One of the newest additions to materials we are keeping for the Adams Archives is the November 13th, 2008 issue of The Dallas Examiner. On page one and continuing to page two, managing editor Gordon Jackson delivers thorough coverage of the inauguration service of Paul Quinn’s new President, Mr. Michael Sorrell. Especially appreciated is the inclusion of extensive quotes from the speakers’ remarks. Future Quinnites deserve to have a taste of what it was like on that day when a new era began, from the President’s proud but poignant statement that “we have always done so much with so little, and with so few” to his stark reflection on the fate of Bishop College and the fear that Dallas could become “the place where Black colleges go to die”.

Looking back, it is interesting to see events surrounding the inauguration of President A.S. Jackson (1933-1939) that parallel the present. Our knowledge of Paul Quinn’s history in this era comes again through the diligence of Black journalists, gleaned from the Adams Archives' holdings of the Waco Messenger. After Jackson’s selection in the summer of 1933—a time of widespread economic turmoil and overall gloomy prospects—we read of beautification efforts on the old Waco campus (Jun. 23rd, 1933), the need to tear down an unused building (Nov. 17th, 1933), and financial reforms to bring the school back into the black (Dec. 15th, 1933). There were even students planning to build their own off-campus housing (27 Oct. 1933), though certainly not with the kind of support that Paul Quinn is receiving from Habitat for Humanity!

When Jackson's Presidency ended, the editorial page of the July 28th, 1939 Waco Messenger summarized his tenure as follows:

"He took the presidency at a time when interest was at a low ebb, credit rating with a limit of zero, and the pendulum of public opinion was about to sound the death knell to a grand institution. In a few short years Dr. Jackson has revived interest, restored a high credit rating, and rekindled confidence. He has not permitted himself to be satisfied in snatching the school from beneath the pall of certain death and placing it on a sound footing, but he has carried the school to new heights."

As a new President takes the helm of Paul Quinn College, let’s all work together to see that in this regard, history does repeat itself.

Welcome to the archives blog!

The Zale Library staff at Paul Quinn College welcomes you to the blog for the Adams Archives of Paul Quinn College. We want to use this forum to publicize what we have in the archives, and to promote awareness of the rich history of Paul Quinn College and the 10th District of the A.M.E. Church. From time to time we will solicit help in finding materials such as missing yearbooks, or in identifying unknown persons in photographs. We hope this will also be a way for alumni to reconnect and to celebrate their good times at Paul Quinn!

Waco Messenger in PQC Archives

African American newspapers have always made a distinctive contribution to free speech in our country, offering expanded coverage and alternative viewpoints beyond those of the mainstream media. The Paul Quinn College Archives has forty-nine volumes of the estimated sixty-year run of one such paper, the Waco Messenger, which was published c. 1932-1992. Our collection covers the years 1933-1986 with only a few significant gaps (1936, 1956-1958, and 1979). The only other known collection of this newspaper is at the Center for American History at the University of Texas-Austin, which has only the years 1940-1946. The close association of this newspaper to Paul Quinn College is evident; for many years the Messenger actually published lists of faculty in the fall and of graduating seniors in the spring. If anyone has copies of this newspaper that could help fill in the gaps listed above, let us know!

Looking for Yearbooks...

One of the prized possessions in our archives is a Paul Quinn annual from 1927. There's an especially striking photo of then-Dean Isaac M. Burgan (featured in the previous post) as an older man--it's amazing to think of all he saw in his long life and in his association with Paul Quinn College.

The annuals are a priceless link to the heritage of the College, showing us the faces of days gone by, scenes from day-to-day life, and snapshots of memorable moments. If you have a yearbook you would like to donate to the archives, or if you would loan us a yearbook to have digitally copied, please let us know by commenting below!

Here are the ones we have:

1927 1966 1968 1969 1970

1971 1972 1975 1978 1980

1983 1984 1985 2003 2004

We know that for some of the missing years, no yearbook was published; even this information could be helpful. If you were involved in producing yearbooks in years past, we'd love to hear from you!

Paul Quinn When... Isaac M. Burgan led through trying times

"On the twenty-seventh of September, 1883, he and one other teacher arrived in Waco. They were met at the depot by three of the leading trustees, who directed them to a boarding house and arranged an hour for council. At the appointed time the trustees, laboring under very great discouragements, stated that they thought it best not to open school that year, and had concluded to wait till it could be opened under more favorable circumstances. After hearing their statement of facts, etc., Burgan said, "Closing the school for one year means death for ten, and it should be announced ready for work in the face of adverse circumstance..."

- read the whole story at William J. Simmons, Men of mark: eminent, progressive and rising, pub. 1887, pp. 1092-1094. (This work is the property of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It may be used freely by individuals for research, teaching and personal use as long as this statement of availability is included in the text.)