Grimsley Hobbs Papers
-
- Letter from Burlington Mayor W.L. Beamon to Grimsley Hobbs
- In this letter to Guilford College President Grimsley Hobbs, Burlington mayor W.L. Beamon criticizes Guilford College's response to black students' demands in a recent campus protest. These demands include a minimum grade requirement of "C," a place to gather as a group without supervision, and the use of college owned cars for trips into town. Beamon explains strategies for negotiating with the demands of different interest groups and criticizes the student's prolonged use of New Garden Hall as a meeting space on the monday after the demands were made.
-
- Letter from Grimsley Hobbs to Kathryn Kelly
- In this March 23, 1970 letter Hobbs assures Mrs. Kelly, a parent of a student at Guilford, that the minimum grade of "C" requested by black students was refused by the college but explains that all academic decisions must be referred to the faculty and this might have caused a misinterpretation about the outcome of the demand. Hobbs asks Mrs. Kelly to "please rest assured" the college would not grant any grades at Guilford that had not been earned.
-
- Letter from Grimsley Hobbs to Kim Chinn
- In this November 16, 1974 letter, Guilford College President Grimsley Hobbs sends his regrets to the president of the organization Brothers and Sisters in Blackness (BASIS) president, Kim Chinn, for not being able to attend the Journey into Blackness event. Hobbs sent Bruce Stewart who was assistant to the president at the time in his place.
-
- Letter from Grimsley Hobbs to Mayor W.L. Beamon
- This March 20, 1970 letter is a response to Beomon's criticism of Hobbs and the Guilford College administration's handling of the demands made for better conditions on campus for black students. Hobbs addresses four points of contention made by Beomon and asserts that the administration acted in a way that would not escalate the situation further but defends the actions as firm and non- submissive.
-
- Letter from Grimsley Hobbs to Seth C Macon
- This March 20, 1970 letter is a response to Macon's criticism of Hobbs and the Guilford College administration's handling of the demands made for better conditions on campus for black students. Hobbs addresses four points of contention made by Beomon and asserts that the administration acted in a way that would not escalate the situation further but defends the actions as firm and non- submissive.
-
- Letter from Grimsley Hobbs to Wesley C Siler Jr.
- March 20, 1970 Hobbs' response to Siler who had threatened to cancel a provision in his will for one fourth of his assets to go to Guilford College after his death. Hobbs asserts that Siler had misinterpreted an article in the Greensboro News and Record about the college agreeing to the request of black students to be allowed a minimum grade requirement of "C." Hobbs questions Siler's decision without having talked to anyone in the administration about the matter and states that he and the administration in no way "bowed down" to the demands of the black students. He also offers to talk with Siler about the situation in hopes that he might reconsider his decision. (Document includes a draft).
-
- Letter from Kathryn Kelly to Grimsley Hobbs
- In this March 19, 1970 letter to Guilford College President Grimsley Hobbs, a parent of a Guilford College student regrets the school's decision regarding the request of black students for a minimum grade requirement of "C." Kelly identifies herself as the parent of a non-white student and hopes that those parents who make the sacrifice of paying full tuition can be assured that their child is getting fair treatment.
-
- Letter from Seth C Macon to Grimsley Hobbs
- In this March 19, 1970 letter Seth Macon gives his opinion about Guilford College's handling of black students requests for better conditions on campus. The letter questions the college's decision to honor the request for use of campus cars, and asks for supervision in the spaces allocated to black student for gatherings. Macon also criticizes the permissive attitude of the school in letting the black students stay in New Garden Hall past its regular closing time, predicting a future "occupation" if similar activities are not strongly discouraged.
-
- Letter from Wesley C. Siler Jr. to Grimsley Hobbs
- In this March 18, 1970 letter to Guilford College President Grimsley Hobbs, Wesley Siler, a 1949 graduate of the college, rescinds his intention of giving a contribution to Guilford College and informs Hobbs that he is writing the college out of his will due to the administration's handling of the black students' request for a minimum grade requirement of "C" and other requests. The catalyst for the letter and Siler's decision was a March 18th article in the Greensboro News & Record.
-
- Letter from former Guilford student to Grimsley Hobbs
- In this January 4, 1971 letter to Guilford College President Grimsley Hobbs a former student now at Amherst College compares the learning experience between the two institutions, claiming that Amherst is very competitive but has a larger amount of black students.
-
- Memorandum concerning hearing for black female student
- This January 10, 1971 memorandum from A.W. Gotshall outlines the concerns of the Guilford College Student Affairs Committee (SAC) regarding disciplinary proceedings of a black student accused of being in violation of the honor code. Gottschall, the chairman of the committee, recommends that the student be given the option of postponing the hearing until the SAC has spoken with representatives of black students on campus and asserts the mediatory role of the college administration upon legitimate campus organizations.
-
- Will We Let This Happen Letter from black students to Guilford Judiciary Board
- Letter from Guilford College black students which identifies racism as the underlying cause of friction on campus between blacks and the administration, faculty, Board of Trustees, Majority student body and alumni. The letter claims that because of racism institutions such as Guilford are "diametrically opposed" to the personal growth of African American college student. The document is incomplete, ending on page 2 of the letter. The cover page is a line drawing of three African Americans presumably decapitated and lynched.
