Archival Collections

The Bacote papers document an important period in the history of Atlanta, and of Atlanta University. The activities of one very prominent scholar and community leader help provide an important piece of the history of the university and its community.

Clark Atlanta University was established in 1988 as a result of the consolidation of two independent historically black institutions - Atlanta University (1865) and Clark College (1869). The bulk of this collection contains photographs of Clark College before its consolidation with Atlanta University. The photographs show student life including classes, athletics, clubs, sororities and fraternities, and graduation. Also included in this collection are notable people such as Vivian Henderson, Carl Ware, Vernon Jordan, C. Eric Lincoln, Thomas Cole, Jesse Jackson, Andrew Young, and James P. Brawley.

In 1937, a then LeMoyne College professor named Hugh M. Gloster (later a President of Morehouse College), through correspondence with Gladstone Lewis Chandler, a colleague at Morehouse College, formed an association to increase English proficiency in their respective colleges. In 1937, eight men and women met at LeMoyne and formed the Association of Teachers of English in Negro Colleges (ATENC). In 1941, the Association broadened its objective to formally include the teaching of literature and foreign language, and changed its name to the Association of Teachers of Languages in Negro Colleges (ATLNC). In 1949, the ATLNC officially became the College Language Association (CLA). Since its inception, the CLA developed its constitution, has held annual meetings at host institutions, published a variety of publications - "The News-Bulletin", "Bulletin of the CLA", "CLA Bulletin", "CLA Journal", "CLA Newsletter" and "CLA Notes". The CLA continued building upon their objectives stated in the 1941 Constitution: 1) improving the study and teaching of language skills, 2) cultivating the appreciation of literature, and 3) sharing each other's productive interest to the group as represented in the collection. The records of the College Language Association include administrative correspondence, bibliographies, minutes, reports, financial statements, presentations, presidential addresses, press releases, programs, lists, constitutions, publications, literary submissions, photographs and memorabilia preserving one of America's largest, long-standing African American academic organizations.

The Cullen Jackman Memorial Collection (1881-1995) documents the artistic and creative nature of those of African descent. A series of note within this collection are the photographs by Carl Van Vechten, an American writer, artistic photographer, and patron of the Harlem Renaissance. An appreciator of the arts, Van Vechten promoted many of the major figures of the Renaissance through his photography, including Langston Hughes, Paul Robeson, Rose McClendon, and Ethel Waters.

The collection primarily documents the activities of the Sigma chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority on the campus of Clark Atlanta University and in the Atlanta area.

Documenting the Perspectives of Past HBCU Presidents: An Oral History Project provides reflections of former presidents of Historically Black Colleges and Universities, giving insight into their leadership philosophies, the challenges they faced, and the contributions they made. In roundtable discussions and individual interviews the presidents converse about issues of American higher education within the context of the HBCU experience and the unique educational value HBCUs provide. Discussion topics include qualities of leadership, mentors and role models, institutional mission, accreditation, governance, finance, fundraising, financial aid, entrepreneurship, and issues of gender, race, and national educational policies.

Edward Allen Jones (1903-1981) attended Morehouse Academy in 1918. Upon graduation from the Academy in 1922, he entered Morehouse College, where he received his B.A. and graduated as class Valedictorian in 1926. Dr. Jones began his teaching career at Morehouse College in 1927 and worked as a professor there until 1977. While a member of the Morehouse faculty, he served as Chairman of the Department of Foreign Languages from 1930-1977, and held the Fuller E. Callaway Chair in French from 1970-1977. At the time of his death he was serving as the Director of Institutional Research at Morehouse. Beyond his career as a a professor, Dr. Jones was a member of the College Language Association, Editor of the College Language Association Journal from, a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and President of the Grand Jurors Association of Fulton County. Photographs range from the 1920s-1970s.

Irvin "Mac" Henry McDuffie and his wife Elizabeth "Lizzie" Hall McDuffie were domestics in their hometown of Atlanta and later in the employ of Franklin Delano Roosevelt during his presidency. Born in Elberton, Georgia, Irvin moved to Atlanta to be a barber and eventually manage the McDuffie-Herndon Barbershop financed by Alonzo Herndon of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. Upon the recommendation of a customer, Roosevelt interviewed McDuffie to be his valet at his retreat at Warm Springs, Georgia. McDuffie continued on with Roosevelt through his governorship in New York and his presidency, until McDuffie suffered a nervous breakdown in 1939. Elizabeth worked for 23 years as a maid with the prominent Atlanta family of Edward H. Inman. In 1933 she moved to Washington, D.C. to join her husband and became a maid in the White House where she remained until Roosevelt's death in 1945.

The General Photograph collection, includes photographs documenting the African American experience. This collection is organized into two series: individuals and subjects, and consists of photographs of notable figures including, W.E.B. DuBois and his family, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during his time as a student at the AUC and more. The collection also includes images of various Atlanta Neighborhood homes and sites.

George Alexander Towns was an educator, author, and community activist. For most of his life, Towns was affiliated with Atlanta University (AU), first as a student, then professor and finally as an active alumnus. He was active in the community as a member of the Atlanta branch of the NAACP, the Citizen's League, the Boule of Atlanta (Sigma Pi Phi), and the Community Chest. A member of the Harvard University Class of 1900, he was also active in the Harvard University Alumni Association and in the 1920's used his class connections to raise funds for Atlanta University. This collection consists of the papers of Towns from 1851 to 1963. It includes correspondence, literary works, diaries, photographs, and publications.