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Location: AC.2.B.3.2.2- AC.2.B.3.2.5

This collection consists of personal papers from Florida A&M University’s Arthur L. Kidd. Kidd, a native of Pennsylvania, earned a B.A. degree in 1924 from the University of Michigan, and in 1929, a Masters of Arts degree from Columbia University. Kidd also did additional studying at the University of Iowa, Columbia University, and New York University. He began his teaching career at Tuskegee Institute in 1924 before accepting a position at Florida A&M College (FAMCEE) in 1925 as Principal of the High School. Kidd worked at FAMCEE until 1944. During his nineteen years of service to the college, Kidd worked in numerous positions, including: Head of the Department of History, Acting Director of the Extension Division, Acting Dean for the College of Arts and Sciences and College Registrar. In October 1944, Kidd left his position at FAMCEE to work with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration, where he worked in various capacities in Washington, D.C., and abroad in locations including France, Germany, and Holland. He returned to the United States in 1950 and worked for a year at Maryland State College before accepting a second appointment at FAMCEE in 1951 as Director of the Division of Social Studies. Upon the college reaching university status in 1954, in the academic re-organization, Kidd consequently became the Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Until 1969, he served FAMU in various capacities, including director of institutional studies and director of university administrative planning.

The material type in this collection were mainly magazines, news articles, and news clippings from 1949-19687 that followed local and national events affecting Negro people and occurrences impacting their lives. The records of this collection are especially important and informative in that they as resources that document firsthand the many historic events that occurred during the American Negro Civil Rights Years. Most of the records document the passing of school integration and public desegregation legislation, mass boycotts, sit-ins, and other forms of protest, as well as the brutal, nationwide social turbulence that accompanied this period. Additionally, a small amount of materials related to Kidd's instructional duties at FAMU are included.

Biographical data and inclusive subjects were acquired from Murell Dawson circa 2002.

Location: AC.8.B.1.2.1 - AC.8.B.1.2.2

This file documents the life, professional career, and institutional impact of Dean Maxwell S. Thomas, a highly respected educator, administrator, and advocate for students at Florida A&M University. Spanning the years 1941 to 1987, with concentrated materials dating from 1973 to 1983, the collection provides a comprehensive view of Thomas’s contributions to higher education, his involvement in key university initiatives, and his broader engagement with community and professional organizations.

Born on June 24, 1907, in Ocala, Florida, Dean Maxwell S. Thomas served as Dean of Mechanical Arts at Florida A&M University and was widely recognized for his leadership, commitment to student development, and dedication to institutional advancement. The materials within this collection reflect his extensive professional network and influence, including correspondence with university presidents, faculty, and external organizations. His work with entities such as the Orange Blossom Classic Committee and the FAMU Foundation is well represented, illustrating his role in shaping both academic and extracurricular aspects of the university. In addition to documenting his professional achievements, the collection also captures personal dimensions of his life, including biographical materials, handwritten notes, and correspondence addressed to his wife, Jacqueline Holloway-Thomas, particularly letters of condolence following his passing in 1983.

The collection consists of manuscripts, photographs, publications, reports, correspondence, organizational records, programs, and printed materials that collectively highlight Thomas’s contributions to Florida A&M University and the broader educational landscape. These materials include annual and financial reports, institutional evaluations, program development documents, and publications that reflect the evolving priorities of the university during the mid- to late-twentieth century. News articles and obituaries further contextualize his legacy, emphasizing his impact as an educator and leader within the Tallahassee community and beyond.

At the time of processing, the collection had no discernible original order. The materials were therefore reorganized by subject and record type, with correspondences grouped by date and organizational records categorized by affiliated institutions or committees. Items were arranged in both alphabetical and chronological order to enhance accessibility and preserve contextual relationships. The collection was rehoused in acid-free folders and archival boxes, expanding to two boxes totaling approximately one linear foot. Processing also included preparation for digitization and the replacement of deteriorating fasteners with archival-safe materials. This collection serves as a significant resource for researchers examining the history of Florida A&M University, African American leadership in higher education, and the institutional development of historically Black colleges and universities during the twentieth century.

Location: R.4.A.4.1.1

The FAMU Hospital first started in 1911 as a sanitorium supervised by Nurse Virginia Hilyer. For many years this clinic served the student population and when an annex was added to the hospital in 1922 services were opened to the larger Tallahassee community, with services provided by doctors from all over the city to all ethnicities. African American physicians in Tallahassee also served at the hospital including, Drs. William G. Gunn, Alpha Omega Campbell, and L.H.B. Foote.

It was under L. H. B. Foote's directorship that the first annual Medical Clinic was hosted on campus in 1926. The Medical Clinic was created to host informational presentations and networking between medical professionals and education groups and later fused with Florida A&M Clinical Association. The clinical association's focus on sharing knowledge, resources, and training opportunities to medical professionals throughout Florida, Georgia, and Alabama added to the overall goal of getting modern medical care to Black patients.
The 1930s saw several initiatives blooming at the campus hospital; continued expansions to the hospital, the campaign to add a nursing training facility, and partnerships with the Florida State Board of Health to host midwife training workshops all created an air of growth, advancement, and modernity. It took twenty ear and two university presidents (J.R.E. Lee and George W. Gore) to establish the full hospital and nurse training unit on the basis of the already existing hospital that would serve African Americans from Tallahassee and surrounding counties.

It took federal grants, support from the Tallahassee City Commission, and a capital campaign that included donations from various civic leagues and from a stymied effort to build a Black hospital in Jacksonville to gather the $2,000,000 needed for the facility but finally it was done. The grand opening was opening liberally celebrated.

Through the 1960s, the FAMU Hospital continued to serve the community but advancements in civil rights for African Americans had a surprising adverse affect--in the effort to integrate both Tallahassee Memorial Hospital and FAMU Hospital both institutions were issued orders to integrate, which should not have been a problem for FAMU Hospital since it had always employed both Black and White doctors and been open to all patients. However, withdrawal of state and federal financial support for the hospital and accusations of mismanagement of funds began to compromise it's efficacy and by the end of the decade plans were already in motion for its closure. The hospital officially closed in 1971 and in 1981 the building housing the hospital was remodeled and rededicated as the Foote-Hilyer Administration Building, containing the University's administrative offices and Student Health Services.

This collection comprises primarily correspondence, reports, and publications of the FAMU Hospital Fund Committee--tasked with raising and organizing funds for the hospital expansion of 1951, and administrative records of the Hospital Advisory Board--tasked with governing the FAMU Hospital during its existence from 1951 to 1971. Much of the correspondence is to or from Dr. George W. Gore, FAMU's eighth University President. Other figures of note are then-Senator Leroy Collins, who served as the Chairman of the Advisory Board; Dr. LH.B. Foote who also served on the Hospital Advisory Board. Other organizations and offices whose activities are recorded in this collection are FAMU Clinical Association; the Board of Regents; the Board of Control; Leon County; and the City of Tallahassee as it relates to the establishment, management, and dissolution of the FAMU Hospital.

Some of the significant topics represented in these files are the complexities of desegregation and integration; Black hospital management; public health; nurse training and education; professional development; fundraising.

Items were arranged in series by type of communication object, sorted into folders chronologically, and each series arranged alphabetically. Attachments are listed alphanumerically starting with the item number of the document they were originally attached to. All hardware was removed and documents sleeved. Some documents will require flattening, cleaning, and other conservation efforts.

For more than 130 years, Florida A&M University has served the citizens of the State of Florida and the nation by providing preeminent educational programs...programs that were the building blocks of a legacy of academic excellence with caring. FAMU, “Florida’s Opportunity University,” is committed to meeting the challenges and needs of future generations.

In 1884, Thomas Van Renssaler Gibbs, a Duval County educator, was elected to the Florida legislature. Although his political career ended abruptly because of the resurgence of segregation, Representative Gibbs successfully orchestrated the passage of House Bill 133 in 1884. This bill established a white normal school in Gainesville and a school for African Americans in Jacksonville. The bill passed, creating both institutions; however, the state decided to relocate the school for African Americans to Tallahassee.

After the bill’s passage, FAMU was founded on October 3, 1887. It began classes with 15 students and two (2) instructors. Thomas DeSaille Tucker (1887-1901), an attorney from Pensacola, was chosen as the first president. Former State Representative Gibbs joined Mr. Tucker as the second faculty member.

In 1891, the College received $7,500 under the Second Morrill Act for agricultural and mechanical arts education. The State Normal College for Colored Students became Florida’s land grant institution for African Americans, and its name was changed to the State Normal and Industrial College for Colored Students.

In 1905, the management of the College was transferred from the Board of Education to the Board of Control. This significant event officially designated the College as an institution of higher education.
In 1909 the name was changed from The State Normal College for Colored Students to Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College for Negroes (FAMC). The following year, with an enrollment of 317 students, the college awarded its first degrees.

President Nathan B. Young (1901-1923) directed the growth of the College to a four-year degree-granting institution, despite limited resources, offering the Bachelor of Science degree in education, science, home economics, agriculture, and mechanical arts.

Under the administration of John Robert Edward Lee Sr. (1924-1944), the College acquired much of the physical and academic image it has today. More faculty were hired, courses were upgraded, and accreditation was received from several state agencies. By the end of Lee’s term, FAMC had 812 students and 122 staff members.

In 1949, under William H. Gray Jr. (1944-1949), expansion and reorganization continued. The College obtained an Army ROTC unit, and student enrollment grew to more than 2,000.