BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – After 39 years of service, Professor of Theatre and Associate Dean of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Arts and Humanities, Ward Haarbauer, Ph.D., will retire after this semester. Haarbauer came to UAB in 1968 as an assistant professor of speech and theatre. He was the chairman of the department of performing arts at UAB from 1973 to 1981. He has been associate dean of the School of Arts and Humanities since 1981. Over his career he has taught courses in stagecraft, acting, directing and American drama, but has always concentrated on theater history. In his time at UAB, Haarbauer has been an active and enthusiastic contributor to the success for which the university is known, said Bert Brouwer, dean of the UAB School of Arts and Humanities.

Haarbauer has appeared in and contributed to countless Theatre UAB productions and has been an active figure in local theater, having directed more than 50 productions, including classical, modern, original and children’s plays. He also is a former director of Boone, North Carolina’s popular annual outdoor drama, “Horn in the West.”

Haarbauer’s farewell performance at UAB will be in the role of Prospero in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” presented by Theatre UAB, April 18-22 at the Alys Stephens Center’s Sirote Theatre.

To honor Haarbauer, the UAB Department of Theatre has established The D. Ward Haarbauer Student Support Fund to provide much-needed funds for off-campus education for students in the UAB Department of Theatre.

“The student support fund will be a reminder of Dr. Haarbauer’s many contributions to UAB and to the community,” Brouwer said.

Should the fund reach the level required for an endowment, a perpetual legacy will be created in his name. For information on how to contribute to the fund, contact Jennifer Ellison, development director, at 205-934-5148.