The Woman Who Helped Build A College: B Weaver And The UM

Mobile AL

18 March, 2022

6:43 AM

Description

Press release from the University of Mobile: March 17, 2022 MOBILE, Ala. – The first thing you noticed about Annie Boyd Parker Weaver was her beautiful smile. The second was the bee-shaped gold and diamond pin that always rested atop her left shoulder. A gift from her husband in honor of her nickname – "B" – the pin also served as a reminder of how this gracious southern lady helped build a Baptist college. The first "First Lady" of Mobile College, now the University of Mobile, was always "busy as a bee" using her talents of hospitality, compassion and leadership. The story of B Weaver and her husband, Dr. William K. Weaver Jr., is the love story of a lifelong partnership. Together, they "have truly been the cornerstone upon which this college was founded and built," said Board of Trustee Chairman T. Massey Bedsole when Dr. Weaver retired in 1984 after 23 years as college president. The Weavers are gone now – B died in 2008 and Bill followed in 2014. But travel down Pollock-Altmayer Drive and you'll see his name on the university's signature building – William K. Weaver Hall. And walk across campus and you'll feel her influence in the friendly faces and welcoming environment that make this Christ-centered academic community "the UM family" where students are known. His story has been told often – how on April 1, 1961, he became the founding president of a college that he would jokingly recall "had no land, no buildings, no faculty, no students – and no problems." How that college was chartered on Dec. 12, 1961, and opened its doors to the first freshman class on Sept. 9, 1963. How today, with alumnus Dr. Lonnie Burnett as its 5th president, the University of Mobile is awarding bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees to students from across the world. B's story has been told less often – but her impact is just as great. This is her story. In the 2003 book, "Golden Wisdom for Today's Woman: Treasured Portraits of Faith" by author Barbara Sims, B shared how God prepared her for her life's work. Born April 17, 1920, Annie Boyd Parker grew up in Talladega, Alabama, where she was called "Annie B." She didn't like being called "Annie," so as a student at Alabama College for Women, now University of Montevallo, she shortened it to "B." "A Christ-centered upbringing, early church experiences, her college days, and working in the secular world during World War II are all factors B recognizes today as God's way of preparing her for a life of service," Sims wrote. In 1945 when she was in her late 20s, B was hired as Baptist Student Union director at Alabama College. About that same time, Howard College, now Samford University, hired Weaver in a similar position on that campus. He had also grown up in Talladega and was the big brother of B's close friend. This press release was produced by the University of Mobile. The views expressed here are the author's own.