Allen Williams Black Alumni collection

Collection

Identifier: UA-057

Staff Only

Allen Williams Ball State University Black Alumni Collection

Scope and Contents

This collection contains materials collected by Allen Williams documenting the Black experience at Ball State, including: scrapbooks compiled by the Ball State University Black Alumni Constituent Society, photograph albums and photographs documenting the annual Ball State University Black Alumni Reunion, publications documenting the Black student experience and multicultural affairs at Ball State University, and videos documenting Ball State University Black Alumni events and activities. Materials in this collection date from the 1960s to 2011.

The materials in this collection are digital scans and files which can be viewed on the Digital Media Repository. (Click the Digital Material tab below to access.)

Dates

circa 1960s-2011

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Ball State University Libraries make every reasonable effort to provide accurate information regarding the copyright status of materials held by Archives and Special Collections. Patrons may scan items or request a reproduction of one or more items in the collection; however, it is the responsibility of the patron to evaluate whether or not the intended use complies with copyright law.

Biographical / Historical

Allen L. Williams was born in Chicago, Illinois on November 24, 1947. In 1950, Williams moved with his parents to Michigan City, Indiana where they became permanent residents. In 1965, Williams came to Ball State to pursue his undergraduate degree. Although unexpected familial and financial hardships would delay his graduation until 1973, Williams made the most of his time at Ball State. He was a founding member of both the Black Student Association and the Omega Psi Phi fraternity. He also participated in the student movement working to establish the Special Programs House (now known as the Multicultural Center).

After earning his Bachelor’s Degree with concentrations in business administration, sociology, and history, Williams became very involved in alumni relations. He was a founding member of the Black Alumni Constituent Society and helped to organize Black Alumni reunions and events. Williams also served on the Ball State University Alumni Council, working his way up to become president of the Alumni Association in 1998 and 1999.

Extent

302 Gigabytes (2915 electronic files)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into the following series:

Series 1: Black Alumni Reunion photo albums and photographs, circa 1960s-2011 Series 2: Black Alumni Reunion video recordings, 1998, 2009 Series 3: Black Alumni scrapbooks, circa 1960s-2011 Series 4: Publications, 1967-2002

Custodial History

The physical materials were loaned to Ball State Archives and Special Collections to scan and make accessible on the Digital Media Repository. The physical materials were returned to and reside with Allen Williams.

Related Materials

Allen Williams participated in Professor Michael W. Doyle's African American Alumni Oral History Project in 2015. The video and transcript of this interview can be found on the Digital Media Repository at the link below:

https://dmr.bsu.edu/digital/collection/BSUAAAlmOrH/id/10/rec/7

UA Restructuring

UA.057 was formerly RG.09.02.20.

Subjects

African Americans Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Alumni and alumnae Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Ball State University -- Students Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings