Timeless Tributes: Preserving Alabama Law’s Class Composites

For more than 100 years, the Law School has produced class composite photos to recognize and honor the many generations of students who call Alabama Law their alma mater. These images are of deep historical importance, and they often hold a special place in the hearts of the Law School’s alumni and their families. It isn’t uncommon to see a former student bringing their loved ones, co-workers, and friends to share their photo from their time in law school.

Over time, however, many of the composites began fading because of sun exposure and were at risk of getting damaged. Because a majority of the photos did not have printed or digital backups, the Law School began searching for a way to preserve the images of past Alabama Law students.

“Early [composites] were handmade, with each image carefully pasted with the corresponding name hand lettered onto the matting,” said David Durham, curator of archival collections at Alabama Law. “These composites are unique, one-of-a-kind representations of an important part of our school’s history — many of which are considered high-risk and in need of continued preservation efforts.”

In 2019, to preserve this important tradition and history, David (2000) and Laura Drinkard Hodge (2000) made a generous donation to the Law School Foundation to create the Class Composite Preservation Project Fund. The goal of this fund was to digitize and preserve the composite photos from graduating classes throughout the years, making them accessible for future generations to view.

In August, the Law School installed the Alabama Law Alumni Composite Display at the front entrance of the Law Center. This custom-framed, 65-inch, 4K touch screen, installed in a museum-style base, allows visitors to view and interact with images of Alabama Law alumni from as far back as 1887.

The original composites are now preserved in the John C. Payne Special Collections in the Bounds Law Library and remain available for viewing by appointment. Contact David Durham, Bounds Law Library Rare Books and Special Collections Curator, to schedule a visit: ddurham@law.ua.edu.