 In Alabama, legends often have humble beginnings. The same can be said of authorine Lucy Foster. Born on a small farm in Shiloh, Alabama, authorine was a dedicated student, graduating from Linden Academy before receiving a teaching certificate from Selma University and a bachelor's degree from Miles College in 1952. Seeking the best possible education in the state, Lucy decided to apply to graduate school at the University of Alabama, despite the fact that the UA campus remained segregated at the time. On September 13, 1952, authorine was notified she had been accepted to the graduate school at UA. However, when school officials discovered she was not white, they quickly rescinded her application pursuant to state law and denied her admittance. I don't think she should come down here because for my mother and my father and generations before that have always been taught to color and white as a definite dividing line. Integration is inevitable. However, the South isn't ready for that step and I feel that that time should be decided by the South and it is a bad decision to take. Backed by the NAACP, Lucy charged the University with racial discrimination in a court case that took nearly three years to resolve. In June of 1955, the U.S. District Court ruled in favor of Lucy, making her the first African-American student to be enrolled at the University of Alabama. Her initial days on campus were largely uneventful, but that would quickly change when riots broke out in protest of her admittance. Ushered by university officials, she hastily made her way through the crowd of protestors who hurled racially charged threats and debris as she passed. That evening, the University Board of Trustees voted to suspend Lucy from the university, ultimately expelling her, citing charges of defamation. What brought about these actions, I feel, is that lawless elements outside the campus set themselves over and above the law. Their actions were a great discredit to our nation. Disheartened by the news, Lucy left Alabama and moved to Texas, where she worked as a schoolteacher, married and started her own family. Over 30 years later, in 1988, Lucy received a letter from the University of Alabama informing her that her expulsion had been annulled. The following semester, she joined her daughter, Grazia, as a student at UA, enrolling in the master's program for elementary education. Four years later, she crossed the commencement stage to a standing ovation as a graduate of the University of Alabama. In the time since, authorine Lucy Foster has been honored for her valiant role in desegregating the University of Alabama. An endowed scholarship was created in her name. The authorine Lucy Clocktower stands prominently in Malone Hood Plaza, and a historical marker stands in front of the building where she attended her first classes on campus. If you don't know your history, you will forget your past, won't you? I wanted to shed brownie tears because I never thought that anything like that would happen to a lady named authorine Lucy. I will not fear what can man do unto me. He can take this body, but he can't take my soul. In 2019, she once again made her way across the commencement stage to a standing ovation, receiving an honorary doctorate in human letters. Today, in recognition of her extraordinary bravery, perseverance, and the significant impact that she's had on the lives of others, it is an honor to present this authoring Lucy Foster with an honorary degree from the University of Alabama. Her initiative and courage won the right for students of all races to attend the University of Alabama, but her impact reaches far beyond the borders of the state. Her noble sense of justice fostered change throughout American society, influencing positive transformation across our state and nation. As we rode across campus today, I said, Jimmy, yes, this is a blessing in disguise to see this university permitting me to come on here and be involved in whatever they are doing today. Anything that the university does, I glory in its mercy. That's the wonderful campus I've been. I know it and everybody in the country must know it.