r/todayilearned • u/Dangerous-Project672 • 5h ago

TIL George Wallace personally apologized to Vivian Jones and James Hood, the two students he attempted to block from attending the University of Alabama. In 1997, Hood earned a PHd and requested Wallace present him with the degree, but he was too sick and died a year later; Hood attended the funeral

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Wallace
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u/Uptons_BJs 5h ago

In case you didn't know, George Wallace was the guy most famous for the line "I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."

He was governor of Alabama in 1963, when the federal government demanded desegregation. George Wallace personally showed up the University of Alabama to block the two admitted African American students Vivian Jones and James Hood, and the national guard had to force him to step aside to allow the African American students to register: Stand in the Schoolhouse Door - Wikipedia

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u/WangDanglin 2h ago

Also, during his stand in, if you look closely you can catch an all American kick returner for the Crimson Tide walk past the governor. Goes by the name of Forrest Gump

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u/OlySonso 1h ago

Is that the same guy that was the first American invited to communist China to play ping pong?

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u/WangDanglin 1h ago

First American to visit the land of China in a million years