but this proved to be absolutely

without foundation. As I departed Montgomery for return to Tech (Note: Georgia Tech in

Atlanta), I was given a Birmingham address to report to when my tenure at Tech had ex-

pired.

On or about February 1, 1914, I took up my abode at 1321 South 19th Street, Bir-

mingham, Alabama. (Note: This house later became the office of Drs. James Hayes Wil-

liams, James R. Williams and Hayes T. Williams, and has recently undergone a beautiful

restoration.) The rest of the family had preceded me by about two or three weeks. When I

came over from Atlanta, the moving had been completed and the home had been set in

good order. It was a two-story frame building and we were very lucky to have been able to

get a place in such a fine neighborhood. Directly next to us was the family of Dr. and Mrs.

Felix Tarrant, who proved to be wonderful neighbors. They had a daughter, Mary Ada, who

was not only one of the most popular girls in the younger set, but one of the sweetest girls I

have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and who was to be a very close friend for many

years. She was Mary Ceil’s age and through her wide connections, the girls in the family

had met many interesting and nice people, so when I arrived on the scene, it wasn’t at all

hard to fall in line with those boys and girls my sisters had already met, one of whom, Mark

Cruickshank, had by that time become very interested in Sister and who was to be one of

my best friends for some years to come. Mark was the son of Mr. & Mrs. George M. Cruick-

shank, who was owner and editor of the Birmingham Post and had a very attractive sister,

Mary George (Mrs. Shaler Houser of Tuscaloosa). They lived in a big two-story house on

Linden Street, just off Highland Avenue and I have spent many a night in that house. I will

always recall an incident that took place there. Mark was having a house dance. Prior to

my leaving Atlanta, all the college crowd was dancing the “Adelaide.” I had taught it to Sis-

ter and Mark, asked that we show it to the rest of the guests, which we did and most suc-

cessfully. I remember how proud I felt of myself for the rest of the evening, until I began un-

dressing that night after having returned home and I recall that I was taking off my pants in

front of the fire and just happened to get those pants in between me and the fire, when I dis-

covered that I had split them about six inches long. I felt so embarrassed that night that I

didn’t ever want to see any of those people again, but to my extreme delight, I learned the

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next day from talking to several people that it had not been noticed, but that one thing broke

me from putting on any more exhibition dances from then on.

I recall having attended a dance soon after at the Birmingham Athletic Club and the

girl I was dancing with was most popular. A fellow named Raymond Teague broke in on me

and as this was not the custom, I broke back in on him. He took it as a personal insult and

invited me out. We went out but instead of the usual fight, we just walked around the block

and both decided that each of us were pretty good fellows, shook hands and after then we

were real good friends.

I will always remember the old “Race Track.” It was that block bounded by 19th and

20th Streets and 2nd and 3rd Avenue. When nothing better was found to do, one could walk

around that block and see most anybody he knew both male and female. Then there was

“Crooks Corner,” which was a cigar store located on the southeast corner of 3rd Avenue and

19th Street. Then there was Nunnally’s, a most popular spot where everybody met. It was

on 20th Street, west side, between 2nd and 3rd Avenues. (Ed. Note: These addresses today

would be “North” as the south avenues were then lettered “A”, “B”, etc., rather than num-

bered.)

One of the largest fires I ever saw occurred one afternoon while I was at the ball

game. After the game, while on the way back to town on the street car, the cars began pil-

ing up several blocks from the heart of town. After finding that they could not get into the

city on account of the hoses that were spread out everywhere, we dismounted and soon

discovered that the fire was destroying the building occupied by the Birmingham Power

Company. It burned for several hours and I recall having gone to the Press Club, on the top

floor of what is now the Comer Building, and watching the fire from there.

As spring came on, the popular spot for the Saturday night parties was the old Bluff

Park Hotel, atop Shades Mountain, some ten miles out from town. The girls who had dates

would usually go out for supper, but we stags would show up about nine o’clock. As cars

were not too plentiful in those days, it was always well to make arrangements for transporta-

tion well in advance. Sometimes we would all have to chip in and rent a car to get out and

depend on bumming a ride back to town.

Sunday afternoons were devoted entirely to visiting. Boys by the dozens would

gather after dinner at Five Points. We would split up in groups of four or five and off we

would go in different directions. The girls would not dare leave their homes on any Sunday

afternoon as their popularity was generally gauged by the number of callers they had. All

had open house and most had refreshments ranging from the simplest to the most elabo-

rate. We boys would try to time our visiting so as not to run in on another bunch that was

there unless they had been there at least fifteen minutes, because the most serious social

mistake that one could make was not leaving when another crowd rang the door bell. If this

7

custom was not observed, it called for a fight right then and there. If some girl had an out-of-

town visitor, she was the most popular for the day as all the boys liked to meet the visitors and

if she was attractive, she had it made.

I recall some of the girls we visited were Mallie and Doris Vaughan, Mary Strist, Sara

Collins, Kitty Sibley, Bessie Evans, Gladys Williams and Geat Lewis, but there were many

more that I am not able to recall. The boys who ran in our crowd, to name a few were Mark,

Joe Worthington, Pete Moss, Tom and Leo Poe, Mack and Rick Bethea, Dave Fox, Tommy

O’Bryan, Lovick Stevenson and Herbert Peters.

I recall very distinctly that we went from the depot, which was close, to the Indian Room

at the old Florence Hotel. Back in those days, the Indian Room was the place to go and al-

though we were not dressed exactly for the occasion we had more fun than anybody there.

This place was famous for its club sandwiches, had a three-piece orchestra and the whitest

linen on those big round tables with its four captain chairs that gave it an atmosphere of ex-

treme refinement.

Mary (Mary Streit of Birmingham) liked baseball, as did I, and on some of my frequent

trips into Birmingham that summer, we would go out to the games together. I recall that Bill

Nappi’s band played at the ball park for every game and there were dozens of electric fans

mounted from the roof of the grandstand. I recall that the big bat man was Pete Kniseley, who

played center field and Mesenger played right field and Lil Marcan and Roy Ellam were playing

the infield and that Molesworth was the manager. They had a big pitcher named Covelaski.

Everyone went to the game on the street car and the ones they used on the ball park run were

mostly of the open variety.

World War I began on August 4, 1914 and although we were not to become involved

until some three years later, the war had a disastrous financial effect on our country. Business

became very bad and a very definite depression (which almost resembled a panic) set in, but

in spite of what this might have been doing to my parents, my good times went on as usual.

The Tutwiler Hotel had just been completed and on its opening gave a very large party,

using all three of its ball rooms at the same time. I recall having attended this opening and

what a huge and successful party it was.

That fall, many of the social events centered around the tea dances that were held on

Saturday afternoons by Professor Miles, who at that time was conducting dancing classes in

the Tango, which was sweeping the country. Tables were reserved for parties of four or more

and reservations had to be made well in advance, as it was a popular spot. Mark and I were

usually at a table together and I recall on several occasions that Roberta Wilson, who was an

older sister of the later to be famous screen star, Lois Wilson, was at a table with us. This was

about the time that Vernon and Irene Castle were at the top in the dancing world and the

8

orchestras were playing all the Castle House music. Some of the tunes of the day were:

The Castle House Rag, Lame Duck, Get Out and Get Under, Hesitation and Sympathy.

It had been wonderful living in Birmingham these past eleven months. I shall never

forget the beautiful homes in and around Highland Avenue with their dozens of shaded

lamps of pink and yellow, shaded into many tones. The people I had met were tops and

many of them were to cross paths again in years to come, but the girl I really hated most to

leave was “Geat.” She was just starting out that year and I think I was about the first boy

she had really had any dates with. She was Mary’s first cousin and when Mary went back

to school, I began dating Geat. I must admit that as leaving time approached, there was a

real affection for her.

When January of 1915 rolled around, it was back to Montgomery again where the

family took up temporary abode at 902 South Perry Street. Our old home had been rented

for two years when we moved to Birmingham so we could not get it back until then, but the

ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Installation of Officers and Board of Directors is done at our January quarterly meeting, which the Constitution designates to be The Annual Meeting. In order to accomplish this in a timely fashion, your President will name a nominating commit-tee in the near future, to present a slate at a Board Meeting that will be called be-fore the October meeting. If the Board approves the suggested nominees, or names others, that slate will be presented at the October quarterly general meeting for additional nominations from the floor, followed by election. The new Officers and Board will be installed as a first order of business at the January 2010 general meeting.

Officers and Board of Directors are elected for a term of one year. The Constitution places no limit on the number of terms that an individual can serve. This notice at this time is to give the membership time to think about members who would be good officers, as well as to give members the chance to volunteer their own ser-vices for any of the positions.

ANNUAL DUES

It has been traditional to notify members of need to pay annual dues in the middle of the summer; but notices were sent prematurely at the beginning of this calendar year. For those of you who responded at that time, your dues are paid. For those who did not re-spond, please check your records and send your dues now.

Write your check to: Birmingham-Jefferson Historical Society. Mail to: Harry Bradford, Sec.& Treas. Birmingham-Jefferson Historical Society P.O. Box130285 Birmingham, AL 35213-0285

Dues schedule, per our constitution is: Individuals $15.00; Family $25.00; Sponsor $100.00; Patron $250.00; and Benefactor $500. We are a 501(c)(3) organization, so your dues are deductible.

9

LAST MEETING

The last meeting of the Society was held at the Emmett O’Neal Library April 7, 2009. Continuing a series of speakers and subjects related to the early settlement and development of the city and county, Cathy Sloss Crenshaw presented an ex-cellent program about her ancestor, James Withers Sloss. He was an early devel-oper of railroads and iron works, as well as an early participant in the Elyton Land Company. The members and guests also had the privilege of meeting several members of the Sloss family who were in attendance.

Cathy Crenshaw and Alice Williams

Cathy Crenshaw

“Pete” Sloss and Family

Photos by Tom Badham

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HISTORICAL MARKERS In each issue of the newsletter we will feature an historical marker erected by the Society. OLDEST HOUSE IN SHADES VALLEY Cummings-Eastis-Beaumont House The original log structure was built c. 1820-1830, with the board and batten addi-

tion dating to as late as the 1860s. The log cabin was at first one and one-half sto-

ries and is believed to be the oldest structure in Shades Valley. Members of the

Eastis family lived here for over eighty years until it was purchased by the Edward

Beaumonts in 1951.

Erected by the Birmingham-Jefferson Historical Society 1993. IRONDALE FURNACE COMMISSARY The log house, purchased from William Cummings in 1863 by Wallace S. McEl-

wain, owner of the nearby Cahaba Iron Works of Irondale Furnace, was used for a

commissary or company store. This was the first store in Shades Valley for the

settlers to purchase supplies. Before this, it was necessary for them to make a

long trip over Red Mountain to Elyton, then the county seat. Although the furnace

was destroyed March 29, 1865 by Wilson’s Raiders, the commissary was spared.

Erected by the Birmingham-Jefferson Historical Society 1993.

JOHN TURNER MILNER BOOK

Alice Williams presented a program at our July 2008 meeting, in which she re-

viewed the life of her ancestor, John Turner Milner, one of the true pioneers of the

city of Birmingham. Using her research for that presentation, she expanded her

work into a fine biography of Milner, and donated a copy to this Society for our

archives. Alice has graciously permitted the Society to have copies made and

sold to members at the cost of printing and covering. Twelve copies have been

made and will be available at the July meeting for a cost of $10 to reimburse the

treasurer, plus a “thank you” to Alice.

11

MICKEY ROONEY MARRIES MISS ALABAMA 1944 in Birmingham

by Thomas M. West, Jr.

This was the headline 65 years ago and the story is as interesting today as

it was then, and is an intriguing and exciting part of Birmingham’s history.

The Bride

Betty Jane Rase was the daughter of Ernest and Lena Rase of 708 9th

Court West. Ed was a mechanical engineer with U.S. Steel and later Bechtel Mfg.

Co. Betty Jane was a musical prodigy who learned to play the piano at the age of

3 and developed a fantastic singing ability. She, at 17, was 5'7" and beautiful and

a senior at Phillips High School. Her photographs show a woman of 30, looking

older than Mickey.

Betty Jane entered and won the 1944 Miss Birmingham Contest, which

meant that, unlike today, she became Miss Alabama. In Atlantic City she won both

the swimsuit preliminary and the talent preliminary and was 4th runner up Miss

America.

After her marriage to Mickey, Betty Jane married Buddy Baker (1950-1957),

head of the Walt Disney Music Department and a USC film scoring professor.

Under the name “B.J. Baker,” Betty Jane became one of the top backup

singers in America, working with Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, The

Righteous Brothers, Sam Cooke and others.

Later, Betty Jane married Barney Kessell (1961-1980), the legendary guitar-

ist, influential jazz artist, composer, arranger, session player and record producer.

For several years he was voted the world’s greatest guitarist in the Playboy, Down-

beat and Esquire polls.

Betty Jane Rase, Miss Alabama of 1944, passed away on April 2, 2002, in

Rancho Mirage, California.

The Groom

Mickey Rooney, born Joe Yule, Jr. on September 23, 1920, was an actor,

dancer, singer, composer, musician, comedian, inventor and show business histo-

rian. He first performed at the age 17 months with his vaudevillian parents. In

1939, 1940 and 1941 he was the top movie star in the world. When Cary Grant

12

was asked who was the most talented person in Hollywood, he quickly answered

“Mickey Rooney.” Mickey is most remembered for his series of Andy Hardy movies

(which still play often even until this day) and his pairings with Judy Garland. He

won an Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy and, in addition to making over 200 mov-

ies, starred on television, in nightclubs and on Broadway. At age 91 he still per-

forms with his 8th wife, Jan Chamberlin, whom he married in 1978. Mickey Rooney

is most likely the last surviving star of vaudeville and the golden age of Hollywood.

The Marriage to Betty Jane

When World War II broke out in 1941, Mickey continued making movies as

usual, but was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944, shortly after his divorce from his

first wife, Ava Gardner, who some said was the most beautiful woman in Hollywood.

Mickey was stationed at Ft. Sibert near Gadsden, Alabama, which was a chemical

warfare base.

Mickey was invited to come to Birmingham for the opening of a new movie in

1944. This movie was “National Velvet,” which was a young Elizabeth Taylor’s 7th

movie. At a post-movie party, Mickey met Lily Mae Caldwell, the well-known Bir-

mingham News writer and for many years the lady behind the Miss Alabama con-

test. The contest, at that time, was sponsored by The Birmingham News, the Ala-

bama Theater and WSGN Radio.

Lily Mae introduced Mickey to Miss Birmingham, in those days also Miss Ala-

bama, Betty Jane Rase. In 15 minutes Mickey proposed marriage! Betty Jane

promptly accepted!

This was war time and things moved swiftly. Mickey was soon to join hun-

dreds of other stars entertaining the troops and would soon be shipped off to

Europe. So, where did the wedding take place? The famous Mon Bel Ami Chapel

people in Las Vegas claim the wedding took place there, but it is more reasonable to

believe that the wedding was held in Birmingham, The locals here at the time say

that an officer at Ft. Sibert had rented the Frank Nelson mansion on Niazuma Ave-

nue in Forest Park and let the Rooney's hold the wedding there. After a one-night

honeymoon, Mickey left to entertain the troops in Europe.

THERE WERE TWO CHILDREN -

BOTH BORN IN BIRMINGHAM

13

Mickey Rooney, Jr. was born July 3, 1945 in Birmingham, but was named

Joseph Yule, III at birth. Betty Jane’s obstetrician was Dr. James Hayes Williams

with offices at 1321 South 19th Street. Her pediatrician was Dr. Hughes Kennedy,

Jr. Later in life, through his stepfather Baker’s influence at Disney, he became one

of the original Mouseketeers, along with his brother. He appeared in three movies

and three television programs, was involved in music and lives in Hemet, California.

Timothy “Timmie” Hayes Rooney was born in Birmingham on January 4,

1947 and, unlike Mickey, Jr., looked just like his father. At age 10, he was stricken

with polio and was paralyzed for two years. Tim appeared later on “Maverick, Surf-

side Six, Bewitched, Gidget and Dr. Kildare, as well as three movies. He did voice-

over work in The Jetsons and Mr. T. Tim suffered from dermatomyositis, a terrible

disease much like his horrible bout with polio. He passed away on September 23,

2006 at his ranch in Hemet, California.

Mickey and Betty Jane Rase Rooney divorced June 3, 1949, but not in Bir-

mingham where it all began in 1944.

Life is Too Short, Mickey Rooney’s autobiography, published in 1991, is an

excellent book which anyone interested in Mickey’s entire life should certainly read,

but his “Birmingham story” is only briefly mentioned.

There are many unanswered questions about Mickey and Betty Jane. If any

of you have any information please contact me at 871-5365, as this story is not

complete.

1. At which hospital in Birmingham were Mickey, Jr. and Timmy born?

2. Did Mickey buy or rent a Birmingham house as is rumored?

3. Did Mickey and/or Betty Jane come back to Birmingham often?

4. Do you have photographs of Betty Jane through the years after the Miss

Birmingham/Alabama contest? (Betty Jane did return to crown the 1945

Miss Alabama.)

5. Who was the Army officer who leased the Frank Nelson home where the

wedding took place?

6. Where were they divorced? (Even though Alabama became an infamous

“quickie state” where such people as Aristotle Onassis and Stavros

Niarchos obtained their divorces, the Jefferson County Courthouse records

do not show the couple divorcing here.)

7. Is Betty Jane buried in Birmingham?

14

Interesting Acquaintances and Valuable Memorabilia

by Robert R. Kracke

In 1943, Dr. Roy R. Kracke was asked to come from Emory University in At-

lanta to Birmingham to create a 4-year medical school in Birmingham, from a 2-

year medical school then located in Tuscaloosa, which he had attended in the

1920s (he then went to the University of Chicago for the last two years). In later

years, the 1930s and 1940s, he had gained a reputation as an international author-

ity on blood diseases (his seminal work, Diseases of the Blood, was published in 14

languages). As a result of his writings, he became widely known for the treatment

of such blood disorders as agranulocytosis (a disease for which he discovered the

cause), leukemia, etc. As a result, he was sought out by interesting historical fig-

ures from various walks of life.

While in Atlanta in the 1930s and 40s, Bobby Jones, the famous golfer,

asked him to look into a strange illness suffered by Ms. Jones. Dr. Kracke asked

what drugs she was taking, was invited to look in her medicine cabinet, and found

the culprit: an aminopyrine that was upsetting Ms. Jones hematological makeup.

About the same time, he was asked to participate and help form a medical

seminar by a polio victim who resided from time to time in Warm Springs, GA. You

guessed it – then Governor of New York, Franklin D. Roosevelt sponsored that

seminar. Roosevelt later sent him a letter of thanks for his participation.

Later on, in the 1940s, another Georgia resident asked him to help with the

creation of a hospital in the little town of Royston, GA, in memory of his parents.

This individual was none other than Ty Cobb, who was referred to Dr. Kracke by

then Birmingham News reporter, Zipp Newman. Cobb’s caring and creative hand-

written letters to Dr. Kracke truly defy the contentiousness and ferocity which he ex-

hibited on the baseball diamond.

Speaking of baseball, Mel Stern, the nationally-known sports announcer, be-

came an acquaintance from his announcement annually of the East-West baseball

game played at Rickwood Field in the 1940s to benefit eye research.

15

While Dr. Kracke was in Birmingham, a famous candy manufacturer’s wife

came down with a blood disease whereupon he was enlisted as a consultant. His

fee ? - a big box of his favorite candy bar, Peter Paul Mounds, which he never

brought home but kept carefully hidden away from his six children in his office

closet. Those children would always look in the closet to see how many Mounds

were left, but were told not to touch them.

By the way, all the letters from Jones, Roosevelt and Cobb were given to the

Medical Archives Collection in the Medical Center by Mrs. Kracke.

Do you have memorabilia in your attic that deserves preservation and dis-

play for future generations? If so, remember our own Birmingham History Museum

for those items and make a significant contribution to the preservation of the history

of Birmingham.