The University of Alabama’s College of Communication & Information Sciences celebrated the 23rd class of C&IS Hall of Fame inductees on Thursday, October 10, 2024.
Have questions about the event? Check out our FAQ.
The 23rd Class of Inductees
Dr. Elizabeth Aversa
Aversa instituted UA’s School of Library and Information Studies’ first online program in 2005 during her time as director. She also founded the UA Opera Guild in 2013 and won the American Library Association’s 2013 Beti Phi Mu award.
Bob Cohn
Cohn was a decorated journalist known for his work reporting on the Freedom Rides and other news during the Civil Rights movement. He later founded what is known today as Burson, Cohn and Wolfe, or BCW Global, an international communications firm.
Cohn will be honored posthumously.
Dr. Jesse Lewis
Lewis is the founder of the Birmingham Times, former president of Lawson State Community College and founder of the first Black-owned PR and marketing agency in Alabama, known today as Agency 54, part of the Lewis Group.
Christi Parsons
Parsons has been a journalist for more than thirty years, reporting for CNN, LA Times and others. She currently works at the University of Maryland’s Philip Merrill College of Journalism as a faculty member and the director of Capital News Service’s Annapolis bureau.
Hall of Fame Inductees
2024
Dr. Elizabeth Aversa
Bob Cohn
Dr. Jesse Lewis
Christi Parsons
2022
Paul Finebaum
Charlie Monk
Janet Hall O’Neil
Frank M. Thompson, Jr.
2020
Nancy Parker Boyd
E. Culpepper Clark
Jan Crawford
Bryan Stevenson
2018
Jennings F. Bryant, Jr.
Rece Davis
Fred D. Gray
Houston and Voncile Pearce
2016
Rick E. Bragg
Eli L. Gold
James M. Spann
George R. Stewart
2015
Camile Maxwell Elebash
Wayne H. Gillis
Everett H. Holle
L. Edward Mullins
Annabel K. Stephens
2014
William Ossian “Bill” Bolen
Gilbert E. “Gibby” Johnston, Jr.
H. Shelton Prince, Jr.
Stanley T. Siegal
Sela Ward
2013
Harold Wayne Greenhaw
William Myatt “Billy” Harvill, Jr.
James W. “Jim” Oakley, Jr.
2012
Robert E. Luckie III
Sue O. Medina
Joe Rumore
Dolph Tillotson
2011
Joseph E. “Joe” Gibbs
Charles A. “Chuck” Gordon
James E. “Jim” Jacobson
Ruth W. Waldrop
2010
Sanford Morton “Sandy” Grossman
James E. “Jimmy” Mills
Charles Joseph “Joe” Scarborough, Sr.
2009
Winston F. Groom, Jr.
Norma S. Hanson
Raymond D. Hurlbert
S. Vincent Townsend, Sr.
2008
Nelle Harper Lee
James D. Ramer
H. Pettus Randall III
2007
James C. Barton, Sr.
William H. Melson
Charles L. Moore
Mignon C. Smith
2006
Bob Inman
Chet Simmons
2005
Albert Brewer
Ron Casey
Tom Corts
Jack Edwards
Wayne Flynt
Bailey Thomson
2004
Don Logan
F. David Mathews
Howell H. Raines
2003
Morris S. Dees, Jr.
Robert B. Ingram, Jr.
James T. Stephens
Margaret DeB. Tutwiler
2002
Gould M. Beech
Hugo L. Black
Edwin C. Bridges
Neil O. Davis
Virginia F. Durr
Rev. Fred L. Shuttlesworth
2001
Tom H. Cherones Jr.
John J. Cochran
Betsy A. Plank
Kathryn Tucker Windham
Gay Talese
2000
Bert Bank
James B. Boone, Jr.
Emory O. Cunningham
Barrett C. Shelton, Jr.
Julius E. Talton
1999
Carl A. Elliott, Sr.
Elmo I. Ellis
Annabel D. Hagood
Robert E. Luckie, Jr.
B. Carmage Walls
Edward O. Wilson
1998
Mel Allen
Graydon L. Ausmus
Harry Mell Ayers
James Buford Boone Sr.
Clarence E. Cason
Clifford Judkins Durr
Douglas Edwards
John M. Forney Jr.
Kenneth R. Giddens
Amelia Gayle Gorgas
Grover C. Hall Sr.
Victor Henry Hanson
Porter Harvey
1998
William Bradford Huie
Emory O. Jackson
Henry P. Johnston Sr.
Helen Keller
Carroll Kilpatrick
Martin Luther King Jr.
John Luskin
Frank McGee
Charles Wesley Scarritt
Barrett C. Shelton Sr.
Hazel Brannon Smith
Frank P. Thomas Jr.
FAQ
What is the date and time of the event?
The C&IS Hall of Fame will be on Thursday, October 10, 2024, starting with the cocktail reception at 6 P.M. and the dinner ceremony at 7 P.M.
Where is the event being held?
The event will be held at the Bryant Conference Center in Tuscaloosa, in Seller’s Auditorium.
Can I buy a ticket at the venue on the day of the event?
No, final ticket sales are October 1, 2024.
Can I gift a C&IS student with a ticket?
Yes. Email Brie Campbell for more information.
Do I need to bring my ticket?
You only need to provide your first and last name to the ambassadors upon entering; they will provide your table number and directions to Seller’s Auditorium once inside.
Where do I park?
Parking is available in the Bryant Conference Center and at the Capstone Parking Deck.
Is there handicap parking?
Yes, in front of the main entrance to the Bryant Conference Center and between Hotel Capstone and Bryant Conference Center on the north side.
If I would like to learn more about C&IS events, can I sign up for the enewsletter?
Yes, email Brie Campbell to join the list.
Thank You to Our Sponsors
Alabama Broadcasters Association Alabama Power Foundation Alabama Press Association Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama Burson Coca-Cola Bottling Company United, Inc. Elevate Communications John and Sharon Tinsley Friend Lindsay and Johnny Garrison Davis and Jacquie Hudson M. Scott Johnson Bill and Judy Lewis Jacquelyn S. Shana Stuart and Beth Sockwell David and Donna Woods WBRC 6 News Zehnder