Summary: | With him are Cecile Cuevas and Paul Fay, undersecretary of the U.S. Navy. In 1962, after learning that the World War II battleship was to be scrapped, the state legislature established a commission to study the possibility of acquiring the vessel. Through the efforts of that commission and the contributions of private citizens (who raised more than $750,000 for the cause), the ship was taken in September 1964 to Mobile, where it was refurbished and converted into a memorial to Alabama's war veterans. This image was published with an article ("State Dedicates Proud Battleship") in the Birmingham News on January 10, 1965, with the following caption: "First name 'GCW' / Mrs. Cecile Cuevas held the ship's guest log and Gov. George C. Wallace, left, signed the first name in the register aboard the USS Alabama Saturday. Undersecretary of the Navy Paul Fay is at right. After the shipboard ceremonies, the state's newest tourist attraction was opened to the public."
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