Archives and Special Collections Timelines

...Or the Fire Next Time

African-American history at Purdue University

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1890

Head and shoulders portrait of young man in a suit.

George W. Lacey becomes the first African American graduate of Purdue.

George W. Lacy, or Lacey, completed a degree in pharmacy, becoming the first African American graduate of Purdue. At the time, Pharmacy was an academic organization separate from the university, and as a result, Lacy’s success is sometimes overlooked.

1894

David Robert Lewis of Greensburg, Indiana, completes his Bachelor’s Degree, becoming the first African American graduate of a traditional four-year program at Purdue.

David Robert Lewis completes his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering. His senior thesis is entitled, "Highway Road Construction."

1904

Purdue's first black athlete

Richard Wirt Smith is Purdue’s first black athlete. In the 1904 edition of the Debris yearbook, he is listed by his classmates as "the best baseball player in the class," and "the only one of his kind in the Pharmacy Class."

1905

First earned Letter

John Henry Weaver is on Purdue's track team. He is the first African American at Purdue to earn a letter "P" for athletic participation.

1913

Distinguished Graduate

David Crosthwait, Jr. graduates with a B.S. degree from Purdue. He would later become a prominent electrical and mechanical engineer and an authority on heat transfer, ventilation, and air conditioning, including authoring numerous guides and receiving patents on numerous inventions.

1914

Sports Segregation

Elmer James Cheeks becomes the first African American to graduate with a degree in Electrical Engineering.The Purdue sports program becomes segregated during the 1910s and 1920s, following a national trend.

1925

Lafayette teenager earns scholarship

Lafayette teenager Delia L. Silance wins a scholarship to attend Purdue after high school. She graduates as a distinguished student.

1941

African Americans answer the call

Attack on Pearl Harbor causes United States to call for enlistment of young men. Many African Americans answer the call.Despite the wartime influx of black student-soldiers, no black students on Purdue's campus were allowed dormitory housing. Black men stayed in the International House in West Lafayette, while black women were forced to rent rooms in Lafayette or live at the Lafayette YWCA.Famed singer Marian Anderson performs on Purdue's campus.

1945

First for Marine Corps

Frederick Branch becomes the first black Marine Corps officer in the United States after completing his Navy V-12 training at Purdue.

1946

Pressure to desegregate

Indiana governor Ralph Gates pressures Purdue to desegregate its dormitories.

1947

Desegregation Occurs

Housing in Purdue dormitories is desegregated.Purdue alumnus Willard Ransom, an African American attorney, challenges the university on its policy of segregated sports teams. A student protest leads to a black football player being allowed to play.

1950

First Ph.D. Earned

Phillip V. Hammond becomes the first African American to earn a Ph.D. at Purdue. His degree is in pharmacology.

1955

Ph.D. Honors for women

Dolores Cooper [Shockley] earns a Ph.D at Purdue University and becomes the first African American woman in the U.S. to earn a Ph.D. in pharmacology as well as the first African American woman to earn a Ph.D. from Purdue.

1957

MVP Honors

African American athlete Lamar Lundy becomes only Boilermaker to win both basketball and football MVP awards in the same year

1960

Prominent Figures visit Purdue

Speakers such as Jessie Jackson, Julian Bond, Dick Gregory, and the Indianapolis chapter of the Black Panthers visit Purdue's campus.Students organize the Negro History Study Group, which eventually becomes the Black Student Union.

1965

Student Population Numbers

Out of 20,176 Purdue students, only 129 are African American.

1967

Students Graduating

1968

Protests at Purdue

Approximately 150 students protest racism nonviolently by symbolically laying bricks on the stairs of Hovde Hall, the administration building. They also delivered a petition listing specific demands for change at the University. In response, Purdue President Frederick Hovde established the Schuhmann Committee to investigate the problems the students were experiencing.One year after the student protest at Hovde Hall, the Exponent student newspaper publishes a supplement summarizing what progress had been made to meet the nine student demands. Almost none of the demands had been met satisfactorily.

1968

Black Panther Salute

Cheerleader Pam King stirs controversy after she does the Black Panther salute at both football and basketball games. In an interview she states, "This is the black man's salute. It's a symbol of pride and dignity for the black man-a symbol of unity. It shows we salute differently as a group. But that does not mean we are automatically at odds with the white man."Classes focusing on African Americans are added to the curriculum in departments such as Speech, History, and Sociology.Faculty in the Krannert School of Management establish the Business Opportunity Program (BOP) in April 1968 to increase diversity and give underrepresented students access to a world-class management education.

1968

African American Professor

Helen Bass Williams becomes the first african american professor at Purdue.

1969

March into Lafayette

Purdue track team member Eric McCaskill is arrested for disorderly conduct after participating in a small demonstration. His arrest spurs a march from the Purdue Memorial Union into the town of Lafayette.After his case is dismissed, the student marchers return to campus and demand to speak with President Hovde about their prior requests.

1969

Delta Sigma Theta

The first African American sorority at Purdue, Delta Sigma Theta, is founded.

1969

Cheerleader quits

African American cheerleader Pam King quits Purdue's cheerleading squad after she is barred from entering the basketball arena during the playing of the national anthem. Pam had previously been criticized for holding up the Black Salute during football and basketball games.

1969

Black Cultural Center established

The Schuhmann Committee officially endorses the establishment of a black cultural center.Purdue Board of Trustees unanimously accepts the development program for black students, including establishment of a black cultural center.

1970

BCC Opens

The Black Cultural Center is built and opens. According to Professor Singer Buchanan, the Black Cultural Center's chief administrator, the establishment of the Center is "an attempt to bring together in one place as much of the black experience as is humanly possible, so that it may be visible and viable for all concerned..."

1970

Black Hurricane Newspaper

The first issue of Black Hurricane, the Black Student Union newspaper is published. The first page reads, "With the forces of one Black Nation, we shall move for total freedom. Just as a hurricane, our sphere knows no boundaries to its destination. For if it takes devastation to achieve our goals, so be it..."

1970

Program Passed

Interdisciplinary Afro-American Studies Program is passed with an overwhelming vote by the HSSE Senate.

1971

African American Studies

Due to the efforts of black students and black faculty members, students are able to pursue a major or minor in African American Studies beginning in the fall semester of 1971.

1972

BCC Director named

John Houston, a graduate student, becomes the first official director of the Black Cultural Center.

1973

BCC Director changes

Antonio Zamora is hired as the Director of the Black Cultural Center following the resignation of John Houston.Oral History Interview with Antonio Zamora

1974

Minority Engineering Program

The Engineering Department starts the Minority Engineering Program, with alumna Marion Blalock as its head.Oral History Interview with Marion Blalock

1975

Muhammad Ali visits

Black Cultural Center Calendar and Program

1975

National Society of Black Engineers

Purdue student and ASME member Tony Harris approaches President Arthur Hansen about forming a national organization for black engineering students. President Hansen sends out a letter to 80 different colleges and universities requesting that each send a representative to Purdue to discuss the formation of a national body. As a result, the National Society of Black Engineers is founded.

1975

Dimensions in Black poetry

Program presented by BCC

1977

BCC program

1977

BCC program

1978

Homecoming Queen

Kassandra Agee becomes the first African American Homecoming Queen. Pictured: Black Cultural Center Arts Festival Flyer.

1978

BCC program

1979

BCC program - 1979

1979

BCC Flyer - 1979

1980

Alumni Organization

The Purdue Black Alumni Organization is founded on the 10th anniversary of the Black Cultural Center.

1980

BCC Flyer - 1980

1981

BCC Flyer - 1981

1981

BCC Flyer - 1981

1982

BCC Program - 1982

1982

BCC Program - 1982

1983

BCC Program - 1983

1983

BCC Program - 1983

1984

BCC Program

1984

BCC Program

1985

BCC Program

1985

BCC Program

1986

BCC Program

1986

BCC Program

1987

Protest!

Students plan a protest in response to racist events on campus.

1987

BCC Program

1988

BCC Program

1988

BCC Program

1989

BCC Program

1989

BCC Program

1990

Board of Trustees

Robert Taylor becomes Purdue's first black Board of Trustees member.Purdue students elect Tarrus Richardson as the first African American president of the student government.

1991

G.A. Ross Award

Myron White becomes the first African American to win the G.A. Ross Award for being the outstanding graduating senior male.

1992

BCC Program

1992

BCC Program

1993

BCC Program

1993

BCC Program

1994

BCC Program

1994

BCC Program

1995

BCC Director Retires

Antonio Zamora retires as Director of the Black Cultural Center. Renee Thomas is appointed interim director, and works with students and staff to develop plans and lead fundraising for a new Black Cultural Center facility.

1996

New Director appointed

Renee Thomas is appointed Director of the Black Cultural Center, following a national search.Oral History Interview with Renee Thomas

1997

BCC Program

1997

BCC Program

1998

Construction Started

Mamon and Claude Powers donate money for the construction of a new Black Cultural Center. Once completed, the new Black Cultural Center is the first building on campus to be designed by an African American architect.

1999

Grand Opening

The newly constructed Black Cultural Center opens to the public.

1999

BCC Program

2000

BCC Program

2000

BCC Program

2001

BCC Program

2001

BCC Program

2002

BCC Program

2002

BCC Program

2003

BCC Program

2003

BCC Program

2004

Brown vs. Board of Education

Linda Brown Thompson, who was at the center of the Brown vs. Board of Education Supreme Court case at age seven, comes to speak on campus. She discusses issues such as education, segregation, equality, and the famous case that ultimately led to the desegregation of American schools.

2005

Purdue Women's soccer

2005

Purdue students playing a pickup game of basketball

2006

BCC Program

2006

BCC Program

2007

Summit begins

Purdue Black Alumni Organization begins its Annual Business and Leadership Summit as a way to promote networking among black alumni.Purdue implements its new diversity initiative with dissemination of the document "Toward a Mosaic for Educational Equity: A Purdue Vision and Action Plan."

2008

BCC Program

2008

BCC Program

2009

Black Purdue

Purdue Black Alumni Organization commissions the film Black Purdue, about the African American experience at Purdue University.G. Christine Taylor is appointed as Purdue's first vice provost for diversity and chief diversity officer.A memorial case is installed in Krannert honoring the legacy of Dr. Cornell Bell, diversity advocate and long-time director of Krannert's Business Opportunity Program.

2010

Honorary exhibit

An exhibit is displayed in Purdue Libraries, Archives and Special Collections entitled, "Purdue's Bellwether of Diversity: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Cornell A. Bell" from August - December 2010.