Library Founder Posthumously Honored

Most Tuscaloosa-area residents and employees familiar with the public library system have heard of the Weaver-Bolden branch; and now, one of its founders is being inducted into the Tuscaloosa County Civic Hall of Fame.Ruth Easton Cummings Bolden is being posthumously honored for her contributions to Tuscaloosa society.  According to the Tuscaloosa news, Mrs. Bolden was a native of Bibb County and worked to support herself through Stillman College, located in West Tuscaloosa. She later made a contribution to that area by obtaining county money to start a library, which was named after Dr. George Weaver, a prominent black citizen who allowed the use of his private library. After being forced to move from the local community center, Mrs. Bolden secured the money needed to build a new library, which was named in her honor in 1991. Active in civil rights activities, Mrs. Bolden is said to have been a member of the Tuscaloosa Citizens Action Committee and helped register blacks to vote. Not surprisingly, she is said to have been among those inside First African Baptist Church during Bloody Tuesday.

In March 2015, the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama announced the Tuscaloosa County Civic Hall of Fame would be accepting nominations for the 2015 class of honorees through June 1. The 2015 Civic Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held October 15, 2015 at 3 p.m. in Government Plaza. For more information, contact Carolyn Tubbs at the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama at (205) 391-0556.