the pursuit of parkinson's - The University of Alabama at Birmingham

AlumniBulletin
ALABAMA MEDICAL
V O L U M E 3 0 • N U M B E R O N E • W I N T E R 2 0 0 4
THE PURSUIT OF PARKINSON’S:
New Insights into a Debilitating Disease

Dean’s Corner
Dear Colleagues:
As many of you may already know, I have decided to step down as dean and vice president. A
nationwide search for my successor has recently started, and after a sabbatical I will return to the
faculty once my replacement has been named.
This decision was not reached easily. During my seven years as dean and vice president, I have
enjoyed meeting and working with people for whom the UASOM at the University of Alabama
at Birmingham means so much. I have had the privilege of leading this exceptional program and
am grateful for the opportunities that have presented themselves during my tenure here. It is and
has been a privilege and honor to work with the faculty and staff that make the UASOM and
UAB so successful. Some recent commendable achievements include:
• Bruce R. Korf, M.D., Ph.D., being named the new chairman of the medical affairs committee
for the National Neurofibromatosis Foundation (NNFF);
• David Weiss, Ph.D., being selected to receive a Senator Jacob Javits Award in the
Neurosciences by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), one
of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
During my past seven years as vice president and dean, the UASOM has seen the total amount
of NIH-funded research increase yearly, and we are now ranked 17th in the nation in this
respect. At the same time, 11 programs in the UASOM are nationally ranked by the U.S. News
& World Report, as is our research (24th) and our primary care (22nd). Clearly, none of this
could have occurred without the hard work and support of committed staff, faculty, physicians,
researchers, and administrators.
I look forward to what the future holds—both for me professionally and personally and for the
UASOM. Your continued support of the UASOM and its programs is needed now more than
ever. To find out how you can make a difference, please contact the development office at (205)
934-4469 or visit them online at [www.uab.edu/uasom/development]. You can also contact your
University of Alabama Medical Alumni Association at (205) 934-4463 to learn more about
opportunities and unmet needs in the organization.
My best to you.
Sincerely,
William B. Deal, M.D.
Vice President for Medicine and Dean
On the Cover: In Parkinson’s disease, dopamine-producing cells within the brain die like a tree—the axons in
the brain’s stratium die back toward the cell body. Illustration by Art & Science.

ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President
Betty W. Vaughan, M.D., ’63 - Decatur
President-Elect
Albert J. Tully Jr., M.D., ’64 - Birmingham
Secretary/Treasurer
Alan R. Dimick, M.D., ’58 - Birmingham
Past President
T. Riley Lumpkin, M.D., ’58 - Tuscaloosa
The Caduceus Club President
Ronald W. Orso, M.D., ’72 - Birmingham
Vice Presidents
William R. Staggers, M.D., ’89 - Fairhope
J. Noble Anderson Jr., M.D., ’89 - Montgomery
Katherine R. Cooper, M.D., ’90 - Alexander City
Bill Beasley, M.D., ’74 - Athens
Karen M. Landers, M.D., ’77 - Tuscumbia
Helen R. Thrasher, M.D., ’63 - Birmingham
James S. Woodard, M.D., ’85 - Columbus, MS
Betty Ruth Speir, M.D., ’63 - Point Clear
Martha E. Pugh, M.D., ’65 - Houston, TX
Robert M. Dimick, M.D., ’84 - Hermitage, TN
Neil E. Christopher, M.D., ’58 - Guntersville
Jarvis D. Ryals, M.D., ’65 - Pueblo, CO
House Staff Representative
Edward R. Anderson III., M.D. - Birmingham
Senior Class President
Darren Malone - Birmingham
Vice President and Dean
William B. Deal, M.D. - Birmingham
Executive Secretary
Elaine O. Chambless - Birmingham
Administrative Secretaries
Donna F. Thompson - Birmingham
Diane A. Woods - Birmingham
BULLETIN STAFF
Executive Editor
Pam Powell
Managing Editor
Dawn Mesa
Editor, Alumni Affairs
Elaine O. Chambless
Editors, Development Office
John Lankford, Ph.D.
Meredith Murdock
Executive Art Director
Ron Gamble
Art Director
Jason Bickell
Medical Editor
Julius Linn, M.D.
Production Manager
Lynn Lowrie
Production Assistant
Monica Ssenkoloto
Writers
Sandra Bearden
Elaine O. Chambless
Nancy Mann Jackson
Dawn Mesa
Photographers
Elaine O. Chambless, Cameron Tichenor, Steve Wood
Editorial Contributors
UAB Media Relations
UAB Medical Publications
UAB Synopsis
Meredith Murdock Roger Shuler
Tim L. Pennycuff Jay Taylor
Ella Robinson Russ Willcutt
AlumniBulletin
ALABAMA MEDICAL
AlumniBulletin
University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham-Huntsville-Tuscaloosa; Telephone: (205) 934-4463;
Fax: (205) 975-7299; Address: MAB, 811 20th Street South, 1530 3RD AVE S, BIRMINGHAM AL 35294-2140;
Executive editor’s e-mail address: ppowell@uab.edu
Table of Contents • W inter 2004 Issue
News Briefs ....................................................................................................................... 2
School & University News, Faculty News, Research & Clinical News
Cover Story: The Pursuit of Parkinson’s........................................................ 6
New Insights into a Debilitating Disease
Twenty Years of Transplants ................................................................................. 10
The Liver Transplant Program Celebrates a Milestone
Battling Burns and Winning................................................................................. 12
Treatment Comes a Long Way
The Medical School Admissions Committee............................................... 14
“Gatekeepers” of the UASOM
New Licensing Requirements .............................................................................. 15
Staying Ahead of the Curve
Clinical Nutrition ........................................................................................................ 16
Laying the Groundwork for Tomorrow’s Doctors
Fighting the Good Fight.......................................................................................... 16
UASOM Alum Gives It His All
An Update on the UASOM in Huntsville and Tuscaloosa ................. 17
New Spaces and Developments
Physicians’ Forum ....................................................................................................... 18
Indigent Care
Student Rounds ........................................................................................................... 20
Getting In: Applying to Medical School
From the Development Office ............................................................................ 22
Welcoming Jeannie Horton • Profile of Mike Kilgore • Programs Worth Supporting •
Annual Reception • Baldwin Gift • S. Richardson Hill Society Established • Volker Hall
News • DeBakey Charitable Foundation
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION NEWS ....................................................................... 26
Class Notes • Alumni Form • Annual Donor List
Alumni Profile: Stephen Brossette, M.D., Ph.D.................................... 38
Founder and CEO of MedMined, Inc.
Alumni Profile: Leigh Jefferies, M.D. ............................................................. 39
Bridging the Gap between Research Lab and Boardroom
From the Archives ...................................................................................................... 40
A Look Back at Volker Hall
CME Calendar .................................................................................................. Back Cover
Published three times a year by the Alumni Office, the University of Alabama School of Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama. Produced by
UAB’s Publications and Periodicals Group, Office of Public Relations and Marketing, with the cooperation of Medical Publications, Office
of the CEO of UAB Health Systems.

SCHOOL &
UNIVERSITY NEWS
ENDOWED PROFESSORSHIP HONORS
JOHN WHITAKER
UAB and the Board of Trustees of the
University of Alabama System have established an
endowed professorship in memory of the late John
Whitaker, M.D., former chair of the Department
of Neurology and president of the University of
Alabama Health Services Foundation.
“This endowed professorship will honor the
life and legacy of John Whitaker,” says William B.
Deal, M.D., dean of the UASOM. “He was an
outstanding physician and administrator and
renowned for his research efforts in understanding
and treating multiple sclerosis.”
Whitaker, who died in 2001, came to UAB in
1985 to serve as professor and chair of neurology.
He was serving an unprecedented third term as
president of the Health Services Foundation at
the time of his death.
Throughout his distinguished career Whitaker
received numerous honors and awards, including
membership in Alpha Omega Alpha and a Javits
Neuroscience Investigator Award. He was given the
UAB President’s Award posthumously in 2001.
The Health Services Foundation’s administration
building was renamed to honor Whitaker and is
now known as the John N. Whitaker Building.
A native of Memphis, Whitaker received his
medical degree from the University of Tennessee
College of Medicine and obtained neurology
training at the Albert Einstein College of
Medicine in 1970. He came to UAB following
service with the National Institutes of Health, the
University of Minnesota, and the University of
Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis.
If you would like to contribute to the John N.
Whitaker, M.D., Endowed Professorship, please
contact Brett Scullen at (205) 975-7240 or go
online to [www.uab.edu/supportmedicine].
UAB OPHTHALMIC PATHOLOGY
LAB RENEWS ACCREDITATION
The ophthalmic pathology laboratory at the
Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital has been
awarded accreditation by the Commission on
Laboratory Accreditation of the College of
American Pathologists (CAP), based on the
results of an on-site inspection.
The laboratory’s director, Russell W. Read,
M.D., assistant professor in the Department of
Ophthalmology, was congratulated for the
“excellence of the services being provided.” The
Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital ophthalmic
pathology laboratory is one of more than 6,000
CAP-accredited laboratories nationwide.
The CAP Laboratory Accreditation Program,
begun in the early 1960s, is recognized by the federal
government as being equal to or more stringent
than the government’s own inspection program.
UAB CHOSEN AS SOUTHEASTERN
REGIONAL CENTER OF EXCELLENCE
FOR EMERGING INFECTIONS
AND BIODEFENSE
UAB is one of six regional universities with faculty
selected to a consortium of investigators chosen
to be part of a new biodefense initiative. The
program will work to develop the next generation
of vaccines, drugs, and diagnostic tests to defend
against emerging infections such as SARS and
organisms such as smallpox that might be used in
terrorist activities.
The Southeast Regional Center of Excellence
for Emerging Infections and Biodefense (SERCEB)
will include researchers from Duke University
Medical Center, UAB, Emory University, University
of Florida, University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill School of Medicine, and Vanderbilt University
Medical Center. The consortium will be centered
at Duke and led by Barton Haynes, M.D., of the
Duke Human Vaccine Institute.
Selected as one of SERCEB’s co-leaders is
Richard Whitley, M.D., professor of pediatrics and
infectious disease at UAB. He joins David
Stephens, M.D., Emory University, Richard Moyer,
Ph.D., the University of Florida; Frederick Sparling,
M.D., the University of North Carolina at Chapel
Hill School of Medicine, and Mark Denison,
M.D., Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases and the Department of Health and
Human Services recently announced more than
$45 million in funding over five years for the
SERCEB consortium, one of eight “Regional
Centers of Excellence for Biodefense and
Emerging Infectious Diseases Research.” The centers
will develop and conduct programs of basic
and applied research; train researchers and other
personnel for emerging infection and biodefense
research activities; and develop and maintain
comprehensive scientific core facilities to support
their research and training activities.
“This award recognizes the excellent science at
UAB devoted to microbial pathogenesis in an
era of emerging infections,” says Whitley. “It
brings together scientists in virology, immunology,
structural biology, drug discovery, and clinical
trials. Work performed through this center
application will have a direct impact on potential
bioterrorism diseases such as smallpox but
also, equally importantly, West Nile Virus,
encephalitis, and SARS.”
“UAB is committed to being a leader when it
comes to the health issues that face our state and
nation,” President Carol Z. Garrison, Ph.D., says.
“This award acknowledges the research expertise
of our faculty and will enable them to accelerate
important discoveries with a significant impact on
the public’s health.”
UAB DOCTORS HELP CHANGE FEDERAL
POLICY ON CANCER TREATMENT
A cancer doctor at UAB played a key role in
helping patients across the country gain access to a
potentially curative treatment for life-threatening
forms of melanoma and kidney cancer. Some hospitals
had ceased to offer the drug, high-dose
interleukin-2 (IL-2), because they were losing at
least $10,000 per month of therapy for each
patient receiving the therapy, for up to 12 months.
Robert M. Conry, M.D., of the UAB Comprehensive
Cancer Center, along with cancer specialists
from eight other centers, provided essential
cost-effectiveness information to the federal
agency that determines reimbursement that hospitals
get for Medicare patients who receive this
treatment. That data led the Centers for Medicare
and Medicaid Services to dramatically increase
Medicare reimbursement as of October 1.
Medical centers as large as Beth Israel Deaconess
Medical Center in Boston had closed down highdose
IL-2 programs due to low reimbursement for
the costly hospitalization and specially trained personnel
required to administer the treatment.
“Although high-dose IL-2 is the most effective
therapy for metastatic melanoma and kidney cancer,
most hospitals and physicians don’t offer it or
quit offering it because of the reimbursement
issue and the lack of expertise required to administer
the drug and monitor patients for side effects
during their five-day in-hospital stay each month
of treatment,” Conry says.
“On behalf of a small patient population,
UAB’s Comprehensive Cancer Center is committed
to delivering the best possible therapy even in
circumstances where our costs are not fully reimbursed.
Fortunately, we’ve been able to work with
Medicare decision-makers to completely cover the
costs of this important cancer therapy at our hospital
and across the nation,” he added.
“Hopefully,” Conry says, “private insurance
companies will follow Medicare’s lead and
increase their payments as well. If this happens, I
expect the treatment to become even more widely
available to patients in desperate need.”
COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER
OPENS RESOURCE LIBRARY
FOR PUBLIC
People seeking help in their fight against cancer
will have another tool at their service with the
October 20 opening of the UAB Comprehensive
Cancer Center Resource Library.
The library, located at street level at 509
Richard Arrington Blvd., across from The Kirklin
Clinic, will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to
4 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. It will offer
a trained staff to help use resources such as
Internet access with links to cancer-specific Web
sites, educational brochures, reference texts, and
current cancer-related magazines.
The Cancer Resource Library also will serve as
a meeting place for support groups and cancer-
2

News Briefs
related educational programs.
“The Cancer Resource Library will be an
invaluable tool for patients who want to become
proactive in their treatment and recovery,” says
Edward Partridge, M.D., associate director for
cancer control and population science at the cancer
center. “A visit may be helpful to the newly
diagnosed patient, or for those seeking follow-up
information during or after treatment.”
HUW THOMAS NAMED
DEAN OF DENTISTRY
Huw Francis Thomas, B.D.S., M.S., Ph.D.,
has been named dean of the School of Dentistry,
by acting provost Eli Capilouto. Thomas previously
was the chairman of the Department of
Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Texas
Health Science Center, San Antonio.
“Dr. Thomas has a strong commitment to patient
care, quality teaching, and community outreach programs,”
Capilouto says. “He also understands and
embraces the very important role a strong research
program plays in the enhancement and growth of the
school. He is nationally recognized for his leadership
in all of these areas, as well as his ability to develop
collaborative relationships to bring dental education
and better oral health to all facets of the population.”
Thomas earned his bachelor of dental surgery
degree from Guy’s Hospital at the University of
London, England. He earned a master’s degree in
dental research from the University of Rochester, a
certificate in pediatric dentistry from the Eastman
Dental Center, and a doctorate in biomedical sciences
from the University of Connecticut.
“The School of Dentistry at UAB has an excellent
reputation and is well situated to continue
providing high-quality education while serving its
patients and enhancing its research efforts,”
Thomas says. “I very much look forward to being
part of this bright future.”
FACULTY NEWS
NATIONAL NEUROFIBROMATOSIS
FOUNDATION NAMES BRUCE R. KORF
NEW CHAIRMAN OF MEDICAL
AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Bruce R. Korf, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the recently
created Department of Genetics and the Wayne
H. Finley and Sara Crews Finley Chair of Medical
Genetics, has been named as the new chairman of
the Medical Affairs Committee for the National
Neurofibromatosis Foundation (NNFF).
Korf is one of the leading clinical experts and
clinical researchers in the field of neurofibromatosis
and has worked with the NNFF for more than
15 years. He previously has served as chairman of
the foundation’s Clinical Care Advisory Board
and as chairman of the Foundation’s Medical
Policy Committee.
“Dr. Korf’s distinguished career as both scientist
and physician, combined with his long record
of service to NF, make him the ideal choice to lead
the foundation’s medical and research programs,”
says foundation president Peter Bellermann. “The
foundation has built its reputation by facilitating
collaboration among scientists and institutions
that are normally in competition for resources and
ideas; Dr. Korf’s outstanding credentials will lend
great weight to the foundation’s efforts to continue
this tradition.”
“As we learn more about the biology of the
neurofibromatoses, I look forward to working
closely with the National Neurofibromatosis
Foundation in its efforts to facilitate the translation
of this new knowledge to better methods of
diagnosis and treatment,” Korf says.
NF is a genetic disorder that causes tumors to
grow along nerves throughout the body. NF
affects 100,000 Americans: 1 in 4,000 have NF
Type 1, 1 in 40,000 have NF Type 2. The NNFF,
a nonprofit organization, is the leading resource
on NF. NNFF provides direct services to children
and adults with NF, as well as information and
resources to the public and medical professionals
via a toll-free number, 1-800-323-7938, and the
NF Web site, [www.nf.org].
ALVAREZ NAMED GYN ONC
DIVISION DIRECTOR
Ronald D. Alvarez, M.D., succeeded Edward
E. Partridge, M.D., as director of the Division of
Gynecologic Oncology in the Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology on October 1, 2003.
After 13 years as division director, Partridge
stepped down to devote more time to community-based
research and service, particularly ongoing
programs for the underserved in cancer care,
prevention, and control. He will continue to see
patients and serve as vice chairman of the
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and as
associate director for cancer prevention and control
in the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Alvarez also holds appointments as professor of
gynecologic oncology and senior scientist in the
Cancer Center, where he leads the Women’s
Cancer Program. He is also a senior scientist in
the UAB Gene Therapy Center and collaborates
on developing gene therapy strategies for reproductive
malignancies.
A native of New Orleans and graduate of LSU,
Alvarez received his M.D. degree from LSU
Medical Center in 1983. He completed his
internship (1984) and residency (1986) at UAB.
He was chief resident in OB/GYN before joining
the UAB faculty as an instructor and research fellow
in 1987. The recipient of numerous awards
and honors, he has been included several times in
The Best Doctors in America and on Good
Housekeeping’s list of best doctors for women. He
also received the 1994 American College of
OB/GYN Outstanding Professor Award.
On future plans for the Division of Gynecologic
Oncology, Alvarez comments, “We expect to build
upon the excellent foundation established under
Dr. Partridge’s superb leadership. We plan to do
this by enhancing our clinical services and continuing
our efforts to educate the practitioners of
today and tomorrow. Another major goal is to continue
the cutting-edge research that will improve
the lives of women at risk for or diagnosed with a
gynecologic cancer.”
WEISS RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS
JAVITS AWARD FOR BRAIN RESEARCH
David Weiss, Ph.D., professor of neurobiology,
has been selected to receive a Senator Jacob Javits
Award in the Neurosciences by the National
Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
(NINDS), one of the National Institutes of Health
(NIH). The award is for $2.4 million over seven
years to carry out fundamental studies on the
dynamics of the GABA receptor, the brain’s major
molecular detector for restraining or inhibiting electrical
activity. The receptor plays a role in such
actions as preventing epileptic seizures. Anxiety
and rage can occur due to ineffective function of the
GABA inhibition system, and the effects of alcohol
and actions of sedatives target the GABA system.
The prestigious Javits Investigator Awards were
established by the U.S. Congress in 1983 to honor
the late Senator Jacob Javits, who suffered from
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a degenerative
neurological disorder also known as Lou Gehrig’s
disease. Javits was a champion of research into a
wide variety of disorders of the brain. The awards
are intended to recognize and support the research
of distinguished investigators who are expected to
be highly productive over the next seven years.
Weiss pioneered the use of laboratory techniques
to allow for molecular manipulation of the
brain’s GABA receptors, as well as visualization of
the dynamics of GABA receptors interacting with
chemical signals from neighboring nerve cells in
the brain. This work forms the basis for extending
the understanding of a number of aspects of brain
function where the process of chemical inhibition
in the brain is essential.
“Weiss’s research into GABA’s interactions
within the brain has led to the development of
new ways of tracking those processes in the living
system in order to provide a precise view of the
GABA receptor in action,” says Michael
Friedlander, Ph.D., chair of the Department of
Neurobiology. “It is for these breakthroughs and
the promise of important discoveries to come
from his program that the NIH has made this
prestigious award to Dr. Weiss.”
Weiss received his Ph.D. in neuroscience from
Baylor College of Medicine in 1987 and carried out
a postdoctoral fellowship in physiology and biophysics
at the University of Miami School of
Medicine. He served on the faculty of the University
of South Florida before joining UAB in 1995.
3

News Briefs
MORRIS NAMED CALLAHAN
EYE FOUNDATION HOSPITAL
CHIEF OF STAFF
The Eye Foundation, Inc., board of directors
announced the appointment of Robert E. Morris,
M.D., associate professor of ophthalmology, as chief
of staff at Callahan Eye Foundation Hospital
(CEFH). Morris officially assumed his duties in April
2003. He is the first chief of staff for the hospital,
which joined the UAB Health System in July 1997.
“UAB has optimally integrated the CEFH into
its health system since acquiring the hospital,” says
Morris. “At the same time, it has continued to
improve the hospital’s service to community physicians,
who admit most CEFH patients. Through
the chief of staff position, which will help both
hospital administrators and medical staff officers, I
am pleased to assist with these efforts.”
Morris is the immediate past president of the
CEFH Medical Staff, president of The Helen
Keller Foundation for Research and Education,
president of the International Society for Ocular
Trauma, and serves on the board of directors for
the United States Eye Injury Registry.
“We are fortunate to have a person of Dr. Morris’s
caliber serve as the hospital’s first chief of staff,” says
CEFH Board Chairman Mike Thompson.
HARDING NAMED TO
SLEEP MEDICINE BOARD
Susan M. Harding, M.D., medical director of
the UAB Sleep-Wake Disorders Center and associate
professor of medicine in the Division of
Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine,
has been elected to serve a three-year term on the
American Board of Sleep Medicine.
The board is an independent organization
developed for the purpose of establishing and
maintaining standards of individual proficiency
in clinical polysomnography. It was initiated in
1991 to improve the practice of sleep medicine
and issue certificates of special knowledge in sleep
medicine to physicians and Ph.D.s in related
fields. In addition, the board assumed the duties
of the former Examination Committee of the
American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
OBERMAN FESTSCHRIFT HONORS
PREVENTIVE MEDICINE PIONEER
After serving 36 years on the UASOM faculty
and 25 years as director of the Division of
Preventive Medicine, Albert Oberman, M.D.,
MPH, who founded the division, retired. He continues
to act as a part-time professor emeritus.
More than 100 friends and colleagues from UAB
and institutions around the world gathered at an
October Festschrift to honor Oberman’s many
accomplishments and participated in a series of
scientific sessions focused on the latest advances
in cardiovascular disease.
Department of Medicine Chair William
Koopman, M.D., notes, “In addition to conducting
an exceptional body of work spanning four
decades, Dr. Oberman has built one of the outstanding
divisions of preventive medicine in the
nation. His vision and leadership have been critical
factors in this success.”
Under Oberman’s direction, the Division of
Preventive Medicine has become one of the
largest programs of its kind in the United States,
with 250 faculty and staff members and more
than 80 active grants and contracts totaling
almost $70 million in extramural funding.
NANDA RECEIVES THE “BRIDGE AWARD”
Professor of medicine Navin Nanda, M.D.,
director of the Heart Station/Echocardiography
Laboratory, was recently honored by the Association
of Black Cardiologists (ABC) with a special
“Bridge Award” for “building bridges across cultures,
particularly among African-American and
Indian cardiologists.” He recently completed two
terms on the ABC Board of Directors and was
founding president of the American Association of
Cardiologists of Indian Origin (AACIO), which
was formed in 1986.
Nanda has spearheaded several scientific meetings
between the two associations and has published
research on ethnic differences in the severity
of aortic atherosclerosis in patients presenting with
ischemic stroke. He also has participated in investigating
the prevalence of stroke, coronary artery
disease, and diabetes in minority communities.
FORMER UASOM DEAN PENS NEW BOOK
Clifton K. Meador, M.D., dean of UASOM from
1968 until 1973, has written a book about his experiences
as a medical student at Vanderbilt School of
Medicine between 1951 and 1955. The book is Med
School (Providence House).
During his career at UAB, prior to becoming
dean of the School of Medicine, Meador was
founder of MIST, or Medical Information System
via Telephone. Now living in Nashville, Meador is
executive director of the recently formed Meharry-
Vanderbilt Alliance, an alliance between Vanderbilt
School of Medicine and Meharry Medical College.
Using detail and anecdotes that include both the
serious and the lighthearted, Meador describes in his
book what it was like to attend medical school during
a period of transition in medicine. The book
includes a look into what was being taught in medical
school during this pivotal post-World War II
period that marked the beginning of a huge explosion
in medical knowledge. For example, he details
how his class took one of Vanderbilt’s last parasitology
courses, at a time when public health was bringing
under control such parasite-driven diseases as
hookworm and tapeworm. He also describes being
exposed to new cutting-edge knowledge in areas such
as cardiology, nutrition, and diabetes.
Meador tells his story by spotlighting the professors
under whom he studied, his classmates
with whom he lived and learned, and his first
patients—whom he also views as his teachers. He
also shares candid personal insights into changes
he underwent and valuable lessons he learned as he
walked the path toward becoming a physician.
4
RESEARCH AND CLINICAL NEWS
UAB AWARDED $16-MILLION GRANT TO
DEVELOP NEW HIV VACCINE
UAB has been awarded a four-and-a-half-year,
$16-million grant from the National Institutes of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to lead a
multicenter study to develop and test a potential
new class of HIV vaccines. Jiri Mestecky, M.D.,
professor of microbiology and medicine, is lead
investigator of the study.
In preliminary laboratory tests, the candidate
vaccine induced an immune response in the
mucus membranes of the intestines and genitals—
especially important since most cases of HIV are
transmitted by this route. “Other trial vaccines
have been shown to induce immune response in
the blood, but not in the mucosal membranes of
the reproductive and intestinal tracts,” says
Mestecky. “This test vaccine, which does both,
may prove especially beneficial in protecting
against infection acquired by sexual intercourse.”
Other sites that will participate in the study are
Harvard University, Emory, and Novavax, Inc.,
which will develop and manufacture the vaccine.
Whether or not the vaccine makes it to human
trials, the investigation promises to shed new light
on the elusive virus and a potential vaccine.
“Whether the outcome is positive or negative, the
study will contribute greatly to HIV vaccine
research. When the trial is completed, we will
know whether to go forward with testing of the
vaccine on a large scale or redesign our strategy.”
UAB RECEIVES $15.9 MILLION FROM NIH
TO CONSTRUCT RESEARCH LAB
A $15.9-million grant from the National
Institutes of Health will help fund construction of
a new research facility at UAB that will be used to
develop the next generation of vaccines, drugs,
and diagnostic tests for emerging infections such
as SARS and West Nile, and for defense against
organisms such as pox viruses that might be used
in bioterrorist attacks.
“This award recognizes UAB’s outstanding
research record in virology, bacterial pathogenesis,
and immunology,” says President Carol Z. Garrison,
Ph.D.
“With this award, we will create a facility that
will serve as a regional resource for researchers who
are investigating these pressing health issues,” says
Richard Marchase, Ph.D., senior associate dean for
biomedical research at the UASOM and principal
investigator for the grant. “That we would be chosen
as the site for this facility indicates the regard
with which UAB’s research program is held.”
The facility is known as a Biosafety Level (BSL)
-3 Laboratory. Laboratories that handle infectious
agents are rated on four levels. BSL-1 laboratories
handle agents that are considered harmless. BSL-
4 labs handle agents that are considered extremely
dangerous and life-threatening. BSL-3 labs
handle agents that may cause serious or potentially
lethal diseases. UAB and its affiliate Southern

News Cover Briefs Story
Research Institute already operate BSL-3 laboratories,
and their safety record has been flawless.
“These facilities provide a very controlled, safe
environment for the scientific investigation into
potentially dangerous diseases and microbes,” says
Richard Whitley, M.D., professor of pediatrics
and infectious diseases. Whitley is UAB’s principal
investigator in a consortium of six Southeastern
universities awarded $45 million in early
September to fund research into emerging infections
and biological agents.
The facility will be approximately 40,000 square
feet, with 18,000 square feet of laboratory space. A
specific site for the facility has not yet been selected.
Construction is scheduled to begin in mid-2004.
PANCREATIC CANCER’S 95-PERCENT
MORTALITY RATE TARGETED WITH
MAJOR FEDERAL GRANT
UAB’s Comprehensive Cancer Center has
received a five-year, $4.5-million pancreatic cancer
SPORE (Specialized Program of Research
Excellence) P20 grant in a major initiative to
reduce the dismal outcomes of pancreatic cancer.
SPORE grants are highly competitive awards
from the National Cancer Institute. They are
designed to move laboratory findings quickly and
safely into clinical use, with the ultimate goal being
more effective treatments that lead to improved
outcomes and survival. Of 15 cancer centers applying
for planning awards this year, only UAB, M.D.
Anderson, and the Mayo Clinic were successful.
They will apply for further expansion of funding in
2006. Johns Hopkins University and the
University of Nebraska previously were awarded
pancreatic-cancer SPORE grants.
UAB’s cancer center has been highly successful in
applying for SPORE awards. Others received are for
ovarian, breast, and brain tumor research. The only
other institutions having as many as four SPORE
awards are Johns Hopkins and M.D. Anderson.
“Pancreatic cancer has a dismal history of
funding despite being one of the deadliest malignant
diseases,” says Selwyn Vickers, M.D., the
surgeon who will direct the program. “We are
gratified that more emphasis is now being placed
on a disease that is the fourth leading cause of
cancer death in the United States while ranking
only ninth in incidence. In 2003, an estimated
30,000 Americans were diagnosed with the disease.
Notably, it has a 95-percent mortality rate.”
UNIVERSITY GETS NEW $10.4-MILLION
RESEARCH CENTER
The UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center has
been named as one of only four federal Centers
for Nutrient and Gene Interaction in Cancer
Prevention (CNGI). Noted UAB soy researcher
Stephen Barnes, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology,
will direct the new center, which will be funded
with $10.4 million from the National Cancer
Institute (NCI).
The CNGI program is a new initiative of the
NCI, the nation’s principal source of cancer
research funds. Two of UAB’s three initial center
projects will focus on the role played by compounds
in dietary soy, green tea, and wine in preventing
cells in the breast and prostate from
developing into cancer tumors. The third will
examine how scientists can effectively analyze the
tremendous amounts of data becoming available
with new technology based on the Human
Genome Project.
Barnes, internationally renowned for his
research on the properties of dietary soy that may
prevent breast and prostate cancer, says, “Our
ability to study genes and proteins has improved
dramatically in recent years, so we now are trying
to understand how they interact with substances
in the environment, such as the food we eat and
drink. Our group particularly has expertise in the
chemopreventive aspects of a class of soy, green
tea, and wine compounds called polyphenols, so
much of the center’s work will involve how those
interact with cells in breast and prostate tissue.”
Other institutions receiving funding are
Harvard, the Albert Einstein College of Medicine,
and Georgetown University.
UAB RECEIVES $7.6 MILLION TO STUDY
WINE CONSUMPTION BENEFITS
The UASOM has received a $7.6-million, fiveyear
grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood
Institute (NHLBI) to further examine the heart-protective
benefits of moderate wine consumption.
Francois Booyse, Ph.D., cardiovascular disease
expert and prominent wine researcher, will lead a
multidisciplinary team of more than 17 researchers
in exploring the cellular, molecular, and genetic
mechanisms by which wine components (alcohol
and polyphenols) work to reduce and prevent heart
disease and deaths related to heart disease.
“These studies will provide new understanding
of these mechanisms and should provide opportunities
for future development of new drugs and/or
therapeutic strategies that can be used to effectively
mimic these protective effects. In turn, this
could substantially reduce the overall long-term
risk for heart disease,” Booyse says.
$5 MILLION AWARDED TO STUDY
EFFECTS OF OZONE ON LUNG
DEVELOPMENT
UAB has received a three-year, $5-million grant
from the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences to lead a national study that will
begin to evaluate the effects of poor air quality on
lung growth and development, and on the development
of asthma in children.
“Despite much research on the health effects of
ozone, fundamental questions remain unanswered,”
says Edward M. Postlethwait, Ph.D., professor
and acting chair of the Department of
Environmental Health Sciences at UAB, “such as
how ozone causes injury to the respiratory tract, if
exposure exacerbates the development of asthma,
or if a child’s exposure to ozone may have long-lasting
effects.”
The study is a collaborative effort of 24
researchers from eight institutions: UAB, the
University of California at Davis, Michigan State
University, Pennsylvania State University, Pacific
Northwest National Laboratories, Louisiana State
University, CIIT Centers for Health Research,
and the Environmental Protection Agency.
“The goal is to be able to predict specific health
risks based on ozone exposures children experience.
We hope results will have direct implications
for improving our ability to assess potential
exposure effects. In turn, knowing risks and taking
measures to prevent ozone exposure may
greatly reduce childhood illnesses and their related
medical expenses,” Postlethwait says.
MORE THAN $160,000 IN GRANTS
RECEIVED FROM PVA EDUCATION
AND TRAINING FOUNDATION
Two researchers from the Department of
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation recently
received major grants from the Education and
Training Foundation (ETF) of the Paralyzed
Veterans of America (PVA). In separately awarded
grants, the two researchers secured a combined
total of $164,495 over two years.
One of the grants went to Amie B. Jackson,
M.D., chair of the Department of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation, who received
$100,000 to establish two one-year accredited fellowships
in spinal-cord injury (SCI) medicine in
the department. Accredited fellowship training is
now required for subspecialty boards in SCI medicine.
This is the second time Jackson has received ETF
fellowship funding. In addition, in 2000 she was
awarded ETF funding for a study of pregnancy and
delivery in women with spinal-cord injury or disease
(SCI/D).
A separate ETF grant went to Yuying Chen,
M.D., also in the Department of Physical
Medicine and Rehabilitation. Chen was awarded
$64,495 for a two-year effort to develop a “selfdirected
weight-management program” for individuals
with spinal-cord injury or disease.
Chen’s grant builds on a previous pilot program
she developed to adapt a nationally recognized
weight-management program called
EatRight© for persons with spinal-cord injury.
The program uses diet instruction, behavior modification,
and exercise to promote good health.
With the grant from ETF, Chen will now develop
a self-directed 12-part video series and accompanying
workbook to make the results of her
research more readily available to the SCI/D community.
Travel barriers may prevent some consumers
from taking advantage of a hospital- or
clinic-based program, so alternative methods of
dissemination are particularly helpful for people
with disabilities.
5

Cover Story
THE PURSUIT OF PARKINSON’S:
New Insights into a Debilitating Disease
By Russ Willcutt
Illustration by Art & Science

According to Ray L. Watts, M.D., the days of searching for “the” cure
for Parkinson’s disease have drawn to a close. That’s because neuroscientists
now realize there are a number of culprits involved in triggering
the disease—and quite a variety of treatment pathways as well.
“We’ve never had such a deep understanding of neurodegenerative disorders
before, especially Parkinson’s, or so many treatment options available to us,”
says Watts, who is chair of the Department of Neurology at UAB. “This really
is a great time to be involved in neuroscience.”
Identifying the Enemy
The first revolution in the understanding of Parkinson’s came in the late ’50s
and early ’60s, when scientists discovered the connection between the onset of the
disease and the death of brain cells that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine.
When present in sufficient quantity, dopamine facilitates such critical functions
as movement, emotional response, and the ability to experience pleasure
and pain. Dopamine-containing neurons are clustered in the midbrain; in
Parkinson’s disease, these neurons malfunction and die, cutting off dopamine
production and thus causing motor-function impairment.
Neuroscientists are beginning to identify some of the causes of the death of
dopamine-producing cells in the brain. Environmental toxins, such as pesticides,
are among the culprits. One pesticide known as rotenone, which has
been widely available for garden use for decades, is on the list of possible environmental
causes. “A colleague of mine at Emory, Dr. Timothy Greenamyre,
showed that, when rotenone was administered to rats and then later to monkeys,
it killed off their dopamine-producing cells,” says Watts. “Although
nobody has shown a direct link to humans yet, this product is marketed as an
‘organic pesticide,’ and I’ve had patients who informed me that they’ve been
dusting their tomato plants with it for years.”
Another known environmental toxin that can kill dopamine-producing cells
is MPTP, a “designer drug” that was discovered by accident more than 20 years
ago. “An amateur chemist was trying to cook up ‘street heroin’ in his basement,
and he overheated the reaction and accidentally made MPTP, which produced
Parkinson’s-like symptoms in the drug users who shot it up,” says Watts.
“Suddenly there was a cluster of people in their 20s and 30s in the San
Francisco Bay area with the rapid onset of Parkinson’s.”
These days, MPTP is mostly confined to the laboratory, where it’s used to
produce experimental Parkinsonism in animals to aid in the effort to develop
treatments for the disease.
Schematic drawing of a dopamine nerve terminal/synapse that points out
molecular targets for imaging of the dopamine system in Parkinson’s patients.
Ray Watts, M.D. (right, with UASOM students), believes current and emerging
treatment therapies mean that medicine is on the brink of finding a cure for
Parkinson’s disease.
Possible Family Ties
Researchers have also made great progress in exploring the genetics of
Parkinson’s. Findings so far point to a very small subset of individuals who are
strongly genetically predisposed to the disease and a larger group that may have
genetic risk factors—which could help scientists presymptomatically identify
patients who might benefit from early intervention. “That’s an area we’ve really
been pushing hard over the past five or six years,” says Watts. “We’re doing
some large genetic studies in familial Parkinson’s, looking for potentially common
risk-factor genes.”
Of the half-dozen gene defects that have been identified so far, all have one
thing in common: They all lead to the abnormal handling of proteins in the
cells. “That’s been found to be the case across the spectrum of neurodegenerative
diseases, whether you’re talking about Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, or
Huntington’s disease,” Watts says. “When the first gene defect was discovered
a few years ago, showing alpha synuclein as the culprit in Parkinson’s, nobody
could believe it. The abnormal handling and buildup of the alpha synuclein
protein in the cells was a completely unexpected finding, but that just goes to
show you the potential power of a single scientific discovery.”
Watts chooses to see each newly discovered causative factor as yet another
opportunity to develop effective treatments. “Besides genetic and environmental
triggers, we know of five or six other ways in which the cells can be insulted or
damaged—which means there are half a dozen different ways to develop diseaseblocking
strategies,” he says. “So while there is no single cause for Parkinson’s, we
now know something about the different causes; and that knowledge might allow
us to introduce therapies that, used in conjunction with one another, could potentially
stop progression of the disease and even return a patient to normalcy.”
Watts says it’s important to keep in mind that an individual only needs about
30 percent of his or her dopamine-producing cells functioning to be considered
normal, and that is a potentially reachable goal with the therapies that are currently
under investigation. “Maybe one single agent can’t halt the disease’s progression
100 percent, but if one therapy slows it by half, and another by 30 percent, and
another by 10 percent, then you’ve basically stopped progression.”
7

Cover Story
NORMAL
ADD IMAGE
Ki MAP
“Someone who is diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age
50 will need a 25- or 30-year treatment plan, so
you don’t want to burn any bridges behind you,”
says Watts. “You want to treat their symptoms and
allow them to be functional, while at the same time
planning for the future.”
Other long-acting dopamine agonists that may
last for 24 hours or more are being tested, including
some that are administered orally and others
that are absorbed through the skin via a skin patch
similar to the nitroglycerin patch that’s used by
patients with heart disease. “Researchers are also
developing biochemical compounds that work by
mechanisms that are unlike anything we’ve ever had
before,” says Watts. “We’re really in the midst of an
explosion in our understanding of the brain, its
chemistry, and molecular biology. Parkinson’s has
probably been one of the best examples of how
understanding problems, defects, and mechanisms
has led to new therapies at every juncture.”
PD
Examples of 18 F-DOPA Positron Emission Tomographic (PET) brain images in a normal person (top scans
showing “stronger” signal) and in a person with mild Parkinson’s (bottom scans showing “weaker” signal,
especially on the left, indicating damage/loss of some of the dopamine nigrostriatal system).
On the Trail of Treatments
Dopaminergic therapies such as levodopa, or L-
dopa, which has been available since the ’60s, have
had an enormous impact on treatment of Parkinson’s,
says Watts. To help relieve their symptoms, Parkinson’s
patients are given L-dopa, which is converted to
dopamine in the brain. “In the early stages, you can
make patients almost normal again with dopaminergic
therapy, if you give them enough.”
Still, he says, it’s important to carefully monitor
how much of the drug is administered because
more will be needed as the disease progresses.
“We’re treating the symptoms, but the dopamine
cells in the brain are continuing to die off. We tend
to be conservative in the early stages because
increased dosages will eventually be required.”
Over the past decade, researchers have developed
new synthetic long-acting dopamine compounds, or
“agonists,” that allow for lower dosages of L-dopa.
“The principle is that if you give the patient a synthetic
dopamine agonist compound, you can use smaller
amounts of L-dopa and avoid or reduce the associated
motor complications that may occur 10 or 15 years
down the road,” Watts explains. “Every medication
has a beneficial profile, but if you use enough of it,
there are side effects too. So the big lesson here is that
dopaminergic therapy works, but you need to develop
strategies that can deliver good long-term outcomes.”
Watts likens the situation to diabetes, in which
blood sugar can be controlled reasonably well in the
short term, but it’s the long-term complications,
such as damage to the kidneys, that have to be
avoided. “Even a mild to moderate elevation in
blood sugar can cause kidney failure over time, so
it’s important to develop treatment strategies that
take such possibilities into consideration years in
advance of their actual occurrence.”
Other problems associated with L-dopa are that
it’s fairly short-acting and it has the tendency to
produce an initial “shockwave” effect on the brain
when taken orally. “When the brain is ‘pulsed’ in
this manner, it can bring about changes in physiology,
as well as in gene and molecule expression,”
says Watts. “That’s why it’s important to develop
these new therapies that provide the long-acting
dopaminergic stimulation from the beginning.”
An Eye to the Future
The average age for the onset of Parkinson’s is
60, but half of the cases are diagnosed in patients
who are younger than 60, so treatment plans spanning
at least two or three decades are necessary.
Halting Progress
Building on the success of dopaminergic treatments,
researchers have begun to explore the promise
of neuroprotective therapies to slow down or
stop the progression of Parkinson’s. “This really
represents the second revolution in the treatment of
Parkinson’s disease,” Watts says. “We’re involved in
an NIH consortium that’s testing four new compounds
in early, untreated Parkinson’s to see if they
slow the rate of progression, and the potential of
these compounds is significant.”
The first two compounds being tested are creatine
and coenzyme Q10, which are both bioenergizers that
reduce dopamine cell death. The third is the antibiotic
minocycline, which is being used in this setting as
an anti-inflammatory agent in the brain. “It’s now
known that a subset of cells called microglia lie dormant
in the brain, and whatever’s causing the cell
death in Parkinson’s is activating these cells, which
accentuates the damage,” he says. “Since minocycline
has an anti-microglial effect, we’re testing it to see if it
will help slow the rate of progression.”
The fourth, and perhaps most promising, therapy
involves “pro-growth factor compounds,” which
can induce increased production of dopamine cell
growth factors that can actually repair the cell damage
that has already occurred. “These cells die back
like a tree,” Watts says. “Their axons are up in the
brain’s striatum a couple of inches away, and they
die back slowly toward the cell body. When a person
is diagnosed with Parkinson’s, they’ve already
lost a number of their dopamine-producing cells,
but a lot of the cells are sick and gradually dying
back—and pro-growth factors block that action
and rescue the cells.
“These growth factors really have a great deal of
potential, especially if they’re used early,” Watts says.
“Not only do they bring the cells back toward health,
8

VOLUMES OF SIGNIFICANT WITHIN-GROUP PROGRESSION
(P

Feature Stories
Twenty Years of Transplants
The Liver Transplant Program Celebrates a Milestone
By Nancy Mann Jackson
T
his past November, University Hospital celebrated 20 years of
performing liver transplants, as it looked to complete its
1,000th liver transplant in early 2004. In the two decades
since liver transplants were first performed at UAB, survival rates have
increased significantly and re-transplant rates have declined dramatically—
in fact, both rates have consistently been among the best in the nation.
“In the past 20 years, UAB has developed a nationally
recognized liver-transplant program that is in the top 20
by volume, and is in the top 10 when ranked by patient
outcomes,” says Devin Eckhoff, M.D., division director
of transplantation surgery. “Liver transplantation has
improved, reflecting better management of people with
liver disease and better management and care of patients
after transplants.”
Focused Care and Teamwork
Eckhoff says UAB will soon reach a milestone when it performs
its 1,000th liver transplant. “This shows the breadth of
the program and its longevity,” he says. “We couldn’t have
performed this many transplants without taking excellent
care of our patients and thereby generating more referrals. It’s
a vote of confidence by the referring physicians who continue
sending their patients here, and a vote of confidence by
the hospital and the Department of Surgery for supporting
the program for such a long time.”
“We couldn’t have performed this many transplants
without taking excellent care of our
patients and thereby generating more referrals.
It’s a vote of confidence by the referring physicians
who continue sending their patients here,
and a vote of confidence by the hospital and the
department of surgery for supporting the program
for such a long time.” — Devin Eckhoff, M.D.
An uncompromising commitment to patient care and an
uncommon level of expertise have helped bring the liver
transplant program to its preeminent level, Eckhoff says. “All
surgeons are not created equal,” he notes. “Our surgical
results and outcomes are much better than average.”
One reason for this superior record is the fact that, unlike
many transplant programs, the UAB surgeons who perform
liver transplants primarily focus on caring for people with
liver disease, Eckhoff says.
10
Devin Eckhoff, M.D., cites UAB’s nationally recognized transplant programs as
proof positive of the university’s commitment to patient care.

Feature Stories
In addition to the technical skill and clinical expertise of the surgeons
in the program, the liver program’s outstanding results can
also be attributed to “the development of a multidisciplinary approach
to the management of end-stage liver disease,” says Mark Deierhoi,
M.D., former director of the Division of Transplantation and current
director of the Division of Renal Transplants.
Caring for each patient requires teamwork, and UAB health professionals
are known for their collaborative efforts. “Everything has
to go right in order for a transplant to be successful,” Eckhoff says.
“That includes obtaining the donor organ, the process of patient
selection, the anesthesia, the surgery, and postoperative care. It is a
team effort and every part has to be right for us to succeed.”
Strength in Numbers
Such success hasn’t come only in the liver department—it spans
the spectrum of transplantation at UAB. “We have several flagship
programs,” Eckhoff says. “We have the largest kidney program in
the country with some of the nation’s best results; we have
“Major accomplishments have been the
continued growth of the program, the achievement
of the best graft-survival figures for a
large program, and contributions to the development
of new immunosuppressive agents.”
— Mark Deierhoi, M.D.
outstanding heart, lung, and bone marrow transplant programs.
We’ve developed strong comprehensive transplant programs here.
UAB does very well in so many areas of medicine, but if other centers
had this kind of transplant program, it would be all you’d hear
about. UAB has many other outstanding programs—like cardiology
and cardiac surgery, infectious diseases, and oncology—that are
hugely successful. Therefore transplants aren’t the central focus,
although our transplant programs are nationally recognized.”
UAB’s renal transplant program, which started in 1968, “is now
one of the two largest programs in the country,” Deierhoi says.
“Major accomplishments have been the continued growth of the
program, the achievement of the best graft-survival figures for a
large program, and contributions to the development of new
immunosuppressive agents.”
While UAB’s existing transplant programs continue to build on
their successes, the Division of Transplantation also has specific
plans for growth over the coming months and years. When asked
about his outlook for the future of the program, Deierhoi says he
foresees “the expansion of the programs to include pancreatic islet
transplantation.”
“We really want to continue to find different ways to grow and
be able to meet the needs of our patients,” Eckhoff says.
The program’s outstanding results have much to do with teamwork and the
collaborative environment at UAB, says Mark Deierhoi, M.D.
Desperate for Donors
UAB has very skilled and motivated transplant teams available
24 hours a day, 7 days a week; however, the truth is that transplants
are only possible when donors are available. “In the beginning of
our programs, we had a lot more donor organs available relative to
the demand,” Eckhoff says. “Today, with the explosion of hepatitis
C, there are not enough livers to transplant all the patients who
could potentially benefit from this lifesaving procedure, and there
are people dying because there are no organs available for them.”
Eckhoff estimates that less than one-third of potential suitable
donors become actual organ donors. “Without donors, we have
this highly skilled team of physicians who are unable to help people
and do what they love to do,” he says. “None of this happens
without donors, whether they are live donors giving a kidney or
part of a lung or liver, or whether they are family members who
choose to give the organs of a deceased loved one.
“It all depends on other people’s willingness to donate,” he
says. “Each of our patients is the recipient of someone’s incredible
generosity.”
11

Battling Burns and Winning
Treatment Comes a Long Way
By Roger Shuler
James Cross, M.D., and
Alan Dimick, M.D., along
with many other physicians
and staff, are part
of the Burn Center’s
ongoing commitment
to burn care.
When James Cross, M.D., is asked about progress
made in the treatment of burns, he thinks
about a scene from the 2001 film Pearl Harbor.
“In the movie there is a scene where the
Japanese have attacked, and the hospital is inundated with
patients,” Cross says. “The doctors are triaging the patients,
and when they have a burn patient, they say, ‘Put him over
there under the tree.’ Back then, it was assumed that a patient
with a severe burn was going to die.”
That scene was set in 1941. Cross, director of the UAB
Burn Center, says the medical approach to burns has changed
dramatically since then.
“Now we work under the premise that most burn patients
are going to live,” Cross says. “We don’t save everyone. Patients
with severe smoke-inhalation injuries, and those with burns
over 60 to 70 percent of the body surface area—we have trouble
saving them. But if the burn area is less than that, we work
on the premise that we can save the patient.”
Challenges and Complications
Burns present some of the most difficult challenges in medicine.
“With a severe burn, every single organ is affected,”
Cross says. “Dealing with the burn to the skin is often the easy
part. The difficult part comes when the lungs go bad, when the
kidneys and the gastrointestinal tract aren’t working.”
For example, a severe burn can cause swelling in the GI tract
that makes it difficult for a patient to absorb nutrients. In fact,
swelling in general is a major complication with burns. “When
you get a bee sting, you have swelling right around the site,”
Cross says. “A burn is like a total-body bee sting.”
12
For patients burned over more than 70 percent of their bodies,
the mortality rate is very high. “Several things happen,”
Cross says. “Often they don’t make it through the initial resuscitation
effort; the insult to the body is so great that they just
can’t tolerate it. If they get through that, they often succumb to
other complications, such as infections or respiratory problems.”
But because of progress in burn care, even severely burned
patients can sometimes pull through. Alan Dimick, M.D., has
seen the progress from the front lines.
Dimick helped found the UAB Burn Center in 1970. He
retired as burn center director in 1998, but he still serves as a
consultant at Children’s Hospital and is a site reviewer for the
American Burn Association’s verification program.
“Before I retired, I had 15 patients walk out of the hospital
after coming to us with 80- to 85-percent burns,” Dimick says.
“If they were to walk into a room with their clothes on now,
you couldn’t tell they had a burn.”
Shortly after Dimick joined the UAB faculty in 1963, Chief
of Surgery Champ Lyons, M.D., asked him to attend a meeting
on burns in Galveston, Texas. “I saw how bad things were in
burn care and how badly we needed to improve it,” Dimick says.
A major step in that direction came when UAB hosted the
first meeting of the American Burn Association (ABA) in 1967.
“We had about 200 people at that first meeting,” Dimick says.
“Now we have about 3,000 at the annual meeting.”
Secrets of Survival
UAB is one of 130 burn centers in the United States and
admits about 250 burn patients a year. Another 150 burn
patients are admitted each year at Children’s Hospital.
A patient’s length of stay, which once was usually two to three
months, now averages 21 to 28 days. But the hospital stay is just
the beginning of the challenge. “We call burns a two-year disease,”
Dimick says. “That’s how long it often takes to recover.”
When Dimick began to oversee burn care at UAB, he did
not have many competitors for the job. “Everyone was happy
for me to take care of the burn patients,” he says. “You have
patients with raw, open wounds, crying and smelling bad,
hurting all the time. Nobody wanted to deal with them.”
It didn’t help that outcomes often were not favorable. But
gradually, that began to change.
Early surgery for burn patients was a major step forward.
“In the ’60s and ’70s, we used to wait until the burned tissue
was completely off the patient before we did any skin grafting,”
Dimick says. “Now we take them into the OR during the
first couple of days. We now know that once you cut off the
dead tissue and cover the burn with a skin graft or artificial
skin, the patient gets much better.”
The value of nutrition also became apparent. “When you
sustain a burn, the body begins working overtime to heal the
wounds,” Dimick says. “Your metabolic rate goes up 100 to
200 times. So we have to put a tube into the stomach and literally
pump food into the patient.”

Skin Grafts: A Tale of Twins
Small Burns, Big Impacts
Burn care requires a multidisciplinary approach,
and that is why most burn centers are in large
health-care facilities. “What I do is not an isolated
thing,” Cross says. “I couldn’t do what I do in a
small-hospital setting, without the physical and
occupational therapy, the burn-dressing team, the
specialists in nutrition, pain control, psychiatry,
plastic surgery, and ophthalmology. All of these people
work together on our burn patients at UAB.”
The ABA has developed criteria for physicians to
use in referring patients to burn centers. The idea,
Cross says, is to let physicians know that burn centers
are not just for patients with large burns.
“Patients with burns greater than 20 percent are
going to come here anyway because those are
impressive burns,” Cross says. “But it’s also the small
burn on the back of the hand that might affect several
fingers, or the burn across the neck or face or a
major joint—those are the ones we also need to see.
“I couldn’t do what I do in
a small-hospital setting,
without the physical and
occupational therapy, the
burn-dressing team, the
specialists in nutrition, pain
control, psychiatry, plastic
surgery, and ophthalmology.
All of these people work
together on our
burn patients at UAB.”
— James Cross, M.D.
If a burn has the potential to affect a person’s function
or appearance for the rest of his life, he should
be sent to a burn center.”
Assisting the loved ones of burn patients is
another part of the equation. A support group
called B.U.R.N.S. (Burns Understanding Resources
Needs Support) meets once a month at UAB
Hospital. And Dimick has long been involved in
burn-prevention efforts.
“Burns are always going to be with us,” he says.
“As long as we have industry and transportation, as
long as we have drugs and alcohol, we will have
burns. That’s why we need people who will continue
to be on the cutting edge of caring for burns.”
William Hardin, M.D., examined the
six-year-old girl with burns over more than
80 percent of her body and knew it was
going to be a difficult case.
“After the initial evaluation, I told her
mother that the burns were severe and things
didn’t look good,” Hardin says. “The mother
was distraught and said this was going to devastate
the little girl’s twin sister. The implications
of her comment were enormous.”
The mother’s comment touched off a
medical, legal, and ethical story that has
attracted national attention. Thankfully,
the story has a happy ending.
Jenny with a UAB staff member during a
recent appointment at the hospital.
Jenny Cowan was badly burned in
early December 2002 after a fireplace
explosion at the family’s home in
Lynn Haven, Florida, near Panama
City. She was transferred to Children’s
Hospital in Birmingham with burns
everywhere but on her head, her
hands, behind her knees, and under
her arms. She was on a ventilator for
five days and in desperate need of skin
grafts. Doctors put her chance of survival
at 50 percent.
Those chances improved when
Hardin learned about Jenny’s twin
sister, Sydney. “We know, from our experience with transplants, that the absolutely best
match for any organ is an identical twin,” Hardin says. “But there were ethical and legal
issues to be considered. Can you take skin from a normal child to benefit a sibling? Do
you ask the child? Can a six-year-old consent? Who decides?”
Hardin consulted experts nationwide, and the Cowan twin operation was approved
by a medical ethics committee. The family went before a probate judge, who appointed
attorneys for both children and conducted a hearing. The judge expressed “significant
concerns,” Hardin said, but approved the grafts.
Skin was taken from Sydney’s back, scalp, and bottom and successfully grafted onto Jenny.
“Both girls are back in school, and the burned child is now in gymnastics class,” Hardin says.
“They both are doing beautifully.”
ABC’s 20/20 has filmed interviews for a
segment about the Cowan twins.
For Hardin, the ethical questions linger,
and he recently made a Grand Rounds presentation
about the case. “I posed the question:
How much does the outcome influence
perception of what we did? It was
wildly successful from a medical perspective,
but what if it had gone badly? We
would be called to account for that.
“Is the correctness of this, in terms of
ethics, determined by the clinical outcome?
I’ve had people say they can view the two
separately. But I’m not sure I buy that.”
Sydney (left) and Jenny Cowan.
Sydney and Jenny (L and R, with an
unidentified friend) recently celebrated
their seventh birthday.
13

The Medical School Admissions Committee
“GATEKEEPERS” OF THE UASOM
By Dawn Mesa
Each year, anywhere from 48 to 55 committee members work
together to evaluate applicants to the UASOM. The members
of the Admissions Interview Committee and its subcommittee,
the Admissions Selection Committee, are directly
responsible for the current face of the UASOM’s matriculating student
body. For the 2003-2004 admissions year, there are 53 committee
members total, 35 men and 18 women; 44 are on the Interview
Committee and 9 on the Selection Committee.
The committee members themselves are a diverse group hailing from
many backgrounds and holding varied job titles; some are UASOM
alumni, while others are not. Most are appointed to three-year terms;
The UASOM interview process is just one part of the big picture that is
admissions, says Nathan Smith, M.D.
others, such as deans, serve on the committees as part of their administrative
responsibility. The committees consist of a variety of UASOM
and UAB faculty (M.D.s, Ph.D.s, and M.D./Ph.D.s from various specialty
areas), staff from medical student services, assistant deans, faculty
from the Huntsville and Tuscaloosa programs, Alabama physicians
from a variety of communities (rural, towns, and cities), and many
more, says Nathan B. Smith, M.D., assistant dean for admissions.
“There are also a few non-physicians and non-UASOM individuals on
the committees,” Smith adds. “We usually have one or two people on
the Interview Committee who are community leaders.”
IMPORTANCE OF THE INTERVIEW
The interview “season” begins on June 1 of each year when applicants
begin to prepare their applications through AMCAS, the American Medical
College Application Service. AMCAS then begins processing applications
on August 1. The UASOM typically begins receiving applications in late
July, and the interview process gets underway in September of each year.
Former Admissions Committee member Suzanne M. Bergman,
M.D., says that her favorite part of the evaluation process is speaking
with the applicants. “We look for their ability to interact with people,
how well they’ll be able to work with people from all walks of life,” she
says. “We also want to make sure that medicine is something that they
really want to do and not something they’ve been directed toward.” This
is an important consideration for the children of physician parents.
Bergman offers some words of advice for applicants: “Not only
should you have a real interest in and love for people, biology, and the
physiology of the body, but you should also know what you’re getting
into—how hard it really is. You should also spend time shadowing
physicians in clinics and hospitals, see people suffering, see what is
done to help them out and what can’t be done, and understand that.”
In addition to the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) score,
grade-point average (GPA), and prerequisite course requirements for
acceptance into medical school, the UASOM considers the rigors of an
applicant’s academic curriculum, a composite or preprofessional committee
letter, the applicant’s communication skills (via the interview process
and written essay), service and volunteer activities, health-related experience
and/or “shadowing,” leadership roles, other extracurricular activities
and campus involvement, and letters of recommendation.
MAKING IT ON THEIR OWN
On occasion, anxious parents of medical-school applicants—including
physician parents of applicants—contact the admissions office to
make inquiries for their children. Given the level of maturity expected
from medical-school applicants, the admissions process is something the
UASOM Admissions Committee expects the applicants to handle
themselves, says Smith.
In addition, some parents often think that the only way they can really get
the ‘scoop’ on whether or not their child will be admitted is by knowing
someone on the committee. Not so, says Smith. “The reality is that anything
the committee has to share will be shared with the applicant. We want to
communicate directly with that individual; it’s the best way for them to find
out where they stand, and it prevents any miscommunication.”
The UASOM does its best to foster open lines of communication
with applicants. From the start, it’s made clear to applicants “that if
they have questions, ask us—we specifically advise them, ‘You ask
us,’ ” says Smith. “If they want to get feedback on their interview, ask
us. The way we give feedback is that we literally read them the comments
from the committee.”
In making decisions for admission, notes Smith, the Selection
Committee takes into consideration both objective and subjective
aspects of what an applicant brings to being a physician. While solid
academics are critical to becoming a physician, equally important are
subjective attributes such as compassion and concern for others. Adds
Smith, “no one wants this to be a process in which we simply accept
applicants with the highest grades and MCAT scores; there’s a lot
more than that to deciding who would likely be a good medical student—and
physician.”
14

New Licensing Requirements
STAYING AHEAD OF THE CURVE
By Dawn Mesa
In 1968 the Federation of State Medical Boards
(FSMB) and the National Board of Medical
Examiners (NBME) got together to create the
Federation Licensing Examination (FLEX),
which remained the national standard by which physicians
became licensed to practice medicine in the
United States until 1994. At that time, the FSMB and
NBME integrated a new three-part examination
known as the United States Medical Licensing
Examination (USMLE) to replace the FLEX as well as
the certifying exams of the NBME.
ADDRESSING CONCERNS
More recently, both the FSMB and NBME voiced
concern that the three written tests that make up the
USMLE weren’t adequately testing the clinical skills,
professionalism, and communication abilities of medical
students. To address this problem, a new component—the
Clinical Skills Examination (CSE)—was
added to the second part of the USMLE in early
2003. This action was taken in response to extensive
research showing that poor physician communication,
interpersonal skills, and clinical skills are directly
related to a higher incidence of malpractice suits, as
well as poor patient compliance and lower rates of
patient satisfaction. The CSE is scheduled to be rolled
out in 2004 and will be required for the class of 2005
and subsequent years.
“The UASOM participated as a subcontractor for
the NBME when they were developing the CSE,” says
Dennis W. Boulware, M.D., FACP, senior associate
dean of medical education. “We were a beta site; we
knew how the cases were going to be constructed, we
knew what they wanted, and we put our students
through it and added our own cases to see how the students
were doing and how—consequently—our curriculum
was doing.”
FROM VOLUNTARY TO MANDATORY
Before anyone could have predicted such a development,
the UASOM had already instituted its own exam
to test the clinical skills of its medical students. Known as
the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE),
the exam was a voluntary effort for senior students when
it was introduced in the early 1990s. The senior OSCE
became standard in 1994 when the UASOM decided to
make passing it a requirement for all graduates beginning
with the class of 1997.
Once the exam became mandatory at the UASOM,
it became necessary to centralize the location of the
test’s administration. After several years of students
from the Birmingham and Huntsville schools having to
travel to various locations in Tuscaloosa for the exam, it
was moved to Birmingham in late 2003—and space
was designated specifically for administration of the
OSCE. Housed on the third floor of Volker Hall, the
space consists of 20 exam rooms, each of which is
designed “in much the same manner as exam rooms
found in a typical physician’s office,” notes Boulware.
An OSCE is administered several times a year. First- and
second-year students take the test early on as part of the
Introduction to Clinical Medicine course; and fourth-year
students take it as a “high stakes” exam, since they must
pass it to graduate from the UASOM. According to
Boulware, each fourth-year student being tested must
rotate through 10 stations—or “patients” in exam rooms
who’ve been trained in what to disclose for purposes of
diagnosis and what to keep in mind in evaluating the student’s
contact with them. The entire process is videorecorded.
“Each ‘patient’ completes a checklist for each student;
the checklists are then scored and later evaluated to
see that the student meets the criteria necessary to pass,”
says Pat Norton, Ed.D., director of the standardized
patient content and administration of the program. The
senior OSCE is managed by Roger Berkow, M.D., assistant
dean for clinical curiculum, who chairs a faculty
OSCE committee.
Given the fact the national CSE will soon be required
for all medical students, the UASOM will need to
rethink how it administers and counts the OSCE
toward graduation. “When the new USMLE requirements
go into effect, we may change the UASOM’s
requirements so that students have to pass our OSCE
but have to take the CSE as well. Afterward, when we
can compare the results, we may even end up changing
ours so that students need to pass the national CSE to
graduate from the UASOM, but use our OSCE to help
them get ready for that exam,” Boulware says.
(Top and bottom) First-year
UASOM students took part in the
introduction to clinical medicine
test in the newly renovated space
in Volker Hall on October 25.
15

Clinical Nutrition
LAYING THE GROUNDWORK FOR TOMORROW’S DOCTORS
By Dawn Mesa
Ask most medical-school graduates what their experience with clinical nutrition
was during their four years, and the answer will likely be “minimal” or
even “none at all.” But if you ask a recent UASOM graduate that same question,
the answer may well surprise you.
Currently, UASOM students are required to attend 50 hours of clinical
nutrition lectures during the spring quarter of their first year of medical school.
“The required course that we offer has the most contact hours of any medical
school nutrition course in the United States,” says Douglas C. Heimburger,
M.D., M.S., FACP, course director and professor in the Division of Clinical
Nutrition and Dietetics in the Departments of Nutrition Science and
Medicine. “Probably the school of medicine with the second-highest number
requires 25 to 30 hours.”
HEALTHY CHOICES
The clinical-nutrition training that UASOM students receive includes many
of the nutrition principles and clinical practice skills necessary for treating and
preventing cardiovascular diseases, obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases.
In addition to the mandatory 50 hours of clinical nutrition in the first year,
students receive nutrition training via the introduction to clinical medicine
(ICM) course that’s taught during the first and second years. There is also an
opportunity for fourth-year medical students to do either a two- or four-week
elective rotation in clinical nutrition.
Wes Stubblefield, a fourth-year UASOM student, elected to do the clinicalnutrition
rotation so that he can better serve his patients later on in life. “My
goal eventually is to pursue a field in primary care—pediatrics specifically—
and I really wanted to pursue this as a way to communicate with my patients—
kids and their parents—and find ways to change people’s minds and health and
eating behaviors,” he says.
“There were so many other courses that played into what we learned in the
first-year course—biochemistry and physiology, for example. I thought, ‘What
better way to solidify my training than to do the fourth-year elective rotation?’
I think the ability to communicate and change patients’ minds about their
health behaviors is a special part of primary care, but the clinical nutrition
training is useful in any discipline with patient contact,” says Stubblefield.
“Healthy choices by adults and caregivers make healthy choices for families. As
Douglas Heimburger, M.D. (right), with Wes Stubblefield, takes pride in the
number of clinical-nutrition contact hours required by the UASOM.
a pediatrician, if you’re able to educate adults, you’re really able to change children
secondarily.”
BROAD IMPLICATIONS AND APPLICATIONS
The UASOM first instituted clinical nutrition in its curricula back in 1976
under the direction of Roland Weinsier, M.D. “He got a lot of things started
here that have survived and thrived,” says Heimburger, “and that was one of
them.” Reflective of the broad scope nutrition plays in the “real world” as well
as in curricula, the department is currently affiliated with four UAB schools:
health-related professions, medicine, public health, and dentistry.
Most physicians who specialize in clinical nutrition end up in private practice
or in academic settings, and their patients represent a broad spectrum of
conditions and diseases. “Some physician nutrition specialists are interested
strictly in research and management of patients with obesity; some take care of
really sick patients, in ICUs for example, and coordinate enteral and parenteral
feeding; others treat patients with gastroinstestinal disorders; while still others
treat patients undergoing palliative care,” Heimburger adds. “A lot of the
people who do nutrition aren’t necessarily ‘card-carrying’ physician nutrition
specialists; they are actually scattered among a variety of specialty fields.”
For more information about the clinical nutrition program at the UASOM,
please contact Douglas Heimburger at (205) 934-7058 or visit the program’s
Web site at [http://www.uab.edu/nutrition].
FIGHTING THE GOOD FIGHT: UASOM ALUM GIVES IT HIS ALL
By Jay Taylor
Among the many achievements of Ronald
Henderson, M.D., is one he hopes will have an
impact for generations to come. He has written a
book, titled Attacking Myasthenia Gravis: A Key in
the Battle Against Autoimmune Diseases (Court Street
Press), about his personal experiences with myasthenia
gravis (MG). The book delves into issues related
to MG, as well as other autoimmune and chronic
diseases.
Henderson can hold his head up high for more
than just that, though. Not only is he leading a noble
fight against a variety of debilitating diseases, he can
also physically hold his head up on his own. At one
point, MG, an autoimmune disease that limits the
body’s ability to use its muscles, was severely affecting
his neck. “I suffered from fatigue and loss of stamina,”
says the UASOM alum and former OB/GYN
faculty member. As the disease progressed, his symptoms
got worse. “After 10 a.m., my voice would go
away because my larynx muscles wouldn’t work.”
Then went his ability to hold his head up, eyehand
coordination, and other basic functions most
people take for granted. “In severe cases, people lose
the ability to breathe and have to go on a ventilator,”
he says. “Luckily, I never had to do that,
although I came close one time.”
He first experienced symptoms of MG in
February 1994. By that September, the disease had
16

An Update on the UASOM in Huntsville and Tuscaloosa
By Dawn Mesa
With the recent opening of the new clinical building,
UASOM faculty and students in Huntsville are
thrilled to be located under one roof. Consisting of
three stories with approximately 93,000 square feet
of space, the building had its grand opening celebration
in March.
The first floor of the building houses the VA clinic, as
well as lease space for a pharmacy and a durable medical
equipment showroom. The second floor is where the
family medicine center is located—with OB/GYN,
pediatrics, and internal medicine clinics. Other clinical
activities also take place on the second floor, with 36
exam rooms and a special procedures area. The administrative
and faculty offices are located on the third floor,
along with the medical library, three classrooms, three
The new clinical space at the UASOM Huntsville
brings all of its departments together in one place.
conference rooms, a student and resident lounge, and an
auditorium. At the same time, the UASOM has kept
space available in the new facility for future growth.
Founded in 1973, the UASOM Huntsville had
been housed in two locations since its inception.
This new building places all of its departments and
people under the same roof. “It’s given us an opportunity
to be one cohesive group,” says Paula
Cothren, director of academic programs and
administrative affairs in Huntsville.
In addition to the new facility, the Huntsville program
recently became a member of the Northern
Alabama Health Education Consortium (NAHEC)—
a pipeline program designed to help identify and mentor
students in junior colleges throughout the state
who are interested in careers in health-related fields
including medicine, nursing, and pharmacy.
NEW BUILDING, ONGOING PROGRAMS
Looking to the south, ground was recently broken
for a new UASOM Tuscaloosa building.
According to William Curry, M.D., FACP, associate
dean of the Tuscaloosa program, “It’s really going to
be a great building, functionally and appearancewise.”
Construction began in December 2002 and
is slated to be complete in April 2004. Totaling
77,000 square feet, the two-story building will
house all faculty and departmental offices, as well as
central administration, clinics, the health-sciences
library, medical student affairs, and all support
services. A few of the rural programs will remain in
Nott Hall because they serve a lot of undergraduate
and graduate students, says Curry.
Another development in Tuscaloosa that involves
both patient care and clinical teaching is the conversion
of the medical records system from a paperbased
to an electronic system. Implementation
began in April 2002, and the last remaining department
was brought on in July 2003.
The Rural Health Scholars Program for rural highschool
students is still a big initiative at the UASOM
Tuscaloosa, as is the Rural Medical Scholars Program,
which is in its eighth year. In this program, rural college
students receive early admission to medical school
if they have expressed an intent to return to rural
Alabama communities to practice medicine once their
formal medical education is complete. There is also a
Rural Minority Scholars Program in place that targets
minority students at the same high-school level as the
Rural Health Scholars Program. “We are looking for
ways to expand that ‘pipeline’ concept to get more
rural college students interested in health professions,
especially rural medicine,” Curry says.
The Institute for Rural Health Research, under
John C. Higginbotham, Ph.D., MPH, at the
UASOM Tuscaloosa has a number of communitybased
research projects under way that have to do with
disparate outcomes in cancer and infant mortality
rates, particularly common in rural Alabama. The
biggest single project they have in place is Project
EXPORT (Excellence in Partnerships for Community
Outreach, Research on Health Disparities and
Training), which is a five-year, $5-million-plus collaborative
effort between the Tuscaloosa program and
Construction continues on the new UASOM
building in Tuscaloosa.
Tuskegee University. The funds are being used to
establish a center of excellence through facilities on
both campuses. The center will demonstrate the effectiveness
of a strategy combining the methods of public
health and bioethics in programs of research, education,
and outreach to reduce disparities in disease
and disabilities in the Black Belt region of Alabama.
progressed so far that he was forced into early
retirement from his practice at St. Vincent’s
Hospital. But it wasn’t until November 1995 that
he was actually diagnosed with the rare disease.
“Prior to that, I thought I had ALS [amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis] because I had a lot of symptoms of
Lou Gehrig’s disease,” he says. But, to his relief, a
steak dinner proved that diagnosis wrong. “I came
home and my wife had cooked some steak,” says
Henderson. “With ALS, you lose the ability to swallow
before you lose the ability to chew. When I was
eating the steak, I found that I couldn’t chew.”
Since then, he’s come a long way in improving
his health. “I feel as good as I will feel until we find
a cure for MG,” he says. “I attribute that to therapy
and my coming to peace with the fact that I am
66 years old and have MG.” He also points to
keeping his stress level down, meaning that he can’t
return to work despite his desire to do so. But for
someone not “working,” he certainly is making a
difference in the world.
In addition to his new role as author, Henderson
is also the founder and chairman of the International
Autoimmune Disease Research Foundation, and he
counsels others with autoimmune diseases. He’s also
enlisted UAB physiology professor J. Edwin Blalock,
Ph.D.—who’s had some successful breakthroughs
already—to research cures, and he’s working on getting
more funding through the National Institutes of
Health and other sources.
So far, though, there haven’t been enough financial
resources dedicated to autoimmune disease
research, he says. “We want our fair share of funding
for research,” considering that the number of workdays
lost by a patient with autoimmune disease is
double those lost by all heart disease and stroke
patients combined, he says.
While the battle for funding continues, so does his
battle against MG. “I have good days and bad days,”
he says, adding that his emotional and spiritual
health are factors that help keep his MG in check.
17

Physicians’ Forum By
Dawn Mesa
I NDIGENT C ARE: A CRISIS IN THE WORKS
Indigent patients are not just the homeless; they are the elderly, they are minimum-wage workers, they are people
who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private health insurance. They are
our neighbors, and their medical care is straining the system in most of Alabama. It is a taxing situation for all
involved: county public-health systems, as well as hospitals and clinics and their staff, and, not least of all, indigent
patients themselves.
While the state supreme court has ruled that indigent care is the responsibility of the counties, typically no taxes
or other county-generated revenue are set aside for the medical treatment of indigent patients or reimbursement for
the care of these patients in area hospitals. In an effort to combat the challenging issue of indigent care, free clinics
have been established in some of the state’s smaller cities, and their existence
has changed the landscape of medical care in these communities.
In the first of a two-part Physician’s Forum, the Alabama Medical Alumni
Bulletin asked two prominent alumni about their experiences in treating the medically
indigent population in two metropolitan areas of Alabama. Mike Hall, M.D.,
who specializes in internal medicine in Cullman, and Tim Howard, M.D., who specializes
in family medicine in Huntsville, were both integral in establishing free
clinics in their respective hometowns.
What medical programs are presently in place in your community to assist the indigent population?
Mike Hall, M.D.
Mike Hall, M.D., (MH): At this point in time, we have two programs in place to assist indigent patients here
in Cullman, and a third program should be up and running by the time this issue goes to press. I’m associated
with Cullman Regional Medical Center, which is a 501(c)3 (not-for-profit) corporation; that means that
anyone who shows up in the emergency room—regardless of their ability to pay—will be seen and cared for.
I’m also affiliated with the second program we have in place, which is a walk-in clinic owned by a group of
physicians, simply called Urgent Care.
The third very exciting program in our community will be called Good Samaritan Clinic. The hospital,
Cullman Regional Medical Center, has donated a free-standing clinic to a local board of community activists
whose goal is for every person in the community to receive medical care, regardless of their ability to pay. It started
as a community project; then the hospital got on board and donated the space, and physicians have agreed to
donate their time. What makes this so refreshing is that it’s community-driven, not just physician-driven. I feel
strongly that communities should embrace and care for their own. That cannot be done just by physicians.
Tim Howard, M.D.
Tim Howard, M.D., (TH): Here in Huntsville/Madison County, we have the Community Free Clinic, which
was established about five years ago. We were seeking to meet the needs of those we call the “working poor”—
individuals who made too much to qualify for Medicare and too little to afford private insurance. We created
the first free-standing, privately run, free clinic in the state of Alabama but didn’t realize it at the time.
Before the Community Free Clinic, there really wasn’t very much available for indigent patients in our community.
Then, about five years ago, over lunch one day, Fran Ward, a local pharmaceutical rep, Scott McCary,
M.D., and I talked about possibly starting up a free clinic in our area. We took an exploratory look into it to
see what we could do. Dr. McCary did his residency in Virginia, where one of the nation’s oldest free clinics,
Bradley Free Clinic, is based, and they sent us a free guidebook on how to start such a clinic. It walked us through
the steps, and we were able to use it as a map to start working from. Our mantra all along was “we’ll go until
somebody stops us.” The community, as a whole, was so excited about the notion of a free clinic in the area. The
medical community was a slightly harder sell: We went to every medical entity that provided indigent care in our
area—hospitals, clinics, etc.—and let them know that our goal was to help folks and that we had no ulterior
motives. Once we made that clear, they got on board.
What has been your experience in treating indigent patients?
MH: I do my best not to look at the patient’s insurance information if I’m on call in the emergency room.
That is a financial issue that has to be discussed between the hospital and the patient. If something can be
18

Physicians’ Forum
done for the patient on an outpatient basis, which
is less costly than on an inpatient basis, I try to do
that. The bottom line, though, is that physicians
are in the business of caring for patients, caring
with a capital “C.”
TH: Unfortunately, they do print a patient’s insurance
information on the super bill. Patients will tell
me, “I don’t have coverage” or “I don’t have this or
that,” but I’ll tell them not to ever let that be an
issue. My issue is “how can we care for you?” I’ll
work with whatever plan they’re working within.
In what ways has this impacted you and/or your
practice?
MH: My practice probably hasn’t been impacted a
great deal. We have about 30,000 patients in my
practice, and I would say that, of those, less than 2
percent have no intermediary in place to pay for the
services they receive. If they don’t, we work with
them. In addition, each physician here at the hospital
has a case manager and access to a social worker.
That coordination occurs on day one for a patient; as
soon as a patient is admitted, if a problem is recognized,
the case manager and social worker work with
me as team members to see how the patient’s needs
can be met. Most often finances are on every
patient’s mind.
TH: I still practice privately, and I don’t think there’s
been much impact on my private practice. The clinic
is free-standing and self-supporting. Early on, I
told them we needed to be inclusive, not exclusive,
and to look into how we could broaden the program.
Two years ago, I was able to rotate off as president of
the clinic board—I’m obsolete, and that’s wonderful!
I wanted it to be that way; we don’t want to depend
on one person to run the clinic. We want it to keep
working long after we’re gone. I still see patients in
the free clinic, but if you let physicians know that
they don’t have to be there every day or every week
to make a difference, you broaden the philanthropy
in the community and you don’t burn out the physicians.
In the free clinic, we’re just working to serve;
being able to see people being cared for for free—
that’s incredible and also incredibly generous on the
part of everyone involved.
Has your patient base changed in the last five
years and, if so, how?
MH: Absolutely. More than 50 percent of my
patients now are over 60 years of age; of course,
many of these people have Medicare. What I see as
a major issue for these patients is their inability to
afford pharmaceuticals. Fortunately, a lot of companies
in the pharmaceutical industry are coming
together to address this problem. In particular,
there’s a program called Share RX where eight to 10
major pharmaceutical companies got together to
offer options for about a hundred different medications,
typically the most popular on the formulary.
In this program, for example, if a patient qualifies to
participate, a medication that could cost a couple of
hundred dollars for a one-month supply can be purchased
for $15. I lean heavily on these types of programs.
In addition, we have a local community
action group and also three volunteers in our office
who come in one day a week and spend the whole
day completing paperwork to enroll our patients in
various assistance programs. We also have at least
four churches that provide food, assistance, and
other available aid to our citizens when needed.
TH: I don’t think my patient base has really
changed. The reason I say that is because I made it
clear up front that patients couldn’t just be
“unloaded” into the Community Free Clinic. The
free clinic was established to capture the community
population who aren’t receiving care because
they don’t have insurance or the funds necessary to
pay for their treatment. In addition, I’m not going
to see patients in the free clinic if they’re already my
patients in my private practice. That was not the
idea of the free clinic; it is for those people who
have not sought medical help because they’re uninsured
and know they would encounter a bill immediately
upon entering a medical office.
How does indigent care affect hospitals and clinics
in your area?
MH: From an absolute numbers standpoint, Cullman
Regional Medical Center spends approximately $10
million a year on indigent care. That’s a big piece of the
pie; they do their best to budget for it, but the costs
change from year to year and are difficult to predict.
TH: Hopefully, if we take care of indigent patients’
primary-care needs—diabetes, hypertension, and
the like and keep them preventatively under control—these
patients will be less likely to be seen in
area hospitals and clinics. We’ve had incredible support
from local hospitals, labs, X-ray facilities, and
physicians—almost 100 of the hospital’s physicians
were involved last year. That tells you that we care
about our people and meeting their needs. Both
area hospitals and their ancillary services have been
very open to providing staff and volunteers, and a
lot of times they either lower their costs or write
them off entirely. It’s been incredible. Logically
thinking, if we do things right, in the long-term
we’ll decrease the numbers of people in the emergency
rooms for routine care. Physicians want to
help people—that’s the bottom line.
19
Do you have any ideas or suggestions for improving
the current state of indigent care in Alabama?
MH: Again, I would encourage local communities
to get involved, not just physicians. Indigents are
people who work beside you every day—you live
with them, you play with them, you go to church
with them, you go to school with them. A community-based
holistic approach to helping them is
what I would suggest—everyone benefits from it. I
think community leaders need to spearhead it, get it
in motion, and local physicians will come on board.
I don’t think I know any physician who would say
“no” to donating time to care for patients who need
it. For instance, we have 85 physicians here; if you
spread their care out over time and everyone
becomes involved, it doesn’t require a huge amount
of time for each person, but it provides an excellent
service that is morally and ethically correct and one
whose benefits outweigh the costs.
TH: I think counties need to tell their folks, “Hey,
look, this is your deal, you can do this.” It’s important
that we, as physicians, take care of the folks “at
home,” and it’s just a matter of getting physicians
involved; let them see there’s a need and formulate a
plan; they don’t need to reinvent the wheel. A great
starting point would be the free guidebook available
from the Bradley Free Clinic—anyone can request a
copy. If we get enough physicians in the state of
Alabama on board with the idea of establishing free
community clinics, what a model we could be for the
rest of the nation. We could say, “Hey, we take care of
our own—we’re not dependent on another government-run
program to help our communities.” And I
think physicians need to know that they can make a
difference—know that it’s just a matter of persistence,
and it doesn’t take a huge group of people to start the
ball rolling. One or two folks can be the catalysts to
ask, “Where can we do this?” Don’t be afraid to try.
I believe that health care is a privilege and not a
right; there are people in this population who work
their tails off and have earned that privilege, but
can’t get the insurance or the medical care that they
deserve. Community free clinics are one way to get
these folks the care and treatment they need.
The second part of this Physicians’ Forum topic will appear
in the Summer 2004 issue of the Alabama Medical Alumni
Bulletin. In that issue, we will look at indigent care in the
state’s larger metropolitan areas.
Editor’s Note: If you are interested in the guidebook “How
to Start a Free Clinic,” published by the Bradley Free Clinic,
it is available online at [http://medkind.com/scripts/medkind/X30.idc?code=1004&index=35413].
In addition,
you can contact the Bradley Free Clinic at (540) 344-5156,
or by mail at 1240 3rd St. SW, Roanoke, VA 24016, for
more information.

Student Rounds:
Getting In: Applying to Medical School
By Dawn Mesa
The process of applying to medical school can be intimidating, even for the best
of students. Not all who want to become doctors will; for a select group, though,
the dream becomes a reality, and they are admitted to medical school—the first
step on the journey to becoming physicians.
Nathan B. Smith, M.D., assistant dean of admissions at the UASOM, says, “A lot
of people are interested in going to medical school—some have harbored that
desire all their lives, while others come to it later in life—and many are disappointed
when they realize that they can’t just study, do well on the MCAT, and be admitted.
There are prerequisite courses in place for reasons, not the least of which is to
help students get ‘up to speed’ in terms of where they start; you need to know some
things, understand some things, in order to succeed in medical school.”
To apply to the UASOM, in general, a student must take the MCAT and have at
least three years of undergraduate college experience. Each applicant must also
have at least 90 semester hours of acceptable credit, including eight hours of general
biology or zoology (embryology and genetics are recommended), eight hours
of general chemistry (with lab), eight hours of organic chemistry (with lab), eight
hours of general physics (with lab), six hours of college mathematics (which can
include computer science or statistics), and six hours of English (such as composition
and literature).
Additional factors weighed for admission include scholastic aptitude and performance,
extracurricular activities, direct health-related work experience, a composite
college evaluation, character recommendations, information contained in the application
and from interviews with the applicant, as well as residence status. All college
majors are considered equally, so most advisors encourage students to consider how
their chosen major can be used if they don’t get accepted to medical school.
The Alabama Medical Alumni Bulletin recently asked first-year “nontraditional” medical
student Lisa Rivera, second-year medical student Timothy Udoji, and third-year medical
student Gigi Youngblood to share their application experiences with our readers.
What was your undergraduate major?
Lisa Rivera (LR): I majored in cytotechnology
at UAB. My major didn’t include physics and
organic chemistry classes, so I had to take extra
time to get those requirements done once I
decided to apply to medical school.
Tim Udoji (TU): My major was biology at
Tennessee State University. I would definitely recommend
this major to undergraduates considering
going to medical school. It encompasses the building
blocks of almost all the basic science courses
taught in medical school. This way, students are
exposed to the basic concepts that they will later
build upon in medical school.
Garland Gail (Gigi) Youngblood (GY): I was a
biomedical engineering major at the University of
Tennessee. I would definitely recommend engineering
to other undergraduates considering
going to medical school. Fortunately, a student’s
undergraduate major does not seem to have a significant
impact on performance in medical
school, so I would recommend majoring in something
you think you’ll enjoy; in doing so, be sure
to study hard and learn as much as you can about
whatever you might be studying. As an undergraduate,
the most important things to learn that
can prepare you for medical school are good time
management and effective study skills.
Was there any one factor that influenced
your decision to apply to medical school?
LR: I did an internship at the Jefferson County
Health Department as part of my Master of
Public Health coursework at UAB. While there, I
worked closely with pregnant teenagers, and that
experience allowed me to see how much I enjoyed
helping them with their problems and talking
with them about their physical well-being.
TU: I tore my medial meniscus while playing soccer
for my high-school team. My doctor’s
demeanor and approach toward treating my
injury were things that stood out most in my
experience with him. Afterward, I got the opportunity
to shadow him and one of the radiologists
in the hospital. It was an enriching experience
that further solidified my interest in medicine.
An undergraduate major in a field you enjoy is
important, says Gigi Youngblood; biomedical
engineering opened the door to her decision
to apply to medical school.
20

A high-school soccer injury was the impetus behind Tim Udoji’s interest in
becoming a physician.
Was there any part of the process
that was intimidating?
LR: Most of the applicants I met were
in their early twenties, so I felt a little
“old” in comparison. Since I’m married
and have a child, I still feel old sometimes;
there’s only one person in my
class who’s older than I am. I’ve been in
the workforce all my adult life so I do
think my experiences have helped me
get through a lot. I also believe that if
my family wasn’t so supportive, I
would be greatly hindered—but with
their help I’m able to keep going.
GY: My favorite part was, believe it or
not, the interview, and my least favorite
part was the AMCAS application.
What led you to choose the
UASOM over other medical
schools?
TU: The structure of the academic curriculum
and the distance from home
were two of the main reasons I chose
UASOM. In terms of the curriculum,
I liked the fact that I would be exposed
to the hospital environment prior to
my clinical rotation years.
GY: In my engineering classes, I
found that it was the medical side of
things rather than the engineering
side that I was most interested in. For
example, when we studied prosthetic
knee replacements, I was more interested
in learning about the anatomy
of the knee than in trying to calculate
the forces in the knee at various positions
and angles.
Did you research the requirements
for admission to medical school
early on?
LR: Yes, I started researching admission
requirements as soon as I realized that I
wanted to apply to medical school.
That was about two and a half years
before I actually applied.
TU: Yes. I did so prior to the beginning
of my junior year as an undergraduate.
Luckily, I had taken a majority of the
core courses by then. Shadowing both
my orthopedic surgeon and a radiologist
at Nashville Metropolitan General
Hospital helped as well.
process and the timeline of each stage
were clearly outlined.
GY: I applied “early decision” to the
UASOM, so I may not have had the
“typical” admissions experience. I still
found it to be very laid-back and
enjoyable, though.
In what ways did the reality of the
admissions process surprise you?
LR: I was surprised at the number of
students interviewing on the same day.
GY: I was surprised at how “lowstress”
it was. I can actually say that I
enjoyed applying to medical school. I
especially enjoyed my interviews at
the UASOM. They were less like a
“typical” interview and more like sitting
down and having a conversation
with someone you’ve just met.
TU: The interview was intimidating
mainly because I did not know what the
interviewers expected from me. Looking
back, I think they were looking to see if
I had the ability to articulate and communicate
my experiences to them.
GY: Other than the level of detail
required on the AMCAS application and
some standard preinterview butterflies, I
was comfortable with the whole process.
What was your favorite part of
the process? Least favorite?
LR: Touring the campus with the
other applicants and seeing the anatomy
lab on interview day were my
favorite aspects. My least favorite part
was taking the MCAT!
TU: My favorite part of the admissions
process was learning what makes
the UASOM unique—for example,
the curriculum that exposes first-year
students to hospital/clinic situations.
GY: Overall, I decided to apply “early
decision” to the UASOM because I
could not justify paying out-of-state
or private tuition when there is a medical
school with such an excellent reputation
right here in my hometown.
Do you have any words of wisdom
for students who are applying to
the UASOM?
LR: Study hard for the MCAT and take
as many practice tests as possible. Think
of your undergraduate courses as preparation
for the test as well. Don’t give up,
and keep your eye on your goal.
TU: I would advise incoming students
not to put up a façade, but to simply
“be themselves” during the interview.
GY: Hang in there and don’t let yourself
get discouraged or overwhelmed. Make
lots of lists during the application
process and tackle things in a methodical
manner so nothing will be overlooked.
Talk to anyone you can find
who has been through the process and
ask for advice. It’s a long road, but so far
it’s been well worth it. Oh, and bring
some comfortable shoes for the tour!
GY: I really started digging in and
actively researching medical school
during my third year of college (out of
the five years in my degree program).
What was your overall impression
of the admissions process at
the UASOM?
For more information on the admissions
process at the UASOM, visit the
school Web site at [http://main.uab.edu/
uasom/show.asp?durki=2023]. In addition,
please see the article titled “The
Medical School Admissions Committee”
in this issue (page 14).
LR: I thought it was reasonable.
TU: Overall, I was satisfied with the
admissions process. The goals of the
Working with pregnant teenagers during a health department internship led
Lisa Rivera to apply to medical school.
21

From the Development Office
A Warm Welcome
We are pleased to welcome Jeannie Edwards Horton as
director of development for the UASOM, departments of
surgery and ophthalmology.
Horton comes to the school of medicine from UAB’s
Faculty and Staff Benevolent Fund, where she was program
coordinator. Prior to that, Jeannie spent 10 years
with the United Way of Central Alabama, Inc., in resource
development as a campaign associate and later as director
of planned giving. In that role, she was integral in building
personal relationships with donors, providing education
on the personal tax benefits of planned and deferred
gifts, and organizing and implementing professional seminars
and workshops about planned giving options.
Horton says she looks forward to building relationships
with the alumni, faculty, research scientists, and friends of the
departments of surgery and ophthalmology. “I am continually
amazed by the caliber of the resident training, research, and
patient care found here. The UASOM is a definite asset to
the Birmingham community and to the professional sciences
of surgery and ophthalmology, among others,” she says.
Horton will be working closely with former residents
and grateful patients to help facilitate the growth and
expansion of both departments as they continue to serve
the health needs of the state of Alabama. She says she is
excited to be working among such cutting-edge research
and medicine. “I now have a new regard for the complexities
of medical research and education and the lifesaving
implications they have on the public,” she says.
“I look forward to establishing strong philanthropic
partnerships with those individuals who understand the
value of the UASOM to the state of Alabama.”
DEVELOPMENT
PROFILE:
Mike Kilgore,
Alabama Farmers
Federation
By Dawn Mesa
Mike Kilgore knows firsthand the
challenges faced by rural communities.
A native of Nauvoo, Alabama, a
town on the Walker-Winston County
line, Kilgore has always had a familyinstilled
love of agriculture. Now, as
executive director of the Alabama
Farmers Federation (ALFA)—and a
new member of the UASOM Dean’s
Advisory Council—Kilgore is working
to address the needs of citizens
throughout the state.
Kilgore earned a B.S. degree in agricultural
economics and business from
Auburn University and then took a
job with the Alabama Cooperative
Extension System in 1970 as an agent
in Bullock and Elmore counties. After
serving for several years in this capacity,
Kilgore then went to work with
ALFA in 1974 as an organizational
director. In that capacity, he worked
with rural farmers to meet whatever
needs arose in the community.
He soon made his way up the ranks
within ALFA and headed up the Young
Farmers Program in their state headquarters
in Montgomery. He worked
with that program for eight years before
moving into a supervisory position over
the largest department in the organization—membership
and field operations,
which included the Young
Farmers and Women’s Division
Programs. From there he was promoted
to the position of assistant executive
director before being made executive
director almost three years ago. He jokes
with his colleagues that he was someone
“who couldn’t hold a job and kept moving
around.” In reality, however, he
moved around because “if someone had
a need, I just tried to fill it.” Even today,
it is this “unknown” factor—“waking
up to something new every day”—that
he loves most about his job.
The field of agriculture has experienced
many changes since ALFA’s
inception. The organization was
founded in 1921 with an original
charter and purpose to help improve
rural Alabama in every way possible,
says Kilgore. “One of the concerns
we’ve had for several years is the loss
of qualified medical personnel in the
rural areas of Alabama.” Their commitment
to address this growing epidemic
was so strong that ALFA became a participant
in the UASOM’s Rural
Medical Scholars Program and created
a scholarship to assist students
from the state’s rural counties who are
interested in pursuing careers in medicine.
ALFA hopes to increase their
participation in this program.
In addition to their work with the
Rural Medical Scholars Program,
ALFA remains committed to improving
the state of rural health care in
Alabama and actively participates
in—and contributes to—the Alabama
Child Caring Foundation (ACCF),
headed by Blue Cross Blue/Shield of
Alabama. ACCF was founded to
ensure adequate health care for children
who are not eligible for healthcare
coverage through Medicaid and
who have no other private or public
health insurance.
Considering ALFA’s long-standing
interest in improving rural health care
in Alabama, it seems only fitting that
Kilgore was asked to serve on the
Dean’s Advisory Council at the
UASOM and agreed to do so gladly.
Now more than ever, rural health care
is one of ALFA’s predominant concerns,
along with rural economic
development. Actually, says Kilgore,
“as far as community development
goes, we believe rural health care and
community development are tightly
interwoven.” He says he looks forward
to working on the Dean’s
Advisory Council to further assist the
rural communities of Alabama, and
he’s pleased to have an opportunity to
learn more about what’s going on at
UAB and be a part of “one of the top
research institutions in the nation, if
not the world.”
22

PROGRAMS WORTH SUPPORTING:
Department of Microbiololgy
By Dawn Mesa
PROGRAMS WORTH SUPPORTING:
Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology
With 26 tenured and tenure-track faculty,
the Department of Microbiology is
the largest basic-science department at
UAB. Chaired by David D. Chaplin,
M.D., Ph.D., it is currently ranked second
nationally in National Institutes of
Health (NIH) funding. The department
is internationally recognized for its outstanding
faculty and research programs
in microbial genetics and pathogenesis,
virology, and immunology. These
research programs use cutting-edge
technology to gain insights into basic
molecular mechanisms of microbial
growth and evolution, mechanisms the
microbe uses to live on mammalian and
insect hosts, and mechanisms the host
uses to protect itself from damage by the
microbe. New information gained
through this research has many applications
to development of antimicrobial
drugs, vaccines, and strategies for
improved patient care.
The microbiology department is
launching a major initiative to strengthen
the UAB Tuberculosis (TB) Research
Program. Two new faculty members,
assistant professor Andries Steyn, Ph.D.,
(recently recruited from the Harvard
School of Public Health) and associate
professor Michael Niederweis, Ph.D.,
(joining UAB in August 2004 from the
University of Erlangen in Germany) will
take advantage of clinical TB specimens
collected over the past decade by
William Benjamin Jr., Ph.D., assistant
professor of pathology, to understand
how TB has evolved in Alabama.
Niederweis’s research focuses on a
special pore protein located in the TB
bacillus’s cell wall. This pore protein is
critical to the microbe because of its role
in bringing nutrients into the bacterium
and removal of biological waste products.
It is also the pathway by which
anti-TB drugs enter the microbe.
Consequently, understanding how this
pore protein works will likely permit
development of better antibiotics for
treatment of this serious infection, particularly
in patients with drug-resistant
forms of the microbe.
Steyn’s research focuses on molecular
genetic analysis to determine how
TB adapts to grow in the mammalian
hosts that it infects. He first analyzes
the microbe in tissue culture to define
its virulence genes and then studies the
role of these genes in experimental
infections using mice as a surrogate for
the human host.
Safe research on TB—especially using
antibiotic-resistant forms of the
microbe—requires that all experiments
be performed in a biocontainment laboratory.
Key to UAB’s ability to attract
these top scientists to develop the TB
program was the existence of a biosafety
level 3 (BSL3) laboratory in the Bevill
Biomedical Research Building, where
the department is based. This laboratory
will permit close interactions between
the research teams of Steyn and
Neiderweis, and will provide an outstanding
environment for the initial
phases of the TB program. Chaplin,
however, expects the TB program to rapidly
exceed the capacity of the existing
BSL3 space. Future growth of the TB
program requires construction of additional
biocontainment laboratory space.
“Right now,” Chaplin asserts, “TB’s
biggest clinical impact is in the developing
world where populations are overcrowded
and nutrition is poor.
However, because TB is particularly virulent
in immunocompromised patients,
the fact that the numbers of HIVinfected
Americans continues to grow
and that there are increasing numbers of
patients who are immunocompromised
because of drugs used for cancer
chemotherapy or for bone marrow and
organ transplantation, we expect that
the clinical importance of TB within
the United States will match its importance
internationally very soon.”
Underscoring its importance, TB has
been identified as a major research focus
by the World Health Organization, the
National Institutes of Allergy and
Infectious Diseases at the NIH, and the
Gates Foundation. Because UAB has
one of the top NIH-funded Centers for
AIDS Research in the world, as well as
outstanding related programs studying
other key respiratory pathogens,
Chaplin expects the expanding TB program
to quickly assume a leadership
position in TB research nationally.
23
By Dawn Mesa
One of 16 divisions in the Department of Medicine, the Division of Clinical
Immunology and Rheumatology evaluates and treats patients with various forms
of connective-tissue disease, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus, scleroderma,
fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, and many others. With 33 faculty members,
the program has consistently been recognized as one of the nation’s best,
and the 2003 U.S. News & World Report ranked the program sixth in the nation,
which makes it UAB’s most highly ranked clinical program.
Directed by Robert P. Kimberly, M.D., the division has an outstanding international
reputation in basic immunology and in testing novel, translational therapies
for a variety of autoimmune diseases. In addition to the top-notch patient
care to be found in the division, there is also groundbreaking work being done on
the research side. According to Kimberly, “We have research programs from very
basic, fundamental biology in immunology processes through translational and
clinical research—outcomes research, health services research. We have unique
collaborations, not only within rheumatology per se, but also throughout the university
and in tandem with other universities and consultants around the world.”
Another integral part of the division is the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Center
(AMC), which was established in 1977 as one of the nation’s first comprehensive
arthritis-research centers supported by the National Institutes of Health. In addition to
its research, teaching, and continuing education programs, the AMC also provides
diagnostic and therapeutic services for people with all types of arthritis and related
musculoskeletal disorders.
“The latest science says that if we have access to these patients early on in the course
of the disease, we can really do dramatic things to change its course,” says Kimberly.
“In recent years, we’ve introduced breakthrough therapies that previously weren’t part
of our arsenal. In patients with rheumatoid arthritis, for example, if we have access to
them early on, we can offer very dramatic changes in the course of the disease and
help their referring physician manage their care in an optimal way.”
He believes that “the foundation of our reputation is our education and
research programs and out of that, because we do those well, we’re able to provide
good care to the patients. That empowers us to provide the care. We are
extremely proud of the fact that UAB is on the very short list of institutions with
a comprehensive breadth and depth of knowledge in the areas of arthritis and
musculoskeletal diseases.” Testament to that can be found in surveys of physicians
and the patient waiting list—which is longer than the division would like,
but inevitable because the division’s reputation precedes it. “In the past, we could
provide palliative care and help manage a patient’s pain, but the course of the disease
couldn’t really be changed. Now, as our understanding has advanced so far,
we’ve got dramatic opportunities to alter the course of disease,” says Kimberly.
For more information about how you can help contribute to the many vital
programs taking place in the Division of Clinical Immunology and
Rheumatology, please contact Rebecca Lark in the Development Office at (205)
975-6149, or see the envelope enclosed in this issue. In addition, to learn more
about the work being done in the division, please visit their Web site at
[http://info.dom.uab. edu/rheum/index.htm].
If you are interested in helping support
the TB program or other important programs
within the Department of
Microbiology, please contact Brett
Scullen in the Development Office at
(205) 975-7240 or see the pledge envelope
enclosed in this issue. In addition, to
learn more about ongoing research in the
department, please contact Chaplin in
the chairman’s office (205-934-9339) or
visit [www.microbio.uab.edu].

From the Development Office
Annual Reception
UAB President Carol Z. Garrison, Ph.D., William B. Deal,
M.D., vice president and dean of the School of Medicine, and
the University of Alabama School of Medicine Dean’s
Advisory Council hosted an annual reception on Friday,
October 10, 2003, at the Woodward House in Birmingham.
The event recognized major contributors to the UASOM as
well as the Dean’s Partners, and it also celebrated reaching
the school’s goal for the Campaign for UAB.
Sergio Stagno,
Claude Bennett,
and Peter Worthen
Winyss and
Richard Shepard
with Clarence
and Sheila Blair
Baldwin Gift Founds Betty Heath Baldwin
Lectureship on Myasthenia Gravis
By Dawn Mesa
A recent gift by Robert L. Baldwin,
M.D., M.A., has established an endowed
lectureship to support education in myasthenia
gravis (MG) at UAB. Founded in
memory of his mother, Mrs. Betty Heath
Baldwin, and in honor of Shin J. Oh,
M.D., professor of neurology, it is hoped
that this endowed educational lectureship
will further the field of MG education at
the UASOM.
Betty Heath Baldwin died from renal
cancer that had metastasized to her cervical
spine when Robert was only 14 years
old. “I’d always wanted to do something
in remembrance of her,” Robert Baldwin
says. “I had different ideas, but I’d always
sort of envisioned doing something in
her memory that would serve the community,
as she served hers.”
Since being diagnosed with MG in
1997, Baldwin has been under the care
of Oh and credits him with nursing him
through both good times and bad during
the course of his illness. Baldwin was
hospitalized in February 2003—and is
extremely grateful to Oh, along with his
staff and the staff at the hospital, for the
treatment he received during that medical
crisis. “I’m just really grateful—and
indebted—to him and the staff who
helped me during the course of my time
there. I feel such a close relationship with
him and the staff who helped with my
health, and I believe this endowed lectureship
would be a great way to honor
his commitment to me and to the field
of MG,” Baldwin says.
Establishing the Betty Heath Baldwin
Lectureship on Myasthenia Gravis is one
way for Baldwin to give back to both the
medical and MG communities. “It’s not
a disease you hear much about,” he says.
“Even among physicians—primary-care
physicians, internists, ophthalmologists—there's
not as much awareness as
there could be.”
Baldwin, former president of the
Alabama Chapter-Myasthenia Gravis
Foundation of America, hopes that the
lectureship will be used to bring noted
physicians and/or researchers to
Alabama. “It will be a nice way to augment
a meeting and for patients and
physicians to hear an outstanding lecture
on issues relevant to the diagnosis,
management, and treatment of MG.”
Will Deal with Emmie and Herman Bolden and Rita and Solomon Kimerling
S. Richardson Hill Society
Established to Continue
Hill’s Mission
Donald and
Shirley Salloway
Kahn with
Eleanor Kidd
and President
Carol Garrison
Sally Worthen
and Jim Pittman
along with Kirby
and Lynn Bland
S. Richardson Hill Jr., M.D., passed away on July
4, 2003, but his inspiring legacy will help ensure
UAB fulfills its potential. “Dr. Hill built the foundation for the world-class university we
have now,” says President Carol Z. Garrison, Ph.D. “It is in large measure due to his
vision and leadership that we continue to succeed today.”
Hill, former dean of the School of Medicine, vice president for health affairs, and second
UAB president, embarked on a mission to create an internationally renowned
medical center in Alabama. With help from the community, Dr. Hill’s vision for UAB
and the School of Medicine has been achieved. Now, by working together, we can continue
his legacy.
To honor the memory and inspiring legacy of Hill, UAB and the UASOM have
established the S. Richardson Hill Society. Hill believed that greatness comes from
the efforts of faculty and staff, alumni, and community leaders who recognize the
tremendous impact their combined strength can have in furthering research, education,
and patient care. For more information about how you can become a Member,
Dean’s Partner, President’s Partner, or Chancellor’s Partner of the S. Richardson Hill
Society, please contact Meredith Murdock in the Development Office at (205) 934-
4469 or visit the society’s Web site at [www.uab.edu/uasom/srhill].
24

Volker Hall News
By Dawn Mesa
After a thorough and lengthy process, the
renovation of Volker Hall, the primary teaching
site for the UASOM, was completed in
July 2003. The $40-million project created
learning and teaching facilities that reflect the
current philosophy of teaching students in
small groups, the use of interactive computer
models, incorporating simulated patients for
teaching, and appropriate study areas.
It may have been hard to imagine what
the finished renovations ultimately would
look like when construction began more
than two years ago. One of the first things
that is apparent is the fact that Volker Hall
now has a front door and atrium area, something
that it previously never had. In addition,
there are now two floors, the fourth
and fifth, that were designed and renovated
specifically with students in mind.
Gone are the large lecture halls, and in
their place are small group rooms on the
fourth and fifth floors. Lockers are provided
for every student, and general spaces and
lounge areas were created with student comfort
in mind. The facilities are left open for
students to study at their convenience day or
night, says Dennis W. Boulware, M.D., associate
dean of medical education. “This is
their home field, and we bring the learning
to them.” In any one of the numerous small
group rooms, students can work on various
subjects being studied. There are also larger
rooms for groups to join together and discuss
their findings or study. There are six
large rooms and two more that can be split
and divided off into separate spaces in each
of the two student floors.
The third floor houses the skilled-facility
area—incidentally, where the Objective
Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) is held—as
well as faculty space, and a group hall where
lectures and simulations are held regularly.
The skilled-facility area consists of a clinical
area with 20 exam rooms, each containing all
of the equipment and accoutrements of a typical
exam room but with cameras and microphones
to assist in observing the patient interactions
of the OCSE and Introduction to
Clinical Medicine Program.
The first floor, also known as the plaza
level, houses the medical-student services
offices, including admissions, financial aid,
the registrar, minority programs, and career
support. In addition, some administrative
offices are housed on this floor. The space on
each floor is used to its best capacity and
reflects the very latest in learning and technological
innovation. Always looking to the
future, the UASOM made sure to leave
space in the building for future developments
and additions.
With marble hallways and art-decorated
walls on the first floor, as well as state-of-theart
facilities—including high-performance
Internet access—for students and faculty on
the floors above, there is no doubt that
Volker Hall will continue to improve the
quality of medicine in Alabama and around
the nation and world. Says Boulware, “This
space was designed for the students; we hope
that they will feel like part of the student
‘community’ and enjoy their educational
experience here at the UASOM.”
The newly renovated Volker Hall reflects the UASOM’s commitment to providing the best medical education.
Above (L), a student takes a break in the main hallway; (R) a close-up view of the UASOM seal in the hallway.
Funding from Ernest G. DeBakey
Charitable Foundation Helps Rural Medical Scholars
By Dawn Mesa
Given his lengthy medical career, Ernest G.
DeBakey, M.D., has served in many roles: practitioner,
scholar, and mentor, to name just a few. In 1977, as
part of his long-standing commitment to helping others,
DeBakey founded the Ernest G. DeBakey
Charitable Foundation to benefit medical education
and research.
As part of the foundation’s commitment to rural
health care in Alabama, it generously funds students
from several rural southern Alabama counties as part
of the DeBakey Foundation Rural Medical Scholars
award. In addition to the honor that accompanies this
award, there is also a financial benefit to students
selected. DeBakey Foundation Rural Medical Scholars
receive $9,000 for their senior (prematriculation) year
of undergraduate school at the University of Alabama,
followed by $27,000 per year for the four years of
medical school at the UASOM. These funds cover
tuition and fees, room and board, and books and supplies,
as well as other school-related expenses.
Recently, Kenneth “Brad” Guy was named the 2003
DeBakey Foundation Rural Medical Scholar. He is the
third recipient of the award to date. The first recipient,
in 1999, was Emily Dolbare, UASOM class of 2003,
who is currently completing her residency in internal
medicine at Wake Forest University.
The second recipient of the award, Emily S. Barnes,
the 2001 DeBakey Foundation Rural Medical Scholar,
hails from Monroe County, Alabama, and is currently in
her third year at the UASOM. She has known from a
young age that she wanted to be a physician and plans
to return to Monroeville and practice family medicine
upon completion of her medical education. “As the
child of a single-parent household, I’ve been blessed in
so many ways in terms of the many doors that have
opened for me and receiving the DeBakey scholarship. I
feel like I’ve truly been called to medicine, and everything
else has happened to reinforce that. I look forward
to returning to my hometown and taking care of the
people who took care of me; it’ll be an honor,” she says.
To qualify as a DeBakey Foundation Rural Medical
Scholar, students must hail from Clark, Monroe,
Washington, or Wilcox Counties in Alabama, maintain
a 3.2 grade-point average (GPA) during their prematriculation
year and a 3.0 GPA while in medical
school, and agree to practice medicine for at least five
years in a rural community after completion of their
medical education. This last point is not legally binding,
nor enforced, but it is hoped that DeBakey
Foundation Rural Medical Scholars will return to a
rural Alabama community to practice medicine.
25

medical alumni bulletin
CLASS NOTES
1949
GEORGE CAPERS DOUGLAS retired from his family practice on December
31, 2002. He is a member of the Medical Society, still has a current license, occasionally
makes house calls, sees patients at his home office, and renews prescriptions.
He lives in Jackson, Alabama.
1972
R. WINN HENDERSON has published his 13th book, The Deposition (1st
Books, November 2003). In this book, a real deposition is presented to go inside
oneself to find the ultimate secret to happiness. He lives in Sylva, North Carolina,
and specializes in addiction medicine.
1974
ROBERT LYNN HOLLEY has been appointed assistant professor by John C.
Hauth, M.D., professor and chairman of UAB’s Department of OB/GYN, and
R. Edward Varner Jr., M.D., professor and division director of UAB
Medical/Surgical Gynecology. He currently serves as a reviewer for Obstetrics and
Gynecology, the journal of the American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists, and the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He specializes
in gynecologic surgery.
1980
LEIGH FINCHER graduated from the University of Arkansas School of Law,
Magna Cum Laude, J.D., in June 2003, and was awarded a health law scholarship.
His interest is in health-care policy as it affects the doctor-patient relationship. He
lives in Fayetteville, Arkansas, and specializes in emergency medicine.
1981 (Resident)
SAMUEL C. DURSO was appointed deputy director of education and codirector
of the Fellowship Training Program, Division of Geriatric Medicine
and Gerontology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He lives
in Baltimore, Maryland, and specializes in internal medicine.
1982
SUSAN RAY FREDERICK received the Dane Prugh Award for outstanding
teacher in child psychiatry at the University of Colorado Health Sciences
Center in Denver, Colorado, in June 2002. She specializes in psychiatry.
1984
REGINA MARCIA BENJAMIN was featured in the September 2003 issue of
Good Housekeeping magazine along with five other inspiring women in an article
called “She Could Have Done Anything.” Benjamin has a family practice at
the Bayou La Batre Rural Health Clinic, which she opened in 1990, in Bayou
La Batre, Alabama. She is past president of the Medical Association of the State
of Alabama (MASA).
1984
AMIE BROWN JACKSON, chair of UAB’s Department of Physical Medicine
and Rehabilitation, recently received $100,000 to establish two one-year accredited
fellowships in spinal cord injury (SCI) medicine. Fellowships such as these are
crucial in developing future leaders of spinal cord medicine practice, research, and
teaching. Jackson lives in Birmingham, Alabama.
1985
DONALD BRUCE STEWART has returned to the UASOM after 18 years to hang
his unique artwork in the hall of his alma mater. Eight of his composite renderings
have been selected for permanent display in the new UAB Medical Student Services
office. One is St. Mary’s Hospital drawn during his residency, and another, titled
Handle with Care, is an anatomical spine made with a group of hands that spell the
title in sign language. Stewart lives in Homewood, Alabama, where he has opened
an art studio called DS Art Studio Gallery. His artwork can be viewed at
[www.dsart.com]. He specialized in general surgery.
1985 (Resident)
SUSAN MARIE HARDING, medical director, UAB’s Sleep Wake Disorders
Center and associate professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy,
and Critical Care Medicine, has been elected to serve a three-year term on the
American Board of Sleep Medicine. Harding also did a fellowship at UAB in 1986.
She lives in Birmingham, Alabama, and specializes in internal medicine.
1987
CLAUDE DARNELL BRUNSON was appointed chairman of the
Department of Anesthesiology at the University of Mississippi, in Jackson, on
May 12, 2003. Brunson had been interim chair of the department since
August 2002. He is a four-time member of Best Doctors in America (1998-
2001) and has twice received the UMC Department of Anesthesiology
Teacher of the Year Award. He is a member of the International Anesthesia
Research Society, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the American
Medical Association, the Mississippi State Medical Association, the
Mississippi Society of Anesthesiologists, and the American College of
Physician Executives, and he is currently serving on the board of directors for
the American Society of Anesthesiologists and as vice president of the Hinds
County chapter of the Central Medical Society. A native of Auburn, Alabama,
he resides in Ridgeland, Mississippi.
1987
BART RICHARDSON COMBS was appointed by Kirby I. Bland, M.D.,
chairman of the Department of Surgery, and William J. Koopman, M.D., chairman
of the Department of Medicine, as assistant professor in the Departments
of Medicine and Surgery and a specialist in vascular medicine; he is the first
UAB physician to ever hold this position. Combs’s primary appointment is in
the Division of General Medicine under the leadership of Robert M. Centor,
M.D. Combs is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, and his
major research interests include medical treatment of hypertension, dyslipidemia,
diabetes, and other emerging factors related to vascular disease. He lives
in Birmingham, Alabama.
1987
ROBERT CHARLES RICHARD was appointed chairman of the National Association
of Community Health Centers of Bethesda, Maryland, on September 9,
2002. He lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and specializes in family medicine.
1990
JOSEPH MICHAEL MOATES was appointed assistant professor of medicine
and staff physician at the Birmingham Veterans Affairs Medical Center, by
Jeffrey E. Kudlow, M.D., professor and director of UAB’s Division of
26

ALUM BABES
Endocrinology and Metabolism. He currently sees adult patients with types
1 and 2 diabetes, as well as general endocrine problems at the VA
Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinic. Moates has coauthored manuscripts
for peer-reviewed publications including the Journal of Biological
Chemistry, Molecular Endocrinology, Genomics, Proceedings of the National
Academy of Sciences, Molecular Pharmacology, and Diabetes. He lives in
Indian Springs, Alabama.
1991
MATTHEW TIERNAN SPEYER has been elected chairman of the
Department of Surgery at Skyline Medical Center for 2003-05. He also
was appointed clinical professor of otolaryngology at Vanderbilt
University. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.
1996
ZIPPORAH KRISHNASAMI was appointed assistant professor of the
Department of Nephrology by David G. Warnock, M.D., professor and
director of the UAB Division of Nephrology. She previously completed a
nephrology fellowship rotation at Lilongwe Central Hospital in Malawi,
Africa, and was in private practice in Baltimore, Maryland, at the largest private
nephrology practice in the mid-Atlantic area. Krishnasami lives in
Hoover, Alabama, and is board-certified in internal medicine and nephrology.
1997
JON D. HOLMES was recently inducted into the American College of
Surgeons and has joined in practice with Dennis “Mark” Clark (class of
1980) in Birmingham, Alabama. He lives in the Birmingham area and
specializes in maxillofacial radiology.
1998
MARLA BLACK MORGAN was appointed assistant professor by Ray L.
Watts, M.D., professor and chair of the Department of Neurology. Morgan
completed a neurology residency at UAB, serving as chief resident, and a clinical
neurophysiology residency. Her clinical interest and current research focus
is on neuromuscular disorders, such as myasthenia gravis, diabetic polyneuropathy,
and demyelinating neuropathy. She received the Samuel Clements
Little Award in neurology, the UASOM Dean’s Scholarship (4 years), and the
Alpha Kappa Mu National Honor Society George W. Gore Merit Scholarship.
She lives in Alabaster, Alabama.
2000
CATHY AVERY SKINNER has moved to Austin, Texas, to complete a
one-year fellowship in obstetrics, after completing her residency at
Tuscaloosa Family Practice.
2001 (Resident)
CATHERINE L. DANIEL was appointed assistant professor of the
Department of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology by Robert P.
Kimberly, M.D., professor and director. Daniel did her residency in internal
medicine at UAB from 1999-2001 and a fellowship from 2001-03 in
rheumatology. She lives in Homewood, Alabama, and specializes in
rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.
CHRISTINE LONG CHOAT AND DENNIS EDWARD CHOAT, class
of 1992, announce the birth of their second son, Aiden Rye, born on September
12, 2003. He joins his brother, Jack Morgan, who turned two on September 6,
2003. Christine specializes in internal medicine, and Dennis specializes in colon
and rectal surgery. They live in Peachtree City, Georgia.
TOLLY WILLIAMS GARRETT, class of 1994, and her husband, Jim,
are delighted to announce the birth of their daughter, Aberly Ann Garrett,
born June 2, 2003. Tolly’s specialty is pediatrics, and she works with Coastal
Children’s Clinic in Maysville, North Carolina. Her husband, Jim, is a marine
pilot stationed in Jacksonville, North Carolina.
CATHY AVERY SKINNER, class of 2000, and her husband, Shannon,
announce the birth of their son, Tyler, born April 12, 2003. Cathy lives in
Austin, Texas, and specializes in family medicine.
BELATED BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS
SALLY A. WRIGHT AND DAVID WRIGHT, class of 1993,
announce the birth of their daughter, Madelyn Marie, born on December
30, 2002. Sally is currently not working due to the high cost of medical
malpractice insurance in her field of pediatric emergency medicine. She
also is busy raising three children. David continues to work at Emory and
Grady Hospitals in emergency medicine and does brain injury research.
They live in Atlanta, Georgia.
RHEA HSU AND DAVE JENKINS, class of 1994, announce the birth of
their son, Aidan, born on October 10, 2002. Rhea and Dave both are in private
practice in internal medicine at Carolina Medical Consultants in Rock Hill,
South Carolina.
WILLIAM CHARLES “CHARLIE” BRASWELL III, class of 1996,
and his wife, Mary Lee, announce the birth of their son, Blake Braswell, on
December 19, 2002. Charlie relocated his practice to UAB Medical West
on April 21, 2003. He lives in Hoover, Alabama, and specializes in general
surgery.
RAJ VARMA, class of 2001, and his wife, Michele, announce the birth of
their daughter, Natalie Marie Varma, born on November 1, 2002. Raj is a
Navy flight surgeon at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
He lives in Chesapeake, Virginia, and specializes in general surgery.
The Medical Alumni
Association and the
Department of Surgery
recently co-hosted the
annual reception at the
American College of
Surgeons Clinical Congress,
Monday, October 20, at the
Fairmont Hotel in Chicago.
Here the crowd can be seen
enjoying the evening’s
festivities.
27

Alumni Association News
IN MEMORIAM
ROBERT POWERS MCBURNEY, 1942 alumnus of the two-year
school, died October 13, 2003. He graduated from Harvard Medical
School and served in the Army Medical Corp as chief of anesthesia at
the 279th Station Hospital in Berlin, Germany. McBurney did his surgical
training at Mayo Clinic and practiced general and thoracic surgery
in Memphis for 42 years. He was a past chief of staff and past president
of the general staff at Baptist Memorial Hospital, a member of the
surgical staff at the University of Tennessee, and retired as assistant
clinical professor of surgery. He also was past president of the Memphis
Surgical Society and a member of the Southern Surgical Association
and the American Association for Thoracic Surgery. He was a resident
of Memphis, Tennessee, and specialized in general surgery.
DON EDGAR KING, 1943 graduate of the two-year school, died
October 28, 2003. He attended medical school at the University of
Pennsylvania where he was elected to the Gorgas Medical Society,
completed an internship and residency in internal medicine at Robert
Packer Hospital in Sayre, Pennsylvania, and a pathology residency at
UAB. King was a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, past
president and founder of the Rupert Turnbull Surgical Society, and
was a member of the Birmingham Surgical Society. He lived in
Birmingham, Alabama.
WILLIAM LEONARD DRAPER, 1949 resident at the UASOM, born
in Atlanta, Georgia, and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, died July
10, 2003. He was a clinical associate professor of otolaryngology at
Baylor College of Medicine and the UT Medical School of Houston,
and a member of many medical societies, including the Triological
Society. He lived in Houston, Texas, where he practiced otolaryngology
for 52 years until his retirement in 2000.
WILLIAM HOWARD ROBERTSON, graduate of the class of 1951
and a 1957 resident, died September 1, 2003. Robertson practiced
OB/GYN at St.Vincent’s for 37 years until his retirement in 1990. He
was a member of the American Fertility Society, the American Board
of OB/GYN, the American College of OB/GYN, the New York
Academy of Sciences, and the American College of Surgeons. He
was the author of many scholarly articles, monographs, and books,
including An Illustrated History of Contraception. He was a resident of
Birmingham, Alabama.
ALLAN H. JEFFERIES, 1952 resident of the UASOM, died August 2,
2003. He lived in Norfolk, Virginia, and specialized in pediatric medicine.
complete a residency in psychiatry. She practiced psychiatry in
Gadsden until 1992 and then retired to Childersburg. She was a member
of the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatry
Society, and the Medical Association of the State of Alabama. Her
husband is David A. Azar, M.D., class of 1954 and a 1969 resident.
CHARLES BAXTER “PISTOL” HOWELL, graduate of the class of
1956 and a 1957 resident, died October 6, 2003. He was a past president
of the University of Alabama Medical Alumni Association and a
recipient of the John A. Caddell Service Award at the Decatur General
Foundation’s 1999 Gala. He retired from private practice in 1995 after
delivering more than 6,000 babies. He lived in Decatur, Alabama.
ROBERT EDWARD WILTSIE, graduate of the class of 1957, died
September 13, 2003. He was a resident of Birmingham, Alabama,
and had retired from his family practice.
FLEMON CARDEN JOHNSTON SR., father of Flemon Carden
Johnston Jr., M.D., graduate of the class of 1961 and 1964 resident,
died October 8, 2003.
JERRY KENNETH LEWIS, graduate of the class of 1973, died
September 23, 2003. He was a member of the American Medical
Association, a fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice, and
a member of the Jefferson County Medical Association. He was a resident
of Birmingham, Alabama, and specialized in family practice.
MICHAEL GERALD POIST, class of 1987 and resident 1991, died
November 5, 2003, in Albany, Georgia. Born in Williamsburg,
Virginia, Poist lived in Tuscaloosa where he was in practice with his
brother James “Jim” Edward Poist (class of 1990) at Partlow, Harbin
& Poist OB/GYN. He served on the Parish Council at St. Francis
Catholic Church, was president of the medical staff executive committee
at DCH Regional, and was instrumental in the renovation of the
Women’s Center, which he served as chief medical consultant. He
also served on the Hospice Executive Board of Directors, the
University of Alabama School of Nursing DCH Foundation board,
and on the Board of Directors of the University of Alabama Medical
Alumni Association. He was founder of the community information
program “Can We Talk?” for adolescents and was listed in the
Birmingham Magazine “Best Docs” article.
KATHRYNE K. AZAR, graduate of the class of 1954 and a 1969 resident,
died September 8, 2003. She practiced pediatric medicine in
Childersburg, Alabama, until she returned to the university in 1969 to
28

Alumni Association News
ALUMNI FORM
Alumni, Let Us Hear from You
Please take a few minutes to share with us any personal or professional news for publication in a future issue of the
Alabama Medical Alumni Bulletin.
Name __________________________________________________________________
Today’s date ________________ Year graduated ________ Specialty _______________
Home address _____________________________________________________________________________
Business address ___________________________________________________________________________
Phone (H) ____________________________________ (W) _______________________________________
E-mail _______________________________________ Fax _______________________________________
Spouse’s name ___________________________________________________________
Children (if recent, include date of birth) ______________________________________
Personal/professional update (List names/dates of recent publications, awards, honors.)
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Please return this form to:
Elaine Chambless
Director of Alumni Affairs
The University of Alabama Medical Alumni Association
MAB • 811 20th Street South
1530 3RD AVE S
BIRMINGHAM AL 35294-2140
29

With Appreciation . . .
To the following alumni and friends of the UASOM for their support of the
School of Medicine through contributions to the Medical Alumni Association,
the Building Fund, and the Cauduceus Club, from October 1, 2002, to
September 30, 2003. The funds raised through these contributions are used to
support school, student, and alumni programs.
One of the major sponsorships of the Medical Alumni Association is the
annual Alumni Weekend, which brings alumni and other physicians together
for continuing education seminars and class reunions. Receptions for alumni,
school faculty, and friends are sponsored by the association during national,
regional, and state professional meetings throughout the year. The association
also sponsors student organizations, scholarships, student funds, senior class
night, yearbook advertising, and white coats for first-year students, as well as
the MedCareers program, the Medical Student Enrichment program, and the
Argus Society annual awards program.
The Caduceus Club provides travel fellowships for students to travel for
other medical experiences. It also gives awards to outstanding faculty members
and supports MIST and other programs.
The officers of the Medical Alumni Association along with the administration
of the UASOM wish to thank those listed for their generous contributions.*
*If you generously contributed to the UASOM but your name was not included in this list, please accept our
apologies for the oversight. In addition, please contact Elaine Chambless, Director of Alumni Affairs, so we can
see to it that your name is included and proper recognition given to you.
JAMES MARTIN ABROMS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
STEPHANIE PATRICE ACIERNO, SEATTLE, WA
CHRISTOPHER DENMAN ADAMS, LITTLE ROCK, AR
ERIC ARTHUR ADAMS, CHESAPEAKE, VA
FREDERICK F. ADAMS III, SPARTANBURG, SC
GEORGE WILBURN ADAMS JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
JEFFREY DEAN ADAMS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JENNIFER KASH ADAMS, CHESAPEAKE, VA
ROBERT BARRY ADAMS, MONTGOMERY, AL
WILLIAM EARL ADAMS, COLUMBUS, GA
DALE ALLEN ADISHIAN, PALO CEDRO, CA
SUBODH K. AGRAWAL, ATHENS, GA
ROBERT BEAUMONT AKENHEAD, HUNTSVILLE, AL
RUSH E. AKIN, PANAMA CITY, FL
KENNETH WILLIAM ALDRIDGE, TUSCALOOSA, AL
CATHERINE H ALEXANDER, NEWNAN, GA
BENNETT ALLAE ALFORD, CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA
CHARLES AARON ALFORD JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES HUSTON ALFORD JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
GARY GLEN ALLEN, NEW BROCKTON, AL
THOMAS MCWANE ALLISON, PELHAM, AL
RICHARD M. ALLMAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JORGE E. ALONSO, BIRMINGHAM, AL
M. WADE ALVERSON JR., OPELIKA, AL
J. NOBLE ANDERSON JR, MONTGOMERY, AL
MARK MONROE ANDERSON, MONTGOMERY, AL
PAUL JACKSON ANDERSON JR., ENTERPRISE, AL
JOHN DANIEL ANDRESS, MOKENA, IL
WILLIAM WALTON ANDREWS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES PETER ARGIRES, LANCASTER, PA
PERRY JAMES ARGIRES, LANCASTER, PA
WILLIAM MARK ARMSTRONG, DALLAS, TX
JOHN MALONE ASHURST JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
CARL C. ASKREN, FRESNO, CA
AGATHA TAMUMOIYOWU ASURU, PELHAM, AL
ROBERT GEORGE ATNIP, HERSHEY, PA
CHARLES WADSWORTH ATWOOD JR, PITTSBURGH, PA
PHILIP AUGUST JR., GARDENDALE, AL
JAMES MAXWELL AUSTIN JR., MOUNTAIN BROOK, AL
DONALD WEBSTER AUTRY, BESSEMER, AL
DANIEL MASON AVERY, WINFIELD, AL
ROBERT NEAL AXON, DURHAM, NC
VIRGIL THOMAS BACCUS, CULLMAN, AL
JIMMIE DALE BAILEY II, CRESTVIEW, FL
JOHN DOYLE BAILEY, MOSS POINT, MS
JULIE ANNA BAIRD, DALLAS, TX
LAWRENCE VERNON BAKER, JASPER, AL
NORTON MASON BAKER JR., ORLANDO, FL
OLIVER CHARLES BAKER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROY POWELL BAKER, SAVANNAH, GA
DAVID CHARLES BALDONE, MANDEVILLE, LA
BRYAN LEE BALENTINE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES WAYLAND BALLARD, BIRMINGHAM, AL
TIMOTHY S. BALTZ, TUSCALOOSA, AL
LEE ANNE BANKAITIS, CHAPEL HILL, NC
JAMES HAROLD BANKSTON JR, BIRMINGHAM, AL
AMOL SHRIKRISHNA BAPAT, HOUSTON, TX
JUDSON WILLIAM BARBER, HOOVER, AL
THOMAS MACDONOUGH BARBOUR III, MOBILE, AL
HARRY MCGWINN BARNES III, MONTGOMERY, AL
ROY M. BARNES, PORT GIBSON, MS
WILLIAM LAWRENCE BARNWELL, DALTON, GA
ROBERT EDWARD BARR, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MELISSA LEWIS BARTON, MAPLEWOOD, MN
AUBREY THOMAS BAUGH JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
JEFFREY WILLIAM BAUMBACH, DOTHAN, AL
DONALD EUGENE BEACH, MOULTON, AL
JOSEPH BENJAMIN BEAIRD JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
JEFF HIXON BEARD, DAPHNE, AL
HOWARD HAROLD BEARMAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
WILLIAM EDWARD BEASLEY JR., ATHENS, AL
RONALD VANCE BECK, PHENIX CITY, AL
MARIE ELAINE BECKNER, BLAWNOX, PA
DALTON ANTHONY BEDSOLE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
SAMUEL WARNER BEENKEN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
BRENDA BERMAN BELL, INDIAN SPRINGS, AL
JOHN LAWRENCE BELL, KNOXVILLE, TN
WILLIE WOODROW BELL JR., JACKSONVILLE, FL
EDWARD JAMES BENAK JR, DOTHAN, AL
ROBERT JOSEPH BENAK, DOTHAN, AL
FRANK CHARLES BENESH, BIRMINGHAM, AL
SANDERS MARTIN BENKWITH, MONTGOMERY, AL
ANN BENNETT, FLORENCE, AL
AUSTEN LEGRANDE BENNETT III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
J. CLAUDE BENNETT, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT JULIAN BENTLEY, NORTHPORT, AL
JOHN WILLIAM BENTON JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
LUIGI FERRUCCIO BERTOLI, BIRMINGHAM, AL
PALMER QUINTARD BESSEY, NEW YORK, NY
JOE JACKSON BETHANY JR., EUTAW, AL
WILLIAM M. BETHEA JR., VIRGINIA BEACH, VA
TARIKA BHUTA, MORGANTOWN, WV
DUDLEY WAYNE BICKHAM, COLUMBIA, SC
GEORGE MARVIN BILBREY JR., ASHEVILLE, NC
THOMAS KEENER BILLUPS, TUPELO, MS
CLYDE EDWARD BLACK, ANNISTON, AL
JOHN KENDALL BLACK JR., HUNTSVILLE, AL
JUDSON GREGORY BLACK, ATLANTA, GA
SUMPTER DUDLEY BLACKMON, CAMDEN, AL
JACK BLACKWELL, CENTRE, AL
LAUREL CLAIRE BLAKEMORE, ANN ARBOR, MI
KIRBY ISAAC BLAND, BIRMINGHAM, AL
30
JANE MCCLURE BLAUM, FAIRHOPE, AL
LEWIS STUART BLEVINS JR., NASHVILLE, TN
RICHARD FREDERIC BLISS, TALLADEGA, AL
PATRICIA ANN BLOCK, TROY, AL
MARC EVAN BLOOMSTON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN COLEY BLYTHE, ALEXANDER CITY, AL
SUSAN ANGELLE BOACKLE, DENVER, CO
LYNN AMY BOARDMAN, GREENVILLE, SC
BELIN FREDERICK BODIE, MOBILE, AL
GERHARD A. W. BOEHM, MOBILE, AL
JOHN WILSON BOGGESS IV, GUNTERSVILLE, AL
ROBERT PEARCE BOLLING, MOBILE, AL
THERESA JOSEPH BOLUS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
WILLIAM RICHARD BONNER, ATLANTA, GA
EMILY BOOHAKER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MARSHALL NOLAN BOONE JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
JULIA LETT BOOTHE, NORTHPORT, AL
THOMAS STEWART BOOZER, MONTGOMERY, AL
DAVID CHARLES BOSSHARDT, FT. OGLETHORPE, GA
H. CHESTER BOSTON JR., TUSCALOOSA, AL
STEPHEN ROBERT BOWEN, SYLACAUGA, AL
JAMES SHELBY BOWRON JR., ATLANTA, GA
GWENDOLYN LOUISE BOYD, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES EDWARD BOYLE, DECATUR, AL
BRICE HERALD BRACKIN, ALABASTER, AL
EUGENE HEADLEY BRADLEY, CENTRE, AL
JOHN DURWOOD BRADLEY JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT HUGH BRADLEY JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
WILLIAM HOWARD BRAKEFIELD, TALLADEGA, AL
KENNETH WAYNE BRAMLETT, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JACK W. BRAND JR, BIRMINGHAM, AL
OLIVER BRIAN BRAND, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOSEPH KIRVEN BRANTLEY JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
DAVID WATTERSON BRANYON, HICKORY, NC
WILLIAM CHARLES BRASWELL III, BESSEMER, AL
ERIC JAY BRAY, CHARLESTON, SC
MAURY BERT BRAY III, BOAZ, AL
CHARLES WARREN BREAUX, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CHARLES WARREN BREAUX JR., GRAND JUNCTION, CO
DONNA LEE BREEN, MARKSVILLE, LA
GAYNE M. BRENNEMAN, PALOS VERDES ESTATES, CA
CHARLES BOYRE BRENTNALL JR., SYLACAUGA, AL
MICHAEL ERIC BREWER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
DAVID MICHAEL BRICKMAN, JANESVILLE, WI
R. RUSSELL BRIDGES III, WASHINGTON, DC
EDWARD N. BRIN, NASHVILLE, TN
ARTHUR MEAD BRITTON, MONTGOMERY, AL
JAMES CHRISTOPHER BRITTON, GALAX, VA
WILLIAM EDWARD BROACH III, DANVILLE, VA
ERNEST COLE BROCK JR., TUSCALOOSA, AL
RUSSELL CLAY BROCKWELL, BIRMINGHAM, AL

C. PAUL BROOKE, IDAHO FALLS, ID
H. BELK BROOKS, COLUMBUS, GA
JAMES GORDON BROOKS JR., DALLAS, TX
ANDREW MARION BROWN, GADSDEN, AL
JAMES BROOKS BROWN, JACKSONVILLE, FL
JAMES EDWARD BROWN IV, SPARTANBURG, SC
KIMBERLY SUE BROWN, ALBANY, GA
RICHARD EVANS BROWN, MONTGOMERY, AL
EMMETT HERSCHEL BROXSON JR., DAYTON, OH
KRISTA LYNN BRUNNER, CINCINNATI, OH
CLAUDE DARNELL BRUNSON, RIDGELAND, MS
R. DON BRYAN, ALABASTER, AL
ROBERT MAURICE BRYAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES EDWARD BRYANT, BIRMINGHAM, AL
PATY BARGERON BRYANT, BIRMINGHAM, AL
PEYTON RANDOLPH BRYARS III, SAN RAMON, CA
LOUIS EDWARD BUETTNER, TUSCALOOSA, AL
THEODIS BUGGS JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
CECIL H. BULLARD, FRESNO, CA
DOUGLAS GEORGE BURNETTE JR., LAKE CHARLES, LA
DAVID EUGENE BURNHAM, SAINT PAUL, MN
JOHN FRANCIS BURNUM, TUSCALOOSA, AL
MAIDA LOUISE BURROW, GRAND JUNCTION, CO
CHARLES THOMAS BURTON, WILSALL, MT
MARK WESLEY BURTON, MARION, NC
JEFFREY WAYNE BUSH, EUFAULA, AL
SUZANNE YANCEY BUSH, PENSACOLA, FL
CHARLES FRANCIS BUTLER, KALAMAZOO, MI
MELVIN LYNN BUTLER, KNOXVILLE, TN
MAX MURPHREE BYNUM, SONORA, CA
BEN RALPH BYRD, DOTHAN, AL
DAVID EVAN BYRD, NEW BERN, NC
THOMAS KING BYRNE JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
DEBORAH HAYES BYRON, OPELIKA, AL
MICHAEL EDWARD CADRA, OAKDALE, CA
ALBERT STEVEN CAIN, OGDEN, UT
EDWARD LYLE CAIN JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
RICHARD KERMIT CALDWELL, GADSDEN, AL
TOM OLIVER CALDWELL, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN JOSEPH CALLAHAN, HUNTSVILLE, AL
MICHAEL ALSTON CALLAHAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN MINGE CAMERON, MONTGOMERY, AL
PAUL LOUIS CAMMACK, MONTGOMERY, AL
DAVID AUSTIN CAMPBELL, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
JOHN EMORY CAMPBELL, CAMP HILL, AL
JOHN HUGH CAMPBELL, GADSDEN, AL
VIRGINIA ANN CAMPBELL, PELHAM, AL
GRANT B. CANNON, SALT LAKE CITY, UT
DONALD ANTHONY CANTLEY JR., HENDERSON, KY
MICHAEL A. CAPLAN, DANVILLE, VA
ELI RALPH CAPOUYA, SAN MARINO, CA
JOHN TERRY CARLSON, TUSCALOOSA, AL
LAWRENCE EARL CARLTON, HOUSTON, TX
LAURENCE COTHRAN CARMICHAEL, MUSCLE SHOALS, AL
DALTON REMELL CARPENTER, WARNER ROBINS, GA
JAMES ROBERT CARPENTER, PRATTVILLE, AL
ROBERT HENLEY CARPENTER, COLUMBUS, GA
JOHN CARSON CARTER, MOUNTAIN BROOK, AL
JOHN JEFFERSON CARTER, FLORENCE, AL
LEE CARSON CARTER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
O. B. CARTER JR., ALBANY, GA
RONDA FOWLER CARTER, MONTGOMERY, AL
P. MICHAEL CARUSO, HUNTSVILLE, AL
CARLTON EDWARD CASH, LOUISVILLE, KY
JANET JOHNSON CASH, BIRMINGHAM, AL
THOMAS GENE CASH, BIRMINGHAM, AL
LAURA LAYDEN CASSIDY, BATON ROUGE, LA
FRANK MERRIMAN CAUTHEN, ATHENS, AL
RESIT CEM CEZAYIRLI, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES GEORGE CHAMBERS III, HUNTSVILLE, AL
MELISSA RENE’ CHAMBERS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES KENNETH CHAMPION, MARIETTA, GA
MARY FINNORN CHAN, MENLO PARK, CA
ADRIAN AHAS CHANDLER, RAINBOW CITY, AL
CONNIE ANN CHANDLER, OZARK, AL
JERRY WAYNE CHANDLER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MICHAEL ALAN CHANDLER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
STEVEN CECIL CHANDLER, DECATUR, AL
SHENG H. CHANG, ARCADIA, CA
GREGORY DOUGLAS CHAPMAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT WILLIS CHAPPELL JR., BROWNSBORO, AL
SEABORN M. CHAPPELL, FLORENCE, AL
EDGAR DAVIDSON CHARLES III, NEW YORK, NY
THOMAS HARRIS CHASE, OPELIKA, AL
DOYLE E. CHASTAIN, TITUSVILLE, FL
DAVID HILL CHESTNUT, BIRMINGHAM, AL
HOYT ABNER CHILDS JR., HAMPTON COVE, AL
ORVIS HUGH CHITWOOD III, DOTHAN, AL
TASNEE CHONMAITREE, GALVESTON, TX
ROBERT HAROLD CHRISTENBERRY, NASHVILLE, TN
NIKKI PRICE CHRISTENSEN, NORTHPORT, AL
MARTHA JO CHRISTIAN, FAYETTE, AL
CRAIG HURON CHRISTOPHER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
NEIL EDWARD CHRISTOPHER, GUNTERSVILLE, AL
NEIL EDWARD CHRISTOPHER JR., TULLAHOMA, TN
REID STUART CHRISTOPHER, BESSEMER, AL
CHARLES HOBART CLARK III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
DENNIS MARK CLARK, BIRMINGHAM, AL
EUGENE CLIFF CLARK, ALBANY, AL
GLENN LUTHER CLARK, MARIANNA, FL
JAMES ALLEN CLARK III, MONTGOMERY, AL
JOSEPH WILLIAM CLARK, HUNTSVILLE, AL
KAREN HARRELL CLARK, CHAPEL HILL, NC
ERIC GRAY CLARY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
KERRY MCCARTHY CLEARY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES ALLEN CLEMMONS, CHIPLEY, FL
BENNY RAY CLEVELAND, BOERNE, TX
ROBERT SMITH CLEVELAND, DOTHAN, AL
PIERRE LAURENT CLOTHIAUX, SPRINGFIELD, MO
CHARLES GLENN COBBS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CHARLES STRINGFELLOW COBBS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
BRADLEY M. COCHRAN, FORT PAYNE, AL
JOHN GUS COCORIS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CRAIG LOUIS COE, DOTHAN, AL
MARTIN STEVEN COGEN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ARMAND BENNET COGNETTA JR., TALLAHASSEE, FL
JEROME BARRY COHEN, PORT CHARLOTTE, FL
MARK PHILIP COHEN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
STANLEY BRUCE COHEN, DALLAS, TX
SAMUEL KLINE COHN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ALBERT STEINHART COKER JR., MOBILE, AL
SPENCER JAMES COLEMAN, WETUMPKA, AL
STEPHEN LANIER COLEMAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MARK GREEN COLEY, MOBILE, AL
MAUDE DISEKER COLLIER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
HARRY GOODGAME COLLINS, JEMISON, AL
MITCHELL LYNN COLLINS, CONWAY, AR
DAVID RICHARD COLVARD, FLORENCE, AL
EDWARD VESTON COLVIN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
N. CASSANDRA COMER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
31
CHARLES FRED CONNER, DOTHAN, AL
C. DOBBIN CONNOR, ST. LOUIS, MO
VINCENT ROY CONTI, GALVESTON, TX
TIMOTHY ALDEN COOL, BIRMINGHAM, AL
GEORGE NELSON COOPER JR., ALEXANDER CITY, AL
KATHARINE ROBINSON COOPER, ALEXANDER CITY, AL
MAX DALE COOPER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MICHAEL GLENN COPE, LITTLE ROCK, AR
KENNETH RODNEY COPELAND SR., SHEFFIELD, AL
ROBERT BODINE COPELAND, LA GRANGE, GA
SAGE KINNEY COPELAND, DECATUR, AL
GEORGE ANDREW CORBETT, CINCINNATI, OH
JAMES ROBERT CORCORAN, METAIRIE, LA
RICHARD HARVEY CORD, CHELSEA, AL
DAVID HENRY CORNELL, ATLANTA, GA
DONALD RAY CORNUTT JR., MARIETTA, GA
TIMOTHY ALEXANDER CORRELL, MADISON, WI
HUGH CORT III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
HOWARD BROOKS COTTEN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CLEMENT PATRICK COTTER JR., ALABASTER, AL
KENNETH REESE COURINGTON, NAPLES, FL
NORTON ETHELBERT COWART, HUNTSVILLE, AL
ARTEMUS JENNINGS COX III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
RABON B. COX JR., FLORENCE, AL
DANIEL JOSEPH COYLE JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT QUENTON CRADDOCK, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CHARLES ARTHUR CRAGO, FARGO, ND
J. BENJAMIN CRAVEN JR., DOTHAN, AL
CARROLL SANDERS CRAWFORD, FOLEY, AL
WYNNE CRAWFORD, MONTGOMERY, AL
HILDA BERNICE CRAZE, GRANT, AL
WILLIAM DODSON CREIGHTON, BRAWLEY, CA
MARTA ANN CRISPENS, NASHVILLE, TN
PERCY VANDORN CROCKER, MOBILE, AL
HENRY CROMMELIN JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
DEWITTE TALMADGE CROSS III, CLAYTON, MO
R. CLARK CROSS, MERIDIAN, MS
WILLIAM ARCHIE CROTWELL III, MOBILE, AL
CHARLES BRANDON CROW III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
WILLIAM GARY CUMBIE JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
KATHRYN NORTHCUTT CUNNINGHAM, MOBILE, AL
DENISE TROY CURRY, ST. LOUIS, MO
JOSEPH FRANKLIN CURTIS JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
LAWRENCE ANGELO CUZALINA, TULSA, OK
RICHARD JOHN CYRUS, MONTGOMERY, AL
DONALD HENRY DAHLENE II, MONTGOMERY, AL
GEORGE EUGENE DAILEY III, SOLANA BEACH, CA
JAMES OWEN DAILEY JR., DECATUR, AL
PAUL S. DALE, MACON, GA
RICHARD CHARLES DALE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
RORY RALPH DALTON, AUGUSTA, GA
CARLTON RALPH DANIEL III, JACKSON, MS
JAMES SLOAN DANIEL, MARIETTA, GA
LILIA STARR DANIEL, MONTGOMERY, AL
ROBERT R DANIEL, MONTGOMERY, AL
LARKIN JEFFREY DANIELS, MOBILE, AL
LINDA MARIE DANSBY, AUBURN, AL
DAVID D. DARDEN, OCOEE, TN
JAMES BARRETT DARDEN, TUSCALOOSA, AL
MANUEL PRESTON DAUGHERTY JR., MOBILE, AL
JULIUS DAVID DAVIDSON, SHOAL CREEK, AL
STEPHEN LEE DAVIDSON, MONTGOMERY, AL
THOMAS JOHN DAVIDSON III, GULF SHORES, AL
DAVID ALAN DAVIS, DOTHAN, AL
JAMES AUSTIN DAVIS III, BIRMINGHAM, AL

JAMES GRADY DAVIS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JIMMY WAYNE DAVIS, TALLADEGA, AL
JORDAN KENT DAVIS, BOCA RATON, FL
LARRY JAN DAVIS, HUNTSVILLE, AL
MAXIE LEROY DAVIS, INDIAN SPRINGS, AL
PAUL MICHAEL DAVIS JR., BATON ROUGE, LA
BRUCE EDWARD DAY, HENDERSONVILLE, TN
WILLIAM DUGGAN DE BUYS, CINCINNATI, OH
MANUEL TREVINO DE LOS SANTOS, SAN ANTONIO, TX
WILLIAM BROWN DEAL, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ALPHEUS MONROE DEASON JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
PAUL RUMBLE DEATON, MEMPHIS, TN
WILLIAM CHESTER DEAVOR, SELMA, AL
GARY ALFRED DECKER, JACKSONVILLE, FL
DONALD ANTHONY DEINLEIN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CAROL MCLAUGHLIN DELL, PENSACOLA, FL
OSCAR DAVID DELLINGER III, ATLANTA, GA
MICHAEL SEAN DEMPSEY, AIERA, HI
BRADLEY YOUNG DENNIS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MAURICE ERNEST DENNIS JR., GADSDEN, AL
ROBERT CAMPBELL DENNY JR., GUNTERSVILLE, AL
JOHN ROE DENTON JR., JAMAICA, NY
HUGH DANIEL DEPAOLO, CASPER, WY
PAMELA HUGHES DESCHNER, TUSCALOOSA, AL
RICHARD DENSON DESHAZO, BRANDON, MS
FRED FERRIS DIEGMANN, FAIRHOPE, AL
ARNOLD GILLESPIE DIETHELM, BIRMINGHAM, AL
STEPHENIE CYD DILLARD, TUSCALOOSA, AL
ALAN ROBERT DIMICK, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT MARSHALL DIMICK, HERMITAGE, TN
WILLIAM ERNEST DISMUKES, BIRMINGHAM, AL
RICKI D. DOBBS, MONTGOMERY, AL
WILLIAM HERBERT DODSON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JENNIFER RAE DOLLAR, BIRMINGHAM, AL
W. DANIEL DOTY, PENSACOLA, FL
THOMAS FRANK DOWLING IV, GADSDEN, AL
DAVETA BEST DOZIER, THOMASVILLE, AL
FRANK LEONARD DOZIER, THOMASVILLE, AL
PHILIP MATHEW DOZIER, DOTHAN, AL
ROY MORRIS DRIGGERS, DOTHAN, AL
GREGORY PAUL DRISKILL, GUNTERSVILLE, AL
LISA GREGORY DRISKILL, GUNTERSVILLE, AL
FRANK DAVID DRUHAN, OPELIKA, AL
JOHN ANDREW DRUMMOND, ATLANTA, GA
LEE BURNETTE DUBOIS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CHRISTOPHER ROGER DUGGAR, MONTGOMERY, AL
ROGER SHERMAN DUGGAR, MONTGOMERY, AL
ASHLEY JEAN DUKE, CHICAGO, IL
ELBERT ALAN DUNCAN, TUPELO, MS
JULIUS ETHELBERT DUNN JR., WETUMPKA, AL
TERESA V. K. DURBIN, LAYTON, UT
CHARLES LOUIS DYAS JR., MOBILE, AL
J. WADE DYE, BLACKSHEAR, GA
JOHN THOMAS EAGAN JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
GEORGE WILLIAM EASON, WILMINGTON, NC
THOMAS L. EBY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
PAUL BATES ECKMAN, BEND, OR
DAVID B. EDMONDS, YUMA, AZ
WINLOVE PABELLAN EDUARTE, KINGWOOD, TX
JOHN LEE EDWARDS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
RUSSELL PHILIP EDWARDS, SAN DIEGO, CA
WINSTON TACKER EDWARDS, MONTGOMERY, AL
KARL EMERSON EGERMAN, HOLLYWOOD, FL
BIRGIT ALEXANDRA EHLERS-RENZI, POTOMAC, MD
MARK SAMUEL EICH, ORANGE PARK, FL
SUSAN HORTON EILAND, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES AUBREY ELLIS JR., ALPINE, CA
JOHN DURR ELMORE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ORIZABA EMFINGER, UNION SPRINGS, AL
ALLEN ARK-POY ENG, POCATELLO, ID
JACK MANUEL ENGLERT, HUNTSVILLE, AL
ARTHUR LEE ENNIS, GADSDEN, AL
HERMAN CALVIN ENSOR, CULLMAN, AL
PAUL CAMPBELL ERWIN, TOWNSEND, TN
RICHARD HENRY ESHAM, MOBILE, AL
MICHAEL ANTONIO ESLAVA, APO, AE
VILMA CARIDAD FABRE’, LOUISVILLE, KY
MARI MCGOFF FAHRNER, WEBSTER GROVES, MO
N. FRANK FAIN JR., INDIALANTIC, FL
GERALD PATRICK FALLETTA, BIRMINGHAM, AL
WILLIAM EDWIN FANN, HOUSTON, TX
ROSEMARY HAYNES FAUST, HOMEWOOD, AL
JOHN P.K. FEATHERINGILL, BIRMINGHAM, AL
RICHARD MINTON FEIST, BIRMINGHAM, AL
EMMET F. FERGUSON JR., JACKSONVILLE, FL
SCOTT SUTHERLAND FIELD, HUNTSVILLE, AL
JOHN ALBERT FINCHER JR., BRISTOL, TN
JOHN LEE FINKLEA, MONTGOMERY, AL
SARA CREWS FINLEY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
WAYNE HOUSE FINLEY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
SUSAN NEWSOM FINNEY, WYOMING, OH
SAMUEL FISCHER III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES BRENT FISHER, LEWISTON, ID
WINFIELD S. FISHER III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT THEODORE FITZGERALD, HONDO, TX
WILLIAM OLIVER FITZPATRICK III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CHARLES TENNANT FLETCHER JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
ROBERT ELLIOTT FLOWERS, DOTHAN, AL
PAIGE BILL FOLLO, GREENSBORO, NC
PINK LOWE FOLMAR JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
WILLIAM STUART FOSHEE, MARTINEZ, GA
GLENN LYON FOSTER, LOMA LINDA, CA
GARY MATTHEW FOWLER, WINFIELD, AL
LEWIS JEFFERS FOWLKES, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MILTON FRANK III, ATLANTA, GA
SUSAN RAY FREDERICK, DENVER, CO
PAUL GEORGE FREDETTE, DECATUR, AL
PAUL ELLIOT FREE, ANNISTON, AL
JAMES HENDRICK FRENCH, TITUS, AL
EDGAR SHIELDS FREY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
HERMAN JOSEPH FRITZ, TUSCALOOSA, AL
ANDRA RIXSE FROST, BIRMINGHAM, AL
LINDA TRIBBLE FRYE, MCLEAN, VA
LONNIE WILLIAM FUNDERBURG, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CHARLES KEITH FUNDERBURK, CLANTON, AL
WILLIAM BRADLEY FUQUA, BREWSTER, MA
J. ALLYSON DRIGGERS GALLAGHER, GUILFORD, CT
STANLEY JOSEPH GALLE JR., DENVER, CO
JEFFREY MARK GALLUPS, ALPHARETTA, GA
HERBERT HUEY GANNON JR., DOTHAN, AL
SHARON FOSTER GARDEPE, HUNTSVILLE, AL
STEINER DARBY GARRETT JR., MOBILE, AL
THOMAS ALLEN GASKIN III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
GEORGE FRANCIS GATES III, ANCHORAGE, AK
WILLIAM CAREY GATES JR., COLUMBUS, MS
MADISON WALLER GAY, WINTER PARK, FL
DAVID DUNN GAYLE, DOTHAN, AL
LOUISE ROACH GEARY-BILLINGSLEY, ECLECTIC, AL
MELINDA ANNE GEHRS, BOULDER, CO
GEORGE FREDERICK GEILS SR., CHARLESTON, SC
JEFFREY R. GEORGE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JENNIFER MARY GEORGE, BRISTOL, RI
LESLIE STUART GEWIN, BALTIMORE, MD
LARRY MACK GIBBS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CARL ANTHONY GIBSON, UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA
TIMOTHY BLAISE GIBSON, ATHENS, GA
GARNETT J. GIESLER JR., LAGRANGE, GA
FREDERICK EMERSON GILBERT JR, NEWNAN, GA
JILL GILBERT, NEW ORLEANS, LA
ROBERT R. GILLESPY JR., JACKSONVILLE, FL
REGINA PHILLIPS GILLILAND, BIRMINGHAM, AL
RICHARD SPENCER GIST, BATON ROUGE, LA
JOSEPH WILLIAM GLAISTER, FLORENCE, AL
WOLFRAM GLASER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
RICHARD DAVID GLASGOW, BIRMINGHAM, AL
LESLIE EARL GLENN, NORTHPORT, AL
JOHN JACOB GLEYSTEEN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MARTIN COCHRAN GLOVER, MONTGOMERY, AL
JOHN RICKEY GOBER, CULLMAN
RONALD LEE GODBOLD JR., ASHEVILLE, NC
WILLIAM NEWTON GODFREE JR., GADSDEN, AL
JOHN EDWARD GODWIN, BARTLETT, IL
JON RAMON GOGOLA, HOUSTON, TX
RONALD I. GOLDBERG, BIRMINGHAM, AL
EDWARD LAWRENCE GOLDBLATT, ALABASTER, AL
MORTON GOLDFARB, BIRMINGHAM, AL
WARREN DALE GOLDSTEIN, COLORADO SPRINGS, CO
HARRISON MALONE GOODALL, TUSCALOOSA, AL
DAVID LAMAR GOODMAN, LITTLETON, CO
MAX ALAN GOODSON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JEFFREY LYNN GOULD, ATLANTA, GA
JAMES HERBERT GRAHAM, WINSTON-SALEM, NC
JEFFREY SCOTT GRAHAM, DOTHAN, AL
DARYL KEITH GRANGER, DOTHAN, AL
CHARLES P. GRANT, BIRMINGHAM, AL
EDWIN HARRIS GRANT, CARROLLTON, GA
LARRY WELLS GRANT, MACON, GA
WILLIAM HOWARD GRANT JR., WHITEVILLE, NC
JOSEPH FRANK GRAVLEE JR., FAIRHOPE, AL
EDWIN RONALD GRAY, MORRISVILLE, NC
ROBERT MORRIS GRAY, SYLACAUGA, AL
CYNTHIA JOYCE GREATHOUSE, DOTHAN, AL
EDWARD JACKSON GREEN, MOBILE, AL
WILLIAM RODGERS GREEN, MOBILE, AL
MARK GREENBERG, TYLER, TX
THOMAS EDWARD GREENE, LANSDALE, PA
CATHY LYNN GRESHAM, TUSCALOOSA, AL
RAYMOND ALAN GRIER, VESTAVIA HILLS, AL
CAROL ANN GRIFFIN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
WARREN LEIGHTON GRIFFIN JR., MACON, GA
ROBERT DAVID GRIFFITH, NORTHPORT, AL
WILLIAM PHILLIPS GRIGGS, BELLINGHAM, WA
BENNIE MATTHEW GRIMES, MONTGOMERY, AL
LARRY DEWEY GRIMES, GADSDEN, AL
ALLEN BERNARD GROVES, BIRMINGHAM, AL
SCOTT ALAN GRUMLEY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
GILBERT TRUETT GUFFIN, GARDENDALE, AL
JERRY NOLAN GURLEY, TALLADEGA, AL
GONZALO G. GURMENDI, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ALLEN N. J. GUSTIN JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT DAVID GUYTON, NEW ORLEANS, LA
CHARLES ALLEN HAGEN, FLORENCE, AL
ROY THOMAS HAGER, MONTGOMERY, AL
GERARD DONALD HAGGSTROM, FLORENCE, AL
JOHN PERCY HAGLER JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
ROBERT MARTIN HAGLER, DOTHAN, AL
E. DAVID HAIGLER JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
CARLA ZOE HALACKER, SAN DIEGO, CA
RHONDA TELETTE HALCOMB, NASHVILLE, TN
BERNARD T. HALE, MONTGOMERY, AL
MAX HOWARD HALE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
32

JOHN HENDON HALEY JR., DOTHAN, AL
JEFFREY STUART HALL, CHARLESTON, SC
R. BRUCE HALL, DOTHAN, AL
ROBIN TATE HALL, CULLMAN, AL
W. MICHAEL HALL, CULLMAN, AL
MELANIE HAMNER HALVORSON, MONTGOMERY, AL
LON POWELL HAMBY, LEXINGTON, SC
JOHN SEWELL HAMILTON SR., DECATUR, AL
JOSEPH LYNDON HAMM, BIRMINGHAM, AL
D. ALAN HAMMOND, MEMPHIS, TN
LEWIS HERSCHEL HAMNER III, ATLANTA, GA
JACQUELINE PATRICE HANCOCK, CALERA, AL
JEFFERSON DANIEL HANKS JR., ROME, GA
KAREN ZBOYOVSKY HANNA, SAVANNAH, GA
HAMNER HANNAH III, KANSAS CITY, MO
KENNETH MOORE HANNON, MOBILE, AL
KIMBERLEY J. HANSEN, WINSTON-SALEM, NC
SAI KUMAR HANUMANTHU, CINCINNATI, OH
JOSEPH GIBSON HARDIN JR., MOBILE, AL
JOANIE HARE-MORRIS, HOUSTON, TX
JOHN LYTLE HARLAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JASON MICHAEL HARMON, ORMOND BEACH, FL
RODNEY WAYNE HARNEY, DECATUR, AL
HOWARD CLAYTON HARPER JR., MOBILE, AL
ANDREW GAINES HARRELL, HOUSTON, TX
FRANK W. HARRIS, ALEXANDER CITY, AL
HUGH GEISTER HARRIS, SPRINGFIELD, MO
JAMES BURDICK HARRIS, BOSSIER CITY, LA
LESLIE HARRIS JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
ROBERT OTIS HARRIS III, MOBILE, AL
DONALD CAREY HARRISON, CINCINNATI, OH
J.R. HUTCHINSON HARRISON, CARROLLTON, GA
JAMES MAX HARRISON JR., MOBILE, AL
WILLIAM RANDALL HARRISON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN HARSANY JR., HEMET, CA
CHRISTOPHER JOHN HART, ALPHARETTA, GA
MICHAEL THAYER HARTSFIELD, PACE, FL
CHARLES WAYNE HARTZOG JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
WILLIAM RUFUS HARVEY III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES EDWIN HASSELL, MOBILE, AL
JACK HAROLD HASSON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CLIFFORD JACKSON HATAWAY, MONTGOMERY, AL
KENNETH DEROY HATCH, TUCSON, AZ
DONALD GARY HAWKINS, ECLECTIC, AL
WILLIAM KIRKLAND HAWLEY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
VAN BUREN HAYNE JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
RUSSELL NESBIT HAYNES, BIRMINGHAM, AL
SHARON MARLOW HAYNES, TEMPLE, GA
MELVIN L. HAYSMAN, SAVANNAH, GA
COOPER GREEN HAZELRIG, BIRMINGHAM, AL
DAVID GRANT HEALD, OAK RIDGE, TN
C. DAVID HEARN, FRIENDSWOOD, TX
SANDERS F. HEARNE, SHREVEPORT, LA
PHILLIP MARTIN HEIDEPRIEM, MONTGOMERY, AL
ROBERT HENRY HEILPERN JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
SHERRON RUTH HELMS, RICHARDSON, TX
GEORGE PHILAMON HEMSTREET IV, MISSOURI CITY, TX
GARY LYNN HENDERSON, TUCSON, AZ
R. WINN HENDERSON, SYLVA, NC
ROBERT LEE HENDERSON, WOODBINE, MD
RONALD EARL HENDERSON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
BARNEY JERRY HENSON, WINFIELD, AL
JOHN MURDOCK HERION, WILMINGTON, NC
ROBIN WYNNE HERION, WILMINGTON, NC
VERNON L. HERMECZ, FAIRHOPE, AL
DAVID PHILLIP HERRICK, MONTGOMERY, AL
FOREST STEPHEN HERRINGTON, HUNTSVILLE, AL
GARY LEE HESTER, FLORENCE, AL
CHESTER CLEVELAND HICKS JR., GADSDEN, AL
JULIUS NORTON HICKS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
PHILLIP ALAN HICKS, SELMA, AL
JOHN ALLAN HIGGINBOTHAM, HUNTSVILLE, AL
BRUCE SHAWN HILL, CHARLOTTE, NC
WILLIAM ANDERSON HILL JR., TUSCALOOSA, AL
EDWARD DOWLING HILLARD, TUSCALOOSA, AL
RONALD WAYNE HILLYER, OPELIKA, AL
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN HINTON, HUNTSVILLE, AL
MARTIN BRUCE HIRSCH, NASHVILLE, TN
WILLIAM CARROLL HIXSON, MAGNOLIA SPRINGS, AL
FRANK SPAIN HODGES, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES MICHAEL HODGES, HATTIESBURG, MS
CARY GENE HODNETT, CHATTANOOGA, TN
JOHN BALDWIN HODO, BIRMINGHAM, AL
FREDERIC LARRY HOLCOMB, SHEFFIELD, AL
WILLIAM EDGAR HOLCOMB III, CULLMAN, AL
DEREK KEITH HOLCOMBE, ALEXANDER CITY, AL
BRUCE FOWLER HOLDING JR., PIKE ROAD, AL
REESE MAXWELL HOLIFIELD, DEMOPOLIS, AL
HOWARD CHAMBLISS HOLLEY, TUSCALOOSA, AL
WARREN HOLCOMB HOLLEY, TUSCALOOSA, AL
JON DAVID HOLMES, BIRMINGHAM, AL
PHILIP J. HOLT, TUCKER, GA
JEREMY K. HON, HUNTSVILLE, AL
LYNDA BURKE HON, HUNTSVILLE, AL
MICHAEL BENJAMIN HONAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
BOYD KNETSAR HONEYCUTT, HIGH POINT, NC
NEDRA YVONNE HOOD, ATLANTA, GA
GLENN SCOBLE HOOPER, TAMPA, FL
JERRY WAYNE HOPE, ENTERPRISE, AL
JAY STONESS HORTENSTINE, MURRAYVILLE, GA
GARY LEE HOWARD, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MICHAEL WILLIAM HOWARD, LOUISVILLE, KY
PAUL SANFORD HOWARD, BIRMINGHAM, AL
THOMAS EDWARD HOWARD JR., FT. WORTH, TX
MILDRED ENNIS HOWELL, PENSACOLA, FL
WILLIAM HARPER HOWELL, VESTAVIA, AL
WILLIAM JERRY HOWELL, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT LOUIS HOWLAND JR., COLUMBUS, MS
LESLIE HOWELL HUBBARD, MONTEVALLO, AL
KATHRYN WELCH HUDDLESTON, JACKSONVILLE, FL
PEGGY HOFFMAN HUDDLESTON, BROWNSBORO, AL
KYLE RANDALL HUDGENS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROGER JAMES HUDGINS, ATLANTA, GA
HENRY COLLIER HUDSON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
WILLIAM FORSE HUGGINS II, BIRMINGHAM, AL
A. J. HUGHES, AUBURN, AL
REGINALD DOUGLAS HUGHES, JAMAICA, NY
FREDERICA WILHELMINA HUGHEY, SUMMERVILLE, SC
BILLY KEON HUH, CHAPEL HILL, NC
JOSEPH MONROE HUMPHRIES, BIRMINGHAM, AL
FRED DOMINIC HUNKER, MONTGOMERY, AL
ALBERT COLLIER HUNT, DECATUR, AL
CHARLES E. HUNTER JR., WILMINGTON, NC
ERIC HUNTER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES BERNHART HUNTER, NICHOLASVILLE, KY
SAUNDERS LEE HUPP, MOBILE, AL
WILLIAM WARD HURD, DAYTON, OH
J. MILTON HUTSON, NEW YORK, NY
SUSAN CECELIA HUTTO, BIRMINGHAM, AL
RICHARD FANGYUAN HWANG, CLOVIS, CA
RENEE JOY HYATT, TOWNSEND, TN
PATRICK ANTHONY HYLAND, JASPER, AL
CHARLES EDGAR INGALLS III, MONTGOMERY, AL
GEORGE BULLOCK INGE II, MOBILE, AL
DANNY PATRICK INGRAM, PRATTVILLE, AL
JAMES THOMAS INGRAM, CARROLLTON, GA
MICHAEL ALLEN INGRAM, PANAMA CITY, FL
RUSSELL LEON INGRAM, JACKSONVILLE, FL
JEROME GAETON IPPOLITO, BIRMINGHAM, AL
GEORGE VERNON IRONS JR., MOORESVILLE, NC
STEVEN PHILLIPS IRVING, HIGH POINT, NC
DONALD BRUCE IRWIN, HOOVER, AL
JOHN B. ISBELL III, FORT PAYNE, AL
STEVEN ALAN ISBELL, FORT PAYNE, AL
JAMES H. ISOBE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
PAUL G. ISRAEL, HUNTSVILLE, AL
ROBERT WILLIS ISRAEL, MOBILE, AL
WILLIS DWIGHT ISRAEL, WEDOWEE, AL
JOHN ODEH ISSIS, BESSEMER, AL
DANIEL F. JACKSON III, DOTHAN, AL
DAVID HUNTSMAN JACKSON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JERRY WALTER JACKSON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN MUNFORD JACKSON, EUFALA, AL
EUGENE ELIAS JACOB, PROSPECT, KY
PATRICIA CAROL JAGGERS, RICHMOND, VA
ADRIENNE NICOLE JAMES, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES QUINTUS JARDINE, MOBILE, AL
JOHN BERGER JEANS III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
SHERI MCCLELLAN JENKINS, CHARLOTTE, NC
TODD RALPH JENKINS, CHARLOTTE, NC
LYNN ANDERSON JETTON, HOLLY POND, AL
NANCY DUNLAP JOHNS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
BRUCE KING JOHNSON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
EDWIN HILL JOHNSON, TEMPLE, TX
JAMES CURTIS JOHNSON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
LLOYD JOHNSON JR., FLORENCE, AL
RICHARD HARDIN JOHNSON, ATLANTA, GA
THOMAS L. P. JOHNSON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
WILLIAM EARLE JOHNSON III, MOBILE, AL
WILLIAM MONROE JOHNSON III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
INGEBORG MARIA JOHNSON-MORRIS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MICHAEL NOLEN JOHNSTON, NEW ORLEANS, LA
WILLIAM HENRY JOHNSTON JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
WILLIAM JOSEPH JOHNSTON JR., METAIRIE, LA
C. MICHAEL JONES, GERMANTOWN, TN
CHERYL SANDOSKI JONES, PENSACOLA, FL
DEREK ANTHONY JONES, PENSACOLA, FL
DEWEY HOBSON JONES III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
DEWEY HOBSON JONES IV, BIRMINGHAM, AL
GORMAN ROBINSON JONES III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
J. MICHAEL JONES, HUNTSVILLE, AL
JAMES DAVID JONES II, MELBOURNE, FL
JOSEPH GREGORY JONES, MACON, GA
STEVEN ERNEST JONES, BIRMINGHAM, AL
THOMAS RODENBOUGH JONES, CONCORD, NC
WILLIAM PAUL JONES, PENSACOLA, FL
BEVERLY FLOWERS JORDAN, TUSCALOOSA, AL
CHARLES DARWIN JORDAN, RAINBOW CITY, AL
ROBERT SYDNEY JULIAN, FRESNO, CA
WILEY HUGH JUSTICE, MOBILE, AL
STEPHEN ANTHONY KAHALLEY, MOBILE, AL
DONALD ROY KAHN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
STANLEY SAMUEL KAHN, BERKELEY, CA
LEROY ANTHONY KAMELCHUK, HUNTSVILLE, AL
JOSEPH JAY KAPLAN, COLUMBUS, GA
SAUL J. KAPLAN, FAIRFAX, VA
ROBIN RIGELL KARPF, PRINCETON, NJ
BRUCE WAKEFIELD KARRH SR., SAVANNAH, GA
STEPHEN DANIEL KEITH JR., FLORENCE, AL
WARD ANDREW KEITH, GRAYSVILLE, AL
CHRISTOPHER GORDON KELLEY, GADSDEN, AL
33

DAVID REID KELLY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
R. MARK KENDRICK, TUSCALOOSA, AL
SAMUEL REXFORD KENNAMER, BEVERLY HILLS, CA
KATHLEEN DONOVAN KENNELLY, ATLANTIC BEACH, FL
SONIA MIKHAIL KHEIR, VIENNA, VA
THOMAS LAFAYETTE KILGORE JR., RIDGELAND, MS
CENGIZ MEHMET KILIC, ATLANTA, GA
TIMUR AHMET KILIC, MARIETTA, GA
JOHN THOMAS KILLIAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
SALLY JAGGARD KILLIAN, NASHVILLE, TN
THOMAS JOSEPH KILLIAN, NASHVILLE, TN
WAYNE WORDEN KILLION JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOSEPH MYOUNG HO KIM, SHEFFIELD, AL
ROBERT YOON KIM, BIRMINGHAM, AL
BENJAMIN ROGERS KING, HUNTSVILLE, AL
THOMAS IVAN KING, PENSACOLA, FL
WILLIAM DANIEL KING, EUFALA, AL
CLINT DANIEL KINGSLEY, MONTGOMERY, AL
FRANCIS CLEVELAND KINNEY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN DONALD KIRBY, MOBILE, AL
KAY WILLIAMS KIRCHLER, FLORENCE, AL
JAMES K. KIRKLIN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
PAUL M. KIRSCHENFELD, COLUMBIA, SC
MARGARET STRANGE KLAPPER, LITTLE ROCK, AR
STEPHEN JAMES KLEMAWESCH, ST. PETERSBURG, FL
PATRICE L. KNIGHT, HUNTSVILLE, AL
PATRICK REVERE KNIGHT, CAPE GIRARDEAU, MO
HURLEY WALDEN KNOTT, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT JOHN KNOWLING, HUNTSVILLE, AL
ALEXANDER JOSEPH KNURR, THEODORE, AL
HENRY JACOB KOCH, MOBILE, AL
WARREN ELLIOTT KOFFLER, MOBILE, AL
ROBERT LEONARD KOMINEK, MOBILE, AL
JOHN GEORGE KONTOS JR., MEMPHIS, TN
STEPHEN HENRY KOOPMEINERS, CEDAR FALLS, IA
DANIEL LEONCE KOPPERSMITH, TIKI ISLAND, TX
JOSEPH D. KOVACS JR., GAINESVILLE, FL
ALEXANDER VAUGHN KREHER, MONTGOMERY, AL
KARI MARIE KUBIK, LOUISVILLE, KY
CRAIG CHARLES KUGLEN, AUSTIN, TX
TERRY ALAN KURTTS, ELBERTA, AL
GEORGE MICHAEL KUSHNER, LOUISVILLE, KY
T. KEVIN LACKEY, GADSDEN, AL
ANDREW STEPHEN LAMB, BURLINGTON, NC
DAVID HINKLE LAMB, LEXINGTON, SC
CHARLES RICHARD LAMBERT, TALLADEGA, AL
WADE CAMDON LAMBERTH JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
BEATRICE CAMPBELL LAMPKIN, CINCINNATI, OH
J. ROBERT LANCASTER, HUNTSVILLE, AL
R. DOUGLAS LAND, BUTLER, AL
KIRK MARTIN LANDAU, JACKSONVILLE, FL
KAREN DESTIN MAY LANDERS, TUSCUMBIA, AL
PHILLIP LEONARD LANEY, HAMPTON COVE, AL
WILLIAM IVAN LAPIDUS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
LISA LYNN LARGE, PALO ALTO, CA
BRIAN JAY LARSON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CHARLES ADRIAN LARSON, GUNTERSVILLE, AL
JOSEPH BRUNO LARUSSA, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT OTTIS LAUDERDALE JR., LEEDS, AL
ELMAR M. J. LAWACZECK, BIRMINGHAM, AL
W. DWAYNE LAWRENCE, PROVIDENCE, RI
THOMAS CLIFFORD LAWSON JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
TROY ALAN LAYTON, HUNTSVILLE, AL
DANNY KIM LEE, LOUISVILLE, KY
JAMES MONROE LEE, BESSEMER, AL
M. ANDREW LEE, BRENTWOOD, TN
WILLIAM AULL LEITNER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
LAWRENCE JOHN LEMAK, BIRMINGHAM, AL
WILLIAM ANDREW LEMONS JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
MILTON ALEXIS LENNICX, DOTHAN, AL
EVELYN ANN LEONARD, CULLMAN, AL
NICHOLAS MARKHAM LEONARD, PORTLAND, OR
MARK HAYDEN LEQUIRE, MONTGOMERY, AL
FRANK MARTIN LESTER, MOBILE, AL
SHIRLEY SANDERS LETCHMAN, SPRINGVILLE, AL
STUART JEFFREY LEVIN, RALEIGH, NC
JONATHAN LYONE LEVINE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CLIFTON THOMAS P. LEWIS, SARASOTA, FL
THOMAS NECY LEWIS, MARIETTA, GA
ROBERT SHELTON LIEBESKIND, FT. LAUDERDALE, FL
WILLIAM MALCOLM LIGHTFOOT, MOBILE, AL
JAMES DOUGLAS LINDSEY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
DICE KYLE LINEBERRY, TRUSSVILLE, AL
JOHN EDWARD LINN, GERMANTOWN, TN
JULIUS EARL LINN JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES MITCHELL LIPSTATE, LAFAYETTE, LA
RICHARD ERWIN LITT, CORAL GABLES, FL
HARRY JOSEPH LITTLETON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MICHAEL BYRNE LITTLETON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
STANLEY KEITH LOCHRIDGE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES STEPHEN LOCK, AUBURN, AL
JAMES ALANSON LOCKWOOD, EUFALA, AL
ROBERT HENRY LOKEY, ANNISTON, AL
GEORGANNE WELLS LONG, RICHMOND, VA
JAMES HOWARD LOTT III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
PATRICK JAMES LOUIS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES RADCLIFF LOWREY, CRYSTAL RIVER, FL
THOMAS RILEY LUMPKIN, TUSCALOOSA, AL
GEORGE DAVID LUNDBERG JR., LOS GATOS, CA
VICTOR ENTEBANG LUNYONG, METAIRIE, LA
JOHN ALEXANDER LUSK III, GREENSBORO, NC
RICHARD HOWARD LYERLY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
RICHARD ALLEN LYTLE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
RICHARD ALLEN LYTLE JR., ST. LOUIS, MO
CHARLES E. MACKEY III, CHEYENNE, WY
PHILIP ARTHUR MADDOX, HUNTSVILLE, AL
EUGENE ANTHONY MANGIERI, NORTHPORT, AL
G. WILLIAM MANIFOLD, DECATUR, AL
ANUJ PAUL MANOCHA, MABLETON, GA
BELINDA ANNE MANTLE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN ANDREW MANTLE, TUSCALOOSA, AL
E. RUSSELL MARCH JR., MOBILE, AL
ROBERT BURTON MARDRE JR., OPELIKA, AL
EDWARD JOHN MARKUSHEWSKI JR, HUNTSVILLE, AL
ELLEN LUCILLE MARMER, VERNON, CT
JAMES HERBERT MARSHALL, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CARL WALTER MARTENS, MONROEVILLE, AL
BEN ROBERTSON MARTIN III, DOTHAN, AL
DANNY JOE MARTIN, FLORENCE, AL
DAVID OWEN MARTIN, MAYFIELD HEIGHTS, OH
FREDERICK WATSON MARTIN, CARROLLTON, GA
KEITH CHRISTOPHER MARTIN, MONTGOMERY, AL
ROBERT MICHAEL MARTIN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
VICKI RUTLAND MARTIN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN OGDEN MASON III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN LOUIS MATHEWS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES CLAUDE MATTHEWS JR., MERIDIAN, MS
RICHARD MICHAEL MAZEY, MOBILE, AL
BILLY DEARL MCANNALLY, LINEVILLE, AL
FRANK GRAHAM MCARTHUR, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MICHAEL LEIGH MCBREARTY, FAIRHOPE, AL
CHARLES LEE MCCAIN, DECATUR, AL
CHARLES ALEXANDER MCCALLUM JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN TERRELL MCCARLEY JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
MARK DANIEL MCCASLIN, MOBILE, AL
E. GAYLON MCCOLLOUGH, GULF SHORES, AL
MICHAEL ELLIS MCCONNELL, ATLANTA, GA
BRIAN JOSEPH MCCOOL, MORGANTOWN, WV
LOREN EDWARD MCCOY, MUSCLE SHOALS, AL
PATRICIA MASSENGILL MCCOY, HUNTSVILLE, AL
RONALD CHESTER MCCOY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
EDWARD FISHBURNE MCCRAW, GREENVILLE, AL
ELLANN MCCRORY, FORT PAYNE, AL
CAROL HOPE MCCULLOUGH, OLD HICKORY, TN
CLARENCE EUGENE MCDANAL JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
MILLIE MARTHA MCDANIEL, BIRMINGHAM, AL
WILLIAM YOUNG MCDANIEL, THEODORE, AL
PAUL DOUGLAS MCDOWELL, HUNTSVILLE, AL
TRACY LYNN MCFALL, CHARLESTON, SC
WILLIAM PARK MCGEHEE, OPELIKA, AL
EOLINE IRENE MCGOWAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
NORMAN FLOYD MCGOWIN III, GREENVILLE, AL
GEORGE HARRIS MCGRADY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
LYNN BERNARD MCGRATH, BROWNS MILLS, NJ
ROBERT ALTON MCGUIRE JR., JACKSON, MS
C. RUSH MCINNIS JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
DAVID RUSSELL MCKENZIE, AUBURN, AL
J. BARRY MCKERNAN, WOODSTOCK, GA
WILLIAM KEITH MCKIBBIN, ASHEVILLE, NC
DAVID PARKS MCKINLEY, SHEFFIELD, AL
JAMES DAVIS MCKINNEY, COOKEVILLE, TN
RANDALL LOUIS MCKISSACK, FAIRHOPE, AL
JERRY THOMAS MCLANE, BESSEMER, AL
LEON DURWARD MCLAUGHLIN, OZARK, AL
MAX VICTOR MCLAUGHLIN, MOBILE, AL
WILLIAM DAVIS MCLAUGHLIN, DOTHAN, AL
BARRY KINCAID MCLEAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
FRED ANTHONY MCLEOD, ALEXANDER CITY, AL
JOHN MARTIN MCMAHON JR., DAPHNE, AL
FREDDY GLEN MCMURRY, HUNTSVILLE, AL
RYAN SCOTT MCNAMARA, KNOXVILLE, TN
SARAH DAWN MCNUTT, BIRMINGHAM, AL
FRANK LEATHERBURY MCPHILLIPS, MOBILE, AL
JAMES MICHAEL MCQUEEN, ENTERPRISE, AL
NORMAN ELLSWORTH MCSWAIN JR., NEW ORLEANS, LA
LEON VICTOR MCVAY III, MOBILE, AL
JOHN LEE MEADE, GULF BREEZE, FL
JAMES ALLEN MEADOWS III, SAVANNAH, GA
KLAUS F. MEDENBACH, HUNTSVILLE, AL
JOSHUA DANIEL MEEZAN, SAN FRANCISCO, CA
JOHN SANSBURY MEIGS JR., BRENT, AL
EDWARD INNIS MELTON JR., FT. WALTON BEACH, FL
MICHAEL FELIX MARTY MENA, SEATTLE, WA
DANIEL MICHAEL MERCK, OLATHE, KS
RONALD CLIFTON MERRELL, RICHMOND, VA
MICHAEL WALLACE MESHAD, MOBILE, AL
RODNEY BRANDON MEWBOURNE, DALLAS, TX
MAX MICHAEL III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JULIUS MICHAELSON JR., PUYALLUP, WA
MARC ALAN MICHELSON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MARK MIDDLEBROOKS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
FABIAN MATTHEW MIHELIC, KNOXVILLE, TN
EDWARD ADAMS MILLAR, CHICAGO, IL
A. LAMAR MILLER JR., DOTHAN, AL
GEORGE DOUGLAS MILLER, GADSDEN, AL
JENNIFER DELANE MILLER, HOOVER, AL
JOHN PITTS MILLER, HAMMOND, LA
P. CAUDILL MILLER, MONTGOMERY, AL
S. JONES MILLER III, LA GRANGE, GA
SAMUEL CARTER MILLER SR., MOBILE, AL
HOWARD H. MILLIKEN, VERO BEACH, FL
34

PATRICK LEONARD MILLS SR., ALABASTER, AL
DANNY ARNOLD MILNER JR., CAMBRIDGE, MA
ANGELA PRATER MINTZ, PENSACOLA, FL
SIMON MIRELMAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT BYRD MITCHELL, HUNTSVILLE, AL
T. CHAD MITCHELL, PANAMA CITY, FL
TOM LYLE MITCHELL JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
OTIS DALE MITCHUM, GENEVA, AL
DONALD RICHARD MOELLER, COLUMBUS, GA
KATHY WINGO MONROE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
DAVID CHARLES MONTIEL, MONTGOMERY, AL
JON RICE MOODY, HUNTSVILLE, AL
THOMAS EDWIN MOODY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES OWEN MOON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ALAN LEE MOORE, AUBURN, AL
CAROL STURGEON MOORE, HOLLISTON, MA
DANIEL LLOYD MOORE, MONTGOMERY, AL
ERNEST G. MOORE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ERNEST GRIFFIN MOORE JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
JASPER DUNCAN MOORE, UNION, MS
MARILYNN WILMETTE MOORE, PASADENA, CA
PAUL BEVERIDGE MOORE, MONTGOMERY, AL
SANDRA VELIA MOORE, GARLAND, TX
STEPHAN GUISLAIN MORAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
TERESA MORAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
RICHARD BACON MORAWETZ, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN FINCH MOREHOUS, GUNTERSVILLE, AL
C. ELLIOTT MORGAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CLAUD EDWARD MORGAN JR., DULUTH, GA
MARLA BLACK MORGAN, ALABASTER, AL
MONICA L. MORMAN, GILLETTE, WY
FELIX ARTHUR MORRIS, FLORENCE, AL
PETER WILLIAM MORRIS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT EDWARD MORRIS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN DANIEL MORRISON, CRESCENT SPRINGS, KY
CONSTANTINE DEMETRIOS MORROS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN ANDREW MORROW JR., MOBILE, AL
WILLIAM GORDON MOSELEY JR., SAN DIEGO, CA
CHARLES STEBNER MOSTELLER, DAPHNE, AL
JAMES MERRILL MOTES JR., CORPUS CHRISTI, TX
ELIZABETH ANN MOUNTCASTLE, MONTGOMERY, AL
KNUT ERICH MUELLER, MOBILE, AL
KRISTI MORGAN MULCHAHEY, MARIETTA, GA
ROSS BOB MULLINS JR., VALLEY, AL
DOROTHY SNODDY MURPHY, MURFREESBORO, TN
JOHN LARKIN MUSGROVE, FLORENCE, AL
FREDERICK AUGUST MUTHS, CLEVELAND, TN
IRA LEE MYERS, MONTGOMERY, AL
ALEXANDER M. NADING JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
ALBERT JACKSON NAFTEL JR., CHAPEL HILL, NC
PAUL MICHAEL NAGRODZKI, BIRMINGHAM, AL
DENISE JOSEPH NAKOS, SMYRNA, GA
AHMAD NASSERIAN, PALOS VERDES ESTATES, CA
BYRON L. NELSON, CENTRE, AL
MARY JANE S. NELSON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
DAVID ALLEN NESSER, DALLAS, TX
ALFRED MILES NEUMANN JR., POINT CLEAR, AL
T. GERALD NEW, DECATUR, AL
LEON BRYANT NEWMAN, SALISBURY, NC
LUCIAN NEWMAN III, GADSDEN, AL
LUCIAN NEWMAN JR., GADSDEN, AL
J. CHRISTOPHER NICHOLS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MICHELE HOLLOWAY NICHOLS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
RANDALL WAYNE NICHOLS, DOTHAN, AL
ROBERT KENNETH NICHOLS, PRATTVILLE, AL
STEVEN R. NICHOLS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
KURT M. WALTER NIEMANN, COLUMBIANA, AL
WILLIAM ALEXANDER NIXON, GUNTERSVILLE, AL
LAURA LUCILLE NORRELL, SAN FRANCISCO, CA
SAMUEL S. NORVELL JR., ROCKVILLE, MD
WILLIAM RAYMOND NUESSLE, HUNTSVILLE, AL
GEORGE WOODWARD NUNN, TUSCALOOSA, AL
LLOYD MILTON NYHUS, NORTHFIELD, IL
ISABEL BARKER OLDSHUE, TUSCALOOSA, AL
RONALD TERRY OLIVET, TUSCALOOSA, AL
GARY WAYNE OLSON, DALTON, GA
SUSAN EMILY OMURA, PORTLAND, OR
JOE WILLARD O’NEAL, TUSCALOOSA, AL
RONALD WAYNE ORSO, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT CARL OSBURNE, ATLANTA, GA
GUY COLEMAN OSWALT JR., MOBILE, AL
CHARLES REYNOLD OVERSTREET, DECATUR, AL
DONALD CLYDE OVERSTREET, SELMA, AL
DENNIS PRAYTOR OWENS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
LOREN COOK OWENSBY, VICTORIA, TX
J. HAROLD OWSLEY, HICKORY, NC
EDDIE NATHANIEL PACE JR., MOBILE, AL
ALBERT DOMINICK PACIFICO, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN MALLORY PACKARD, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN MALLORY PACKARD JR., GUNTERSVILLE, AL
DONALD ROBERT PAEK, FORT WORTH, TX
BERNARD LEE PARHAM, CHATTANOOGA, TN
TIMOTHY D. PARISH, BIRMINGHAM, AL
KIM MICHELLE PARKER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
STEVEN WALLACE PARKER, RENO, NV
GRANT VAN SICLEN PARR, MORRISTOWN, NJ
KATHLEEN GAGE PARR, BALTIMORE, MD
DAVID O’NEIL PARRISH, TIERRA VERDE, FL
SHEELA KRISHNASAMI PARRISH, HUNTSVILLE, AL
HITESH RAMAN PATEL, DALLAS, TX
WILLIAM MORROW PATTERSON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
DAVID WILEY PATTON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
FRANCIS MOORE PATTON, VESTAVIA HILLS, AL
ROBERT CECIL PATTON, OPELIKA, AL
WILLIAM CURTIS PATTON, FORREST CITY, AR
CHARLES TED PAULK, DOTHAN, AL
JAMES FLOOD PAULK, ENTERPRISE, AL
GILLIS LAVELLE PAYNE JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
KATHY WELLS PAYNE, ANDALUSIA, AL
R. REX PAYNE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
WILLIAM RICHARD PAYNE, CARTERSVILLE, GA
JANE PEARSON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JANE BARCLAY PEEK, BATON ROUGE, LA
G. VERNON PEGRAM III, FORT PAYNE, AL
THOMAS CARL PENDLETON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT ALAN PENDLEY, HUNTSVILLE, AL
MIRIAM Y. PERI, CINCINNATI, OH
STEWART NEAL PERLMAN, NASHVILLE, TN
C. PAUL PERRY JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
TAREK OMAR PERSAUD, BIRMINGHAM, AL
GLENN EIDSON PETERS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOSEPH ALAN PETERS, COUNCE, TN
CARY GLENN PETRY, HOMEWOOD, AL
TERI L. PETTERSEN, PORTLAND, OR
GERRY MADISON PHILLIPS, MOBILE, AL
JAMES ROBERT PHILLIPS, GADSDEN, AL
REGINA NEPOMUCENO PHILLIPS, MORRISTOWN, TN
ROBERT MACON PHILLIPS JR., HUNTSVILLE, AL
BRADLEY CLAIR PHOENIX, MORGANTOWN, WV
JAMES CONLEE PICKENS, CANTONMENT, FL
JERRY DWAIN PIERCE, SCOTTSBORO, AL
LOYD CAMERON PIMPERL, FLORESVILLE, TX
JAMES LOWELL PINCOCK, CARSON CITY, NV
LEONARD FAHERTY PINKLEY JR., AMORY, MS
WALTER PIERCE PINSON III, SYLACAUGA, AL
ROGER MCCOY PITT, ATLANTA, GA
JAMES ALLEN PITTMAN JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
WALTER GAY PITTMAN, HOMEWOOD, AL
J. RANDALL PITTS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
EDWARD JOHN PLANZ JR., DOTHAN, AL
PETER PLUSCHT III, MOBILE, AL
JAMES EDWARD POIST, TUSCALOOSA, AL
MICHAEL GERARD POIST, TUSCALOOSA, AL
JAMES E. POLLOCK, ROCKVILLE, MD
SAMUEL BAKER POLLOCK JR., LOUISVILLE, KY
SARAH STEPHENS POLT, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CAROL RAY PORCH, ARAB, AL
ELLIS FAY PORCH JR., ARAB, AL
CHARLES EDWARD PORTER JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
ROBERT ALLEN POSEY, TUSCALOOSA, AL
ANGELA ADAMS POWELL, MONROEVILLE, AL
JAMES BLACKMON POWELL II, ASHEVILLE, NC
JAMES ORLIS POWELL, BIRMINGHAM, AL
RHONDA HENDERSON POWELL, BIRMINGHAM, AL
THOMAS EDWARD POWELL, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CHARLES KENT POWERS JR., KISSIMMEE, FL
JOHN WORRELL POYNOR, BIRMINGHAM, AL
HARRY WILLIAMS PRATER JR., CRANE HILL, AL
STEVEN DEWAYNE PRESLEY, ENTERPRISE, AL
MILTON DWIGHT PRESTRIDGE JR., GULF SHORES, AL
JEFFREY FRANK PRICE, CLANTON, AL
ROBERT MONROE PRITCHETT, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MICHAEL WAYNE PROCTOR, ANNISTON, AL
WALLACE DALE PROPHET, DOTHAN, AL
DONNA J. PRUETT, PENSACOLA, FL
BRYAN LEE PRUITT, BIRMINGHAM, AL
RONALD E. PRUITT, NASHVILLE, TN
JOHN BARR PUGH, ATLANTA, GA
MARTHA ELANOR PUGH, HOUSTON, TX
MICHAEL LEE PUTMAN, DECATUR, AL
WILLIAM WALTER PYRON, DECATUR, AL
LAWRENCE QUAN, TRINITY, TX
NORMAN HILL RAHN III, GADSDEN, AL
EDWARD CARR RAINEY JR., BALDWIN PARK, CA
HECTOR RAMIREZ JR., HUNTSVILLE, AL
MICHAEL JEFFREY RAMSEY, DOTHAN, AL
RICHARD ROSA RANDALL, HUNTSVILLE, AL
KATHLEEN ANNE RANNEY, THURMONT, MD
UBOL KULPRAPHA RATANAUBOL, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MARY JANE RAVEL, PALM HARBOR, FL
CLINTON MICHAEL RAY, ANNISTON, AL
GARY MICHAEL RAY, ANNISTON, AL
JOSEPH BYRON RAY, MOBILE, AL
BRUCE COPELAND RAYMON, PENSACOLA, FL
HARRY EDWARD REAGOR JR., LODI, CA
JACK DUANE REAL, DOTHAN, AL
DAVID MICHAEL REARDON, FT. MYERS, FL
SRIKAR SUNKI REDDY, COLUMBIA, TN
V. SREENATH REDDY, DECATUR, GA
ANGELA HELMS REDMOND, CULLMAN, AL
JAMES LENDON REEDER, DECATUR, AL
LINDA PARKER REEVES, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MARY ELIZABETH REID, BOISE, ID
JOSEPH GERALD REVES, CHARLESTON, SC
EUGENE SCOTT REYNOLDS, LARGO, FL
FRANK HALL REYNOLDS II, CHATTANOOGA, TN
RICHARD REGINALD REYNOLDS, RICHMOND, VA
JENNIFER MORRIS RHODE, DEXTER, MI
MARSHA JERNIGAN RHODES, CHARLOTTE, NC
DAVID NELSON RHYNE, ENTERPRISE, AL
ROBERT HENRY RHYNE JR., MOULTON, AL
35

SHERRIE ANDERSON RICHARDS, NASHVILLE, TN
LONARD CLARENCE RIGSBY III, MONTGOMERY, AL
STANCEL MARTIN RILEY JR., HUNTSVILLE, AL
WILLIAM EARLE RILEY, GARDENDALE, AL
GERALD JOSEPH RIZZO, ST. PETERSBURG, FL
DAVID HALL ROBERTS, TALLADEGA, AL
FLOYD JOSEPH ROBERTS JR., BATON ROUGE, LA
JOHN DOUGLAS ROBERTSON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN MOTT ROBERTSON JR., LYNCHBURG, VA
PATRICIA A. KENDRICK ROBINSON, SELMA, AL
JOHN CRAWFORD ROCHESTER, KNOXVILLE, TN
BRIAN EDWARD ROGERS, AUBURN, AL
CHARLES M. A. ROGERS IV, MOBILE, AL
DOUGLAS LEE ROLLINS JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
VIRGIL WARREN ROLLINS, DOTHAN, AL
EVELYN SPIRA ROSEMORE, PLANO, TX
SAMUEL HOWARD ROSEN, CHARLESTON, SC
SANFORD I. ROSENTHAL, SAVANNAH, GA
ROBERT GEORGE ROSSER, COLUMBIANA, AL
PHILIP ANTHONY ROTH JR., HUNTSVILLE, AL
JAMES MICHAEL ROW, SAN ANTONIO, TX
MELINDA GRACE ROWE, SAVANNAH, GA
STEPHEN WILLIAM ROWE, GADSDEN, AL
DONALD H. ROWELL, SANTA ROSA, CA
WILLIAM GARDNER ROWELL, TUSCALOOSA, AL
STUART ALAN ROYAL, BIRMINGHAM, AL
STEVEN MICHAEL RUDD, BIRMINGHAM, AL
LORING W. RUE III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CLAUDE CAYCE RUMSEY III, PONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL
CHARLES WALTON RUSH, SARASOTA, FL
FRANCIS EDWARDS RUSHTON JR., BEAUFORT, SC
BRUCE WAYNE RUSSELL, SUMITON, AL
WILLIAM STEPHEN RUSSELL, OPELIKA, AL
CHARLES LANGDON RUTHERFORD JR., MOBILE, AL
JILL ARNITA RUTHERFORD, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MARY RUTHERFORD, GADSDEN, AL
RICHARD OLIVER RUTLAND III, GADSDEN, AL
GUY LESLIE RUTLEDGE III, MOBILE, AL
JARVIS DEVAUGHN RYALS, PUEBLO, CO
SALEM GEORGE SALOOM, BREWTON, AL
MERLE MEYERS SALTER, MONTEVALLO, AL
PAUL PULLEN SALTER JR., MONTEVALLO, AL
SUSAN PAULA SALTER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
STEPHEN WILLIAM SAMELSON, MONTGOMERY, AL
F. CALAME SAMMONS, HUNTSVILLE, AL
HUBERT DOUGLAS SAMMONS, COLUMBIA, SC
ROBERT VESTER SANDERS III, FT. SMITH, AR
JON EMORY SANFORD, FAYETTE, AL
SHELBY PRICE SANFORD, ELROD, AL
MORGAN SCOTT SARRELS, DECATUR, AL
LOWELL FRANKLIN SATLER, BETHESDA, MD
HARRY L. SAUERS III, CLEARWATER, FL
JAMES ADOLPH SAWYER III, DOTHAN, AL
JAMES WATSON SAWYER, LONGVIEW, TX
JAMES PORTER SCARBOROUGH, VANCOUVER, WA
FRANK SCHEFANO III, PARAGOULD, AR
PAUL MICHAEL SCHELKUN, WARMINSTER, PA
MICHAEL JAMES SCHLITT, RENTON, WA
SUZANNE W. SCHUESSLER, LAGRANGE, GA
KATHARINE N. SCHULL, NASHVILLE, TN
GEORGE FARNED SCOFIELD, BIRMINGHAM, AL
PAUL WILLIAM SCOKEL III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
AUBREY DENNIS SCOTT, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CHARLIE WILLIAM SCOTT JR., INDIAN SPRINGS, AL
JOHN RUSSELL SCOTT, SPARTANBURG, SC
WARREN A. SCOTT, SOQUEL, CA
NATHAN SEGALL, ATLANTA, GA
JOHN EMANUEL SEMON, MOBILE, AL
SHELDON JOEL SEVINOR, LYNN, MA
AUBREY LUCIEN SEWELL, WINFIELD, AL
DAVID ALLEN SHACHAT, BLUFFTON, SC
CLAUDE EDWARD SHACKELFORD, NORTHPORT, AL
WILLIAM BURTON SHADBURN, PIKE ROAD, AL
HAROLD ORAN SHAPIRO, VERNON ROCKVILLE, CT
JAMES LYNFORD SHARPLESS JR., BATON ROUGE, LA
JOHN CARL SHEARER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
L. THOMAS SHEFFIELD JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
R. WAID SHELTON JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
DEBRA GOODRIDGE SHEPARD, NAPLES, FL
EUGENE CHAPMAN SHERLOCK, BIRMINGHAM, AL
FRED OSCAR SHERRILL JR., HARTSELLE, AL
JOHN DOKE SHERRILL JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOSEPH MADDEN SHERRILL, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT GRADY SHERRILL JR., INDIAN SPRINGS, AL
J. CLINTON SHOPE, BOCA RATON, FL
MARK SHOPTAUGH, BATON ROUGE, LA
CATHY DARLENE SHRADER, ALEXANDRIA, VA
MICHAEL B. SHROCK, PHILADELPHIA, MS
ALAN MYRON SIEGAL, BIRMINGHAM, AL
STUART LOUIS SIEGAL, BIRMINGHAM, AL
GARRY EARL SIEGEL, MARIETTA, GA
MARTIN TRISTRAM SIGLER, DALLAS, TX
MARLA C. SILVERBERG, BATON ROUGE, LA
HOWARD PHILIP SILVERBOARD, ATLANTA, GA
EARL MALCOLM SIMMONS III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
EARL MALCOLM SIMMONS JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
GEORGE TRUE SIMPSON II, ORCHARD PARK, NY
L. CLARK SIMPSON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
W. FORD SIMPSON JR., TUSCALOOSA, AL
WILLIAM HAYDEN SIMPSON, GADSDEN, AL
MARION HENRY SIMS JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
MARK EDWARD SKILLAN, ATLANTA, GA
GREGORY E. SKIPPER, MONTGOMERY, AL
DAVID BRYANT SMALLEY, AUBURN, AL
KATHERINE LAVAN SMALLWOOD, RICHMOND, VA
DAWN DIESE SMILEY, CINCINNATI, OH
ANDREA BRADFORD SMITH, MOUNT VERNON, WA
BRAXTON FRANKLIN SMITH, ARAB, AL
BRYAN LEONARD SMITH, VENICE, FL
CHARLES HAROLD SMITH, MONTGOMERY, AL
DONNIE RAY SMITH, TUSCALOOSA, AL
ELIZABETH RANDALL SMITH, LOUISVILLE, KY
G. HAMPTON SMITH JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
GEORGE CICERO SMITH, LINEVILLE, AL
JAMES ARTHUR SMITH III, SOUTHPORT, NC
NATHAN BERT SMITH II, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT RUSSELL SMITH, BREWTON, AL
WILLIAM EARLE SMITH JR., CULLMAN, AL
WILSON PEDRICK SMITH JR., SPARTANBURG, SC
HENRY ELTON SMOAK III, INDIAN ROCKS BEACH, FL
JOHN WARNER SNEAD, FT. MYERS, FL
HOWARD CAREY SNIDER JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
RICHARD MAXWELL SNOW, TUSCALOOSA, AL
ARTHUR FARRISH SNYDER, TUSCALOOSA, AL
EDMUNDO A. SOMOZA, NAPOLEON, OH
WEILY SOONG, HAMDEN, CT
JIMMY MITCHELL SPARKS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CAROL DENISE SPEARS, LEXINGTON, KY
SABINE ELLEN SPEER, TACOMA, WA
BETTY RUTH SPEIR, POINT CLEAR, AL
GILBERT ORION SPENCER JR., COLUMBUS, MS
HOMER ANDREW SPENCER, GADSDEN, AL
SHARON ANN SPENCER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN CHARLES SPIVAK, BIRMINGHAM, AL
RICHARD J. SPURLIN, OPP, AL
GERALD E. STACK, BATON ROUGE, LA
ANNE GOLDEN STAFFORD, BIRMINGHAM, AL
G. TIMOTHY STAFFORD III, ALAMOSA, CO
RUCKER LEWIS STAGGERS, ELBERTA, AL
WILLIAM RUCKER STAGGERS, FAIRHOPE, AL
SERGIO BRUNO STAGNO, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MARTIN WADE STALLINGS, KINGS MOUNTAIN, NC
DAVID KERN STALLWORTH, MONROEVILLE, AL
DEBORAH ANN STANFORD, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MICHAEL JAMES STANFORD, SAINT PETERSBURG, FL
EARL AUSTIN STANLEY, SAN ANTONIO, TX
ROY FRANCIS STANTON III, GARDENDALE, AL
STEPHEN RICHARD STEINMETZ, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES GILBERT STENSBY, WINCHESTER, TN
SELDEN HARBOUR STEPHENS JR., MOBILE, AL
JOHNNIE WAYNE STEVENS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
J. GRIER STEWART JR., TUSCALOOSA, AL
JOEL MELFORD STEWART JR., WEDOWEE, AL
MARK LINDSEY STEWART, MISSOULA, MT
ROBYN SUE STINNETT, LOUISVILLE, KY
WADE W. STINSON, FLORENCE, AL
JOHN EVERETT STONE JR., MOBILE, AL
KAREN ELIZABETH STONE, WEDOWEE, AL
WILLIAM BRATTON STONECYPHER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT HOWARD STORY, TUSKEGEE, AL
CARY LEE STOWE, WINTER PARK, FL
CECILIA MCGILVRAY STRADTMAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MARTHA JANE STRANGE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
J. MICHAEL STRAUGHN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
W. HOWARD STRIPLIN JR., HUNTSVILLE, AL
JAMES LARKIN STRONG, BIRMINGHAM, AL
KENNETH DILLARD STROTHER, DADEVILLE, AL
TERRENCE LEE STULL, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
WILLIAM DOUGLAS SUDDUTH, TUSCALOOSA, AL
STEPHEN PATRICK SUGGS, DECATUR, AL
WILLIAM JAY SUGGS, PENSACOLA, FL
EDWARD ALLEN SULLIVAN III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES SOLOMON SULLIVAN, DOTHAN, AL
PERCY GUIN SULLIVAN, BESSEMER, AL
WILLIAM BRUNS SULLIVAN, HATTIESBURG, MS
WILLIAM LARRY SULLIVAN, DECATUR, AL
JOHN PHILIP SUMMERFORD, TUSCALOOSA, AL
SWAID NOFAL SWAID, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN LUTHER SWAN II, MONTGOMERY, AL
FREDERICK D. SWARTZENDRUBER, ROANOKE, VA
ROBERT LELDON SWEET, BEAUMONT, TX
CONNIE MATTHEWS SWILLIE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
RODNEY KENT SWILLIE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
FELIX MARCUS TANKERSLEY JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
STEWART HILL TANKERSLEY, MONTGOMERY, AL
ROBERT FERRIS TARPY, LAFAYETTE, LA
E. LEE TAYLOR JR., MOBILE, AL
NORMAN LINDSAY TAYLOR, MONTGOMERY, AL
PEYTON TROY TAYLOR JR., IVY, VA
ROBERT ELMORE TAYLOR, DURHAM, NC
SUMMERS WILSON TAYLOR III, BOAZ, AL
DUDLEY JOSEPH TERRELL, OZARK, AL
AUBREY EUGENE TERRY, RUSSELLVILLE, AL
NINA L. J. TERRY, SYLACAUGA, AL
WILLIAM JEFFERSON TERRY, MOBILE, AL
BRADLEY PHILLIP THOMAS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
EDWARD LAMAR THOMAS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
FRANK PHILIP THOMAS, DECATUR, AL
JOSEPH PAUL THOMAS, MOBILE, AL
JULIAN MURPHREE THOMAS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
LEE THOMAS, TUSCALOOSA, AL
36

RENA MELTON THOMISON, NASHVILLE, TN
MARTIN LEE THOMLEY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES CLAUDE THOMPSON, TUSCALOOSA, AL
JOHN LONG THOMPSON JR., SYLACAUGA, AL
WILLIAM ALEXANDER THOMPSON III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
DONALD DAVIS THORNBURY JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
HELEN RAYE THRASHER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CHAUNCEY BENEDICT THUSS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CRAIG MICHAEL TILGHMAN, PANAMA CITY, FL
GLENN WARNA TILLERY, HAMPTON COVE, AL
ROLLINS LYNNE TINDELL JR., MOBILE, AL
STEVEN DAVID TISHLER, NASHVILLE, TN
AARON MCLAIN TOLER, SPARTANBURG, SC
KIMBERLY FRAZIER TOLER, SPARTANBURG, SC
JOHN CAREY TOMBERLIN, ENTERPRISE, AL
CHARLES SAMUEL TOMPKINS, LUVERNE, AL
ARTHUR FULKERSON TOOLE III, ANNISTON, AL
TERRY JAY TORANTO, WALNUT CREEK, CA
MICHAEL JOSEPH TORMA, SHREVEPORT, LA
CLAUDIO ERASMO TORO, BIRMINGHAM, AL
F. DARLENE HARRISON TRAFFANSTEDT, BIRMINGHAM, AL
DALE EDWARD TRAMMELL SR., DECATUR, AL
JUDY COOKE TRAVIS, DEMOPOLIS, AL
JACK WALDEN TRIGG JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT W. TROTTER, ATHENS, TN
ALLEN GORDON TUCKER, HUNTSVILLE, AL
JAMES CURTIS TUCKER, TUSCALOOSA, AL
NIMROD HOLT TUCKER III, JACKSONVILLE, FL
RODNEY OLAN TUCKER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ALBERT JULIAN TULLY JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
RAMACHANDRA PRASAD TUNMALA, MINNEAPOLIS, MN
ROBERT PETER TURK, DAYTON, OH
MARY ANN TURNER, RICHMOND, VA
HOMER LEE TWIGG III, INDIANAPOLIS, IN
LINDA KATHERINE TYER, BELFAST, ME
CHARLES MATHISON TYNDAL, BIRMINGHAM, AL
EDWARD CARRAWAY TYNDAL, COLUMBIANA, AL
MARSHALL MCLEAN URIST, BIRMINGHAM, AL
PETER W. VAN HOY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
KENNETH LUCKIE VANDERVOORT, ANNISTON, AL
GARRETT RICHARD VANGELISTI, MURPHY, OR
JOHN SCOTT VANLOOCK, MOBILE, AL
PAMELA DUNCAN VARNER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROBERT EDWARD VARNER JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
LUIS O. VASCONEZ, BIRMINGHAM, AL
BETTY WALTHALL VAUGHAN, DECATUR, AL
SUZANNE DUDLEY VAUGHAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
TOM BROOKS VAUGHAN III, SAINT PAUL, MN
CHARLES FREDERICK VEAZEY, GUNTERSVILLE, AL
DEAN A. VEREN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
KATJA MARIA VON TIESENHAUSEN, BOSTON, MA
FREDERIC QUINBY VROOM, TALLAHASSEE, FL
STEWART DOUGLAS WADDELL, BIRMINGHAM, AL
BARBARA HEETER WADE, PENSACOLA, FL
JOHN SHERER WADE, FRESNO, CA
JOSEPH FREDRICK WADE, COLUMBIA, TN
MERLE LINDY WADE JR., TAMPA, FL
PETER DANIEL WAITE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
KEN BAKER WAITES, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN BRYAN WAITS, TULSA, OK
MARSHA LOUISE WAKEFIELD, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MATTHEW CHARLES WAKEFIELD, GAITHERSBURG, MD
FRANK BELL WALDO, BIRMINGHAM, AL
EDITH Z. WALDROP, BIRMINGHAM, AL
BENJAMIN HARRIS WALKER II, HUNTSVILLE, AL
HARRISON CARROLL WALKER III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES ALEX WALKER, FORT PAYNE, AL
JAMES CLINTON WALKER JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN HOLLIS WALKER, HUNTSVILLE, AL
L. G. WALKER JR., CHARLOTTE, NC
ROBERT CHARLES WALKER, DECATUR, AL
TOM MORROW WALKER, MOBILE, AL
WILLIAM ADDISON WALKER, DECATUR, AL
JOHN KENNETH WALLACE, DOTHAN, AL
MILTON ANDREW WALLACE JR., MOBILE, AL
WILLIAM CARL WALLEY, HUNTSVILLE, AL
DAVID GUY WALSH, MOBILE, AL
Z. JOSEPH WANSKI, LOS ANGELES, CA
GLENN PORTER WARD, DECATUR, AL
WILLIAM SPURGEON WARR, PHENIX CITY, AL
CLAUDE MORRIS WARREN III, MOBILE, AL
EDDIE BERNARD WARREN, TROY, AL
THOMAS LARRY WARREN, HICKORY, NC
WENDY DEIRDRE WASDEN, MONTGOMERY, AL
ISRAEL WASHINGTON, CINCINNATI, OH
D. SHANNON WATERS-HWANG, CLOVIS, CA
JAMES MORGAN WATKINS, CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY
DORIS S. PHILLIPS WAYMAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
GEORGE HIRAM WEAVER, CORDOVA, AL
ELLEN STAMMER WEBER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MAURICE O. WEILBAECHER JR., COVINGTON, LA
PETER FRANCIS WEINHEIMER, TUSCALOOSA, AL
PAUL CARLSON WEIR, BIRMINGHAM, AL
D. CHRISTOPHER WELLS, ROANOKE, VA
HAROLD RUDOLPH WELLS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MICHAEL AUBREY WELLS, ANDALUSIA, AL
THOMAS GEORGE WELLS, MONTGOMERY, AL
ROBERT CRAIG WESSON, REDLANDS, CA
DOUGLAS JOHN WESTER JR., HUNTSVILLE, AL
TERRY ALAN WESTMORELAND, COLUMBUS, MS
JAMES RODMAN WHATLEY, OPELIKA, AL
JOHN ROSS WHEAT, NORTHPORT, AL
JOE ANN LUKER WHEELER, TUSCALOOSA, AL
JOHN DAVID WHEELER II, HUNTSVILLE, AL
JACK MEADOW WHETSTONE, MONROEVILLE, AL
DEWEY ANDERSON WHITE JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
MARJORIE LEE WHITE, BIRMINGHAM, AL
MILTON FALKNER WHITE JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
ROY SIDNEY WHITE, BRENT, AL
THOMAS EUGENE WHITE, OAKLAND, CA
JOHN GRANT WIDEMAN, VINEMONT, AL
DONNA ANN WIGGINS, SAN FRANCISCO, CA
WILLIAM BROOKS WILKINSON JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
C. DENT WILLIAMS JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
JANE NEWMAN WILLIAMS, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN A. WILLIAMS, MONTGOMERY, AL
JULI DENISE WILLIAMS, CHARLOTTE, NC
ROBERT HUNTLEY WILLIAMS, HUNTSVILLE, AL
WILLIAM JACKSON WILLIAMS, BETHANY, OK
NATHAN ARTHUR WILLIAMSON, NORTHPORT, AL
BARRY LEWIS WILSON, MONTGOMERY, AL
H. ANDREW WILSON JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES ARTHUR WILSON JR., TAMPA, FL
RICHARD HARDING WILSON, COLUMBUS, GA
ROBERT GODFREY WILSON, SHAWNEE, OK
ROBERT KEMP WILSON JR., PENSACOLA, FL
GREGORY SCOTT WINDHAM, CULLMAN, AL
JAMES LOWERY WINDSOR, PLEASANT GROVE, AL
CHARLES SHELL WINGARD, BIRMINGHAM, AL
DANIELLE DANEEN WINKLER, COLUMBIA, SC
STANLEY BLAKELEY WINSLOW, MONTGOMERY, AL
JAMES EDWIN WISE, MOODY, AL
STEVEN DWAYNE WISE, DOTHAN, AL
JOEL ALLEN WISSING, CHARLOTTE, NC
C. DOUGLAS WITHERSPOON, BIRMINGHAM, AL
PATRICK JAN WITHROW, PADUCAH, KY
JOHN L. WOLFORD, LEXINGTON, KY
CATHERINE LENEAVE WOOD, MONTGOMERY, AL
ROBERT ALEXANDER WOOD, MOBILE, AL
JAMES SPIVEY WOODARD, COLUMBUS, MS
CHIVERS R. WOODRUFF JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN BENJAMIN WOODS, DOTHAN, AL
JACK WOOL, MONTGOMERY, AL
JASON NEWELL WORKMAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
DAVID WILLIAM WRIGHT, ATLANTA, GA
DONALD A. WRIGHT, GALLATIN, TN
JAMES GAGE WRIGHT JR., SYLACAUGA, AL
JAMES ORRALL WRIGHT III, MASON CITY, IA
ERICH TYRONE WYCKOFF, BEAVERCREEK, OH
INAS ZAKI YACOUB, COLUMBIA, SC
THOMAS HUBBARD YANCEY, DAPHNE, AL
DONALD EUGENE YARBROUGH, ROCHESTER, MN
RALPH HOUSTON YARBROUGH, BIRMINGHAM, AL
RANDY JAMES YARBROUGH, VESTAVIA, AL
MICHAEL DOUGLAS YATES, HUNTSVILLE, AL
MUNFORD RADFORD YATES III, CHATTANOOGA, TN
CHARLES FRANKLIN YEAGER, MOBILE, AL
EARL STEPHEN YEAGER, SAVANNAH, GA
WILFRED WARD YEARGAN JR., TUSCALOOSA, AL
ALLEN LYNWOOD YEILDING, BIRMINGHAM, AL
NEWMAN MANLY YEILDING III, ARDMORE, PA
ROBERT LEE YODER JR., FLORENCE, AL
PATTY MOORE YOFFE, BOSTON, MA
KENNETH CRAWFORD YOHN, MONTGOMERY, AL
STEVEN EUGENE ZACHOW, JACKSON, MS
EDWARD JOSEPH ZAMPELLA, SHORT HILLS, NJ
ROBERT H. ZAX, LOUISVILLE, KY
HERBERT EVAN ZEIGER JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
SOLOMON GLENN ZERDEN, SAVANNAH, GA
GEORGE LUEY ZORN JR., BIRMINGHAM, AL
MARTHA MYERS MEMORIAL DONORS
ROBERT LEWIS BEAIRD JR., AUBURN, AL
MICHAEL ALSTON CALLAHAN, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JAMES OSCAR COLLEY III, TROY, AL
ROBERT MILTON COSBY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
GEORGE EUGENE DAILEY III, SOLANA BEACH, CA
RICHARD DENSON DESHAZO, BRANDON, MS
WILLIAM EDWARD DOGGETT III, BIRMINGHAM, AL
CONRAD M. FOWLER, TUSCALOOSA, AL
WOLFRAM GLASER, BIRMINGHAM, AL
GREGORY CHARLES GRAY, IOWA CITY, IA
PAUL WESLEY GRAY JR., HUNTSVILLE, AL
JOHN BONDURANT HARRISON, HUNTSVILLE, AL
GEORGE DOUGLAS MILLER, GADSDEN, AL
THOMAS EDWIN MOODY, BIRMINGHAM, AL
LEONARD FAHERTY PINKLEY JR., ARMORY, MS
ROBERT MONROE PRITCHETT, BIRMINGHAM, AL
FAYE D. ROBERTS, MOBILE, AL
RICHARD FELIX SMITH, BIRMINGHAM, AL
JOHN BRANTLEY SMITHSON, FT. WORTH, TX
ROGER DEAN TIMS, ROANOKE, VA
MARY ANN TURNER, RICHMOND, VA
JAMES HENSON WHEELER, ATLANTA, GA
C. DENT WILLIAMS JR., MONTGOMERY, AL
STANLEY BLAKELEY WINSLOW, MONTGOMERY, AL
37

Alumni Profile
Alumni Profile: Stephen Brossette, M.D., Ph.D.
By Sandra Bearden
Stephen Brossette, M.D., Ph.D., is less than five years out of the
University of Alabama School of Medicine. Yet he may already have saved
hundreds of lives through his work—and this work has just begun.
The 32-year-old New Orleans native
(UASOM ’99) is founder and chief executive
officer of MedMined, Inc., a Birminghambased
business on the fast track among the
nation’s health-care IT companies. Employing
artificial intelligence in tandem with laboratory
and hospital databases, MedMined unveils
patterns in health-care data. Linked, the patterns
can provide clues to the origins of hospital-acquired
infections. In 2002, this pioneering
technology landed Brossette a spot on the
MIT Technology Review’s list of the world’s top
100 young innovators. In addition,
MedMined was named 2002 Technology
Company of the Year by the National Business
Incubation Association.
The honors and media coverage the company
has received underscore the seriousness of
the problem MedMined is combating. In 1995,
hospital infections caused 88,000 deaths in the
United States, the fourth leading cause of death
behind heart disease, cancer, and strokes.
“These infections are a big, expensive problem,”
Brossette says. “They make a lot of people
sick and kill some of them. Patients lose.
Hospitals lose. Insurers lose.”
MedMined applies sophisticated computer
algorithms and techniques to sift through vast
amounts of data. Medical personnel use
results from this “data mining” to detect early
warning signs of infection and to prevent or
control outbreaks.
Brossette first learned about data mining
when he was a student in UASOM’s Medical
Scientist Training Program (MSTP), working
concurrently on an M.D. and a Ph.D. in computer
science. A physics major whose undergraduate
work was in computational analysis,
Brossette had become interested in medicine
during his junior year at Georgia Tech.
“After learning of the MSTP, I decided it
would be a rewarding experience to take scientific
research and apply it to health care,”
Brossette says.
After completing rotations in other fields,
Brossette became the first MSTP student at
UAB to work on a doctorate in a non-biological
science. Encouraging him were several
UASOM faculty members, including Stephen
A. Moser, Ph.D., John A. Smith, M.D., Jay M.
McDonald, M.D., and Frank Griffin, M.D.,
(the latter now retired, but then director of the
MSTP program). Warren Jones, Ph.D., professor
emeritus in computer sciences, spurred
Brossette’s interest in applying data-mining
techniques to research on hospital infections.
A cross-campus collaboration between pathology
and computer sciences resulted.
Brossette had earned his Ph.D. and M.D. and
was working on a residency in pathology when
his phone rang one day in 2000. It was a representative
from a firm in the Boston area. The
firm’s scientists had read Brossette’s reports and
were interested in commercializing his work.
“These infections are
a big, expensive
problem. They make
a lot of people sick
and kill some of
them. Patients lose.
Hospitals lose.
Insurers lose.”
— Stephen Brossette, M.D., Ph.D.
His response was quick: “No thanks. I’d like
to do that myself,” Brossette recalls saying. He
put down the phone and picked it up again, calling
Patrick Hymel, M.D., and G. T. LaBorde, an
attorney, both friends since childhood. All three
had harbored dreams of being entrepreneurs.
LaBorde drew up a business plan, and in a
month the three had set up shop in a one-room
office at UAB’s Office for the Advancement of
Developing Industries (OADI).
Backed by $2.25 million in venture-capital
funding, MedMined now has 60 hospital
clients under contract and 16 staff members.
Among these are Brossette, Hymel (who serves
as chief medical officer), and LaBorde, chief
operating officer. This past August, MedMined
and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama
joined forces to track hospital-acquired infections
at 40 of the state’s largest hospitals.
“We believe this will be a landmark study in
its field,” Brossette says. “It will set the stage
for the future.”
These days, Brossette has little time to
indulge his hobbies of photography and cooking.
“My wife, Lynda, son, Nathan, who’s two,
and Audrey, four months, deserve my time
when I’m at home,” he says.
Time is at a premium on the job, too.
“There are 2,500 hospitals that can use our
services, and we’re developing relationships
with corporate partners to roll out services
faster,” Brossette says. “We believe we can
affect more patients by taking this technology
to the world than by treating them individually.
It’s an opportunity we’re excited about.”
38

Alumni Profile
Alumni Profile: Leigh Jefferies, M.D.
By Ella Robinson
It’s a long walk from the research lab to the boardroom. Science terminology
can sometimes be like a foreign language when it enters the corporate world. This
is where Leigh Jefferies, M.D., steps in. As director of medical-information strategies
at Synchrogenix, a marketing and corporate communications group, Jefferies
works as a liaison between the researcher and the business world. Her understanding
of both fields bridges the gap and makes that long walk a little shorter.
A 1979 graduate of the UASOM, Jefferies
served as an associate professor and assistant
director of transfusion medicine at the University
of Pennsylvania School of Medicine before joining
Synchrogenix. While at the University of
Pennsylvania, she had numerous research papers
published in major medical journals, including
the New England Journal of Medicine. She also
edited medical textbooks, directed clinical and
research training programs for physician residents
and fellows, developed continuing education
courses for attending staff physicians and
technologists, and was principal investigator on
several federal grants.
At Synchrogenix, Jefferies is involved with
the company’s pharmaceutical marketing,
training, and documentation services. Whether
it is preparing submissions for FDA review,
meeting with a group of physicians to discuss a
new medication, or introducing a new drug to
consumers, she helps pharmaceutical manufacturers
find the correct approach for providing
necessary data. “We provide communication
pieces that offer clear, concise, and relevant
information,” she explains.
Now that consumers are becoming more
involved in their own health-care decisions,
marketing and regulatory processes concerning
the introduction of new treatments are becoming
even more complicated. For that reason,
Jefferies is ready to help bridge the gap between
the laboratory and boardroom.
Moving from the laboratory to commercial
industry can be difficult. Pharmaceutical companies
typically follow their own self-regulatory
codes that sometimes conflict with commercial
objectives. Jefferies and her staff work to keep
ethical and scientific goals strong while conforming
to corporate expectations.
She says that she draws on her previous experience
writing scientific reports, journal papers, and
educational materials to help her clients. “I focus
on the needs of the pharmaceutical companies to
provide document preparation and presentation.
I usually work with a team of physicians and
researchers, guiding them through the necessary
procedures with regulatory goals in mind.”
Another way Jefferies bridges the gap is by
helping pharmaceutical companies see how
their own high standards for promotional
activities coordinate with the regulatory
processes governing pharmaceutical advertising.
She is able to advise manufacturers of upto-date
government policies and rules that
will allow them to develop effective marketing
and promotion plans.
Her involvement goes even further for some
companies that are submitting new medications
for approval. Government agencies such as the
“I focus on the needs of the pharmaceutical companies to provide
document preparation and presentation. I usually work with a team
of physicians and researchers, guiding them through the necessary
procedures with regulatory goals in mind.” — Leigh Jefferies, M.D.
EPA and FDA require regulatory compliance on
many levels. “I help pharmaceutical companies
who are submitting applications for approval of
medications under development and in clinical
trials,” she explains. “It is important to emphasize
the steps taken for safety monitoring and
drug efficiency when applying for approval of
new drugs.” Synchrogenix has handled applications
for a variety of drugs including pain medications,
antibiotics, and drugs related to infectious
diseases, the autoimmune system, and cardiac
disorders, says Jefferies.
During her career, Jefferies has earned numerous
awards, including a National Institutes of
Health grant to develop and manage a multidisciplinary
education and research program on
transfusion medicine at the University of
Pennsylvania. She also holds a master’s of government
administration from the University of
Pennsylvania. She is board-certified in anatomic
and clinical pathology and has completed a fellowship
in transfusion medicine. Her next project
is to facilitate the launch of a new product
that will help CEOs in a variety of industries
articulate a commitment to ethical decisionmaking
and alignment of core values within an
organization. She hopes to promote the program’s
emphasis on personal responsibility to
health-care delivery systems.
39

From the Archives: A Look Back at Volker Hall By Tim L. Pennycuff
With the expansion and renovation of Volker Hall recently complete, the current “From the Archives”
column reminds us of the beginnings of one of the UASOM’s major facilities.
On July 30, 1968, Alabama governor Albert
Brewer joined University of Alabama
President Frank Rose and Executive Vice
President Joseph F. Volker in tossing the symbolic
first shovel of dirt to launch a massive construction
project at the Birmingham Medical Center. Three
buildings were being celebrated at the groundbreaking
that day: a health-sciences library, a nursing-school
building, and a basic-sciences building
to be used for the joint health-science departments
of the medical and dental schools. At the ceremony,
Governor Brewer noted that the Medical Center
“played a vital role in providing skilled personnel to
minister to the health needs of all Alabamians” and
the planned science building would be a sign that
the state of Alabama was “bridging the gap between
laboratory and doctor’s office.”
Designed by Charles H. McCauley and Associates,
the structure was planned to “provide modern
teaching facilities” by incorporating “the latest concepts
of health education.” The new science building
alone had a price tag of $15 million, which—according
to contemporary news reports—was the largest
outlay of funds for any single public structure and
was the largest public construction project in the
state’s history. A grant of $8.9 million from the U.S.
Public Health Service, under the provision of the
Health Professions Education Act, and a bond issue
of the Alabama legislature provided the funding for
the massive facility.
The Basic Health Sciences Building occupied an
entire city block along Eighth Avenue South
(University Boulevard) between 16th and 17th
Streets. The 400,000-square-foot building contained
lecture halls, departmental offices, and laboratory
research space, as well as room for auxiliary
services and animal facilities. Completion of the
building had been delayed due to labor strikes in
the local construction industry, and general contractor
Pearce, DeMoss & King, Inc., was only able
to give UAB control of a portion of the building on
November 1, 1971. The university accepted the
completed area because the building was needed for
incoming first-year medical and dental students.
The start of school for the freshman classes had
been delayed from September until the first of
December because of the construction delays. The
remainder of the building was completed and
opened during 1972.
The name Basic Health Sciences Building was not
retained for long. In October 1977 the five-year old
building was renamed Volker Hall in honor of Joseph
F. Volker, D.D.S., Ph.D. (1913-1989), the founding
dean of the School of Dentistry, former vice president
for health affairs and director of the Medical Center,
first president of UAB, and the first chancellor of the
three-campus University of Alabama System.
(Clockwise from top L) President S. Richardson Hill Jr., M.D. (right), greets University of Alabama Chancellor
Joseph F. Volker, D.D.S., Ph.D. (left), at the Basic Health Sciences Building, October 1977 (the Basic Health
Sciences building was renamed Volker Hall later that month); the Basic Health Sciences, School of Nursing,
and medical library buildings are nearing completion in this photograph from 1970; Volker Hall and the Lister
Hill Library of the Health Sciences, circa 1979; Alabama Governor Albert P. Brewer (center) tosses the first
shovel of dirt at the groundbreaking ceremony for the basic sciences, nursing, and medical library buildings
on July 30, 1968—observing the occasion are President Frank A. Rose (right) and Executive Vice President
Joseph F. Volker (left); President Rose speaks at the July 30, 1968 groundbreaking—also in attendance are
Hill (left), Charles A. McCallum Jr., M.D. (second from left), and Volker (far right).
40

In Appreciation
UASOM Annual Fund’s
“The Importance of You” Campaign
What does the
Annual Fund do for the School?
• provides financial support (academic and
need-based)
• provides funding for classroom and laboratory
technology
• allows us to recruit the best and brightest students
• allows us to recruit and retain highly skilled faculty
You are the key
to the Annual Fund.
Before you add this magazine to your
office collection, take two minutes and
write a check payable to the School of
Medicine Annual Fund and return it
in the attached envelope. Your gift,
“The UASOM owes our success to alumni
like you who dedicate themselves to
attaining excellence in the profession and
practice of medicine.”
regardless of the amount, will make a
difference. All gifts are tax-deductible.
William B. Deal, M.D.
Vice President and Dean
For online gifts, go to [www.uab.edu/supportmedicine].
For more information, contact Meredith Murdock at (205) 934-4469.
The
IMPORTANCE OF
YOU

CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION SCHEDULE
February 2-April 2, 2004
“The Gorgas Course in Clinical Tropical Medicine”; sponsored by
the UAB Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious
Diseases, the Instituto de Medicina Tropical A. Von Humboldt,
Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (IMT), and the IAMAT
Foundation; Lima, Peru; 125 CME credits.
February 21-22, 2004
“32nd Annual Anesthesiology Review Course”; sponsored by the
UABDepartment of Anesthesiology; Wynfrey Hotel, Birmingham,
Alabama; 10 CME credits.
AlumniBulletin
ALABAMA MEDICAL
AlumniBulletin
University of Alabama Medical Alumni Association
MAB • 811 20th Street South
1530 3RD AVE S
BIRMINGHAM AL 35294-2140
March 5, 2004
“UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center Women’s Cancer
Symposium”; sponsored by the UAB Comprehensive Cancer
Center; Sandestin Golf & Beach Resort, Destin, Florida; 6 CME
credits.
June 24-26, 2004
“3rd International Conference on Pediatric Renal Replacement
Therapy”; sponsored by the UAB Department of Pediatrics, the
Pediatric Continuous Renal Replacement Foundation, and DeVos
Children’s Hospital; Coronado Springs Resort, Orlando, Florida;
16 CME credits.
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit No. 1256
Birmingham, AL