The “boo” that you hear at some state colleges and universities this season may not be coming from a disgruntled fan in the student section.  According to Dr. Alan Brown, a member of the Road Scholars Speakers Bureau for the Alabama Humanities Foundation, at least one ghost resides on every college campus!   

In his presentation:  “School Spirits: Ghost Stories from Alabama’s College Campuses” on Wednesday, October 18 at noon at the Pell City Public Library, he will introduce a few of these! 

Ghost stories and lore, oft-told and originated in late-night storytelling sessions in college dormitories and apartment dwellings throughout the state are reflective of Alabama’s long history of higher education, war, and racial strife.  Dr. Brown will recount the stories from the most haunted campuses, including: “The Ghostly Math Professor” from Springhill College;  “The Ghost of Dr. Carl Jesse” from Walker College;  “The Ghost of Sidney Grimlett” from Auburn University;  “The Ghosts of Abigail Burns and Florence Brown” from Athens State University;  “The Ghosts of President Reynolds, Dr. Trumbauer, and Condie Cunningham” from the University of Montevallo; “Ghosts of the library, Webb Hall, Bibb Graves Hall, and Brock Hall” from the University of West Alabama;  “Ghost of the Book Store” from the University of North Alabama;  “The Ghost of Jason’s Shrine and the Tri-Delta Sorority House” from the University of Alabama; “The Ghostly Organist” from Judson College;  and “The Red Lady” from Huntington College. 

Dr. Alan Brown teaches English at The University of West Alabama, and has taught since 1986 at this institution.  In 1990, he became a member of the Alabama Humanities Foundation Road Scholars Speaker’s Bureau.  Dr. Brown earned a B.A. in English at Millikin University in 1972, an M.A. in American Literature in 1974 at Southern Illinois, and his Ph.D. in Rhetoric at Illinois State University in 1985.   

He has published several books of Southern ghost stories.  His works include “The Face in the Window and Other Alabama Ghostlore” (1996), “Shadows and Cypress” (2000), “Haunted Places in the American South” (2006), “Ghost Hunters of New England” (2008), “Haunted Texas” (2008), and “Haunted Birmingham” (2009). He has also written literary tour guides: “Literary Levees of New Orleans” and “Literary Landmarks of Chicago” which were published in 1997 and in 2002, respectively. 

The presentation by Dr. Brown at the Pell City Public Library on Wednesday, October 18 is made possible by the generous contributions of donors to the Alabama Humanities Foundation (AHF).  The Alabama Humanities Foundation fosters learning, understanding and appreciation of our people, communities and cultures.  As the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, AHF supports humanities projects through grant-making and conducts statewide programs including Road Scholars Speakers Bureau, SUPER Teacher Institutes and PRIME TIME Family Reading Time.  For more information on the Alabama Humanities Foundation and the programs it offers, please visit their website at alabamahumanities.org or call 205-558-3980. 

The event at the Pell City Library on Wednesday, Oct. 18 is free and open to the public and light refreshments will be served afterwards. For more information, contact the Pell City Library at 205-884-1015.