Herman C Willcutt

Herman Cleveland Willcutt, Ph.D., has passed as of mid-April. He was preceded in death by his wife, Willene, in December. He is survived by his sons Russ and Mitch, his wife Paige, and their daughter, Ellie, who studies at Ole Miss.

Born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Herman moved with his family to Mobile in their search for work. His father found a job at the Alabama Shipyards as a welder, where he spent the remainder of his working years. The family first lived in downtown Mobile before taking up residence across the bay in Spanish Fort.

As a young man, Herman worked a number of jobs, including one as a dock worker loading gravel on barges shipped from Mobile to New Orleans. One story, and a lesson his sons will never forget, involved a fight with a boat captain. Dad made short work of him before offering his hand to help him up. He then went to work for a paper mill, walking off the job because of the horrible conditions. At this point, he decided to join the Army.

This was at the time of the Korean war, and he was assigned to surrounding countries to monitor North Korea's communication activities. He was stationed atop the Bavarian Alps in Germany, monitoring radio transmissions.

On his return to the States, he chose to take advantage of the G.I. Bill to enroll in college. He landed a bachelors degree in communications from The University of Southern Mississippi before earning his pmasters and doctorate in pre-adolescent psychology at Florida State. He soon joined the faculty of an upstart university that eventually came to be known as the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He spent 34 years in that position, both as a clinical psychologist and administrator to the University as well as the State. On his part retirement, he spent time at the family beach house in Gulf Shores and at his primary residence in Bluff Park. He and his wife were longtime members of Shades Crest Baptist Church.

A small ceremony will be held on Thursday, April 17th beginning at 1:00 p.m. at Ridout's Valley Chapel in Homewood.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Alzheimer's Association and/or the Macular Degeneration Association.