2021 University of Alabama graduate shares lineage with 1834 alumnus By Bryant Welbourne May 1, 2021 John McLaughlin Smith, pictured, received a letter of recommendation in 1834 from Alva Woods, UA’s first president. (contributed) Attending the University of Alabama is a proud family tradition for many who follow in the footsteps of generations of UA alumni who came before them. In the case of Carlisle Washburne, an Honors College student from Hattiesburg, Mississippi, majoring in biology with a double minor in psychology and global and cultural perspectives, her walk across the stag...