June 11, 1963 - Vivian J. Malone (pictured) and James A. Hood, the two Negro students who entered the University of Alabama today, got a courteous reception from intensely curious students. There were no incidents, even when the two students went to lunch in the university cafeterias. The campus remained under heavy state police guard and security restrictions throughout the day. Miss Malone was the first to break the ice. Not long after she entered Mary Burke Hall, she became involved in a friendly discussion with other girls in the dormitory. “She’s very attractive,” one coed said afterward. “I don’t think we’ll have any trouble with her. She was calm. She wasn’t nervous or close-mouthed. She acted very mature.” Another girl said she had been eager to meet Miss Malone. “We enjoyed meeting her and talking to her,” she said. “I’m glad she’s on our hall.” The reaction of a third coed, from Birmingham, was different. “She has a right to be here,” the student said, “but no one can be forced to accept her.” Mr. Hood, a 20-year-old transfer student from Clark College in Atlanta, spend most of the day in his single room in Palmer Hall. He was greeted by dormitory supervisors and had lunch across the street at Paty Hall after most of the other students had finished. “Everybody’s glad it’s over with,” said one graduate student. “We’re real proud the Governor took the stand he did and then backed off before it got out of hand. Now, everybody wants to get back to normal.”
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