Quick-Fire Quips is a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the State of Alabama! In this episode, Alabama Public Radio host Baillee Majors talks with the Communications Editor of the Encyclopedia of Alabama, Laura Hill!
Laura: Hello, I'm glad to be here!
Baillee: Absolutely. OK, tell me for those who don't know, what is the Encyclopedia of Alabama? What's it all about?
Laura: The Encyclopedia of Alabama is a free, online reference resource on all things Alabama. It covers the state's history, culture and natural resources. But if you have school students who are having to write a paper about Alabama, you need to know about the Encyclopedia of Alabama. If you're curious about why something exists as a historic site, you need to know about the Encyclopedia of Alabama.
Baillee: All right, Laura, now that introductions are out of the way, let's get you warmed up to answer the questionnaire. To do that, I'm going to have you say Quick-Fire Quips, three times fast.
Laura: OK! Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips, Quick-Fire Quips.
Baillee: First question, what is the weirdest or most surprising fact about Alabama that you've come across?
Laura: Ooh, that the first 911 call was made from Alabama.
Baillee: What is the first word that comes to mind when you hear Alabama?
Laura: Trees... My father was a forester for a paper company, and that's why we moved to Alabama. I was forced to move to Alabama from Georgia kicking and screaming when I was 13.
(Baillee and Laura laugh)
Baillee: Instead of a love-hate relationship, it's more of a love relationship?
Laura: Yes. We have magnificent trees here.
Baillee: What is a hidden gem in Alabama that you think more people should know about?
Laura: Well, this is odd. During the Bicentennial I went to all of the counties. The U.S. Montgomery, which is a snag boat in Pickensville is really, really cool. It was a paddle wheel boat. It was used to remove river snags. It's just kind of cool to walk onto it and blow the whistle.
Baillee: What is a must see attraction or experience in Alabama?
Lauraa: I'm partial to things on water, so I'm gonna have to go with the USS Alabama, just getting to see the ship inside... Just don't go in August.
Baillee: Oh yeah, because of the heat, I'm assuming! Next question, what is a Southern phrase or two that you catch yourself using a lot?
Laura: “Fixing to.” And one of the things that made me realize how southern I was, was when I was living in Massachusetts, people called the thing in the grocery store a carriage, and it's a buggy. I'm sorry, it’ll always be a buggy.
Baillee: Yeah, that's one thing for sure. I've heard some people call it a cart, but I'm like, in theSsouth, it's a buggy. I love that. What's one article in the Encyclopedia of Alabama that everyone should read at least once?
Laura: Ooh, just once! I'm going to go with the article on the Flock Family. It's one of my favorites. They were out of Fort Payne. They were a bunch of daredevils, and they have ties to Nascar.
Baillee: Very cool. OK, who is your favorite under-appreciated Alabamian in history?
Laura: That would be Jo Ann Robinson. She helped start the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and she was professor at Alabama State.
Baillee: What is a bad stereotype or something that people get wrong about Alabama?
Laura: They think all Alabamians embraced the Confederacy. There was not uniformity of opinion on that.
Baillee: What is one creative way that teachers in Alabama should use the Encyclopedia of Alabama that they aren't using enough?
Laura: Oh, funny, you should ask that. I was just participating in a workshop that was held by Auburn University's Office of Outreach. They had a session for teachers, and I got to listen to some teachers talk about how to use it for math classes. So, we have a lot of census data, average median income, populations and all. When you're teaching graphing, we have data right there that's easy to access, that you could use for graphing and help tie it to where they live.
Baillee: OK, next question, who was your childhood hero?
Laura: Mary Poppins. My mom read the books to me, and I adored the movie with Julie Andrews.
Baillee: What did you think about the second Mary Poppins with Emily Blunt?
Laura: I'm a fan of that too. I love it.
Baillee: Do you have a favorite song from the original?
Laura: Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious! I loved being able to say that.
Baillee: OK, what is your favorite getaway spot in Alabama and why?
Laura: The Battle house Hotel in Mobile. It's an awesome location. It's a marvelous public space that is just fun to be in, and I like being down there.
Baillee: OK, Laura, here is our last question, what does Alabama need?
Laura: Alabama needs greater representation of progressive inclinations in the state legislature.
Baillee: That's it for today's Quick-Fire Quips, a speedy questionnaire where we get to know people who stand out in the state of Alabama.
That was the Communications Editor of the Encyclopedia of Alabama, Laura Hill! I'm your host. Baillee Majors.
Keep up with Laura Hill and the Encyclopedia of Alabama's socials:
- Facebook
- Website
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