Construction of University of Alabama performing arts center begins

The University of Alabama has raised the curtain on construction of the Smith Family Center for the Performing Art is underway. The center on the Bryce Campus was made possible by the family of Mark Smith, the late cofounder of the Huntsville-based telecommunications company Adtran. Clay Smith, the son of Mark and a graduate of the University of Alabama, announced the $20 million donation on behalf of his mother and his wife. He said the new center pays homage to his father and his family’s love of the arts. “A lot of philanthropic lessons were taught through my father, who cared deeply about