Jacksonville (AL) – On February 1, Abigail Harris and JSU Media Department Jacksonville State University will launch Black History Month 2023 by unveiling a historical marker in front Angle Hall in honor of Barbara Curry-Story, the woman who integrated the university back in 1965. All are invited to attend the ceremony at Angle Hall at 3:00 p.m.

Curry-Story, the first African American student to attend JSU was born Barbara Crook in Ohatchee (Ala.) on Nov. 24, 1941. After graduating from Calhoun County Training School, she briefly attended Alabama A&M before moving on to New York City to save money for college. She returned to Alabama five years later as a single mom and enrolled at JSU Fall 1965 to provide a better future for her son, aged two.

Curry-Story was a black woman who lived during Jim Crow laws’ end. It was difficult for her to complete everyday tasks. Curry-Story lived with her parents while at JSU and borrowed her brother’s 1959 Chevrolet for her commute to campus. She often took different routes to avoid harassment.

Angle Hall, formerly Bibb Graves Hall, was her first stop for history class. She wasn’t met with protests or media attention when she entered the building. Instead, her classmates greeted her with silence. As she walked around campus, her classmates would ask, “What’s she doing?” But she soon made friends and found her place at JSU.

She told the JSU News Bureau (now JSU Strategic Communications) that “it got to be where it was where I couldn’t sit alone any longer.” “Someone I knew would come in and make an introduction and then we would start to interact…after the first semester, there was very little interaction or snotty glances or anything. Or, maybe I was so involved that I didn’t notice these things. “By the end of my second semester, I was making friends with classmates in my class and began studying together.”

Curry-Story received advice from future JSU President Theron. He suggested that she apply for the job at Alabama Power when she asked him about her plans. In 1969, she graduated from JSU with a Bachelor’s of Science in Education and a concentration on vocational home economics. Alabama Power hired her the Monday after graduation.

Alabama Power was her entire career. She started out as a home service advisor and then worked in schools demonstrating electric appliances. Later she was involved in duct-design layouts, electric heat pumps, and water heaters. These positions were first held by women of color.

Curry-Story, 79, died Oct. 20, 2020. Henry Curry of Anniston was her husband for 23 years, during which time she died. He was a Civil Rights leader. Roger Story was her husband for the last five years of her adult life. Starla and Joseph were her proud children.

This historic marker honors Curry-Story’s contributions to campus integration. The text is:

Integration of Jacksonville State University She was born in Ohatchee (Alabama) on November 24, 1941. She graduated from Hobson’s Calhoun Training School, in 1959. She arrived at JSU without protest or fanfare. Future university president Theron Montgomery was her mentor and advisor during her tenure. In 1969, she graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science in Education. Charlie James, William Alvin Miller, and Ophelia Montzia Stamps were her classmates that year at JSU as the first African American graduates. Mrs. Curry-Story retired in 2001 after a successful 32-year career with Alabama Power. She passed away on October 20, 2020.

The JSU Office of the President and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion co-host the dedication ceremony.

Jacob Phillips, an administrative assistant in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, stated that the event was held to honor and remember black history and heritage, and to provide representation that will encourage students to feel at home here at JSU.

Refreshments will also be available in the lobby of Angle Hall from 2:30 to 3:00 p.m. The ceremony will follow at 3:00 p.m. Dr. Don C. Killingsworth, Jr., will be the university president. Terry Casey, vice-president of student affairs, Charlcie Vann, director for diversity and inclusion, and Jewel Johnson, SGA President, will also speak. The public is welcome to attend the event.

Other Black History Month events are planned for February:

Take me to Church

Feb. 5th, 2 p.m.

Leone Cole Auditorium

Understanding Afrofuturism

Feb. 16, 4 p.m.

Houston Cole Library, Room 1101C

Panel Discussion

Feb. 23, 5 p.m.

TMB Auditorium


Note: Buffy Lockette, Donna Cope and Al Harris all contributed to this report.