Published on June 14, 2017  
Chriss-Doss"There was talk of moving it to several places but finally they settled on East Lake, right here where we are, and East Lake was a separate city. A little town."

Chapters

Elton B Stephens Expressway

Chriss Doss describes the Old Lakeshore Highway, the history of the area and its significance to the old campus. He also discusses the founding of Prattville and the Elton B. Stephens Expressway.
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Street Cars and Steam Engines

Doss talks about experiencing Sloss Furnace during his time at Howard, as well as the scrap yards for railroad steam engines. He also discusses the old electric street cars and segregation.
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Cascade Plunge

Doss discusses Cascade Plunge, a popular swimming location in East Lake.
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Woodlawn City Hall

Doss points out the city hall of the city of Woodlawn, the site of a 1910 legislature concerning contaminating water.
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The Campus Barbecue

Doss describes some of the buildings near the East Lake Campus, such as the campus barbecue stand, the library, movie theater and the Church of Christ.
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The Bookstore and the Soup Kitchen

Doss talks about the campus bookstore and soup kitchen, the boarding house for female students, and the local dry cleaners.
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The Rose Manor

Doss shows the location of the old Rose Manor, and talks about a member of that family who graduated from Howard and became the first female city council member.
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Berry Field

Doss describes what used to be Berry Field, and talks about Howard College involvement in World War II.
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Crawford Johnson

Doss talks about Crawford Johnson, one of the board members of Howard College at the East Lake Campus.
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Risk of Foreclosure and the move to East Lake

Doss discusses the near foreclosure of the Marion campus of Howard College, and the decision to move the college to East Lake.
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More on Berry Field, Housing, and the Bookstore

Doss talks more on Berry Field. He also describes some of the uses of the field, as well as some of the student residents near the field.
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Renfroe Hall

Doss talks about Renfroe Hall, one of the principle residence halls at the East Lake Campus, and its uses.
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The Gym, and the Howard-Birmingham Southern Rivalry

Doss talks about the Howard College Gym and the various ways that it was used. He also talks about the heated rivalry between Howard College and Birmingham Southern.
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Howard vs Birmingham Southern Basket Ball Game

Doss relates the tale of one particularly heated incident that occurred at the Howard-Birmingham Southern basketball game, which resulted in a brawl and the Sherman Oak catching fire.
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Old Main

Doss talks a bit about Old Main and how car parking was accommodated at the East Lake campus.
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William Pratt Dale

Doss discusses William Pratt Dale, who was Dean of the school during his time at Howard.
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The Post Office and the Baptist Student Union

Doss describes the location of the campus post office and the Baptist Student Union. He also talks about some of the other religious communities around the East Lake campus at the time.
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Dr. Thomas V. Neal

Doss talks about the tenure of Dr. Neal, Howard College's only alumni president.
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Old Sherman and Montague Hall

Doss describes the locations of the Sherman Oak, Montague Hall, and the East Lake campus Library. He also relates a tale of his time back at Howard to set up a law study, and the removal of the Sherman Oak.
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More on the East Lake Campus Buildings

Doss describes more of the campus layout, particularly the location of Riley Hall, the library, the campus shop, Renfroe Hall, and other residents halls.
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Last Graduation Location

Doss talks more about where some of the building at East Lake were, such as the maintenance shop, and shows where the last graduation at the East Lake campus was help, Ruhama Baptist Church.
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Faculty and Faculty Housing

Doss discusses more about faculty housing, as well as a story about Dr. Sam Ezell, the vice-president of Howard at the time.
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Break ins at the Girl's Dorm

Doss discusses an incident where there was a break in in the girl's dorm, and one of the students fought the burglar off.
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Old Dinning Hall and Pharmacy School

Doss describes the location of the East Lake campus dining hall and the pharmacy school, as well some of the surrounding locations.
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Music Department Dwellings

Doss talks about the housing used by the music department.
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More on Cascade Plunge

Doss describes Cascade Plunge, the local public pool in East Lake. He also points out some of the other landmarks in the area, such as Crestwood Hospital, the first mental hospital in Birmingham.
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East Lake Locations

Doss talks about his time working for a local men's department store during his time at Howard. He also mentions the book he is writing on his time with Major Davis, as well as other locations in East Lake.
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Meeting Previous Presidents

Doss discusses his experiences meeting several US presidents, including Bill Clinton, Lyndon Johnson, and Harry Truman.
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John Pittman and moving the Campus

Doss talks about John Pittman, and the decision making process that went into moving the campus from East Lake to Homewood.
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East Lake Students' Opinions on the Move to Lakeshore

Doss talks about the opinions that students at the time of the move to Homewood, and some closing remarks.
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Transcript

Audio Information
InterviewerChase Trautwein
IntervieweeChriss Doss
RepositorySamford University Oral History Collection
CollectionSTORI Collection
AccessionSUHist/SamfordHistory/003