60 Years Beyond the Schoolhouse Door
The 2023 Vivian Malone Alumni Awards was held in Sellers Auditorium at the Bryant Conference Center on the campus of the University of Alabama on June 10th , 2023. Doors opened at 7:30 p.m. and the dinner program began at 8:00 p.m.
The UA Black Alumni Association, the Culverhouse Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) and the UA Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) partner in hosting The Malone Awards, with proceeds going to support scholarships, student retention and success initiatives, and student programs. The event was presented by PROJECTXYZ, Inc.
Terry Woods, a 1980 Mechanical Engineering graduate, received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Arthur Dunning, a three-time UA graduate who helped integrate Alabama football as a walk-on in 1967, received the Crimson Flame Courage Award.
Vivian Malone-Jones became instantly known to the world when then-Governor of the State of Alabama, George Wallace, attempted to block her from enrolling at the University of Alabama. Despite a tumultuous start, Mrs. Malone-Jones became the first black graduate of the university in 1965, receiving her degree through the University of Alabama’s College of Commerce and Business Administration. Despite difficult years at Alabama and post-graduation, Mrs. Malone-Jones excelled in her career and remained an avid supporter of the University and the University community. It is natural we honor her in this way.
The idea for an awards program named in honor of, and inspired by, our trailblazing alumna has been a thought of many in the university family. However, in early 2021, the Awards began to take shape when the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion of the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Business (as it is now known) approached the University of Alabama Black Alumni Association to make the thought a reality. It all spawned from a simple premise, “To honor those alums who have used what they have learned and acquired at the University of Alabama to excel in their chosen endeavors while furthering the advancement of the University”. And from that thought, The Malone-Jones Awards were born.
Those behind the Awards know that the University has a rich tradition of preparing individuals to lead and achieve in many arenas. It is our honor to recognize just some of those individuals with a presentation worthy enough to be associated with Mrs. Vivian Malone-Jones and The University of Alabama.
Terry R. Woods is a Consultant and Principal Owner of T.R. Woods & Associates. Throughout his professional career he has served in the roles as Chief Metallurgical Engineer for the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Nuclear Power Program, Vice President of Utility Services for S.L. King & Associates, and Regional Office Manager for Burns & Roe Engineering. A life Member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., he has served as East Tennessee State Director and President of the Epsilon Xi Sigma Chapter Chattanooga Tn. He was also inducted into Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Gamma Pi Boule’ Chattanooga Tn. in 2004, having served in the role as Past President. He has been recognized with distinguished engineering fellowships at The University of Alabama, and has served or chaired several nonprofit boards. He earned his B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from The University of Alabama and completed the Owen Graduate School of Management “Executive Development Program” at Vanderbilt University. He is a Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Tennessee.
Arthur “Art” N. Dunning came of age in the Black Belt of Alabama during the Jim Crow era. Among many pivotal experiences, he was part of a group of student athletes who helped to integrate Bear Bryant’s University of Alabama football team in 1967. The values instilled in him by his family and those in his close-knit community, together with life experiences through education and from living, working, and traveling abroad over more than forty years as an educator, shaped his approach to leading Albany State University, an HBCU, through its 2016 merger with all-white Darton State College. Prior to serving as president of Albany State University, Dunning served as vice chancellor for international programs and outreach for the University of Alabama System in Tuscaloosa. In 2021, Dunning published “Unreconciled: Race, History, and Higher Education in the Deep South.” The Alabama native earned his bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees at the University of Alabama.
Finalists:
Artis Brown: Bachelors of Science in Engineering, 1996
Stacey Hill: Bachelors of Science Financial Planning with a minor Business Administration, 2000; Bachelors of Science Interior Design/Art History, 2004
Dr. Denise Robertson: Bachelors of Science in Nursing, 1996; Masters of Science in Nursing, 2007
Finalists:
Orlando Beavers: Bachelors of Science in Computer Science, 2018
Dr. Creshema Murray: Bachelors of Science in Political Science (CAS), 2006; Masters of Arts in Communication Studies, 2007; Doctor of Philosophy in Organizational Communication and Leadership (CIS), 2011
Audrina Washington: Bachelors of Science in Finance, 2006
Finalists:
Dr. Ifeanyi Okpala: Master of Science in Civil Engineering, 2019; Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering, 2022
LeAnna Roberts: Bachelors of Science in Biology, 2023
Danielle Spencer: Bachelors of Science in Finance, 2022; Masters of Science in Finance, 2023
Black Faculty and Staff Association members will form the selection committee for alumni awards.
Kenneth Kelley
Wiley Mullins
Department of Education
Gerald and Stacey Brooks
Dr. Harold D. and Mrs Joyce H. Shambley
