BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Before the governor speaks, the choir sings and the ribbon is cut Friday on the

at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, it may be a good time to pause and reflect on the building's name.

The full name of the building, which is the operational center for the cancer center, is: Lurleen B. Wallace Tumor Institute.

It was completed in 1975, seven years after the death by cancer of Gov. Lurleen Wallace.

She was only the nation's third female governor, a quirky circumstance enabled because Alabama at the time prevented consecutive terms, thus barring husband George Wallace from seeking a second term.

She was the first female governor to die in office. She was 41.

"She had uterine cancer, and she had surgery right before she announced she was going to run for governor," said Anita Smith, a former Birmingham News reporter, who wrote the book, "The Intimate Story of Lurleen Wallace: Her crusade of courage."

"Now keep in mind back then there was no real specialty cancer treatment in Alabama," Smith said.

Wallace sought her treatment at MD Anderson in Houston.

"She had financial resources that the average person in state didn't have," said Smith, who visited the governor a frequently in Houston while being treated. "She thought it was awful that people had to travel so far for specialty care."

Gov. Wallace died May 7, 1968, less than half a year after taking office, but her very public battle with the disease, her frequent trips out of state for surgery or treatment, made an impression on the minds of Alabamians.

"Within a matter of days after her funeral, an organization was formed to lead the way in making her wish for a cancer hospital in Alabama a reality. Leaders in Montgomery and Birmingham joined with others from across the state to launch a campaign to raise five million dollars," according to "A Legacy of Love: The History of the Lurleen B. Wallace Foundation and the Courage Crusade," by Bruce Patterson.

The Courage Crusade was the name of the grassroots movement and it did indeed raise $5 million.

That, coupled with state and federal funds, enabled UAB's cancer program to be named one of the first eight comprehensive cancer centers in the nation. Now it is among one of 41 with the designation, but the only one in the Deep South.

The cancer center has 350 doctors and researchers and treats 20,000 patients a year.

Friday, Gov. Robert Bentley will be among those at the event to see how the $30 million in state bonds were spent to renovate the building. Additionaly another $20 million was spent, mostly from state bonds, on the high tech imaging facility, which includes the academic medical world's most powerful cyclotron, a cancer-fighting particle accelerator.

Of course, success for the cancer center is measured by more than splashy renovations and high tech equipment.

Kitty Robinson, a breast cancer survivor and charter member of the cancer center's advisory board, said the thing she's most proud of is the center's patient and family care, which the advisory board helps oversee.

"We take care of the patient," Robinson said. "If the patient can't buy the drugs we buy them. If cancer causes someone to lose their job and they can't pay the gas bill, we help."

Smith, who wrote about Lurleen Wallace's battle with cancer, has had some experiences closer to home.

"My mother died of breast cancer, my brother died of lung cancer," Smith said. "I've seen what the center has done to save people. I've seen what the center has done to those who can't be saved. Not everyone can be saved. I've seen the cutting edge technology and expertise, but I've also seen the compassion."

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The ceremony is open to the public. It is from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. features Bentley, Birmingham Mayor William Bell, UAB President Ray Watts, cancer center director Edward Partridge and the Magic City Choral Society.

Parking is available in the 4th Avenue at 18th St. South Parking Garage.