The Birmingham Times
On Tuesday, April 11, at 10:30 a.m., the Birmingham- Easonian Baptist Bible College will name its administration building in honor of Dr. Wilson Fallin, Jr., for his 50 years of service.
The Founder’s Day Program begins immediately afterwards with Dr. Reginald Calvert as speaker.
In 1904 two African American ministers, William Pettiford and Charles Octavius Boothe, founded a training school offering classes at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama where African American ministers received biblical and theological training.
In 1912, various associations and training schools joined together, and the Birmingham Baptist College was formed. Fallin Jr. was appointed president in 1971.
Under his leadership, three buildings have been erected and all mortgages retired. The name of the school was changed to Birmingham Baptist Bible College in 1977 which solidified its mission of training persons for Christian vocations. It merged with Easonian Baptist Seminary in 1994 becoming Birmingham – Easonian Baptist Bible College. It continues training persons for various Christian vocations, offering a Bible Certificate, Bible Diploma, Bachelor of Pastoral Degree, Bachelor of Christian Education, and Bachelor of Advanced Theology. The student body has increased and the college remains the largest trainer of African American pastors in Alabama.
Fallin, Jr. earned his B.A. from Morehouse College, his M.Div. from Colgate Rochester Divinity School, his M.A. from the University of Montevallo, and his Ph.D. from the University of Alabama, becoming the first African American to earn a PhD in History from that university.
In addition, for almost 50 years he pastored several local churches and previously served for five years as president of Selma University and professor of history for 28 years. In addition to his work at the Bible College, Fallin has served as Adjunct Professor at Beeson Divinity School of Samford University and in several secular institutions in Alabama.
On May 4, 2022, the University of Montevallo renamed the building formerly known as the University on Main to Dr. Wilson Fallin Jr. Hall which houses the Behavioral and Social Science programs.
The Dr. Wilson Fallin, Jr. Lecture Series was established by the University of Montevallo Board of Trustees in 2021 to honor Dr. Fallin’s lifelong efforts in the civil rights movement and concern for social justice.
He is also the author of many articles and chapters in books, as well as the author of: The African American Church in Birmingham, Alabama, 1815-1963: A Shelter in the Storm, Uplifting the People: Three Centuries of Black Baptists in Alabama, and The History of Birmingham-Easonian Baptist Bible College: 100 years of Christian Education in the Black Community of Birmingham.
