Nina Miglionico, front left, with other Birmingham City Council members in November 1969: Arthur Shores, front right; back row from left, Liston Corcoran, E.C. Overton and Russell Yarbrough. More photos.
Nina Miglionico
, a former Birmingham City Council member and pioneering political figure, died Wednesday at age 95.
Ms. Miglionico, affectionately known around town as "Miss Nina," was a social progressive in an era of racial turmoil in the city and championed the rewriting of segregation-era ordinances. The daughter of Italian immigrants, she lived above her family's grocery store growing up and later became one of the first female lawyers in the state.
Ms. Miglionico was a member of Birmingham's first City Council and its first woman member, serving 1963-81. She eventually rose to become the first female president of the council, after fighting to win equal treatment from fellow councilors."There were no women expected to win, and when they organized the council they said to me, 'You can be the museum chairman,'" she said in a June 12 interview. "I said to them I wanted to be on the finance committee and, being gentlemen, they let me."
For the past week Ms. Miglionico had been in the intensive-care unit at Trinity Medical Center in Birmingham with pneumonia. She remained alert up until her death, even chastising the medical staff.
"She never lost her sense of humor, but she could have a tongue as sharp as razors," said Charline Bailey, Ms. Miglionico's longtime friend and paralegal. "When she said something, she meant it."
For more than 48 years, Bailey worked for Ms. Miglionico, who never officially retired from practicing law.
A few weeks ago, she read a book about Highland Park and made notes and corrections in the margins, said John Katopodis, a former councilman and county commissioner and a friend of Ms. Miglionico's.
"She had a very keen intellect and she liked to share it. She was continually mailing you things," he said.
However, Katopodis' enduring relationship with her didn't begin so smoothly. The two council members were early rivals.
"When I first got on the City Council, she was sort of patronizing," he said. "Every meeting she was slamming me out of order."
Katopodis eventually succeeded her as council president.
"The headline was probably the longest in history, "'Katopodis ousts Miglionico,'" he said. "After we got over that, she and I became big buddies."
'A trailblazer'
Last summer, Ms. Miglionico was inducted into Birmingham's Gallery of Distinguished Citizens, and city officials agreed just last week to name a new downtown transit hub in her honor.
Former Mayor Richard Arrington served with Ms. Miglionico when he was elected to the council and later named mayor. He said her popularity among black residents was earned. In 1965, someone placed a bomb under her home in response to her progressive views on race.
"Miss Nina was a trailblazer, particularly for women and people who were genuinely considered the underdog," Arrington said.
Ms. Miglionico was a strong defender of Birmingham, and once argued that the city should become its own county so Jefferson County didn't siphon off so much of the tax base. Mayor Larry Langford, who served on the council with Ms. Miglionico in 1977, ordered flags at half staff Wednesday.
Ms. Miglionico graduated from Howard College, now Samford University, and earned her law degree from the University of Alabama in 1936, opening her practice the following year.
'Really, really tough'
Even at 4 feet 11, Ms. Miglionico was never overlooked by other council members. Her skills as a lawyer served her just as well in the council chamber as they did in the courtroom, Arrington said.
"She was really, really tough. I happened to be on her side on most issues , but when you were against her you knew you had a worthy opponent." Arrington said.
While Ms. Miglionico, a Democrat, never lost a council election, she lost in her attempt to unseat U.S. Rep. John Buchanan in 1974 and dropped out of a race for the state Legislature in 1958.
Katopodis believes Ms. Miglionico might have been older than everyone thought.
"She was private about things like that," he said.
Even after leaving City Hall, the perennial public servant stayed in quiet contact with city leaders and updated on political matters.
"We will miss Miss Nina because she set a legacy that is unparalleled to date," said Council President Carole Smitherman.
Birmingham lawyer Samuel A. Rumore Jr. reminisces about his late partner Nina Miglionico who died May 6, 2009
| Remembering Miss Nina |