Found 79 events matching "1956 first african american undergraduates"
The first African American woman hired as an academic staff member, Justina Williams, worked in the Department of Genetics's drosophila research lab. Many African Americans worked at State prior to Williams's appointment, however, they primarily worked in custodial or food service positions.
Alexander Bailey was hired by the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station (located at A&M College) as the first African American agricultural extension agent.
Mary Evelyn Porterfield was elected the first African American "Miss NCSU." In an interview with the Technician, Porterfield stated, "If I had been the first Black homecoming queen ever at a university of this size, I think it would have weighed much more heavily on my emotions, but to me, by this time, it seems as ordinary as would have been any selection. I think State is three years behind in the trend...I realize that this is a victory for the Blacks on campus, and particularly for the Black female."
Norma Wright Garcia became the first African American woman to receive an undergraduate degree after earning a BA in history.
Augustus M. Witherspoon became the second African American to earn a PhD at NC State. He received a PhD in botany and was the first African American to receive a doctoral degree and then join the faculty.
Ed Leftwich joined the basketball team and was the first African American freshman to receive a basketball scholarship.
Willie Burden and Charley Young became the first African American students to receive full football scholarships as incoming freshmen.
Edward Walker, the first full-time African American staff member of the library, was hired as the mail clerk.
Shirley Chisholm, the first African American congresswomen and presidential nominee, visited campus and spoke to an audience of 2,500.
The first club for African American youth was created in Sampson County under the leadership of G. W. Herring.
The first State 4-H Short Course for African American youth was held at North Carolina A&T College in Greensboro.
Wilbert Johnson, the first African American assistant coach for men's basketball at NC State, was hired by head coach Norm Sloan.
Kedrick Lowery was elected Leader of the Pack, which had replaced the homecoming queen competition. Lowery was the first African American man to be honored with the title. Lowery was a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and Alpha Kappa Psi Professional Business Fraternity.
Christine Grant, a professor in chemical engineering, became the first African American woman appointed as faculty member in the College of Engineering.
A women's basketball team was established for the first time. The team included two African American women, Gwen Jenkins and Cynthia Steele.
The first African American student in the College of Textiles, James "Jim" Rucker, graduated with a BS in textile chemistry in 1971.
The Associate Provost position was created and was also called Facilitator of African American Affairs. It was first held by Dr. Augustus Witherspoon.
The Peer Mentor program paired freshman with upper-class mentors to aid in the academic, emotional, and social adjustment of African American students, and later all culturally diverse first-year students. An earlier program from 1980 to 1982 paired African American freshmen with faculty and staff members as mentors.
Men's basketball player Ronnie Shavlik was named All-American player for the 1955 and 1956 seasons. He was the ACC's first All-American player, and he led the Wolfpack to three consecutive ACC titles in the league's first three seasons. After leaving NC State he played two seasons with the New York Knicks. In 2013, he was inducted into the NC State Athletics Hall of Fame.
Professor Harold Freeman was the first African American "named professor" in the College of Textiles. He was named the Ciba-Geigy Professor of Dyestuff Chemistry.
