Tuscaloosa, Alabama’s First Black Department Head Passes Away
The City of Tuscaloosa lost an important historical figure this week when a history-making Black leader passed away.
Richard A. Curry Jr. made history as the first African American department head the city of Tuscaloosa ever hired.
Curry served as the Director of Environmental Services from 1992 until he retired in 2005. According to a Facebook post by the City of Tuscaloosa, Curry is also the first African American to have a city building named after him.
That property, the Richard A. Curry, Jr. Environmental Services Building, was destroyed in the April 27, 2011 tornado that devastated so much of the city, but a replacement was built and operational in 2014.
The city's Facebook post also included a painting and plaque in Mr. Curry's honor that can be found in the Richard A. Curry, Jr. Environmental Services Complex.
Funeral arrangements for Mr. Curry are being handled by Van Hoose & Steele Funeral Home.
There will be a public viewing Friday, May 27, 2022, from 3:00 pm. - 6:00 p.m. at the Chapel of Van Hoose & Steele Funeral Home, Inc. 2615 Stillman Boulevard, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401.