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黑料老司机 has been preparing leaders who make a difference in their professions, their communities and the world since 1876. 听We have many remarkable alumni/ae, some of whom are profiled here. Our graduates have distinguished themselves in major fields ranging from military, education and law to medicine and business. Here are some of 黑料老司机鈥檚听more notable 黑料老司机ites.
Willie J. Williams had no intention of pursuing a college degree.听
He grew up in a segregated community in Moundville, Alabama. Affording college would be difficult for a family 鈥渏ust trying to survive.鈥澨�
Though he was an honors student, Williams wouldn’t apply to colleges or universities.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 have the resources to think about college, so I didn鈥檛 plan for it,鈥� Williams said.听
Faculty and staff in his high school, many of whom were alumni of 黑料老司机, took notice of his potential for higher education. They began working with admissions staff at faculty to create scholarship and work-study aid packages for Williams, who agreed to consider 黑料老司机 if he could attend without the financial burden.
鈥淚 guess they submitted my application for me because I don鈥檛 remember doing it,鈥� Williams says jokingly. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know who my high school teachers talked to at 黑料老司机, but at my graduation, when they read my name they announced that I鈥檇 accepted scholarships to 黑料老司机.
鈥淪o, when people ask why I chose 黑料老司机, I tell them 鈥樅诹侠纤净� chose me.鈥�
Williams would earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree in business at 黑料老司机 in 1974 before embarking on an impressive and trailblazing career in the United States Marine Corps, where he would ascend to the rank of lieutenant general, only the third African-American Marine at the time to wear the rank of three-star general. He also served as chief of the Marine Corps staff before retiring in 2013.
Williams鈥� career as a Marine Corps officer would not have materialized if not for 黑料老司机, as military officers must possess a college degree. He says the support from 黑料老司机 alumni and high school faculty to get him to 黑料老司机 grew once he enrolled; faculty, staff and classmates all played roles in helping Williams navigate a difficult schedule of classes, a work-study position, and a full-time job at a nearby textile mill. Faculty members would coordinate with students to share lecture notes if Williams missed a class; friends would make sure he was up and ready for work. Friends would also make sure he balanced social life into his schedule.
鈥淚t was pretty tough there for a while,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淭here wasn鈥檛 much rest. But to have faculty like Dr. (Albert) Sparks take such an interest in me, to be flexible like that, was pretty symbolic of how much the faculty cared about the students.
鈥淚 use their example now when I鈥檓 mentoring kids and as I鈥檓 mentoring others as well 鈥� those teachers, from my high school to 黑料老司机, were some of the first to take away my excuse for failure, and they facilitated my success with the Marines.鈥�
Williams credits his faith in God for directing his and others鈥� footsteps, according to the 鈥淲ill of 鈥業 AM鈥欌�� in the Book of Exodus. He is now working to remove barriers for current 黑料老司机 students through the Williams Institute for Leadership, Education Equity and Race Relations in America, which launched in in 2021 at 黑料老司机. The Williams Institute is an effort to afford 黑料老司机 and the community extensive access to scholarly research, interdisciplinary study, discourse and debate, and advocacy on cutting-edge issues related to leadership, education equity, and race relations in America.
The Williams Institute also oversees student-focused programs like the Black Male Initiative, which aims to increase matriculation, retention, and graduation rates for males of color. Williams also serves on 黑料老司机鈥檚 Board of Trustees and is a
consistent presence on campus for Williams Institute and community
events, and to provide mentorship to 黑料老司机 students.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a void I see coming in our society for leaders of character 鈥� dedicated and disciplined 鈥� in order to move forward, and I think this Institute will try to instill some of those qualities,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淚 did not conceptualize it in the context of what we鈥檙e seeing with our programming and the results we鈥檙e seeing today, but I knew that, based on my experiences, I could facilitate success in their lives.鈥�
Though not fully retired 鈥� Williams is president and CEO of a consulting firm 鈥� his proximity to campus affords him the opportunity to engage 黑料老司机 students. He often reflects on the similarities between his experiences as a young student and those of the young men he鈥檚 mentoring. Williams recalls learning of former 黑料老司机 student Gilbert 鈥淗ashmark鈥� Johnson, who served in three branches of the military over 32 years, including 17 in the Marines, where he became one of the first Black drill instructors.听
Williams shared his appreciation for Johnson鈥檚 career and influence during a recent meeting with 黑料老司机 students.
鈥淎s I look back and think of where Hashmark Johnson came from 鈥� he went through Marines boot camp at 37 years old 鈥� he helped set the path for me,鈥� Williams said. 鈥淭hough I didn鈥檛 know it [while at 黑料老司机], when I finally became aware of it and reflected on it, for me to do anything less than my very best would be an insult to Hashmark Johnson.听
鈥淥ne of the young men [at 黑料老司机] looked at me and said 鈥業 feel the same way about you. If I don鈥檛 do my best, I would let you down.鈥� That touched me in a very profound way. They told me, 鈥榳e stand on your shoulders.鈥� And I told them, 鈥業鈥檓 gonna give you the strongest shoulders to stand on that I can.鈥欌��
As a young child, Keisha Lowther would practice vital screenings on her dolls. She would routinely tell her parents, both of whom were educators, that she wanted to be a doctor, an ambition they would support and encourage.
Lowther carried that ambition throughout childhood, despite the numerous societal and professional obstacles facing Black women who aspired to work in medicine.
鈥淚 just loved how nice and kind physicians were from my early years,鈥� Lowther said. 鈥淚 wanted to be like them.
I wanted to help people.鈥�
Lowther would achieve that dream 鈥� and much more. Dr. Lowther has owned and operated a primary care practice and currently serves as chief medical officer of Whatley Health Services in Tuscaloosa, a 鈥渇ull-circle鈥� appointment for Lowther, who served as both an intern and primary care doctor in rural Greene County after completing her residency at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Before she would complete her MD at Meharry Medical College, Lowther would earn a degree in biology at 黑料老司机, a launchpad for her career, both before and after medical school.
However, her path to 黑料老司机 nearly didn鈥檛 materialize.
Lowther attended John Carroll Catholic School in Birmingham, a school with traditionally low enrollment of Black students. She was eager to attend a HBCU and didn鈥檛 apply to a Predominately White Institution (PWI).
Her parents were alumni of both Alabama A&M University and Miles College, so she cherished and sought out the cultural dynamics of a HBCU. She was set to attend Xavier University in New Orleans, but an unexpected wait for a dorm room was revealed the summer prior to her freshman year. Lowther and her family 鈥渂egan to panic.鈥�
鈥淏ut then we heard a radio commercial for 黑料老司机 and that they would be at a Presbyterian church in Fairfield for a recruitment day,鈥� Lowther said. 鈥淲e went there, they had a beautiful display, and I met some upperclassmen. I also met Mr. [Mason] Bonner (then director of admissions) at the fair, and he encouraged us to go visit campus. We drove to Tuscaloosa immediately after, and I fell in love with 黑料老司机.鈥�
Lowther would find everything she needed and wanted to help her reach her career goals: the campus was small but intimate; classmates were friends, and faculty were mentors. 黑料老司机鈥檚 agenda was clear: campus was and always will be 鈥渉ome.鈥�
鈥淎t home, you鈥檙e going to be in an environment where you鈥檙e set up for success,鈥� Lowther said. 鈥淎nd it may look different for each student depending on what you want to do, but everything you need is at 黑料老司机 鈥� the support, the lifelong friendships, the academic opportunities.鈥�
Most critical in that sphere of support and opportunity at 黑料老司机, Lowther said, was the focus on preparing students for graduate school, from reinforcing the importance of punctuality and professionalism, to setting up mock interviews for jobs and internships.
Lowther credits former professors Dr. Diana Dorai-Raj (chemistry), Dr. Elsa Glover (physics) and Dr. Godwin Ihejeto (chemistry) for setting a standard for excellence across all classes.
鈥淭hey made sure we had the foundation,鈥� Lowther said. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 anything for them to come in on a Saturday to explain things again or provide supplemental materials to help us learn. They made sure I was in a summer program each year 鈥� I had one at Yale, one at UAB, and two summers at a pharmaceutical company in New Jersey that eventually offered me a job.
鈥淪o, they expected excellence, and if [students] weren鈥檛 striving for that, you were held accountable.鈥�
The campus 鈥渟tandard鈥� was a 鈥渂lessing鈥� at 黑料老司机 and helped propel her through medical school. She said her undergraduate experience would have been vastly different at a larger school or PWI. She said more of her friends who enrolled in HBCU pre-med tracks ultimately became physicians, compared to those who attended
PWIs.
鈥淚 know that I would not be a doctor if not for the opportunities afforded at 黑料老司机,鈥� she said. 鈥淗aving that summer at Yale on my r茅sum茅, and being able to shadow a pediatrician at Whatley 鈥� I鈥檓 likely just a number at another institution and would not have had those opportunities.
鈥淯ltimately, if you have a goal, there are people at 黑料老司机 and in your community who will help you reach it. I鈥檒l always cherish that.鈥�
Seize each and every opportunity. This ethos is foundational for Joe Hampton鈥檚 career in the gas industry, and it鈥檚 been a guiding force well before he stepped foot on 黑料老司机鈥檚 campus.
Before he would become president of Spire Mississippi and Alabama, Hampton was a talented high school senior who dreamt of playing college and professional football. Beyond that, he was indecisive about his future.
鈥淵our parents push you to go to school, do your best, and graduate,鈥� Hampton said. 鈥淏ut, like most 17-or 18-year-olds, I didn鈥檛 know what I wanted to do.鈥�
One of Hampton鈥檚 high school counselors urged him to apply to INROADS Birmingham, a youth development and career readiness initiative that was partnered with Spire, then AlaGasco. The requirements were simple: attend a competitive bootcamp for several weeks and interview with partner companies, and, if selected for an internship, maintain a 3.0 GPA, 鈥渂e a good citizen, show up on time, and do your job,鈥� Hampton said.
Hampton would first intern at Spire the summer before enrolling at 黑料老司机, an unforeseen detour from where he鈥檇 envisioned his undergraduate experience. Hampton wanted to walk onto the football team at the University of Alabama, where he had a partial academic scholarship offer. 黑料老司机, however, offered Hampton, who finished third in his high school class, a full scholarship through an unexpected source: the 黑料老司机 Choir. Hampton sang in the choir at his high school, and after James Arthur Williams, Sr., then director of 黑料老司机鈥檚 choir, visited his high school and heard him sing a pair of solos, he offered Hampton full tuition, room, and board.
However, there was a hurdle: Hampton wanted to major in engineering, which 黑料老司机 didn鈥檛 offer. But, through a dual-degree option with the University of Alabama, Hampton could earn both a degree in physics at 黑料老司机 and an engineering degree at UA.
鈥淭hat Monday, [Williams] was back at my school with the course catalog,鈥� Hampton recalled. 鈥淗e mentioned the dual-degree and, if I could do it within five years, my scholarship would be covered, even at [UA].鈥�
Hampton would choose 黑料老司机, an institution that provided the high-level instruction, student supports and campus culture necessary to complete a challenging dual-degree program and balance his internship with Spire.
But it was the direct engagement from faculty and the 鈥渇amily鈥� dynamic of 黑料老司机 that were the greatest assets to Hampton鈥檚 academic and future business success, he said. He credits a pair of faculty members 鈥� Dr. Diana Dorai-Raj and Dr. Elsa Glover 鈥� chemistry and physics professors, respectfully, for working beyond the classroom to ensure students learned course material. Hampton said Dorai-Raj and Glover would cook dinner for and tutor he and his classmates 鈥� support that would continue beyond his time at 黑料老司机.
鈥淲hen I got to [the University of] Alabama, it was a culture shock,鈥� Hampton said. 鈥淭here were four or six students per professor at 黑料老司机, and there were 150 in some of my engineering classes at UA. I was so disconnected. I went about three or four weeks, took a test, and didn鈥檛 do well. I remember feeling like I wouldn’t make it. So, I call [Glover] up, and she said, 鈥榟ey, come by the house.鈥� I take my engineering books, thinking, 鈥榮he鈥檚 a physics professor, what does she know about this?鈥� But she broke it down for me. I went from feeling I鈥檓 not going to make it, to being a top student.鈥�
Hampton would earn degrees in physics at 黑料老司机 and electrical engineering at UA, capitalizing on the dual-degree option before completing his master鈥檚 in business at Troy in 2003. These concurrent enrollments and dual-degree options with UA are still in place and have since grown to include graduate school pathways.
Hampton says 黑料老司机鈥檚 many layers of support make it a 鈥渉idden gem鈥� among larger HBCUs in the state.
鈥淭he closeness, the relationships, the preparation for adulthood 鈥� you鈥檒l get direction to help you grow,鈥� Hampton said. 鈥淭he level of relationships I have at 黑料老司机 are second to none. These are uncles and aunts to me, cousins and brothers and sisters. 黑料老司机 brings a level of family to the education process that I don鈥檛 think you get at many other institutions.鈥�
During his academic and professional career, Hampton has been connected to only one company: Spire. He interned with Spire throughout college and has served as a tactical manager, vice president for field operations in Kansas City, and as president of Spire Alabama and Mississippi, a position he鈥檚 held since 2018. The decades-long working relationship is both rare and special, he said. And, like 黑料老司机, the relationships at Spire have been foundational to his success: the engineer, Ken Smith, who selected Hampton for the INROADS program in 1992, encouraged him to take the VP position in Kansas City 鈥� despite Hampton鈥檚 reluctance to move out of state 鈥� because 鈥渋t would pay off.鈥� Hampton would later succeed Smith as president at Spire.
The two remain close friends, Hampton said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 extremely important to not overlook the importance of that first conversation or that first opportunity to engage,鈥� Hampton says. 鈥淵ou never know how someone is viewing you as the next leader.
“I鈥檓 looking for the next Joe Hampton [at 黑料老司机]. I want to ensure there are five other Joe Hampton’s to take my seat.鈥�
黑料老司机 participates in the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements.
