Cynthia Shackelford

Cynthia Shackelford

2007

University of Montevallo

Cynthia Shackelford, a Montevallo alumna, took over as the university’s director of public relations in 1993. Until her death in 2011, she actively cultivated the campus’s reputation for ghosts. In fact, she welcomed a number of paranormal societies from as far away as California and Colorado to come visit the campus and take readings with their instruments. Shackelford had her own curious experiences while supervising the paranormal investigators on campus. She claimed to have witnessed unusual things herself such as the temperature dropping in King House from the 60s to the 40s in a matter of seconds – a sure sign of spirits – as well as furniture moving. Shackelford organized ghost tours and kept alive the stories told about Reynolds Theatre, King Cemetery, Main Dormitory, Palmer Hall and King House. The photograph of her reading a book at Carmichael Library appeared in "Controlled Vocabulary", Carmichael LIbrary's Blog, Sunday, April 15, 2007.

University of Montevallo photography

Alvin Benn, “University plays host to paranormal activity”, Montgomery Advertiser, October 30, 2006.

Melissa Smith, “Visit the University of Montevallo for a good scare”, Examiner, July 1, 2010.

Jan Griffy, “University of Montevallo’s Shackelford dies” Shelby County Reporter, July 27, 2011.