Posted on February 7, 2002 at 9:05 a.m.

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The Alys Stephens Center will present the first Alys Robinson Stephens Award, named for the center’s namesake, at this year’s annual Starlight Gala, April 6. The honor will be awarded annually to a woman who has made a significant contribution to the Birmingham arts community and specifically to the Alys Stephens Center.

The first honoree is Jane Stephens Comer, daughter of the late Alys Robinson Stephens, said Caron Thornton, executive director of the Alys Stephens Center.

“This tradition will honor the spirit of our namesake and inaugural patron, Alys Robinson Stephens, a strong and caring woman known for her love and devotion to the arts,” Thornton said. “Perhaps the most important thing we can say about our first Alys Stephens Award honoree is that she is the truest of friends to the Alys Stephens Center and to the arts, which we are sure would have made her mother terrifically proud.”

The award will be presented to Comer during the annual Starlight Gala Grand Gala dinner, Saturday, April 6, at the Alys Stephens Center. This year’s Starlight Gala features 10-time Grammy award winner Bobby McFerrin as he conducts the Alabama Symphony Orchestra for an evening of classical and pop music. Three ticket packages are available. For information call (205) 975-2787.

When considering the award and the potential honorees, Jane Stephens Comer emerged above all the others, Thornton said. Comer has made a major contribution to the Alys Stephens Center, from planning the original interior spaces with hand-designed and imported carpeting and alabaster chandeliers to the entire range of exterior signs and brick, Thornton said.

Thornton describes Comer as a wonderful and caring board member from the inception of the performing arts center. Comer was the very first chair of the Alys Stephens Center advisory board. She now serves as chair of the facilities committee and is active on the programming committee. She has been the sponsor of selected performances. Interested in the education and involvement of young people, Comer was instrumental in initiating the ASC Young Patrons organization with her son, Jason Comer, and the Young Patrons Series. She is a great supporter through her attendance at events as well.

“Jane Comer is a shining star at the Alys Stephens Center, always looking for ways that we can improve aesthetically in our programs and in our engagement with the community. It is also important to note that Jane Comer has been an active member of the boards of the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Alabama Ballet and a supporter of many other arts organizations in town,” Thornton said.