Carol Nunnelley

At Kids in Birmingham 1963, we were saddened to learn that Carol Nunnelley, a longtime reporter and editor for The Birmingham News, died on Dec. 3, 2023, following a lengthy illness. She was 80, born on Christmas Day in 1942. Carol was one of the earliest boosters of the Kids in Birmingham 1963 project, having envisioned creating a photo book that would honor 50 families at the 2013 50th anniversary of the Year of Birmingham. Despite the demands on her time as she founded the BirminghamWatch nonprofit news website, Carol always took a moment to play a supportive role when the Kids director called with a question. Carol brought her long experience in local journalism and her many connections, helping to ensure that we maintained a racial balance among Kids Storytellers.

When she posted her story with Kids in 2013, she shared this bio:

Carol Nunnelley is an Alabama journalist who worked for newspapers in Montgomery, Mobile and Birmingham from the 1960s through 2000 and was the first woman managing editor of The Birmingham News.  From 2001-2009, she was projects director for Associated Press Managing Editors and led nation-wide programs to address news credibility and training for journalists. She is the author of Building Trust in the News, a guidebook for editors; Janie Shores: Trailblazing Supreme Court Justice, a biography for young readers; and is currently collaborating on a collection of columns by H. Brandt Ayers, a crusading editor and publisher in Anniston, Alabama.