Bishop David Henry Sims Collection

.5 Linear Feet

The majority of records in this collection were hand-written letters from Bishop Sims to his sister Mrs. Miriam Sims-Tooke. The majority of the letters were written by Sims while he was working in South Africa. The collection also contained cards and photographs.

His father, Rev. Felix Rice Sims, was well educated and of high standing in his community, and the son has kept the family traditions. While at Oberlin College, he was noted for his ability as an athlete, playing on both the football and track teams. He was a winner of scholarships for four successive years at Oberlin College. He was elected treasurer of the Divinity Council while at Oberlin. He was elected by his class of several hundred white men and women to deliver the "Mantle and Key" Oration at Commencement on graduating from Oberlin Divinity School.

He was the coach of the Football and Baseball teams at Morris Brown University from 1912-1917 and at Allen University from 1917-1924. He was a Football Official under the auspices of the Rules Committee, of which Walter Camp was President, 1918-24.

President Sims was appointed a special messenger representing the State of South Carolina to attend the National Educational gathering at Topeka, Kansas, by Governor McLeod? (source text unclear), in July 1925.

Inclusive subjects and description of processing procedures provided by E.M.V., S. Y. Wilks, and Murell Vinson circa 1985.

The records were sorted, divided by year and placed in acid-free folders. The collection was arranged chronologically, with the number of letters in each folder recorded on the folder. At a later date, the collection will be processed to the folder level.

*** The collection was purchased on 11/1984 at a local Tallahassee auction by the curator James N. Eaton.

Closed to the public online.

All rights reserved. Using any part of these collections, objects, and photographs transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or stored in a retrieval system without the prior written consent of MEBA is an infringement of the copyright law.

Processing Archivist:
E.M.V.
Murell Vinson
January 8, 1985 (Completed)
January 24, 1985 (Updated)

Typing Archivist:
S. Y. Wilks
January 1985

Online Publisher:
Cariane Geffrard, IMLS Intern
July 1, 2024