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two grandchildren, and a great-
grandson.
Rev. J. Andrew Lipscomb
’61 of Jasper, Ga., on April 21,
2014. After BSC, he attended
Vanderbilt Divinity School,
graduating in 1965. While in
seminary, he served as pastor of
several churches in Tennessee
and North Alabama. He spent
years working with Will Campbell
and the Committee of Southern
Churchmen. In the ’70s, he was
on the staff of the Southern Field
Office of the U.S. Commission on
Civil Rights, executive director of
the Georgia Council on Human
Relations, and director of the
Georgia Coalition on Jails and
Prisons and the Georgia Citizens’
Coalition on Hunger. Later he
worked as a general contractor
and as director of public housing
in Talbot County, Ga. His joy was
his volunteer work with Habitat
for Humanity. He is survived by
his wife, Jane Kelso Lipscomb
’64; three sons, including Adam
Lipscomb ’89 of Austin, Texas; and
seven grandchildren.
Ronald David Cobb Sr. ’62 of
Douglasville, Ga., on Sept. 28,
2013. He spent most of his
professional life in sales. Cobb was
also an avid golfer and gardener.
He is survived by his wife, four
children, 14 grandchildren, and six
great-grandchildren.
Barbara Best ’62 of Birmingham,
on May 23, 2014. Best was a
member of Riverchase Community
Church, where she sang in the
choir. She was a gifted lyric
soprano, using her talents in her
career as a music teacher at Wylam
Elementary School. She earned a
bachelor’s degree from Anderson
University and was awarded a
master’s degree in education from
BSC. She loved children and acted
as a guardian to several of her
younger cousins. Among survivors
is her sister.
Gina Hill Christoff ’79 of Dallas,
Texas, on July 18, 2014. After
graduating from BSC, Christoff
moved to Midland, Texas, to live
and work, and in 1984, to Dallas.
Her life was devoted to her family
and she was especially proud of
her son and daughter, who are
both college graduates. She is
survived by her husband and two
children.
Friends
EvelynVentress Bishop of
Birmingham, on April 28, 2014.
Throughout her life, her family
remained the focus of her love
and care. She was a member of
Vestavia Hills UMC for more than
50 years. She and her husband,
Julian Bishop Jr. ’42, have always
been avid supporters of the
college.
Blanche Battle Reed of
Birmingham, on July 4, 2014. She
attended BSC in the spring of 1941
and graduated from Huntington
College. She was a devoted wife,
mother, and homemaker. Many of
her family members have strong
ties to Birmingham-Southern,
including her nephew, University
of Alabama Athletics Director Bill
Battle III, for whom the Panther
Stadium field is named; and his
father/her brother, the late William
Raines Battle Jr. ’30, who was
BSC’s athletics director from
1952-74, a professor of physical
education and a BSC Sports Hall
of Fame 1981 inductee. The
coliseum on campus is named
after him. Reed is survived by
three children.
Emmett B.Weaver of Birmingham,
on April 21, 2014. He was one of
three co-founders of Summerfest
(now the Red Mountain Theatre
Company), longtime entertainment
editor of The Birmingham Post-
Herald, and a World War II and
Korean War veteran. At the close
of World War II, he re-entered the
University of Alabama and earned
a bachelor’s degree in journalism/
communications. His first job was
editor of the Pell City News-Aegis.
One year later, he met and married
his wife, Bobbye Jo, who was a
performer at theatre companies in
the community. They returned to
the University of Alabama, where
she was a student and he worked
on his master’s degree. He was
a member of Vestavia Hills Baptist
Church. His hobbies included
record collecting, swimming,
gardening, playing with his beloved
Boston terriers, and travel. He is
survived by his wife. Both were
ardent supporters of the arts at
BSC and often attended fine art
events. The Weavers donated
property to BSC to establish the
Bobbye and Emmett Weaver
Endowed Scholarship Fund.
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