Spartan Stories
Tales from the UNCG University Archives
African Americans
Mildred Barrington Poole (Class of 1921) and the first desegregated schools in the South
by Scott Hinshaw In 1951, Mildred Barrington Poole (Class of 1921), made a bold decision. Mrs. Poole became the first chief administrator and principal of the Fort Bragg school system in 1948. When she arrived, black and white servicemen’s children attended different schools, following the standard of “separate, but equal” established by the Supreme Court’s […]
Food Service Workers Strike of 1969
by Erin Lawrimore Cafeteria food service on campus was first introduced in the 1950s, but dissatisfaction soon mounted as growing enrollments brought longer lines and complaints about the choices and quality of the food offered. In 1964, the Carolinian student newspaper ran a comparative analysis of the food services offered at UNCG, Chapel Hill, and […]
The Black Power Forum, Fifty Years Later
by Erin Lawrimore This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Black Power Forum that was held at UNCG from November 1-3, 1967. Throughout the 1960s, Greensboro served as a key site for the civil rights movement. After the Sit Ins and protests of the early 1960s, the middle of the decade saw the ideals […]
Ezekiel “Zeke” Robinson
by Erin Lawrimore Robinson with the college’s horse and buggy When the doors opened at the State Normal and Industrial School (now UNCG) on October 5, 1892, school president Charles Duncan McIver had 15 well-qualified faculty members and nearly 200 young female students. While cooks, janitors, handymen, and others worked behind the scenes to keep […]
Dr. Joseph Himes “It is the mind that sees”
by Scott Hinshaw Dr. Joseph Himes taught at UNCG from 1969-1977 as Excellence Foundation Professor in the Department of Sociology. “It is the mind that sees.” It was a personal motto that Dr. Joseph Himes carried with him and guided him throughout his life, from the time he lost his sight in a chemistry experiment […]
Buddy Gist, the Man Behind the Miles Davis Trumpet
by Erin Lawrimore The Miles Davis Trumpet is listed on the UNCG Bucket List Passing through the atrium of the Music Building, it is easy to overlook the modest exhibit featuring a trumpet. It is in a small case, dwarfed by its surroundings. Even upon reading the plaque, it is difficult to believe that the […]
Empowerment Through Song: The Neo-Black Society Gospel Choir
by Sara Maeve Whisnant The Neo-Black Society has several committees which focus on individual opportunities related to the promotion of African American culture, academic success, and community engagement. One of these committees formed the NBS Gospel Choir, which is considered the oldest continuing subgroup of the Neo-Black Society. The NBS Gospel Choir was created in […]
Desegregating WC: Tillman, Smart, and the Long Road to Integration
by Erin Lawrimore This Fall semester marks the 60th anniversary of the desegregation of the student body at the Woman’s College (now UNCG). In the previous two weeks, we explored previous issues related to integrating campus facilities and services. Classes in Fall 1956 began on September 20th, and this week we will look at the debates […]
African Americans and WC Library Use Prior to Desegregation
by Erin Lawrimore This Fall semester marks the 60th anniversary of the desegregation of the student body at the Woman’s College (now UNCG). Classes in Fall 1956 began on September 20th, and next week we will look at the debates over integration and the process of desegregating the student body. But this week, we are […]
Walter Clinton Jackson, Race, and WC Resources
by Erin Lawrimore This Fall semester marks the 60th anniversary of the desegregation of the student body at the Woman’s College (now UNCG). Classes in Fall 1956 began on September 20th, and in the next few weeks, we will examine the history of segregation on campus.This week, we are re-sharing a post from 2013 that […]
