{"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcreators%5D%5B%5D=John+Malcus+Ellison%0A+++++++++Papers","last":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcreators%5D%5B%5D=John+Malcus+Ellison%0A+++++++++Papers\u0026page=1"},"meta":{"pages":{"current_page":1,"next_page":null,"prev_page":null,"total_pages":1,"limit_value":10,"offset_value":0,"total_count":1,"first_page?":true,"last_page?":true}},"data":[{"id":"virvu_virvu00005","type":"collection","attributes":{"title":"John Malcus Ellison Papers \n         \n         1941-1979","creator":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00005#creator","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"John Malcus Ellison\n         Papers","label":"Creator"}},"abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00005#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eThis collection contains the administrative and personal records of John Malcus Ellison as president of Virginia Union University (1941-1955), chancellor (1955-79), minister, teacher, author and editor. The bulk of the collection is from the early years of his presidency, 1941-1945, with very few materials from the later years or during his tenure as chancellor. Although most of the collection is correspondence conducted in his official capacity as president, because these materials were received from his family, the Ellison Papers are organized as a manuscript collection.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00005#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"id":"virvu_virvu00005","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00005","_root_":"virvu_virvu00005","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00005","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vuu/virvu00005.xml","title_ssm":["John Malcus Ellison Papers \n         \n         1941-1979"],"title_tesim":["John Malcus Ellison Papers \n         \n         1941-1979"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MS-0001"],"text":["MS-0001","John Malcus Ellison Papers \n         \n         1941-1979","12 linear\n         feet","There are no restrictions.","Collection is arranged by series and chronological\n         therein.","chronological","chronological","alphabetical then chronological","alphabetical then chronological","alphabetical","alphabetical","chronological","chronological","chronological","Born 02 February 1889 in Northumberland County, Virginia,\n         John Malcus Ellison was one of twin sons. His early life was\n         very humble allowing for very little intellectual stimulation\n         beyond learning to read in the racially segregated schools of\n         his rural community. As he explained in a short\n         autobiographical sketch he wrote to James H. Croushore of\n         Fredricksburg, Virginia in the late 1950's, At the age of 14 I\n         was hired out for 7.00 dollars per month as a farm hand. My\n         varied experiences caused me much unrest and anxiety as I\n         longed for a fuller and more meaningful life Opportunities for\n         education were very meager in my home community, and so at the\n         age of 17 I went to Normal Industrial Institute now Virginia\n         State College at Petersburg, Va. After two and one half years\n         of study I transferred to Virginia Union University in 1909\n         and completed my High School and College work. At that time,\n         Wayland Academy was the division of Union that provided\n         secondary education to students. In 1917, Ellison earned his\n         A.B. in Education at Virginia Union. He returned to his home\n         in the Northern Neck of Virginia as pastor of Shiloh Baptist\n         Church and principal of the Northern Neck Industrial Academy.\n         He later founded and headed the Northumberland County High\n         School.","In 1927 Ellison earned a Master of Arts in Religious\n         Education and Philosophy of Religion from Oberlin College and\n         subsequently taught at what is now Virginia State University\n         in sociology and ethics. There he was appointed the first\n         college minister . He did graduate work at Columbia University\n         from 1930 to 1931 and at Union Theological Seminary in New\n         York City from 1931 to 1932. By 1933, Ellison had earned his\n         Ph.D. in Christian Education and Sociology from Drew\n         University, been pastor of the Zion Baptist Church in\n         Washington, D.C., taught Religious Education at Howard\n         University's School of Religion, and authored several\n         publications on rural, Negro life in Virginia. It was in that\n         same year that he married Elizabeth Balfour, a music educator\n         and performer from Brooklyn, New York.","Dr. Ellison assumed the presidency of Virginia Union at a\n         very difficult time in history. The country had just entered\n         World War II and the era of Jim Crow was at its peak in the\n         South. Being the first African American to assume the\n         leadership of Virginia Union, he lived with the burden of\n         proving himself capable and worthy of the title President. It\n         is generally believed that he succeeded at the task. In spite\n         of the manpower drain on both the student body and the male\n         faculty, Union survived the worst of times through 1946 when\n         the GIs returned to school and prosperity and stability came\n         back to the university. Ellison took an active part in the\n         support of US troops, especially Virginia Union students in\n         the service, and in the civilian efforts that maintained the\n         community at home. It was also during his administration that\n         the Belgian Friendship Building project was undertaken and\n         successfully accomplished.","After the 1939 World's Fair in New York City, the Belgian\n         government could not dismantle and return their elaborate\n         exhibit and its housing to Nazi-occupied Belgium. Several\n         options were explored to dispose of the splendid structure\n         originally designed to be a stand-alone college in Belgium.\n         Benefactors of Negro education, however, won the bid. The\n         Belgian Friendship Building with its ornate friezes depicting\n         black life in the Belgian Congo would be relocated to the\n         campus of Virginia Union University. Negotiations for the\n         transfer of title and property were begun in the previous\n         administration of William J. Clark; fund raising, re-design\n         and physical relocation were left to Ellison's stewardship. By\n         1949 the campus had been renovated, the Belgian building moved\n         and fitted for the library, science laboratories and the\n         gymnasium and a debt of nearly one-half million dollars had\n         been retired under Ellison's leadership. This project was a\n         major concern during the first half of his career and his\n         papers reflect its importance.","Other improvements on the campus followed the Belgian\n         Building project including re-organization of the university's\n         administrative structure, significant increase in the\n         endowment, and additions to the physical plant (e.g., Hovey\n         Stadium, new dormitories and other facilities).","Concurrent with his academic and administrative career,\n         Ellison kept an active ministerial career, preaching and\n         teaching throughout Virginia on a regular basis and appearing\n         as guest pastor a various churches, Sunday Schools and\n         conferences all over the country. Summers were often spent\n         teaching aspiring ministers in special programs that he helped\n         design. He edited religious journals and newsletters as well\n         as publications for the Scottish Rite and Alpha Phi Alpha\n         Fraternity, Inc. Ellison was a prolific author as well; he\n         published several books, tracts and brochures most of which\n         were copies of his favorite and most popular sermons.","As a prominent African American educator, Ellison was\n         active in many organizations advancing the cause of both civil\n         rights and higher education for his race. His involvement with\n         national organizations such as the National Youth\n         Administration, Southern Education Foundation, Negro\n         Organization Society, National Conference of Church-Related\n         Colleges, the NAACP and many others was typical of African\n         American leaders of that time as they cooperated to support\n         the existence and survival of their schools and\n         institutions.","After his term as president, Ellison continued on at\n         Virginia Union as chancellor and professor until his death on\n         13 October 1979. He is buried at Riverview Cemetery in\n         Richmond, Virginia.","Collection processed in December 1998.","This collection contains the administrative and personal\n         records of John Malcus Ellison as president of Virginia Union\n         University (1941-1955), chancellor (1955-79), minister,\n         teacher, author and editor. The bulk of the collection is from\n         the early years of his presidency, 1941-1945, with very few\n         materials from the later years or during his tenure as\n         chancellor. Although most of the collection is correspondence\n         conducted in his official capacity as president, because these\n         materials were received from his family, the Ellison Papers\n         are organized as a manuscript collection.","The correspondence files give an intriguing picture of\n         Ellison in his role as president of a small, African American\n         university in a segregated southern city. The many letters\n         from parents, guardians and prospective students reflect his\n         function as father and disciplinarian to the campus. The\n         letters to and from prominent Richmond figures and leaders of\n         the area schools, both black and white, reveal the part he\n         played in community relations. Of special interest is the\n         correspondence with other African American educational\n         leaders, such as Benjamin Mays, which shows the support these\n         educators lent one another in their struggles for their\n         institutions to not only survive, but succeed.","The subject files disclose what organizations Ellison\n         participated in as president. Like many of his contemporaries,\n         he was active in national organizations as they provided a\n         support network for African American higher education. These\n         files also reveal what was happening on campus during the\n         early years of his administration, including the Belgian\n         Building files which offer a fascinating unfolding of the\n         construction of the building.","The personal files are related mainly to his role as\n         preacher and teacher. As with the other series, the lines are\n         often blurred in these files between Ellison's many roles. His\n         speeches and sermons are an interesting compliment to his\n         writings, and often there is overlap between the two as he\n         published collections of sermons. Included in the writings are\n         his extensive notes in preparation for a definitive history of\n         Virginia Union, for which many of the photographs in these\n         materials were collected. The programs show not only which\n         events and activities Ellison participated in, both on campus\n         and off, but those which he attended or supported.","Due to severe mold damage and insect infestation, many\n         records have been preservation photocopied.","The correspondence spans Ellison's Virginia Union\n               career from 1941 almost until his death in 1979. It is\n               primarily routine correspondence between Ellison and\n               financial contributors, student and job applicants,\n               foundation officers, organizational representatives,\n               alumni and parents. Much of Ellison's correspondence was\n               directed to donors, large and small, especially while\n               fundraising for the Belgian Building.","Personnel issues, as well as student discipline, are\n               included throughout all of the correspondence. The\n               advent of exchange student enrollment from Africa and\n               the Caribbean is reflected as well. Dr. and Mrs. Ellison\n               were described as having this mission: bringing foreign\n               students to Virginia Union for their post-secondary\n               education. There are social notes as well as letters of\n               introduction, reference and inquiry from and about\n               several such students.","Several letters of interest from prospective teachers\n               provide profiles of aspiring African American\n               professionals during the Jim Crow era. Missives from\n               parents and guardians about their young people away at\n               school for the first time reflect the more\n               comprehensive, paternal role of the African American\n               college administrator of the time. Threads of dialogue\n               between Ellison and concerned fathers can be traced in\n               the correspondence concerning the progress of Simeon\n               Booker, Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and William H.\n               Gray, Jr. as examples.","Newly appointed presidents and principals of black\n               institutions were his contemporaries; as a network of\n               leaders, they corresponded frequently both\n               professionally and personally about issues facing\n               African Americans at that time. The success or failure\n               of the schools originally founded to educate and uplift\n               the emancipated slaves depended upon their leadership\n               and tenacity. Both male and female administrators were\n               active in this support network as evidenced by\n               correspondence from Nannie Burroughs, Mary McLeod\n               Bethune, and Charlotte Hawkins Brown along with Benjamin\n               Mays, Mordecai Johnson, F. D. Bluford, and Miles W.\n               Connor, all prominent leaders of black educational\n               institutions. Other notable personages among the\n               correspondents are Rev. Vernon Johns, Carter G. Woodson,\n               and Judge William H. Hastie.","Ellison kept separate files for certain individuals\n               who were primarily fundraisers first pressed into\n               service for the Belgian Building project. Some worked\n               among African American friends and churches and others\n               were institutional representatives who handled larger\n               sums of money. In the case of Marie Hancock (Mrs.\n               Gordon), she was apparently an employed fund developer\n               for the university, while Miles Connor and C. L.\n               Franklin were active alumni chapter presidents. Because\n               of the distinction of being the first African American\n               president of Virginia Union, Ellison received many\n               pieces of congratulatory correspondence ranging from\n               commercial greeting cards to letters and telegrams. The\n               latter were preservation photocopied.","Ellison's role as college administrator meant that he\n               was involved in every facet of campus business, as well\n               as with many civic, state and national organizations.\n               These subject files demonstrate the multiple hats\n               Ellison wore as president of Virginia Union. Materials\n               such as those in the administrative, Athletics\n               Department and Library files reveal that he was active\n               in the day-to-day business of the campus departments. It\n               was this same intimate involvement that made him so\n               active in personnel and student affairs as exemplified\n               in the application and recommendation letters. (Job\n               applicants often included photographs with their\n               resumes. These snapshots have been removed and housed in\n               PMS-001.)","A definite portrait of the times in which Ellison was\n               working can also be found in the subject files. In files\n               regarding wartime matters, there is material about life\n               during World War II and the Negro's role and\n               expectations during and after it. The many organizations\n               dealing with race relations belie the tense days as\n               institutionalized segregation was coming to an end. The\n               files for educational organizations show the support\n               available at that time to the president of a small\n               African American university.","Ellison led active life off campus as well. He kept\n               an active preaching schedule both locally and across the\n               country. (Frequently, when visiting a distant city on\n               Union business, Reverend and Mrs. Ellison would appear\n               as guest preacher and soloist to help offset the\n               expenses of travel.) He was president of the Richmond\n               Ministers Association and the National Program for the\n               Training of Negro Ministers. He was also a member of\n               Alpha Phi Alpha and the Masons (United Supreme\n               Council).","His speeches and sermons grouped here are typed,\n               often untitled essays which seem to be written as\n               orations. There may be some overlap with his writings,\n               especially since most of his publications were\n               originally conceived and presented as sermons.","Ellison was editor of the Baptist Herald (Richmond,\n               Va) and the Scottish Rite Informer (Southern\n               Jurisdiction), and many of his articles and editorials\n               are in the collection. Articles submitted to the\n               periodicals under his supervision are also included, but\n               not always identified with their authors.","Ellison wrote several books and religious pamphlets\n               based on his sermons. He also in the years after his\n               presidency, was working on a history of Virginia Union.\n               His drafts and research notes are included here. Most of\n               his books, including his reports written as a\n               sociologist, are available in the library's rare books\n               collection","The smaller books and tracts are filed here, some\n                  with the original manuscript. The miscellaneous files\n                  are partial writings or those that were not\n                  published. The correspondence is between Ellison and\n                  his publishers regarding his writings.","One of Ellison's retirement goals was to write a\n                  definitive history of Virginia Union University and\n                  he amassed a wealth of research information in\n                  preparation. He began by subdividing his work into\n                  decades of history and collecting clippings,\n                  photographs, programs, personal histories that he\n                  recorded and books written at the turn of the century\n                  about African American progress after slavery.\n                  Several articles were among his book notes as well as\n                  hand-written notes. There is a separate folder of\n                  distinguished alumni news. The chapters he used as\n                  file labels do not signify actual chapters, but notes\n                  and research material related to proposed chapters.\n                  Included in chapter one is a typed manuscript of what\n                  appears to be chapters one and two.","In preparation for his history of Virginia Union,\n               Ellison collected and duplicated old photos of the\n               Virginia Union and Hartshorn Memorial College faculty\n               and students. The images range from an early Union\n               Football team to faculty events of the 1960's. All but\n               two of the photographs are black and white, and not all\n               of the subjects are identified.","With the active personal and professional life that\n               Ellison led, he participated in and attended many\n               programs during his lifetime. He was frequently a guest\n               speaker at local churches in the Richmond area and\n               especially Northumberland County's Shiloh Baptist\n               Church. The vas array of programs are sorted in\n               chronological order by whether Ellison appeared on the\n               program or not.","There were many awards and recognition memorabilia\n               presented to Ellison, especially as his career wound to\n               a close. The plaques were given by a wide range of\n               admirers, from Union-affiliated groups to churches to\n               national organizations. Ellison received honorary\n               degrees from Virginia Union University (06 June 1950),\n               Morehouse College (07 June 1955) and Virginia State\n               College (30 May 1960).","There are no restrictions.","English"],"unitid_tesim":["MS-0001"],"normalized_title_ssm":["John Malcus Ellison Papers \n         \n         1941-1979"],"collection_title_tesim":["John Malcus Ellison Papers \n         \n         1941-1979"],"collection_ssim":["John Malcus Ellison Papers \n         \n         1941-1979"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Union University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"creator_ssm":["John Malcus Ellison\n         Papers"],"creator_ssim":["John Malcus Ellison\n         Papers"],"acqinfo_ssim":["Received from Elizabeth Balfour Ellison, 06 August\n            1993"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["12 linear\n         feet"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection is arranged by series and chronological\n         therein.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003echronological\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003echronological\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ealphabetical then chronological\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ealphabetical then chronological\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ealphabetical\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ealphabetical\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003echronological\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003echronological\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003echronological\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["Collection is arranged by series and chronological\n         therein.","chronological","chronological","alphabetical then chronological","alphabetical then chronological","alphabetical","alphabetical","chronological","chronological","chronological"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBorn 02 February 1889 in Northumberland County, Virginia,\n         John Malcus Ellison was one of twin sons. His early life was\n         very humble allowing for very little intellectual stimulation\n         beyond learning to read in the racially segregated schools of\n         his rural community. As he explained in a short\n         autobiographical sketch he wrote to James H. Croushore of\n         Fredricksburg, Virginia in the late 1950's, At the age of 14 I\n         was hired out for 7.00 dollars per month as a farm hand. My\n         varied experiences caused me much unrest and anxiety as I\n         longed for a fuller and more meaningful life Opportunities for\n         education were very meager in my home community, and so at the\n         age of 17 I went to Normal Industrial Institute now Virginia\n         State College at Petersburg, Va. After two and one half years\n         of study I transferred to Virginia Union University in 1909\n         and completed my High School and College work. At that time,\n         Wayland Academy was the division of Union that provided\n         secondary education to students. In 1917, Ellison earned his\n         A.B. in Education at Virginia Union. He returned to his home\n         in the Northern Neck of Virginia as pastor of Shiloh Baptist\n         Church and principal of the Northern Neck Industrial Academy.\n         He later founded and headed the Northumberland County High\n         School.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn 1927 Ellison earned a Master of Arts in Religious\n         Education and Philosophy of Religion from Oberlin College and\n         subsequently taught at what is now Virginia State University\n         in sociology and ethics. There he was appointed the first\n         college minister . He did graduate work at Columbia University\n         from 1930 to 1931 and at Union Theological Seminary in New\n         York City from 1931 to 1932. By 1933, Ellison had earned his\n         Ph.D. in Christian Education and Sociology from Drew\n         University, been pastor of the Zion Baptist Church in\n         Washington, D.C., taught Religious Education at Howard\n         University's School of Religion, and authored several\n         publications on rural, Negro life in Virginia. It was in that\n         same year that he married Elizabeth Balfour, a music educator\n         and performer from Brooklyn, New York.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDr. Ellison assumed the presidency of Virginia Union at a\n         very difficult time in history. The country had just entered\n         World War II and the era of Jim Crow was at its peak in the\n         South. Being the first African American to assume the\n         leadership of Virginia Union, he lived with the burden of\n         proving himself capable and worthy of the title President. It\n         is generally believed that he succeeded at the task. In spite\n         of the manpower drain on both the student body and the male\n         faculty, Union survived the worst of times through 1946 when\n         the GIs returned to school and prosperity and stability came\n         back to the university. Ellison took an active part in the\n         support of US troops, especially Virginia Union students in\n         the service, and in the civilian efforts that maintained the\n         community at home. It was also during his administration that\n         the Belgian Friendship Building project was undertaken and\n         successfully accomplished.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAfter the 1939 World's Fair in New York City, the Belgian\n         government could not dismantle and return their elaborate\n         exhibit and its housing to Nazi-occupied Belgium. Several\n         options were explored to dispose of the splendid structure\n         originally designed to be a stand-alone college in Belgium.\n         Benefactors of Negro education, however, won the bid. The\n         Belgian Friendship Building with its ornate friezes depicting\n         black life in the Belgian Congo would be relocated to the\n         campus of Virginia Union University. Negotiations for the\n         transfer of title and property were begun in the previous\n         administration of William J. Clark; fund raising, re-design\n         and physical relocation were left to Ellison's stewardship. By\n         1949 the campus had been renovated, the Belgian building moved\n         and fitted for the library, science laboratories and the\n         gymnasium and a debt of nearly one-half million dollars had\n         been retired under Ellison's leadership. This project was a\n         major concern during the first half of his career and his\n         papers reflect its importance.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOther improvements on the campus followed the Belgian\n         Building project including re-organization of the university's\n         administrative structure, significant increase in the\n         endowment, and additions to the physical plant (e.g., Hovey\n         Stadium, new dormitories and other facilities).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eConcurrent with his academic and administrative career,\n         Ellison kept an active ministerial career, preaching and\n         teaching throughout Virginia on a regular basis and appearing\n         as guest pastor a various churches, Sunday Schools and\n         conferences all over the country. Summers were often spent\n         teaching aspiring ministers in special programs that he helped\n         design. He edited religious journals and newsletters as well\n         as publications for the Scottish Rite and Alpha Phi Alpha\n         Fraternity, Inc. Ellison was a prolific author as well; he\n         published several books, tracts and brochures most of which\n         were copies of his favorite and most popular sermons.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAs a prominent African American educator, Ellison was\n         active in many organizations advancing the cause of both civil\n         rights and higher education for his race. His involvement with\n         national organizations such as the National Youth\n         Administration, Southern Education Foundation, Negro\n         Organization Society, National Conference of Church-Related\n         Colleges, the NAACP and many others was typical of African\n         American leaders of that time as they cooperated to support\n         the existence and survival of their schools and\n         institutions.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAfter his term as president, Ellison continued on at\n         Virginia Union as chancellor and professor until his death on\n         13 October 1979. He is buried at Riverview Cemetery in\n         Richmond, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["Born 02 February 1889 in Northumberland County, Virginia,\n         John Malcus Ellison was one of twin sons. His early life was\n         very humble allowing for very little intellectual stimulation\n         beyond learning to read in the racially segregated schools of\n         his rural community. As he explained in a short\n         autobiographical sketch he wrote to James H. Croushore of\n         Fredricksburg, Virginia in the late 1950's, At the age of 14 I\n         was hired out for 7.00 dollars per month as a farm hand. My\n         varied experiences caused me much unrest and anxiety as I\n         longed for a fuller and more meaningful life Opportunities for\n         education were very meager in my home community, and so at the\n         age of 17 I went to Normal Industrial Institute now Virginia\n         State College at Petersburg, Va. After two and one half years\n         of study I transferred to Virginia Union University in 1909\n         and completed my High School and College work. At that time,\n         Wayland Academy was the division of Union that provided\n         secondary education to students. In 1917, Ellison earned his\n         A.B. in Education at Virginia Union. He returned to his home\n         in the Northern Neck of Virginia as pastor of Shiloh Baptist\n         Church and principal of the Northern Neck Industrial Academy.\n         He later founded and headed the Northumberland County High\n         School.","In 1927 Ellison earned a Master of Arts in Religious\n         Education and Philosophy of Religion from Oberlin College and\n         subsequently taught at what is now Virginia State University\n         in sociology and ethics. There he was appointed the first\n         college minister . He did graduate work at Columbia University\n         from 1930 to 1931 and at Union Theological Seminary in New\n         York City from 1931 to 1932. By 1933, Ellison had earned his\n         Ph.D. in Christian Education and Sociology from Drew\n         University, been pastor of the Zion Baptist Church in\n         Washington, D.C., taught Religious Education at Howard\n         University's School of Religion, and authored several\n         publications on rural, Negro life in Virginia. It was in that\n         same year that he married Elizabeth Balfour, a music educator\n         and performer from Brooklyn, New York.","Dr. Ellison assumed the presidency of Virginia Union at a\n         very difficult time in history. The country had just entered\n         World War II and the era of Jim Crow was at its peak in the\n         South. Being the first African American to assume the\n         leadership of Virginia Union, he lived with the burden of\n         proving himself capable and worthy of the title President. It\n         is generally believed that he succeeded at the task. In spite\n         of the manpower drain on both the student body and the male\n         faculty, Union survived the worst of times through 1946 when\n         the GIs returned to school and prosperity and stability came\n         back to the university. Ellison took an active part in the\n         support of US troops, especially Virginia Union students in\n         the service, and in the civilian efforts that maintained the\n         community at home. It was also during his administration that\n         the Belgian Friendship Building project was undertaken and\n         successfully accomplished.","After the 1939 World's Fair in New York City, the Belgian\n         government could not dismantle and return their elaborate\n         exhibit and its housing to Nazi-occupied Belgium. Several\n         options were explored to dispose of the splendid structure\n         originally designed to be a stand-alone college in Belgium.\n         Benefactors of Negro education, however, won the bid. The\n         Belgian Friendship Building with its ornate friezes depicting\n         black life in the Belgian Congo would be relocated to the\n         campus of Virginia Union University. Negotiations for the\n         transfer of title and property were begun in the previous\n         administration of William J. Clark; fund raising, re-design\n         and physical relocation were left to Ellison's stewardship. By\n         1949 the campus had been renovated, the Belgian building moved\n         and fitted for the library, science laboratories and the\n         gymnasium and a debt of nearly one-half million dollars had\n         been retired under Ellison's leadership. This project was a\n         major concern during the first half of his career and his\n         papers reflect its importance.","Other improvements on the campus followed the Belgian\n         Building project including re-organization of the university's\n         administrative structure, significant increase in the\n         endowment, and additions to the physical plant (e.g., Hovey\n         Stadium, new dormitories and other facilities).","Concurrent with his academic and administrative career,\n         Ellison kept an active ministerial career, preaching and\n         teaching throughout Virginia on a regular basis and appearing\n         as guest pastor a various churches, Sunday Schools and\n         conferences all over the country. Summers were often spent\n         teaching aspiring ministers in special programs that he helped\n         design. He edited religious journals and newsletters as well\n         as publications for the Scottish Rite and Alpha Phi Alpha\n         Fraternity, Inc. Ellison was a prolific author as well; he\n         published several books, tracts and brochures most of which\n         were copies of his favorite and most popular sermons.","As a prominent African American educator, Ellison was\n         active in many organizations advancing the cause of both civil\n         rights and higher education for his race. His involvement with\n         national organizations such as the National Youth\n         Administration, Southern Education Foundation, Negro\n         Organization Society, National Conference of Church-Related\n         Colleges, the NAACP and many others was typical of African\n         American leaders of that time as they cooperated to support\n         the existence and survival of their schools and\n         institutions.","After his term as president, Ellison continued on at\n         Virginia Union as chancellor and professor until his death on\n         13 October 1979. He is buried at Riverview Cemetery in\n         Richmond, Virginia."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJohn Malcus Ellison Papers, MS-0001 , Archives and\n            Special Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library,\n            Virginia Union University\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["John Malcus Ellison Papers, MS-0001 , Archives and\n            Special Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library,\n            Virginia Union University"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection processed in December 1998.\u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["Collection processed in December 1998."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection contains the administrative and personal\n         records of John Malcus Ellison as president of Virginia Union\n         University (1941-1955), chancellor (1955-79), minister,\n         teacher, author and editor. The bulk of the collection is from\n         the early years of his presidency, 1941-1945, with very few\n         materials from the later years or during his tenure as\n         chancellor. Although most of the collection is correspondence\n         conducted in his official capacity as president, because these\n         materials were received from his family, the Ellison Papers\n         are organized as a manuscript collection.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe correspondence files give an intriguing picture of\n         Ellison in his role as president of a small, African American\n         university in a segregated southern city. The many letters\n         from parents, guardians and prospective students reflect his\n         function as father and disciplinarian to the campus. The\n         letters to and from prominent Richmond figures and leaders of\n         the area schools, both black and white, reveal the part he\n         played in community relations. Of special interest is the\n         correspondence with other African American educational\n         leaders, such as Benjamin Mays, which shows the support these\n         educators lent one another in their struggles for their\n         institutions to not only survive, but succeed.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe subject files disclose what organizations Ellison\n         participated in as president. Like many of his contemporaries,\n         he was active in national organizations as they provided a\n         support network for African American higher education. These\n         files also reveal what was happening on campus during the\n         early years of his administration, including the Belgian\n         Building files which offer a fascinating unfolding of the\n         construction of the building.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe personal files are related mainly to his role as\n         preacher and teacher. As with the other series, the lines are\n         often blurred in these files between Ellison's many roles. His\n         speeches and sermons are an interesting compliment to his\n         writings, and often there is overlap between the two as he\n         published collections of sermons. Included in the writings are\n         his extensive notes in preparation for a definitive history of\n         Virginia Union, for which many of the photographs in these\n         materials were collected. The programs show not only which\n         events and activities Ellison participated in, both on campus\n         and off, but those which he attended or supported.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDue to severe mold damage and insect infestation, many\n         records have been preservation photocopied.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe correspondence spans Ellison's Virginia Union\n               career from 1941 almost until his death in 1979. It is\n               primarily routine correspondence between Ellison and\n               financial contributors, student and job applicants,\n               foundation officers, organizational representatives,\n               alumni and parents. Much of Ellison's correspondence was\n               directed to donors, large and small, especially while\n               fundraising for the Belgian Building.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ePersonnel issues, as well as student discipline, are\n               included throughout all of the correspondence. The\n               advent of exchange student enrollment from Africa and\n               the Caribbean is reflected as well. Dr. and Mrs. Ellison\n               were described as having this mission: bringing foreign\n               students to Virginia Union for their post-secondary\n               education. There are social notes as well as letters of\n               introduction, reference and inquiry from and about\n               several such students.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeveral letters of interest from prospective teachers\n               provide profiles of aspiring African American\n               professionals during the Jim Crow era. Missives from\n               parents and guardians about their young people away at\n               school for the first time reflect the more\n               comprehensive, paternal role of the African American\n               college administrator of the time. Threads of dialogue\n               between Ellison and concerned fathers can be traced in\n               the correspondence concerning the progress of Simeon\n               Booker, Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and William H.\n               Gray, Jr. as examples.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eNewly appointed presidents and principals of black\n               institutions were his contemporaries; as a network of\n               leaders, they corresponded frequently both\n               professionally and personally about issues facing\n               African Americans at that time. The success or failure\n               of the schools originally founded to educate and uplift\n               the emancipated slaves depended upon their leadership\n               and tenacity. Both male and female administrators were\n               active in this support network as evidenced by\n               correspondence from Nannie Burroughs, Mary McLeod\n               Bethune, and Charlotte Hawkins Brown along with Benjamin\n               Mays, Mordecai Johnson, F. D. Bluford, and Miles W.\n               Connor, all prominent leaders of black educational\n               institutions. Other notable personages among the\n               correspondents are Rev. Vernon Johns, Carter G. Woodson,\n               and Judge William H. Hastie.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eEllison kept separate files for certain individuals\n               who were primarily fundraisers first pressed into\n               service for the Belgian Building project. Some worked\n               among African American friends and churches and others\n               were institutional representatives who handled larger\n               sums of money. In the case of Marie Hancock (Mrs.\n               Gordon), she was apparently an employed fund developer\n               for the university, while Miles Connor and C. L.\n               Franklin were active alumni chapter presidents. Because\n               of the distinction of being the first African American\n               president of Virginia Union, Ellison received many\n               pieces of congratulatory correspondence ranging from\n               commercial greeting cards to letters and telegrams. The\n               latter were preservation photocopied.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eEllison's role as college administrator meant that he\n               was involved in every facet of campus business, as well\n               as with many civic, state and national organizations.\n               These subject files demonstrate the multiple hats\n               Ellison wore as president of Virginia Union. Materials\n               such as those in the administrative, Athletics\n               Department and Library files reveal that he was active\n               in the day-to-day business of the campus departments. It\n               was this same intimate involvement that made him so\n               active in personnel and student affairs as exemplified\n               in the application and recommendation letters. (Job\n               applicants often included photographs with their\n               resumes. These snapshots have been removed and housed in\n               PMS-001.)\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eA definite portrait of the times in which Ellison was\n               working can also be found in the subject files. In files\n               regarding wartime matters, there is material about life\n               during World War II and the Negro's role and\n               expectations during and after it. The many organizations\n               dealing with race relations belie the tense days as\n               institutionalized segregation was coming to an end. The\n               files for educational organizations show the support\n               available at that time to the president of a small\n               African American university.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eEllison led active life off campus as well. He kept\n               an active preaching schedule both locally and across the\n               country. (Frequently, when visiting a distant city on\n               Union business, Reverend and Mrs. Ellison would appear\n               as guest preacher and soloist to help offset the\n               expenses of travel.) He was president of the Richmond\n               Ministers Association and the National Program for the\n               Training of Negro Ministers. He was also a member of\n               Alpha Phi Alpha and the Masons (United Supreme\n               Council).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eHis speeches and sermons grouped here are typed,\n               often untitled essays which seem to be written as\n               orations. There may be some overlap with his writings,\n               especially since most of his publications were\n               originally conceived and presented as sermons.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eEllison was editor of the Baptist Herald (Richmond,\n               Va) and the Scottish Rite Informer (Southern\n               Jurisdiction), and many of his articles and editorials\n               are in the collection. Articles submitted to the\n               periodicals under his supervision are also included, but\n               not always identified with their authors.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eEllison wrote several books and religious pamphlets\n               based on his sermons. He also in the years after his\n               presidency, was working on a history of Virginia Union.\n               His drafts and research notes are included here. Most of\n               his books, including his reports written as a\n               sociologist, are available in the library's rare books\n               collection\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe smaller books and tracts are filed here, some\n                  with the original manuscript. The miscellaneous files\n                  are partial writings or those that were not\n                  published. The correspondence is between Ellison and\n                  his publishers regarding his writings.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOne of Ellison's retirement goals was to write a\n                  definitive history of Virginia Union University and\n                  he amassed a wealth of research information in\n                  preparation. He began by subdividing his work into\n                  decades of history and collecting clippings,\n                  photographs, programs, personal histories that he\n                  recorded and books written at the turn of the century\n                  about African American progress after slavery.\n                  Several articles were among his book notes as well as\n                  hand-written notes. There is a separate folder of\n                  distinguished alumni news. The chapters he used as\n                  file labels do not signify actual chapters, but notes\n                  and research material related to proposed chapters.\n                  Included in chapter one is a typed manuscript of what\n                  appears to be chapters one and two.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn preparation for his history of Virginia Union,\n               Ellison collected and duplicated old photos of the\n               Virginia Union and Hartshorn Memorial College faculty\n               and students. The images range from an early Union\n               Football team to faculty events of the 1960's. All but\n               two of the photographs are black and white, and not all\n               of the subjects are identified.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eWith the active personal and professional life that\n               Ellison led, he participated in and attended many\n               programs during his lifetime. He was frequently a guest\n               speaker at local churches in the Richmond area and\n               especially Northumberland County's Shiloh Baptist\n               Church. The vas array of programs are sorted in\n               chronological order by whether Ellison appeared on the\n               program or not.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThere were many awards and recognition memorabilia\n               presented to Ellison, especially as his career wound to\n               a close. The plaques were given by a wide range of\n               admirers, from Union-affiliated groups to churches to\n               national organizations. Ellison received honorary\n               degrees from Virginia Union University (06 June 1950),\n               Morehouse College (07 June 1955) and Virginia State\n               College (30 May 1960).\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This collection contains the administrative and personal\n         records of John Malcus Ellison as president of Virginia Union\n         University (1941-1955), chancellor (1955-79), minister,\n         teacher, author and editor. The bulk of the collection is from\n         the early years of his presidency, 1941-1945, with very few\n         materials from the later years or during his tenure as\n         chancellor. Although most of the collection is correspondence\n         conducted in his official capacity as president, because these\n         materials were received from his family, the Ellison Papers\n         are organized as a manuscript collection.","The correspondence files give an intriguing picture of\n         Ellison in his role as president of a small, African American\n         university in a segregated southern city. The many letters\n         from parents, guardians and prospective students reflect his\n         function as father and disciplinarian to the campus. The\n         letters to and from prominent Richmond figures and leaders of\n         the area schools, both black and white, reveal the part he\n         played in community relations. Of special interest is the\n         correspondence with other African American educational\n         leaders, such as Benjamin Mays, which shows the support these\n         educators lent one another in their struggles for their\n         institutions to not only survive, but succeed.","The subject files disclose what organizations Ellison\n         participated in as president. Like many of his contemporaries,\n         he was active in national organizations as they provided a\n         support network for African American higher education. These\n         files also reveal what was happening on campus during the\n         early years of his administration, including the Belgian\n         Building files which offer a fascinating unfolding of the\n         construction of the building.","The personal files are related mainly to his role as\n         preacher and teacher. As with the other series, the lines are\n         often blurred in these files between Ellison's many roles. His\n         speeches and sermons are an interesting compliment to his\n         writings, and often there is overlap between the two as he\n         published collections of sermons. Included in the writings are\n         his extensive notes in preparation for a definitive history of\n         Virginia Union, for which many of the photographs in these\n         materials were collected. The programs show not only which\n         events and activities Ellison participated in, both on campus\n         and off, but those which he attended or supported.","Due to severe mold damage and insect infestation, many\n         records have been preservation photocopied.","The correspondence spans Ellison's Virginia Union\n               career from 1941 almost until his death in 1979. It is\n               primarily routine correspondence between Ellison and\n               financial contributors, student and job applicants,\n               foundation officers, organizational representatives,\n               alumni and parents. Much of Ellison's correspondence was\n               directed to donors, large and small, especially while\n               fundraising for the Belgian Building.","Personnel issues, as well as student discipline, are\n               included throughout all of the correspondence. The\n               advent of exchange student enrollment from Africa and\n               the Caribbean is reflected as well. Dr. and Mrs. Ellison\n               were described as having this mission: bringing foreign\n               students to Virginia Union for their post-secondary\n               education. There are social notes as well as letters of\n               introduction, reference and inquiry from and about\n               several such students.","Several letters of interest from prospective teachers\n               provide profiles of aspiring African American\n               professionals during the Jim Crow era. Missives from\n               parents and guardians about their young people away at\n               school for the first time reflect the more\n               comprehensive, paternal role of the African American\n               college administrator of the time. Threads of dialogue\n               between Ellison and concerned fathers can be traced in\n               the correspondence concerning the progress of Simeon\n               Booker, Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and William H.\n               Gray, Jr. as examples.","Newly appointed presidents and principals of black\n               institutions were his contemporaries; as a network of\n               leaders, they corresponded frequently both\n               professionally and personally about issues facing\n               African Americans at that time. The success or failure\n               of the schools originally founded to educate and uplift\n               the emancipated slaves depended upon their leadership\n               and tenacity. Both male and female administrators were\n               active in this support network as evidenced by\n               correspondence from Nannie Burroughs, Mary McLeod\n               Bethune, and Charlotte Hawkins Brown along with Benjamin\n               Mays, Mordecai Johnson, F. D. Bluford, and Miles W.\n               Connor, all prominent leaders of black educational\n               institutions. Other notable personages among the\n               correspondents are Rev. Vernon Johns, Carter G. Woodson,\n               and Judge William H. Hastie.","Ellison kept separate files for certain individuals\n               who were primarily fundraisers first pressed into\n               service for the Belgian Building project. Some worked\n               among African American friends and churches and others\n               were institutional representatives who handled larger\n               sums of money. In the case of Marie Hancock (Mrs.\n               Gordon), she was apparently an employed fund developer\n               for the university, while Miles Connor and C. L.\n               Franklin were active alumni chapter presidents. Because\n               of the distinction of being the first African American\n               president of Virginia Union, Ellison received many\n               pieces of congratulatory correspondence ranging from\n               commercial greeting cards to letters and telegrams. The\n               latter were preservation photocopied.","Ellison's role as college administrator meant that he\n               was involved in every facet of campus business, as well\n               as with many civic, state and national organizations.\n               These subject files demonstrate the multiple hats\n               Ellison wore as president of Virginia Union. Materials\n               such as those in the administrative, Athletics\n               Department and Library files reveal that he was active\n               in the day-to-day business of the campus departments. It\n               was this same intimate involvement that made him so\n               active in personnel and student affairs as exemplified\n               in the application and recommendation letters. (Job\n               applicants often included photographs with their\n               resumes. These snapshots have been removed and housed in\n               PMS-001.)","A definite portrait of the times in which Ellison was\n               working can also be found in the subject files. In files\n               regarding wartime matters, there is material about life\n               during World War II and the Negro's role and\n               expectations during and after it. The many organizations\n               dealing with race relations belie the tense days as\n               institutionalized segregation was coming to an end. The\n               files for educational organizations show the support\n               available at that time to the president of a small\n               African American university.","Ellison led active life off campus as well. He kept\n               an active preaching schedule both locally and across the\n               country. (Frequently, when visiting a distant city on\n               Union business, Reverend and Mrs. Ellison would appear\n               as guest preacher and soloist to help offset the\n               expenses of travel.) He was president of the Richmond\n               Ministers Association and the National Program for the\n               Training of Negro Ministers. He was also a member of\n               Alpha Phi Alpha and the Masons (United Supreme\n               Council).","His speeches and sermons grouped here are typed,\n               often untitled essays which seem to be written as\n               orations. There may be some overlap with his writings,\n               especially since most of his publications were\n               originally conceived and presented as sermons.","Ellison was editor of the Baptist Herald (Richmond,\n               Va) and the Scottish Rite Informer (Southern\n               Jurisdiction), and many of his articles and editorials\n               are in the collection. Articles submitted to the\n               periodicals under his supervision are also included, but\n               not always identified with their authors.","Ellison wrote several books and religious pamphlets\n               based on his sermons. He also in the years after his\n               presidency, was working on a history of Virginia Union.\n               His drafts and research notes are included here. Most of\n               his books, including his reports written as a\n               sociologist, are available in the library's rare books\n               collection","The smaller books and tracts are filed here, some\n                  with the original manuscript. The miscellaneous files\n                  are partial writings or those that were not\n                  published. The correspondence is between Ellison and\n                  his publishers regarding his writings.","One of Ellison's retirement goals was to write a\n                  definitive history of Virginia Union University and\n                  he amassed a wealth of research information in\n                  preparation. He began by subdividing his work into\n                  decades of history and collecting clippings,\n                  photographs, programs, personal histories that he\n                  recorded and books written at the turn of the century\n                  about African American progress after slavery.\n                  Several articles were among his book notes as well as\n                  hand-written notes. There is a separate folder of\n                  distinguished alumni news. The chapters he used as\n                  file labels do not signify actual chapters, but notes\n                  and research material related to proposed chapters.\n                  Included in chapter one is a typed manuscript of what\n                  appears to be chapters one and two.","In preparation for his history of Virginia Union,\n               Ellison collected and duplicated old photos of the\n               Virginia Union and Hartshorn Memorial College faculty\n               and students. The images range from an early Union\n               Football team to faculty events of the 1960's. All but\n               two of the photographs are black and white, and not all\n               of the subjects are identified.","With the active personal and professional life that\n               Ellison led, he participated in and attended many\n               programs during his lifetime. He was frequently a guest\n               speaker at local churches in the Richmond area and\n               especially Northumberland County's Shiloh Baptist\n               Church. The vas array of programs are sorted in\n               chronological order by whether Ellison appeared on the\n               program or not.","There were many awards and recognition memorabilia\n               presented to Ellison, especially as his career wound to\n               a close. The plaques were given by a wide range of\n               admirers, from Union-affiliated groups to churches to\n               national organizations. Ellison received honorary\n               degrees from Virginia Union University (06 June 1950),\n               Morehouse College (07 June 1955) and Virginia State\n               College (30 May 1960)."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions."],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":226,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:16.422Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"virvu_virvu00005","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00005","_root_":"virvu_virvu00005","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00005","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vuu/virvu00005.xml","title_ssm":["John Malcus Ellison Papers \n         \n         1941-1979"],"title_tesim":["John Malcus Ellison Papers \n         \n         1941-1979"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MS-0001"],"text":["MS-0001","John Malcus Ellison Papers \n         \n         1941-1979","12 linear\n         feet","There are no restrictions.","Collection is arranged by series and chronological\n         therein.","chronological","chronological","alphabetical then chronological","alphabetical then chronological","alphabetical","alphabetical","chronological","chronological","chronological","Born 02 February 1889 in Northumberland County, Virginia,\n         John Malcus Ellison was one of twin sons. His early life was\n         very humble allowing for very little intellectual stimulation\n         beyond learning to read in the racially segregated schools of\n         his rural community. As he explained in a short\n         autobiographical sketch he wrote to James H. Croushore of\n         Fredricksburg, Virginia in the late 1950's, At the age of 14 I\n         was hired out for 7.00 dollars per month as a farm hand. My\n         varied experiences caused me much unrest and anxiety as I\n         longed for a fuller and more meaningful life Opportunities for\n         education were very meager in my home community, and so at the\n         age of 17 I went to Normal Industrial Institute now Virginia\n         State College at Petersburg, Va. After two and one half years\n         of study I transferred to Virginia Union University in 1909\n         and completed my High School and College work. At that time,\n         Wayland Academy was the division of Union that provided\n         secondary education to students. In 1917, Ellison earned his\n         A.B. in Education at Virginia Union. He returned to his home\n         in the Northern Neck of Virginia as pastor of Shiloh Baptist\n         Church and principal of the Northern Neck Industrial Academy.\n         He later founded and headed the Northumberland County High\n         School.","In 1927 Ellison earned a Master of Arts in Religious\n         Education and Philosophy of Religion from Oberlin College and\n         subsequently taught at what is now Virginia State University\n         in sociology and ethics. There he was appointed the first\n         college minister . He did graduate work at Columbia University\n         from 1930 to 1931 and at Union Theological Seminary in New\n         York City from 1931 to 1932. By 1933, Ellison had earned his\n         Ph.D. in Christian Education and Sociology from Drew\n         University, been pastor of the Zion Baptist Church in\n         Washington, D.C., taught Religious Education at Howard\n         University's School of Religion, and authored several\n         publications on rural, Negro life in Virginia. It was in that\n         same year that he married Elizabeth Balfour, a music educator\n         and performer from Brooklyn, New York.","Dr. Ellison assumed the presidency of Virginia Union at a\n         very difficult time in history. The country had just entered\n         World War II and the era of Jim Crow was at its peak in the\n         South. Being the first African American to assume the\n         leadership of Virginia Union, he lived with the burden of\n         proving himself capable and worthy of the title President. It\n         is generally believed that he succeeded at the task. In spite\n         of the manpower drain on both the student body and the male\n         faculty, Union survived the worst of times through 1946 when\n         the GIs returned to school and prosperity and stability came\n         back to the university. Ellison took an active part in the\n         support of US troops, especially Virginia Union students in\n         the service, and in the civilian efforts that maintained the\n         community at home. It was also during his administration that\n         the Belgian Friendship Building project was undertaken and\n         successfully accomplished.","After the 1939 World's Fair in New York City, the Belgian\n         government could not dismantle and return their elaborate\n         exhibit and its housing to Nazi-occupied Belgium. Several\n         options were explored to dispose of the splendid structure\n         originally designed to be a stand-alone college in Belgium.\n         Benefactors of Negro education, however, won the bid. The\n         Belgian Friendship Building with its ornate friezes depicting\n         black life in the Belgian Congo would be relocated to the\n         campus of Virginia Union University. Negotiations for the\n         transfer of title and property were begun in the previous\n         administration of William J. Clark; fund raising, re-design\n         and physical relocation were left to Ellison's stewardship. By\n         1949 the campus had been renovated, the Belgian building moved\n         and fitted for the library, science laboratories and the\n         gymnasium and a debt of nearly one-half million dollars had\n         been retired under Ellison's leadership. This project was a\n         major concern during the first half of his career and his\n         papers reflect its importance.","Other improvements on the campus followed the Belgian\n         Building project including re-organization of the university's\n         administrative structure, significant increase in the\n         endowment, and additions to the physical plant (e.g., Hovey\n         Stadium, new dormitories and other facilities).","Concurrent with his academic and administrative career,\n         Ellison kept an active ministerial career, preaching and\n         teaching throughout Virginia on a regular basis and appearing\n         as guest pastor a various churches, Sunday Schools and\n         conferences all over the country. Summers were often spent\n         teaching aspiring ministers in special programs that he helped\n         design. He edited religious journals and newsletters as well\n         as publications for the Scottish Rite and Alpha Phi Alpha\n         Fraternity, Inc. Ellison was a prolific author as well; he\n         published several books, tracts and brochures most of which\n         were copies of his favorite and most popular sermons.","As a prominent African American educator, Ellison was\n         active in many organizations advancing the cause of both civil\n         rights and higher education for his race. His involvement with\n         national organizations such as the National Youth\n         Administration, Southern Education Foundation, Negro\n         Organization Society, National Conference of Church-Related\n         Colleges, the NAACP and many others was typical of African\n         American leaders of that time as they cooperated to support\n         the existence and survival of their schools and\n         institutions.","After his term as president, Ellison continued on at\n         Virginia Union as chancellor and professor until his death on\n         13 October 1979. He is buried at Riverview Cemetery in\n         Richmond, Virginia.","Collection processed in December 1998.","This collection contains the administrative and personal\n         records of John Malcus Ellison as president of Virginia Union\n         University (1941-1955), chancellor (1955-79), minister,\n         teacher, author and editor. The bulk of the collection is from\n         the early years of his presidency, 1941-1945, with very few\n         materials from the later years or during his tenure as\n         chancellor. Although most of the collection is correspondence\n         conducted in his official capacity as president, because these\n         materials were received from his family, the Ellison Papers\n         are organized as a manuscript collection.","The correspondence files give an intriguing picture of\n         Ellison in his role as president of a small, African American\n         university in a segregated southern city. The many letters\n         from parents, guardians and prospective students reflect his\n         function as father and disciplinarian to the campus. The\n         letters to and from prominent Richmond figures and leaders of\n         the area schools, both black and white, reveal the part he\n         played in community relations. Of special interest is the\n         correspondence with other African American educational\n         leaders, such as Benjamin Mays, which shows the support these\n         educators lent one another in their struggles for their\n         institutions to not only survive, but succeed.","The subject files disclose what organizations Ellison\n         participated in as president. Like many of his contemporaries,\n         he was active in national organizations as they provided a\n         support network for African American higher education. These\n         files also reveal what was happening on campus during the\n         early years of his administration, including the Belgian\n         Building files which offer a fascinating unfolding of the\n         construction of the building.","The personal files are related mainly to his role as\n         preacher and teacher. As with the other series, the lines are\n         often blurred in these files between Ellison's many roles. His\n         speeches and sermons are an interesting compliment to his\n         writings, and often there is overlap between the two as he\n         published collections of sermons. Included in the writings are\n         his extensive notes in preparation for a definitive history of\n         Virginia Union, for which many of the photographs in these\n         materials were collected. The programs show not only which\n         events and activities Ellison participated in, both on campus\n         and off, but those which he attended or supported.","Due to severe mold damage and insect infestation, many\n         records have been preservation photocopied.","The correspondence spans Ellison's Virginia Union\n               career from 1941 almost until his death in 1979. It is\n               primarily routine correspondence between Ellison and\n               financial contributors, student and job applicants,\n               foundation officers, organizational representatives,\n               alumni and parents. Much of Ellison's correspondence was\n               directed to donors, large and small, especially while\n               fundraising for the Belgian Building.","Personnel issues, as well as student discipline, are\n               included throughout all of the correspondence. The\n               advent of exchange student enrollment from Africa and\n               the Caribbean is reflected as well. Dr. and Mrs. Ellison\n               were described as having this mission: bringing foreign\n               students to Virginia Union for their post-secondary\n               education. There are social notes as well as letters of\n               introduction, reference and inquiry from and about\n               several such students.","Several letters of interest from prospective teachers\n               provide profiles of aspiring African American\n               professionals during the Jim Crow era. Missives from\n               parents and guardians about their young people away at\n               school for the first time reflect the more\n               comprehensive, paternal role of the African American\n               college administrator of the time. Threads of dialogue\n               between Ellison and concerned fathers can be traced in\n               the correspondence concerning the progress of Simeon\n               Booker, Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and William H.\n               Gray, Jr. as examples.","Newly appointed presidents and principals of black\n               institutions were his contemporaries; as a network of\n               leaders, they corresponded frequently both\n               professionally and personally about issues facing\n               African Americans at that time. The success or failure\n               of the schools originally founded to educate and uplift\n               the emancipated slaves depended upon their leadership\n               and tenacity. Both male and female administrators were\n               active in this support network as evidenced by\n               correspondence from Nannie Burroughs, Mary McLeod\n               Bethune, and Charlotte Hawkins Brown along with Benjamin\n               Mays, Mordecai Johnson, F. D. Bluford, and Miles W.\n               Connor, all prominent leaders of black educational\n               institutions. Other notable personages among the\n               correspondents are Rev. Vernon Johns, Carter G. Woodson,\n               and Judge William H. Hastie.","Ellison kept separate files for certain individuals\n               who were primarily fundraisers first pressed into\n               service for the Belgian Building project. Some worked\n               among African American friends and churches and others\n               were institutional representatives who handled larger\n               sums of money. In the case of Marie Hancock (Mrs.\n               Gordon), she was apparently an employed fund developer\n               for the university, while Miles Connor and C. L.\n               Franklin were active alumni chapter presidents. Because\n               of the distinction of being the first African American\n               president of Virginia Union, Ellison received many\n               pieces of congratulatory correspondence ranging from\n               commercial greeting cards to letters and telegrams. The\n               latter were preservation photocopied.","Ellison's role as college administrator meant that he\n               was involved in every facet of campus business, as well\n               as with many civic, state and national organizations.\n               These subject files demonstrate the multiple hats\n               Ellison wore as president of Virginia Union. Materials\n               such as those in the administrative, Athletics\n               Department and Library files reveal that he was active\n               in the day-to-day business of the campus departments. It\n               was this same intimate involvement that made him so\n               active in personnel and student affairs as exemplified\n               in the application and recommendation letters. (Job\n               applicants often included photographs with their\n               resumes. These snapshots have been removed and housed in\n               PMS-001.)","A definite portrait of the times in which Ellison was\n               working can also be found in the subject files. In files\n               regarding wartime matters, there is material about life\n               during World War II and the Negro's role and\n               expectations during and after it. The many organizations\n               dealing with race relations belie the tense days as\n               institutionalized segregation was coming to an end. The\n               files for educational organizations show the support\n               available at that time to the president of a small\n               African American university.","Ellison led active life off campus as well. He kept\n               an active preaching schedule both locally and across the\n               country. (Frequently, when visiting a distant city on\n               Union business, Reverend and Mrs. Ellison would appear\n               as guest preacher and soloist to help offset the\n               expenses of travel.) He was president of the Richmond\n               Ministers Association and the National Program for the\n               Training of Negro Ministers. He was also a member of\n               Alpha Phi Alpha and the Masons (United Supreme\n               Council).","His speeches and sermons grouped here are typed,\n               often untitled essays which seem to be written as\n               orations. There may be some overlap with his writings,\n               especially since most of his publications were\n               originally conceived and presented as sermons.","Ellison was editor of the Baptist Herald (Richmond,\n               Va) and the Scottish Rite Informer (Southern\n               Jurisdiction), and many of his articles and editorials\n               are in the collection. Articles submitted to the\n               periodicals under his supervision are also included, but\n               not always identified with their authors.","Ellison wrote several books and religious pamphlets\n               based on his sermons. He also in the years after his\n               presidency, was working on a history of Virginia Union.\n               His drafts and research notes are included here. Most of\n               his books, including his reports written as a\n               sociologist, are available in the library's rare books\n               collection","The smaller books and tracts are filed here, some\n                  with the original manuscript. The miscellaneous files\n                  are partial writings or those that were not\n                  published. The correspondence is between Ellison and\n                  his publishers regarding his writings.","One of Ellison's retirement goals was to write a\n                  definitive history of Virginia Union University and\n                  he amassed a wealth of research information in\n                  preparation. He began by subdividing his work into\n                  decades of history and collecting clippings,\n                  photographs, programs, personal histories that he\n                  recorded and books written at the turn of the century\n                  about African American progress after slavery.\n                  Several articles were among his book notes as well as\n                  hand-written notes. There is a separate folder of\n                  distinguished alumni news. The chapters he used as\n                  file labels do not signify actual chapters, but notes\n                  and research material related to proposed chapters.\n                  Included in chapter one is a typed manuscript of what\n                  appears to be chapters one and two.","In preparation for his history of Virginia Union,\n               Ellison collected and duplicated old photos of the\n               Virginia Union and Hartshorn Memorial College faculty\n               and students. The images range from an early Union\n               Football team to faculty events of the 1960's. All but\n               two of the photographs are black and white, and not all\n               of the subjects are identified.","With the active personal and professional life that\n               Ellison led, he participated in and attended many\n               programs during his lifetime. He was frequently a guest\n               speaker at local churches in the Richmond area and\n               especially Northumberland County's Shiloh Baptist\n               Church. The vas array of programs are sorted in\n               chronological order by whether Ellison appeared on the\n               program or not.","There were many awards and recognition memorabilia\n               presented to Ellison, especially as his career wound to\n               a close. The plaques were given by a wide range of\n               admirers, from Union-affiliated groups to churches to\n               national organizations. Ellison received honorary\n               degrees from Virginia Union University (06 June 1950),\n               Morehouse College (07 June 1955) and Virginia State\n               College (30 May 1960).","There are no restrictions.","English"],"unitid_tesim":["MS-0001"],"normalized_title_ssm":["John Malcus Ellison Papers \n         \n         1941-1979"],"collection_title_tesim":["John Malcus Ellison Papers \n         \n         1941-1979"],"collection_ssim":["John Malcus Ellison Papers \n         \n         1941-1979"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Union University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"creator_ssm":["John Malcus Ellison\n         Papers"],"creator_ssim":["John Malcus Ellison\n         Papers"],"acqinfo_ssim":["Received from Elizabeth Balfour Ellison, 06 August\n            1993"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"physdesc_tesim":["12 linear\n         feet"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection is arranged by series and chronological\n         therein.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003echronological\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003echronological\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ealphabetical then chronological\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ealphabetical then chronological\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ealphabetical\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ealphabetical\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003echronological\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003echronological\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003echronological\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["Collection is arranged by series and chronological\n         therein.","chronological","chronological","alphabetical then chronological","alphabetical then chronological","alphabetical","alphabetical","chronological","chronological","chronological"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBorn 02 February 1889 in Northumberland County, Virginia,\n         John Malcus Ellison was one of twin sons. His early life was\n         very humble allowing for very little intellectual stimulation\n         beyond learning to read in the racially segregated schools of\n         his rural community. As he explained in a short\n         autobiographical sketch he wrote to James H. Croushore of\n         Fredricksburg, Virginia in the late 1950's, At the age of 14 I\n         was hired out for 7.00 dollars per month as a farm hand. My\n         varied experiences caused me much unrest and anxiety as I\n         longed for a fuller and more meaningful life Opportunities for\n         education were very meager in my home community, and so at the\n         age of 17 I went to Normal Industrial Institute now Virginia\n         State College at Petersburg, Va. After two and one half years\n         of study I transferred to Virginia Union University in 1909\n         and completed my High School and College work. At that time,\n         Wayland Academy was the division of Union that provided\n         secondary education to students. In 1917, Ellison earned his\n         A.B. in Education at Virginia Union. He returned to his home\n         in the Northern Neck of Virginia as pastor of Shiloh Baptist\n         Church and principal of the Northern Neck Industrial Academy.\n         He later founded and headed the Northumberland County High\n         School.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn 1927 Ellison earned a Master of Arts in Religious\n         Education and Philosophy of Religion from Oberlin College and\n         subsequently taught at what is now Virginia State University\n         in sociology and ethics. There he was appointed the first\n         college minister . He did graduate work at Columbia University\n         from 1930 to 1931 and at Union Theological Seminary in New\n         York City from 1931 to 1932. By 1933, Ellison had earned his\n         Ph.D. in Christian Education and Sociology from Drew\n         University, been pastor of the Zion Baptist Church in\n         Washington, D.C., taught Religious Education at Howard\n         University's School of Religion, and authored several\n         publications on rural, Negro life in Virginia. It was in that\n         same year that he married Elizabeth Balfour, a music educator\n         and performer from Brooklyn, New York.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDr. Ellison assumed the presidency of Virginia Union at a\n         very difficult time in history. The country had just entered\n         World War II and the era of Jim Crow was at its peak in the\n         South. Being the first African American to assume the\n         leadership of Virginia Union, he lived with the burden of\n         proving himself capable and worthy of the title President. It\n         is generally believed that he succeeded at the task. In spite\n         of the manpower drain on both the student body and the male\n         faculty, Union survived the worst of times through 1946 when\n         the GIs returned to school and prosperity and stability came\n         back to the university. Ellison took an active part in the\n         support of US troops, especially Virginia Union students in\n         the service, and in the civilian efforts that maintained the\n         community at home. It was also during his administration that\n         the Belgian Friendship Building project was undertaken and\n         successfully accomplished.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAfter the 1939 World's Fair in New York City, the Belgian\n         government could not dismantle and return their elaborate\n         exhibit and its housing to Nazi-occupied Belgium. Several\n         options were explored to dispose of the splendid structure\n         originally designed to be a stand-alone college in Belgium.\n         Benefactors of Negro education, however, won the bid. The\n         Belgian Friendship Building with its ornate friezes depicting\n         black life in the Belgian Congo would be relocated to the\n         campus of Virginia Union University. Negotiations for the\n         transfer of title and property were begun in the previous\n         administration of William J. Clark; fund raising, re-design\n         and physical relocation were left to Ellison's stewardship. By\n         1949 the campus had been renovated, the Belgian building moved\n         and fitted for the library, science laboratories and the\n         gymnasium and a debt of nearly one-half million dollars had\n         been retired under Ellison's leadership. This project was a\n         major concern during the first half of his career and his\n         papers reflect its importance.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOther improvements on the campus followed the Belgian\n         Building project including re-organization of the university's\n         administrative structure, significant increase in the\n         endowment, and additions to the physical plant (e.g., Hovey\n         Stadium, new dormitories and other facilities).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eConcurrent with his academic and administrative career,\n         Ellison kept an active ministerial career, preaching and\n         teaching throughout Virginia on a regular basis and appearing\n         as guest pastor a various churches, Sunday Schools and\n         conferences all over the country. Summers were often spent\n         teaching aspiring ministers in special programs that he helped\n         design. He edited religious journals and newsletters as well\n         as publications for the Scottish Rite and Alpha Phi Alpha\n         Fraternity, Inc. Ellison was a prolific author as well; he\n         published several books, tracts and brochures most of which\n         were copies of his favorite and most popular sermons.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAs a prominent African American educator, Ellison was\n         active in many organizations advancing the cause of both civil\n         rights and higher education for his race. His involvement with\n         national organizations such as the National Youth\n         Administration, Southern Education Foundation, Negro\n         Organization Society, National Conference of Church-Related\n         Colleges, the NAACP and many others was typical of African\n         American leaders of that time as they cooperated to support\n         the existence and survival of their schools and\n         institutions.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eAfter his term as president, Ellison continued on at\n         Virginia Union as chancellor and professor until his death on\n         13 October 1979. He is buried at Riverview Cemetery in\n         Richmond, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical/Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["Born 02 February 1889 in Northumberland County, Virginia,\n         John Malcus Ellison was one of twin sons. His early life was\n         very humble allowing for very little intellectual stimulation\n         beyond learning to read in the racially segregated schools of\n         his rural community. As he explained in a short\n         autobiographical sketch he wrote to James H. Croushore of\n         Fredricksburg, Virginia in the late 1950's, At the age of 14 I\n         was hired out for 7.00 dollars per month as a farm hand. My\n         varied experiences caused me much unrest and anxiety as I\n         longed for a fuller and more meaningful life Opportunities for\n         education were very meager in my home community, and so at the\n         age of 17 I went to Normal Industrial Institute now Virginia\n         State College at Petersburg, Va. After two and one half years\n         of study I transferred to Virginia Union University in 1909\n         and completed my High School and College work. At that time,\n         Wayland Academy was the division of Union that provided\n         secondary education to students. In 1917, Ellison earned his\n         A.B. in Education at Virginia Union. He returned to his home\n         in the Northern Neck of Virginia as pastor of Shiloh Baptist\n         Church and principal of the Northern Neck Industrial Academy.\n         He later founded and headed the Northumberland County High\n         School.","In 1927 Ellison earned a Master of Arts in Religious\n         Education and Philosophy of Religion from Oberlin College and\n         subsequently taught at what is now Virginia State University\n         in sociology and ethics. There he was appointed the first\n         college minister . He did graduate work at Columbia University\n         from 1930 to 1931 and at Union Theological Seminary in New\n         York City from 1931 to 1932. By 1933, Ellison had earned his\n         Ph.D. in Christian Education and Sociology from Drew\n         University, been pastor of the Zion Baptist Church in\n         Washington, D.C., taught Religious Education at Howard\n         University's School of Religion, and authored several\n         publications on rural, Negro life in Virginia. It was in that\n         same year that he married Elizabeth Balfour, a music educator\n         and performer from Brooklyn, New York.","Dr. Ellison assumed the presidency of Virginia Union at a\n         very difficult time in history. The country had just entered\n         World War II and the era of Jim Crow was at its peak in the\n         South. Being the first African American to assume the\n         leadership of Virginia Union, he lived with the burden of\n         proving himself capable and worthy of the title President. It\n         is generally believed that he succeeded at the task. In spite\n         of the manpower drain on both the student body and the male\n         faculty, Union survived the worst of times through 1946 when\n         the GIs returned to school and prosperity and stability came\n         back to the university. Ellison took an active part in the\n         support of US troops, especially Virginia Union students in\n         the service, and in the civilian efforts that maintained the\n         community at home. It was also during his administration that\n         the Belgian Friendship Building project was undertaken and\n         successfully accomplished.","After the 1939 World's Fair in New York City, the Belgian\n         government could not dismantle and return their elaborate\n         exhibit and its housing to Nazi-occupied Belgium. Several\n         options were explored to dispose of the splendid structure\n         originally designed to be a stand-alone college in Belgium.\n         Benefactors of Negro education, however, won the bid. The\n         Belgian Friendship Building with its ornate friezes depicting\n         black life in the Belgian Congo would be relocated to the\n         campus of Virginia Union University. Negotiations for the\n         transfer of title and property were begun in the previous\n         administration of William J. Clark; fund raising, re-design\n         and physical relocation were left to Ellison's stewardship. By\n         1949 the campus had been renovated, the Belgian building moved\n         and fitted for the library, science laboratories and the\n         gymnasium and a debt of nearly one-half million dollars had\n         been retired under Ellison's leadership. This project was a\n         major concern during the first half of his career and his\n         papers reflect its importance.","Other improvements on the campus followed the Belgian\n         Building project including re-organization of the university's\n         administrative structure, significant increase in the\n         endowment, and additions to the physical plant (e.g., Hovey\n         Stadium, new dormitories and other facilities).","Concurrent with his academic and administrative career,\n         Ellison kept an active ministerial career, preaching and\n         teaching throughout Virginia on a regular basis and appearing\n         as guest pastor a various churches, Sunday Schools and\n         conferences all over the country. Summers were often spent\n         teaching aspiring ministers in special programs that he helped\n         design. He edited religious journals and newsletters as well\n         as publications for the Scottish Rite and Alpha Phi Alpha\n         Fraternity, Inc. Ellison was a prolific author as well; he\n         published several books, tracts and brochures most of which\n         were copies of his favorite and most popular sermons.","As a prominent African American educator, Ellison was\n         active in many organizations advancing the cause of both civil\n         rights and higher education for his race. His involvement with\n         national organizations such as the National Youth\n         Administration, Southern Education Foundation, Negro\n         Organization Society, National Conference of Church-Related\n         Colleges, the NAACP and many others was typical of African\n         American leaders of that time as they cooperated to support\n         the existence and survival of their schools and\n         institutions.","After his term as president, Ellison continued on at\n         Virginia Union as chancellor and professor until his death on\n         13 October 1979. He is buried at Riverview Cemetery in\n         Richmond, Virginia."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJohn Malcus Ellison Papers, MS-0001 , Archives and\n            Special Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library,\n            Virginia Union University\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["John Malcus Ellison Papers, MS-0001 , Archives and\n            Special Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library,\n            Virginia Union University"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection processed in December 1998.\u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["Collection processed in December 1998."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection contains the administrative and personal\n         records of John Malcus Ellison as president of Virginia Union\n         University (1941-1955), chancellor (1955-79), minister,\n         teacher, author and editor. The bulk of the collection is from\n         the early years of his presidency, 1941-1945, with very few\n         materials from the later years or during his tenure as\n         chancellor. Although most of the collection is correspondence\n         conducted in his official capacity as president, because these\n         materials were received from his family, the Ellison Papers\n         are organized as a manuscript collection.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe correspondence files give an intriguing picture of\n         Ellison in his role as president of a small, African American\n         university in a segregated southern city. The many letters\n         from parents, guardians and prospective students reflect his\n         function as father and disciplinarian to the campus. The\n         letters to and from prominent Richmond figures and leaders of\n         the area schools, both black and white, reveal the part he\n         played in community relations. Of special interest is the\n         correspondence with other African American educational\n         leaders, such as Benjamin Mays, which shows the support these\n         educators lent one another in their struggles for their\n         institutions to not only survive, but succeed.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe subject files disclose what organizations Ellison\n         participated in as president. Like many of his contemporaries,\n         he was active in national organizations as they provided a\n         support network for African American higher education. These\n         files also reveal what was happening on campus during the\n         early years of his administration, including the Belgian\n         Building files which offer a fascinating unfolding of the\n         construction of the building.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe personal files are related mainly to his role as\n         preacher and teacher. As with the other series, the lines are\n         often blurred in these files between Ellison's many roles. His\n         speeches and sermons are an interesting compliment to his\n         writings, and often there is overlap between the two as he\n         published collections of sermons. Included in the writings are\n         his extensive notes in preparation for a definitive history of\n         Virginia Union, for which many of the photographs in these\n         materials were collected. The programs show not only which\n         events and activities Ellison participated in, both on campus\n         and off, but those which he attended or supported.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDue to severe mold damage and insect infestation, many\n         records have been preservation photocopied.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe correspondence spans Ellison's Virginia Union\n               career from 1941 almost until his death in 1979. It is\n               primarily routine correspondence between Ellison and\n               financial contributors, student and job applicants,\n               foundation officers, organizational representatives,\n               alumni and parents. Much of Ellison's correspondence was\n               directed to donors, large and small, especially while\n               fundraising for the Belgian Building.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003ePersonnel issues, as well as student discipline, are\n               included throughout all of the correspondence. The\n               advent of exchange student enrollment from Africa and\n               the Caribbean is reflected as well. Dr. and Mrs. Ellison\n               were described as having this mission: bringing foreign\n               students to Virginia Union for their post-secondary\n               education. There are social notes as well as letters of\n               introduction, reference and inquiry from and about\n               several such students.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeveral letters of interest from prospective teachers\n               provide profiles of aspiring African American\n               professionals during the Jim Crow era. Missives from\n               parents and guardians about their young people away at\n               school for the first time reflect the more\n               comprehensive, paternal role of the African American\n               college administrator of the time. Threads of dialogue\n               between Ellison and concerned fathers can be traced in\n               the correspondence concerning the progress of Simeon\n               Booker, Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and William H.\n               Gray, Jr. as examples.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eNewly appointed presidents and principals of black\n               institutions were his contemporaries; as a network of\n               leaders, they corresponded frequently both\n               professionally and personally about issues facing\n               African Americans at that time. The success or failure\n               of the schools originally founded to educate and uplift\n               the emancipated slaves depended upon their leadership\n               and tenacity. Both male and female administrators were\n               active in this support network as evidenced by\n               correspondence from Nannie Burroughs, Mary McLeod\n               Bethune, and Charlotte Hawkins Brown along with Benjamin\n               Mays, Mordecai Johnson, F. D. Bluford, and Miles W.\n               Connor, all prominent leaders of black educational\n               institutions. Other notable personages among the\n               correspondents are Rev. Vernon Johns, Carter G. Woodson,\n               and Judge William H. Hastie.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eEllison kept separate files for certain individuals\n               who were primarily fundraisers first pressed into\n               service for the Belgian Building project. Some worked\n               among African American friends and churches and others\n               were institutional representatives who handled larger\n               sums of money. In the case of Marie Hancock (Mrs.\n               Gordon), she was apparently an employed fund developer\n               for the university, while Miles Connor and C. L.\n               Franklin were active alumni chapter presidents. Because\n               of the distinction of being the first African American\n               president of Virginia Union, Ellison received many\n               pieces of congratulatory correspondence ranging from\n               commercial greeting cards to letters and telegrams. The\n               latter were preservation photocopied.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eEllison's role as college administrator meant that he\n               was involved in every facet of campus business, as well\n               as with many civic, state and national organizations.\n               These subject files demonstrate the multiple hats\n               Ellison wore as president of Virginia Union. Materials\n               such as those in the administrative, Athletics\n               Department and Library files reveal that he was active\n               in the day-to-day business of the campus departments. It\n               was this same intimate involvement that made him so\n               active in personnel and student affairs as exemplified\n               in the application and recommendation letters. (Job\n               applicants often included photographs with their\n               resumes. These snapshots have been removed and housed in\n               PMS-001.)\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eA definite portrait of the times in which Ellison was\n               working can also be found in the subject files. In files\n               regarding wartime matters, there is material about life\n               during World War II and the Negro's role and\n               expectations during and after it. The many organizations\n               dealing with race relations belie the tense days as\n               institutionalized segregation was coming to an end. The\n               files for educational organizations show the support\n               available at that time to the president of a small\n               African American university.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eEllison led active life off campus as well. He kept\n               an active preaching schedule both locally and across the\n               country. (Frequently, when visiting a distant city on\n               Union business, Reverend and Mrs. Ellison would appear\n               as guest preacher and soloist to help offset the\n               expenses of travel.) He was president of the Richmond\n               Ministers Association and the National Program for the\n               Training of Negro Ministers. He was also a member of\n               Alpha Phi Alpha and the Masons (United Supreme\n               Council).\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eHis speeches and sermons grouped here are typed,\n               often untitled essays which seem to be written as\n               orations. There may be some overlap with his writings,\n               especially since most of his publications were\n               originally conceived and presented as sermons.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eEllison was editor of the Baptist Herald (Richmond,\n               Va) and the Scottish Rite Informer (Southern\n               Jurisdiction), and many of his articles and editorials\n               are in the collection. Articles submitted to the\n               periodicals under his supervision are also included, but\n               not always identified with their authors.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eEllison wrote several books and religious pamphlets\n               based on his sermons. He also in the years after his\n               presidency, was working on a history of Virginia Union.\n               His drafts and research notes are included here. Most of\n               his books, including his reports written as a\n               sociologist, are available in the library's rare books\n               collection\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe smaller books and tracts are filed here, some\n                  with the original manuscript. The miscellaneous files\n                  are partial writings or those that were not\n                  published. The correspondence is between Ellison and\n                  his publishers regarding his writings.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOne of Ellison's retirement goals was to write a\n                  definitive history of Virginia Union University and\n                  he amassed a wealth of research information in\n                  preparation. He began by subdividing his work into\n                  decades of history and collecting clippings,\n                  photographs, programs, personal histories that he\n                  recorded and books written at the turn of the century\n                  about African American progress after slavery.\n                  Several articles were among his book notes as well as\n                  hand-written notes. There is a separate folder of\n                  distinguished alumni news. The chapters he used as\n                  file labels do not signify actual chapters, but notes\n                  and research material related to proposed chapters.\n                  Included in chapter one is a typed manuscript of what\n                  appears to be chapters one and two.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eIn preparation for his history of Virginia Union,\n               Ellison collected and duplicated old photos of the\n               Virginia Union and Hartshorn Memorial College faculty\n               and students. The images range from an early Union\n               Football team to faculty events of the 1960's. All but\n               two of the photographs are black and white, and not all\n               of the subjects are identified.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eWith the active personal and professional life that\n               Ellison led, he participated in and attended many\n               programs during his lifetime. He was frequently a guest\n               speaker at local churches in the Richmond area and\n               especially Northumberland County's Shiloh Baptist\n               Church. The vas array of programs are sorted in\n               chronological order by whether Ellison appeared on the\n               program or not.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThere were many awards and recognition memorabilia\n               presented to Ellison, especially as his career wound to\n               a close. The plaques were given by a wide range of\n               admirers, from Union-affiliated groups to churches to\n               national organizations. Ellison received honorary\n               degrees from Virginia Union University (06 June 1950),\n               Morehouse College (07 June 1955) and Virginia State\n               College (30 May 1960).\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This collection contains the administrative and personal\n         records of John Malcus Ellison as president of Virginia Union\n         University (1941-1955), chancellor (1955-79), minister,\n         teacher, author and editor. The bulk of the collection is from\n         the early years of his presidency, 1941-1945, with very few\n         materials from the later years or during his tenure as\n         chancellor. Although most of the collection is correspondence\n         conducted in his official capacity as president, because these\n         materials were received from his family, the Ellison Papers\n         are organized as a manuscript collection.","The correspondence files give an intriguing picture of\n         Ellison in his role as president of a small, African American\n         university in a segregated southern city. The many letters\n         from parents, guardians and prospective students reflect his\n         function as father and disciplinarian to the campus. The\n         letters to and from prominent Richmond figures and leaders of\n         the area schools, both black and white, reveal the part he\n         played in community relations. Of special interest is the\n         correspondence with other African American educational\n         leaders, such as Benjamin Mays, which shows the support these\n         educators lent one another in their struggles for their\n         institutions to not only survive, but succeed.","The subject files disclose what organizations Ellison\n         participated in as president. Like many of his contemporaries,\n         he was active in national organizations as they provided a\n         support network for African American higher education. These\n         files also reveal what was happening on campus during the\n         early years of his administration, including the Belgian\n         Building files which offer a fascinating unfolding of the\n         construction of the building.","The personal files are related mainly to his role as\n         preacher and teacher. As with the other series, the lines are\n         often blurred in these files between Ellison's many roles. His\n         speeches and sermons are an interesting compliment to his\n         writings, and often there is overlap between the two as he\n         published collections of sermons. Included in the writings are\n         his extensive notes in preparation for a definitive history of\n         Virginia Union, for which many of the photographs in these\n         materials were collected. The programs show not only which\n         events and activities Ellison participated in, both on campus\n         and off, but those which he attended or supported.","Due to severe mold damage and insect infestation, many\n         records have been preservation photocopied.","The correspondence spans Ellison's Virginia Union\n               career from 1941 almost until his death in 1979. It is\n               primarily routine correspondence between Ellison and\n               financial contributors, student and job applicants,\n               foundation officers, organizational representatives,\n               alumni and parents. Much of Ellison's correspondence was\n               directed to donors, large and small, especially while\n               fundraising for the Belgian Building.","Personnel issues, as well as student discipline, are\n               included throughout all of the correspondence. The\n               advent of exchange student enrollment from Africa and\n               the Caribbean is reflected as well. Dr. and Mrs. Ellison\n               were described as having this mission: bringing foreign\n               students to Virginia Union for their post-secondary\n               education. There are social notes as well as letters of\n               introduction, reference and inquiry from and about\n               several such students.","Several letters of interest from prospective teachers\n               provide profiles of aspiring African American\n               professionals during the Jim Crow era. Missives from\n               parents and guardians about their young people away at\n               school for the first time reflect the more\n               comprehensive, paternal role of the African American\n               college administrator of the time. Threads of dialogue\n               between Ellison and concerned fathers can be traced in\n               the correspondence concerning the progress of Simeon\n               Booker, Jr., Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., and William H.\n               Gray, Jr. as examples.","Newly appointed presidents and principals of black\n               institutions were his contemporaries; as a network of\n               leaders, they corresponded frequently both\n               professionally and personally about issues facing\n               African Americans at that time. The success or failure\n               of the schools originally founded to educate and uplift\n               the emancipated slaves depended upon their leadership\n               and tenacity. Both male and female administrators were\n               active in this support network as evidenced by\n               correspondence from Nannie Burroughs, Mary McLeod\n               Bethune, and Charlotte Hawkins Brown along with Benjamin\n               Mays, Mordecai Johnson, F. D. Bluford, and Miles W.\n               Connor, all prominent leaders of black educational\n               institutions. Other notable personages among the\n               correspondents are Rev. Vernon Johns, Carter G. Woodson,\n               and Judge William H. Hastie.","Ellison kept separate files for certain individuals\n               who were primarily fundraisers first pressed into\n               service for the Belgian Building project. Some worked\n               among African American friends and churches and others\n               were institutional representatives who handled larger\n               sums of money. In the case of Marie Hancock (Mrs.\n               Gordon), she was apparently an employed fund developer\n               for the university, while Miles Connor and C. L.\n               Franklin were active alumni chapter presidents. Because\n               of the distinction of being the first African American\n               president of Virginia Union, Ellison received many\n               pieces of congratulatory correspondence ranging from\n               commercial greeting cards to letters and telegrams. The\n               latter were preservation photocopied.","Ellison's role as college administrator meant that he\n               was involved in every facet of campus business, as well\n               as with many civic, state and national organizations.\n               These subject files demonstrate the multiple hats\n               Ellison wore as president of Virginia Union. Materials\n               such as those in the administrative, Athletics\n               Department and Library files reveal that he was active\n               in the day-to-day business of the campus departments. It\n               was this same intimate involvement that made him so\n               active in personnel and student affairs as exemplified\n               in the application and recommendation letters. (Job\n               applicants often included photographs with their\n               resumes. These snapshots have been removed and housed in\n               PMS-001.)","A definite portrait of the times in which Ellison was\n               working can also be found in the subject files. In files\n               regarding wartime matters, there is material about life\n               during World War II and the Negro's role and\n               expectations during and after it. The many organizations\n               dealing with race relations belie the tense days as\n               institutionalized segregation was coming to an end. The\n               files for educational organizations show the support\n               available at that time to the president of a small\n               African American university.","Ellison led active life off campus as well. He kept\n               an active preaching schedule both locally and across the\n               country. (Frequently, when visiting a distant city on\n               Union business, Reverend and Mrs. Ellison would appear\n               as guest preacher and soloist to help offset the\n               expenses of travel.) He was president of the Richmond\n               Ministers Association and the National Program for the\n               Training of Negro Ministers. He was also a member of\n               Alpha Phi Alpha and the Masons (United Supreme\n               Council).","His speeches and sermons grouped here are typed,\n               often untitled essays which seem to be written as\n               orations. There may be some overlap with his writings,\n               especially since most of his publications were\n               originally conceived and presented as sermons.","Ellison was editor of the Baptist Herald (Richmond,\n               Va) and the Scottish Rite Informer (Southern\n               Jurisdiction), and many of his articles and editorials\n               are in the collection. Articles submitted to the\n               periodicals under his supervision are also included, but\n               not always identified with their authors.","Ellison wrote several books and religious pamphlets\n               based on his sermons. He also in the years after his\n               presidency, was working on a history of Virginia Union.\n               His drafts and research notes are included here. Most of\n               his books, including his reports written as a\n               sociologist, are available in the library's rare books\n               collection","The smaller books and tracts are filed here, some\n                  with the original manuscript. The miscellaneous files\n                  are partial writings or those that were not\n                  published. The correspondence is between Ellison and\n                  his publishers regarding his writings.","One of Ellison's retirement goals was to write a\n                  definitive history of Virginia Union University and\n                  he amassed a wealth of research information in\n                  preparation. He began by subdividing his work into\n                  decades of history and collecting clippings,\n                  photographs, programs, personal histories that he\n                  recorded and books written at the turn of the century\n                  about African American progress after slavery.\n                  Several articles were among his book notes as well as\n                  hand-written notes. There is a separate folder of\n                  distinguished alumni news. The chapters he used as\n                  file labels do not signify actual chapters, but notes\n                  and research material related to proposed chapters.\n                  Included in chapter one is a typed manuscript of what\n                  appears to be chapters one and two.","In preparation for his history of Virginia Union,\n               Ellison collected and duplicated old photos of the\n               Virginia Union and Hartshorn Memorial College faculty\n               and students. The images range from an early Union\n               Football team to faculty events of the 1960's. All but\n               two of the photographs are black and white, and not all\n               of the subjects are identified.","With the active personal and professional life that\n               Ellison led, he participated in and attended many\n               programs during his lifetime. He was frequently a guest\n               speaker at local churches in the Richmond area and\n               especially Northumberland County's Shiloh Baptist\n               Church. The vas array of programs are sorted in\n               chronological order by whether Ellison appeared on the\n               program or not.","There were many awards and recognition memorabilia\n               presented to Ellison, especially as his career wound to\n               a close. The plaques were given by a wide range of\n               admirers, from Union-affiliated groups to churches to\n               national organizations. Ellison received honorary\n               degrees from Virginia Union University (06 June 1950),\n               Morehouse College (07 June 1955) and Virginia State\n               College (30 May 1960)."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are no restrictions.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["There are no restrictions."],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":226,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:16.422Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00005"}}],"included":[{"type":"facet","id":"repository_ssim","attributes":{"label":"Repository","items":[{"attributes":{"label":"Virginia Union University","value":"Virginia Union 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