Location: AC.3.B.1.4.4 - AC.3.B.1.5.1

The Mrs. Willie Ziegler White Collection consists of 5 boxes of materials documenting her involvement in education and parent-teacher organizations, particularly within the Florida State Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers and related networks. The collection reflects her role as an educator and community leader engaged in advancing African American education and parental involvement during the era of segregation.

The collection includes correspondence, news clippings, directories, handbooks, ledgers, notepads, and record books, as well as files related to Parent Teacher Association activities. These materials document both administrative functions and community outreach efforts. Also included are records from affiliated organizations such as the National Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers, the National Convention of Christians and Jews, and the Georgia Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers.

Additional materials consist of songs, poems, manuals, publications, and magazines that reflect the educational, cultural, and organizational priorities of the groups with which Mrs. White was associated. Correspondence within the collection highlights communication between educators, administrators, and community members involved in improving educational opportunities.

Collectively, the collection provides insight into the leadership, organization, and advocacy efforts of African American educators and parent organizations, as well as the broader network of institutions working to support Black education in the early to mid-twentieth century.

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.

The Presidential Papers of Dr. William H. Gray, Jr. document his administrative leadership and professional correspondence during his tenure at Florida A&M College. This series consists primarily of incoming and outgoing correspondence dated 1942–1951, reflecting institutional development, educational policy, civic engagement, and professional relationships with universities, government officials, religious leaders, and civic organizations.

The files include correspondence with representatives of other universities and schools, public officials, educators, and community leaders across the United States. These materials provide insight into inter-institutional collaboration, educational advancement, and public service initiatives during the mid-twentieth century.

The correspondence files are arranged alphabetically by surname within the “Special – Names” series. Date ranges are indicated at the file level. Collectively, these papers document Dr. Gray’s administrative priorities, national professional networks, and the broader landscape of higher education during the 1940s and early 1950s.

The Dr. William H. Gray, Jr. Presidential Papers document the administrative leadership, institutional development, academic expansion, and public engagement of Florida A&M College during Gray’s presidency and its lasting legacy. Spanning 1938–1985, the collection includes correspondence, institutional reports, committee records, news clippings, press releases, academic program materials, legislative investigations, campus building documentation, hospital development records, faculty materials, and commemorative materials related to President Gray’s life and service.

The bulk of the materials (1940s) reflect Gray’s active presidency, highlighting developments in graduate education, journalism seminars, medical education, nursing education, military training programs, and campus infrastructure projects such as hospital construction and the William H. Gray Core Building. Later materials (1967–1985) document posthumous recognitions, background information, building naming efforts, and institutional memorialization.

Correspondence within the collection — particularly those to other universities, schools, and external institutions — is arranged alphabetically by institution and correspondent, reflecting original filing practices. Materials provide insight into Gray’s leadership style, statewide and national educational networks, engagement with legislative bodies, and his broader influence in higher education for African Americans.

This file contains special correspondence dating from 1941 to 1951 generated during the presidency of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College President Dr. William H. Gray, Jr. The materials are arranged alphabetically by correspondent and institutional affiliation and document Dr. Gray’s communications with presidents and administrative officials at colleges, universities, and professional educational institutions across the United States and internationally.

The correspondence reflects interactions between President Gray and leadership at historically Black colleges and universities, teacher training institutions, private colleges, and professional schools. Topics represented within these materials include institutional cooperation, academic program development, faculty and student exchanges, administrative planning, accreditation matters, wartime and postwar educational initiatives, and broader higher-education policy discussions.

Collectively, these records provide insight into Florida A&M University’s external institutional relationships and presidential leadership during the mid-twentieth century. The materials illustrate the role of HBCU leadership in fostering national and international academic networks while navigating segregation-era educational structures and expanding opportunities for African American higher education.

This file documents President William H. Gray’s professional affiliations, correspondence, and institutional leadership activities with local, regional, national, religious, civic, educational, philanthropic, and governmental organizations between 1940 and 1967.

Materials include correspondence, reports, newsletters, proceedings, publications, press releases, and organizational records reflecting Gray’s engagement with higher education administration, interracial cooperation initiatives, economic development efforts, honor societies, religious institutions, and federal agencies.

Organizations represented include the Board of Control for Southern Regional Education; Southern Regional Council; Southern Education Foundation; General Education Board; Julius Rosenwald Fund; Conference of Presidents of Negro Land Grant Colleges; Conference on the Negro in Business (U.S. Department of Commerce); Tallahassee Chamber of Commerce; Tallahassee City Commission; Capital City National Bank; Citizens Committee and Citizens and Southern Bank and Trust Company; Bright Hope Baptist Church (Philadelphia, PA); Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; Colored Elks of Florida; Elks National Oratorical Contest; Florida State Conference of Social Work; Commission of Interracial Cooperation (Tuskegee, AL); Grand Accepted Order of Brothers and Sisters of Love and Charity; Alpha Kappa Mu Honor Society; Pallbearers’ Grand Union; and U.S. Armed Forces – War Department – Bureau of Public Relations.

The file also contains correspondence with key individuals such as Arthur G. Askey (Assistant Comptroller, General Education Board), W. W. Brierly (Secretary, General Education Board), Robert Calkins (Vice President and Director), Jackson Davis (Director and Vice President), Fred McCuistion (Associate Director), Dixon J. Curtis (Vice President and Executive Director, Southern Education Foundation), John E. Ivey, Jr. (Executive Secretary, Southern Regional Education Board), and W. J. McGlothlin (Associate Director).

Included are wartime press releases from the U.S. War Department (May–August 1943), documentation related to FAMC faculty development and nursing education (1946–1948), honor society publications and handbooks, regional education board materials, and the 1945 publication titled “A Work Conference Preparatory to a Study of Negro Education in Florida: A Report of Findings Prepared for the Florida Citizens Committee on Education.”

Materials are arranged alphabetically by organization and correspondent, and chronologically within individual files when applicable. Collectively, these records provide insight into President Gray’s role in advancing Black higher education, regional educational cooperation, economic advocacy, wartime public information efforts, and institutional development at Florida A&M College during the mid-twentieth century.

This file contains general and special correspondence dating from 1942 to 1949, generated during the presidency of Florida A&M College President Dr. William H. Gray, Jr. The materials are arranged alphabetically by correspondent within the “Special – Names” series and document communications with individuals representing universities, colleges, foundations, government agencies, civic organizations, civil rights leaders, and educational institutions.

The correspondence reflects President Gray’s extensive professional network and his administrative leadership during a transformative period in higher education. Notably, communications with other universities and schools are arranged in alphabetical order by institutional representative, illustrating formal academic exchanges, institutional collaboration, personnel matters, educational policy discussions, and broader issues affecting Black higher education in the mid-twentieth century.

Collectively, these papers provide insight into Florida A&M College’s regional and national relationships between 1942 and 1949, highlighting its engagement with peer institutions, civil rights advocates, philanthropic foundations, federal agencies, and educational reform efforts during the segregation era.

This file contains special correspondence dating from 1940 to 1949 generated during the presidency of Florida A&M College President Dr. William H. Gray, Jr. The materials are arranged alphabetically by correspondent and institution and primarily consist of communications between President Gray and high school principals, secondary school administrators, and educational leaders throughout Florida and across the United States.

The correspondence documents institutional relationships between Florida A&M College and secondary educational institutions, particularly those serving African American students during the segregation era. Topics represented within these files include student recruitment and admissions pipelines, curriculum coordination, teacher training, accreditation standards, institutional development, and collaborative educational initiatives between Florida A&M College and feeder high schools.

Collectively, these materials provide insight into the role of Florida A&M College as a central hub for Black secondary and higher education networks during the mid-twentieth century. The correspondence illustrates administrative leadership, educational advocacy, and institutional expansion efforts undertaken by President Gray while strengthening partnerships with secondary schools that supported African American educational advancement throughout the South and beyond

This file contains materials dating from 1941 to 1972 generated during the presidency of Florida A&M College (FAMC) President Dr. William H. Gray, Jr. The records are arranged alphabetically by subject and correspondent and include correspondence with other universities, colleges, public officials, and educational institutions. The alphabetical arrangement reflects Gray’s administrative filing structure, particularly in relation to inter-institutional communications and external partnerships.

The materials document President Gray’s leadership during a critical period of institutional expansion, wartime transition, post-war growth, and early civil rights advocacy. Correspondence with other universities and schools illustrates academic collaboration, graduate program development, faculty advancement, accreditation matters, and broader discussions affecting historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).

In addition to university correspondence, the files include administrative records, speeches, research materials, legislative interactions, financial documentation, public statements, community program materials, and personal papers. Collectively, these records provide insight into FAMC’s governance, academic planning, public engagement, and institutional development from the early 1940s through the early 1970s. They reflect the evolving role of FAMC within state and national educational frameworks and document Dr. Gray’s impact on higher education leadership during the segregation and early desegregation eras.