The Modern Southern Gentleman...

Where tradition meets the 21st century

Posts tagged Alabama

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I recently made a trip back home to Memphis, with pit stops in Sikeston, MO to see my maternal grandparents and Potts Camp, MS to visit my daddy’s side of the family.  When I travel, I think a lot about the South, what it was, what it is, where it’s headed.  But it seems like there there isn’t always a consensus about what is Southern and what isn’t.  My grandparents in Sikeston, for example, have a few Southern tendencies, but don’t really consider themselves Southern, but both of their children do/did.   Momma moved to Memphis in 1976 to attend nursing school and most definitely has always considered herself a Southern woman.  Her brother stayed in the Bootheel, but he and his kids all consider themselves Southern.  And my mother and I have always accepted that as fact.  After all, Southeast MO is a cultural transition area where the South meets the Midwest.  That part of the sate often even pronounces their homeland as “Missourah” instead of the traditional “Missouree,” definitely a Southern speech pattern.  My grandparents tell me almost every time I see them that I “don’t sound like [I’m] from Memphis.”  It used to somewhat offend me, but I’ve realized why they think this way: I speak quickly.  The idea that all Southerners speak slowly is not only antiquated, it’s very inaccurate.  Sure, there are plenty of Southerners that still speak like that, but it’s not really the norm anymore.  So many of us are from large cities and speaking slowly just doesn’t generally cut it there.  Doesn’t mean we’ve lost our accent or manners, just that we have just as much to say, but less time to do so.   But Southern culture isn’t one giant homogenous thing.  We share common elements, the fact that we drawl our words, but even the way we do that varies.  Carolina Lowcountry isn’t West Tennessee cotton culture.  So, I decided to make this map.  I know that even this is somewhat of a generalization, but feel like it’s pretty accurate.  I’m always open to suggestions if anyone has them.  And obviously these different areas aren’t exclusive; cultures bleed and blend.  Southern Appalachia is most definitely Southern, but it’s different than central Georgia’s culture. Also, the Deep South is generally listed as MS, AL, and GA. But Southeast AR, North LA and SC definitely constitute Deep South as well.  I’ve included the very Southwest corner of TN, namely Memphis and up to around the Covington, TN area.  The reason for this is that we are part of the Mississippi River Delta and Delta culture is most definitely Deep South.  Do note “New South” doesn’t strictly denote the idea that these areas haven’t always been considered the South, rather that they are now the outermost border of what is thought of as the South by most people today. Our culture constantly grows, shifts, and evolves, yet maintains our Southern charms and sensibilities.  The South is our home and here’s to keeping it that way! 

I recently made a trip back home to Memphis, with pit stops in Sikeston, MO to see my maternal grandparents and Potts Camp, MS to visit my daddy’s side of the family.  When I travel, I think a lot about the South, what it was, what it is, where it’s headed.  But it seems like there there isn’t always a consensus about what is Southern and what isn’t.  My grandparents in Sikeston, for example, have a few Southern tendencies, but don’t really consider themselves Southern, but both of their children do/did.  

Momma moved to Memphis in 1976 to attend nursing school and most definitely has always considered herself a Southern woman.  Her brother stayed in the Bootheel, but he and his kids all consider themselves Southern.  And my mother and I have always accepted that as fact.  After all, Southeast MO is a cultural transition area where the South meets the Midwest.  That part of the sate often even pronounces their homeland as “Missourah” instead of the traditional “Missouree,” definitely a Southern speech pattern. 

My grandparents tell me almost every time I see them that I “don’t sound like [I’m] from Memphis.”  It used to somewhat offend me, but I’ve realized why they think this way: I speak quickly.  The idea that all Southerners speak slowly is not only antiquated, it’s very inaccurate.  Sure, there are plenty of Southerners that still speak like that, but it’s not really the norm anymore.  So many of us are from large cities and speaking slowly just doesn’t generally cut it there.  Doesn’t mean we’ve lost our accent or manners, just that we have just as much to say, but less time to do so.  

But Southern culture isn’t one giant homogenous thing.  We share common elements, the fact that we drawl our words, but even the way we do that varies.  Carolina Lowcountry isn’t West Tennessee cotton culture.  So, I decided to make this map.  I know that even this is somewhat of a generalization, but feel like it’s pretty accurate.  I’m always open to suggestions if anyone has them.  And obviously these different areas aren’t exclusive; cultures bleed and blend.  Southern Appalachia is most definitely Southern, but it’s different than central Georgia’s culture. Also, the Deep South is generally listed as MS, AL, and GA. But Southeast AR, North LA and SC definitely constitute Deep South as well.  I’ve included the very Southwest corner of TN, namely Memphis and up to around the Covington, TN area.  The reason for this is that we are part of the Mississippi River Delta and Delta culture is most definitely Deep South. 

Do note “New South” doesn’t strictly denote the idea that these areas haven’t always been considered the South, rather that they are now the outermost border of what is thought of as the South by most people today.

Our culture constantly grows, shifts, and evolves, yet maintains our Southern charms and sensibilities.  The South is our home and here’s to keeping it that way! 

Filed under Memphis Tennessee The South Potts Camp Mississippi Sikeston Missouri Alabama Georgia South Carolina North Carolina Virginia Maryland Deleware West Virginia Kentucky Arkansas Texas Louisiana Florida Deep South

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Self Evident Truths is a project I heard about a long time ago and, honestly, figured would fizzle out.  It didn’t.  I learned today that they are actually headed out on a tour of the South! 

NYC based photographer, iO Tillet Wright, began this project in 2010, photographing a few hundred people in NYC.  But the project has grown! And, as Southerners, our faces need to be seen and our voices heard.  So often, we are left out of the conversation on LGBTQ rights all together.  People assume we grow up and move away; we try to escape the South.  We need to show them that we are here and happy! After all, if we all left, this place would never change.  I encourage everyone that has the possibility to do so to turn out and have your photo taken.  

Here is a list of the cities they will be in and when: 

Oklahoma City, OK February 24 & 25

Dallas, TX
February 26

Little Rock, AR
February 27

Jackson, MS
February 28

New Orleans, LA
March 1 & 2

Mobile, LA
March 3

Birmingham, AL
March 4

Atlanta, GA
March 6 & 7

Athens, GA
March 8

Asheville, NC
March 9

Knoxville, TN
March 11 & 12

Filed under LGBTQ LGBT Gay The South Knoxville Tennessee Atlanta Athens Georgia Dallas Texas Jackson Mississippi New Orleans NOLA Louisiana Mobile Birmingham Alabama Asheville North Carolina Oklahoma Oklahoma City OKC

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If you haven’t see this video, take a look soon.  It’s likely to be pulled from YouTube as it is completely NSFW.  This is absolutely disgraceful.  Not only should one team never do this to another (let alone one in the same conference), it should never be done to another person!!!  This is absolutely ridiculous.  In public.  I’m so floored by this, I don’t even have anything clever to say.  

Filed under Alabama LSU University of Alabama Louisiana State University SEC Football National Championship Louisiana New Orleans

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bananneliese: Hell Yeah, Damn Right!

bananneliese:

Hell Yeah, Damn Right!

(via beingdecided)

Filed under SEC The South Football Alabama University of Alabama Arkansas University of Arkansas Auburn Auburn University LSU Louisiana State University Ole Miss Mississippi University of Mississippi MIssissippi State University Mississippi State TAMU Texas A&M Texas Florida University of Florida Georgia University of Georgia Mizzou University of Missouri South Carolina University of South Carolina Tennessee University of Tennessee Vanderbilt

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The University of Alabama

Officially founded in 1831, the building blocks of The University of Alabama were first laid in 1818, when Alabama was still a territory.  The federal government approved a plan to establish a “seminary of learning.”  Less than a year after becoming a state, The University of the State of Alabama was founded. Tuscaloosa, AL, was chosen as the site for the university as it was the state capitol at the time. When the university finally opened for students in 1831, there was an enrollment of 52 students and all of 7 buildings on campus.  The university fared well and even opened a medical college branch in Mobile in 1859.  

Unlike other SEC universities, The University of Alabama was never forced to close its doors during the civil war.  This was actually due to behavior problems of the students at the university.  UA had very strict guidelines when it came to the conduct of students that didn’t even allow them to leave campus.  The students took it upon themselves to have a good time anyway.  So, in 1860, the president of the university lobbied the state legislature to turn the school into a military school.  When the American Civil War broke out less than a year later, the school became an official training facility for the Confederate Army.  This proved to be a near undoing for the university, however. 

In April 1865, Union Troops burned down almost the entire campus, including one of the nations largest libraries which housed over 7,000 volumes.  By the time the fires had cooled, only 4 buildings remained: The President’s mansion (1841), Gorgas House (1829), Little Round House (1860), and Old Observatory (1844).

Note that I sad Bama never closed its doors during the Civil War.  After the campus was razed, the university remained closed until 1971, with the exception of the medical college, which reopened in 1868.  in 1893, the university began admitting women and in 1903, after much student protest, the military system at the university was abandoned.  However, the university took part in the US Navy’s V-12 ROTC program and trained Naval Officers for WWII. 

The University of Alabama first tried to racially integrate in 1956 and, to some, it looked like it would be a success. Autherine Lucy successfully enrolled in the graduate program for Library Sciences after a court order prevented the university form denying her application on the basis of race.  But just 3 days into her studies, Autherine was suspended on the grounds that the university could not provide a safe place for her to learn. The university was not successfully integrated until 1963 when Vivian Malone and James Hood enrolled.  At the time, even the governor of Alabama was against integration and urged people to block the doorways to the university so that the students couldn’t enter. Although Hood dropped out after 2 months, though he later returned Malone stuck it out and was the first African- American to graduate from The University of Alabama.  The then governor, George Wallace, has publicly apologized for his now infamous “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” speech and the university has erected the Malone-Hood Plaza and the Autherine Lucy Clock Tower.  All three eventually attained degrees from the UA. 

The first football team for UA assembled in 1892 and was originally dubbed the “Thin Red Line” because of Bama’s school colors of crimson and white.  In 1907, the Hugh Roberts coined the phrase “Crimson Tide” when talking about the way the team appeared to be a wave as it rushed across the field during the “Iron Bowl” against Auburn University.  The only other rivalry to come close in the animosity felt between teams is between Bama and The University of Tennessee.  

One thing that seems to be brought up when talking about The University of Alabama is the mascot.  Akin the Auburn’s Tiger combined with “War Eagle” as a battle cry, UA’s Crimson Tide is rallied by an  elephant. There are a couple possibilities, again like Auburn’s “War Eagle.” One is from the 1927 Rose Bowl, when a local company gifted luggage to the team and their logo, an elephant, was associated by the media to be a symbol of the university.  The other story is from 1930 game against Ole Miss when a reporter for the Atlanta Journal  said that: 

“At the end of the quarter, the earth started to tremble, there was a distant rumble that continued to grow. Some excited fan in the stands bellowed, ‘Hold your horses, the elephants are coming,’ and out stamped this Alabama varsity. It was the first time that I had seen it and the size of the entire eleven nearly knocked me cold, men that I had seen play last year looking like they had nearly doubled in size.”

Either seems entirely plausible.  And either way, the mascot stuck…although the university didn’t officially accept the elephant, now known as “Big Al” until 1979.  

From humble beginnings with 52 students to one of the top academically ranked universities in the world with almost 32,000, The University of Alabama offers top notch education to students that hail from around the world.  

Filed under University of Alabama Alabama Bama UA Crimson Tide Roll Tide SEC Football The South

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Auburn University

Founded as East Alabama Male College in 1856 and opening it’s doors just 3 years later to 8 students, Auburn University was, in 1861, forced to go dormant due to the American Civil War.  Durning this period, university grounds were used as a training grounds for the Confederate Army and its main building, Old Main (not to be confused with Mississippi State University’s Old Main) was used as a hospital for the wounded. In 1952, ΑΦΟ had a cannon lathe recovered and it was placed next to Samford Hall to commemorate the lives lost in the Civil War.

Auburn was also greatly affected by both WWI and WWII.  In WWI, Auburn was used as a training facility for enlisted men sent there for training in mechanics and radio operation. WWII saw a similar impact when the US Army sent soldiers to Auburn for crash training to become what they termed “instant engineers.” Coordinated by Auburn’s Dean of Engineering, these classes were actually offered all over the state in mechanical, chemical, and other technical concentrations and many women took advantage of them, offering everything they could to their country. 

In it’s early years, Auburn had a close association with the Methodist church, but due to financial constraints, the church transferred the college to the state in 1772 and changed its name to The Agricultural & Mechanical College of Alabama. When this happened, it made Auburn the first land-grant university in the South that wasn’t the official state university.  In 1899, the university once again changed its name, this time to Alabama Polytechnic Institute and held this name until 1960 when it officiall changed its name to Auburn University. In 1967, thanks to the rapid expansion Auburn experienced post WWII and GI Bills, AUburn Univeristy opened a satellite campus, Auburn University at Montgomery, in Montgomery, Alabama.   

Auburn has several characteristics that make it unique to the SEC. Auburn holds the distinction of being the oldest college in the state of Alabama to admit women to its classrooms, and the second only to North Georgia College & State University in the southeast.  While most SEC schools are land-grant universities, Auburn is one of the few universities in the US to be designated a lang-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant institution. 

Although Auburn University’s official mascot is the Aubie the Tiger, dressed in Auburn’s classic burnt orange and navy blue, it is all too common to hear “War Eagles” being chanted from the stands of Jordan-Hare Stadium.  To the casual observer, this is probably pretty confusing.  Actually, it is to most people, and the history behind it is just as befuddled.  Stories referencing everything from WWII Air Force Pilots from the university to Native American football players have been told, but according a 1998 article in the Auburn Plainsman, the most likely story is that during a pep rally, an eagle emblem fell off the uniform of a military student and the “War Eagle” was born.  Auburn is currently home to War Eagle VII, “Nova.” 

Toomer’s long-standing landmark on the Auburn campus, marking the nd of downtown Auburn and the beginning of the university campus.  There are 2 massive Southern Live Oak trees growing on either side of the street there. Likely originating in the 1950’s to commemorate away game victories, it is now tradition to “roll the corner” any time anything good happens concerning Auburn University.

From a humble beginning with 8 students, through a long history full of struggle and war, and now home to almost 25,00 students, Auburn University continues to be a major contendor in the SEC, both academically and athletically.   

Filed under Auburn Auburn University Alabama SEC Football War Eagles

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I would just like to point out…

…that 10 out of 12 SEC teams won their games today.  And the two that lost did so to other SEC teams! There’s a reason the SEC is the best conference in the nation.  No wonder Texas A&M wants in.  

Here are a list of the scores:

Central Michigan 13 @ Kentucky 27 

Mississippi State 34 @ Auburn 41

Alabama 27 @ Penn State 11

Cincinnati 23 @ Tennessee 45 

South Carolina 45 @ Georgia 42

Southern Illinois 24 @ Ole Miss 42

New Mexico 3 @ Arkansas 52

UAB 0 @ Florida 39

Connecticut 21 @ Vanderbilt 24

Northwestern State (Louisiana) 3 @ LSU 49

Filed under Alabama Arkansas Auburn Auburn University Florida Georgia Kentucky LSU Louisiana State Louisiana State University Mississippi Mississippi State Mississippi State University Ole Miss SEC South Carolina Tennessee UGA University of Alabama University of Arkansas University of Carolina University of Florida University of Georgia University of Kentucky University of Mississippi University of Tennessee Vanderbilt Vanderbilt University Football