{"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+Union+University\u0026page=16\u0026view=list","prev":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+Union+University\u0026page=15\u0026view=list","next":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+Union+University\u0026page=17\u0026view=list","last":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+Union+University\u0026page=192\u0026view=list"},"meta":{"pages":{"current_page":16,"next_page":17,"prev_page":15,"total_pages":192,"limit_value":10,"offset_value":150,"total_count":1918,"first_page?":false,"last_page?":false}},"data":[{"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c59","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Alumni Chapter - (Birmingham, Alabama -\n                  Area)","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c59#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c59","ref_ssm":["virvu_virvu00014_c02_c59"],"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c59","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_ids_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"text":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II","Alumni Chapter - (Birmingham, Alabama -\n                  Area)","Box-folder \n                  1:60"],"title_filing_ssi":"Alumni Chapter - (Birmingham, Alabama -\n                  Area)","title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter - (Birmingham, Alabama -\n                  Area)"],"title_tesim":["Alumni Chapter - (Birmingham, Alabama -\n                  Area)"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter - (Birmingham, Alabama -\n                  Area)"],"component_level_isim":[2],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":209,"containers_ssim":["Box-folder \n                  1:60"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1/components#58","timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vuu/virvu00014.xml","title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["AR-0009"],"text":["AR-0009","The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests","Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year","These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.","EDIT ME!","English"],"unitid_tesim":["AR-0009"],"normalized_title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Union University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement","Arrangement","Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThese records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe presidents of the University have been as follows: \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":799,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eArrangement\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eOrganization\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eby year\u003c/p\u003e"]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c59"}},{"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c60","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Alumni Chapter - Boston","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c60#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c60","ref_ssm":["virvu_virvu00014_c02_c60"],"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c60","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_ids_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"text":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II","Alumni Chapter - Boston","Box-folder \n                  1:61"],"title_filing_ssi":"Alumni Chapter - Boston","title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter - Boston"],"title_tesim":["Alumni Chapter - Boston"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter - Boston"],"component_level_isim":[2],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":210,"containers_ssim":["Box-folder \n                  1:61"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1/components#59","timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vuu/virvu00014.xml","title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["AR-0009"],"text":["AR-0009","The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests","Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year","These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.","EDIT ME!","English"],"unitid_tesim":["AR-0009"],"normalized_title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Union University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement","Arrangement","Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThese records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe presidents of the University have been as follows: \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":799,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eArrangement\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eOrganization\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eby year\u003c/p\u003e"]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c60"}},{"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c61","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Alumni Chapter, Brown, Homer\n                  S.","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c61#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c61","ref_ssm":["virvu_virvu00014_c02_c61"],"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c61","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_ids_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"text":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II","Alumni Chapter, Brown, Homer\n                  S.","Box-folder \n                  1:62"],"title_filing_ssi":"Alumni Chapter, Brown, Homer\n                  S.","title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter, Brown, Homer\n                  S."],"title_tesim":["Alumni Chapter, Brown, Homer\n                  S."],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter, Brown, Homer\n                  S."],"component_level_isim":[2],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":211,"containers_ssim":["Box-folder \n                  1:62"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1/components#60","timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vuu/virvu00014.xml","title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["AR-0009"],"text":["AR-0009","The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests","Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year","These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.","EDIT ME!","English"],"unitid_tesim":["AR-0009"],"normalized_title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Union University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement","Arrangement","Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThese records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe presidents of the University have been as follows: \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":799,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eArrangement\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eOrganization\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eby year\u003c/p\u003e"]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c61"}},{"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c62","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Alumni Chapter, Bunn, Benjamin\n                  F.","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c62#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c62","ref_ssm":["virvu_virvu00014_c02_c62"],"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c62","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_ids_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"text":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II","Alumni Chapter, Bunn, Benjamin\n                  F.","Box-folder \n                  1:63"],"title_filing_ssi":"Alumni Chapter, Bunn, Benjamin\n                  F.","title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter, Bunn, Benjamin\n                  F."],"title_tesim":["Alumni Chapter, Bunn, Benjamin\n                  F."],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter, Bunn, Benjamin\n                  F."],"component_level_isim":[2],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":212,"containers_ssim":["Box-folder \n                  1:63"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1/components#61","timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vuu/virvu00014.xml","title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["AR-0009"],"text":["AR-0009","The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests","Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year","These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.","EDIT ME!","English"],"unitid_tesim":["AR-0009"],"normalized_title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Union University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement","Arrangement","Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThese records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe presidents of the University have been as follows: \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":799,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eArrangement\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eOrganization\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eby year\u003c/p\u003e"]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c62"}},{"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c63","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Alumni Chapter - California","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c63#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c63","ref_ssm":["virvu_virvu00014_c02_c63"],"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c63","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_ids_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"text":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II","Alumni Chapter - California","Box-folder \n                  1:64"],"title_filing_ssi":"Alumni Chapter - California","title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter - California"],"title_tesim":["Alumni Chapter - California"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter - California"],"component_level_isim":[2],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":213,"containers_ssim":["Box-folder \n                  1:64"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1/components#62","timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vuu/virvu00014.xml","title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["AR-0009"],"text":["AR-0009","The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests","Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year","These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.","EDIT ME!","English"],"unitid_tesim":["AR-0009"],"normalized_title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Union University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement","Arrangement","Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThese records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe presidents of the University have been as follows: \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":799,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eArrangement\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eOrganization\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eby year\u003c/p\u003e"]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c63"}},{"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c64","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Alumni Chapter - Capital\n                  Beltway","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c64#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c64","ref_ssm":["virvu_virvu00014_c02_c64"],"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c64","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_ids_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"text":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II","Alumni Chapter - Capital\n                  Beltway","Box-folder \n                  1:65"],"title_filing_ssi":"Alumni Chapter - Capital\n                  Beltway","title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter - Capital\n                  Beltway"],"title_tesim":["Alumni Chapter - Capital\n                  Beltway"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter - Capital\n                  Beltway"],"component_level_isim":[2],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":214,"containers_ssim":["Box-folder \n                  1:65"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1/components#63","timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vuu/virvu00014.xml","title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["AR-0009"],"text":["AR-0009","The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests","Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year","These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.","EDIT ME!","English"],"unitid_tesim":["AR-0009"],"normalized_title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Union University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement","Arrangement","Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThese records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe presidents of the University have been as follows: \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":799,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eArrangement\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eOrganization\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eby year\u003c/p\u003e"]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c64"}},{"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c65","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Alumni Chapter - Caroline\n                  County","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c65#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c65","ref_ssm":["virvu_virvu00014_c02_c65"],"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c65","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_ids_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"text":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II","Alumni Chapter - Caroline\n                  County","Box-folder \n                  1:66"],"title_filing_ssi":"Alumni Chapter - Caroline\n                  County","title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter - Caroline\n                  County"],"title_tesim":["Alumni Chapter - Caroline\n                  County"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter - Caroline\n                  County"],"component_level_isim":[2],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":215,"containers_ssim":["Box-folder \n                  1:66"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1/components#64","timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vuu/virvu00014.xml","title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["AR-0009"],"text":["AR-0009","The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests","Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year","These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.","EDIT ME!","English"],"unitid_tesim":["AR-0009"],"normalized_title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Union University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement","Arrangement","Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThese records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe presidents of the University have been as follows: \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":799,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eArrangement\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eOrganization\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eby year\u003c/p\u003e"]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c65"}},{"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c66","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Alumni Chapter - D.C. Area","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c66#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c66","ref_ssm":["virvu_virvu00014_c02_c66"],"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c66","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_ids_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"text":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II","Alumni Chapter - D.C. Area","Box-folder \n                  1:67"],"title_filing_ssi":"Alumni Chapter - D.C. Area","title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter - D.C. Area"],"title_tesim":["Alumni Chapter - D.C. Area"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter - D.C. Area"],"component_level_isim":[2],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":216,"containers_ssim":["Box-folder \n                  1:67"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1/components#65","timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vuu/virvu00014.xml","title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["AR-0009"],"text":["AR-0009","The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests","Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year","These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.","EDIT ME!","English"],"unitid_tesim":["AR-0009"],"normalized_title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Union University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement","Arrangement","Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThese records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe presidents of the University have been as follows: \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":799,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eArrangement\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eOrganization\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eby year\u003c/p\u003e"]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c66"}},{"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c67","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Alumni Chapter -Ellison -\n                  Ruffin","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c67#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c67","ref_ssm":["virvu_virvu00014_c02_c67"],"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c67","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_ids_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"text":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II","Alumni Chapter -Ellison -\n                  Ruffin","Box-folder \n                  1:68"],"title_filing_ssi":"Alumni Chapter -Ellison -\n                  Ruffin","title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter -Ellison -\n                  Ruffin"],"title_tesim":["Alumni Chapter -Ellison -\n                  Ruffin"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter -Ellison -\n                  Ruffin"],"component_level_isim":[2],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":217,"containers_ssim":["Box-folder \n                  1:68"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1/components#66","timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vuu/virvu00014.xml","title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["AR-0009"],"text":["AR-0009","The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests","Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year","These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.","EDIT ME!","English"],"unitid_tesim":["AR-0009"],"normalized_title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Union University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement","Arrangement","Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThese records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe presidents of the University have been as follows: \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":799,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eArrangement\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eOrganization\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eby year\u003c/p\u003e"]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c67"}},{"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c68","type":"Subseries","attributes":{"title":"Alumni Chapter -Georgia","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c68#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c68","ref_ssm":["virvu_virvu00014_c02_c68"],"id":"virvu_virvu00014_c02_c68","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014_c02","parent_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_ids_ssim":["virvu_virvu00014","virvu_virvu00014_c02"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II"],"text":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","Series II","Alumni Chapter -Georgia","Box-folder \n                  1:69"],"title_filing_ssi":"Alumni Chapter -Georgia","title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter -Georgia"],"title_tesim":["Alumni Chapter -Georgia"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alumni Chapter -Georgia"],"component_level_isim":[2],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Subseries"],"level_ssim":["Subseries"],"sort_isi":218,"containers_ssim":["Box-folder \n                  1:69"],"_nest_path_":"/components#1/components#67","timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_ssi":"virvu_virvu00014","_root_":"virvu_virvu00014","_nest_parent_":"virvu_virvu00014","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/vuu/virvu00014.xml","title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["AR-0009"],"text":["AR-0009","The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999","There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests","Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year","These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.","EDIT ME!","English"],"unitid_tesim":["AR-0009"],"normalized_title_ssm":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_title_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"collection_ssim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia\n         Union University \n         \n         1934-1999"],"repository_ssm":["Virginia Union University"],"repository_ssim":["Virginia Union University"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThere are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["There are files relating to students' standing with the\n            university - financial and academic - so that this\n            collection should be considered restricted depending on the\n            researcher's intended use. It is probably advisable that\n            the university's legal counsel be consulted for any outside\n            research requests"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement","Arrangement","Organization"],"arrangement_tesim":["Arrangement The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","The files are arranged alphabetically by subject.","Organization Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970. During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process. Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins. Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration. Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993. Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University. Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997. Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office Simmons resigned in 1999. Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","Series I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.","During his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.","Coburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.","Two Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.","Dr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.","Series II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.","Besides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.","Other accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office","Simmons resigned in 1999.","Series III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.","by year"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["The Records of the President's Office, Virginia Union\n            University, Accession #AR-0009, Archives and Special\n            Collections Department, L. Douglas Wilder Library, Virginia\n            Union University"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThese records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe presidents of the University have been as follows: \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003eDr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         \u003clb\u003e\u003c/lb\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eMuch of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content Information"],"scopecontent_tesim":["These records reflect the administration of the university\n         as well as the president's outreach activities such as alumni\n         relations and speaking engagements.","The presidents of the University have been as follows: \n          Dr. Malcolm MacVicar (1899-1904) \n          Dr. George R. Hovey (1905-1918) \n          Dr. William J. Clark (1919-1941) \n          Dr. John M. Ellison (1941-1955) \n          Dr. Samuel D. Proctor (1955-1960) \n          Dr. Thomas H. Henderson (1960-1970) \n          Dr. Allix B. James (1970-1979) \n          Dr. Dorothy N. Cowling, (acting 1979) \n          Dr. David T. Shannon(1979-1985) \n          Dr. S. Dallas Simmons (1985-1999) \n          Dr. Bernard W. Franklin (1999- ) \n         ","Much of the collection consists of memos and letters to and\n         from the president."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEDIT ME!\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Publication Rights"],"userestrict_tesim":["EDIT ME!"],"language_ssim":["English"],"total_component_count_is":799,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-20T15:05:23.008Z","arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eArrangement\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eThe files are arranged alphabetically by subject.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003carrangement\u003e\n        \u003chead\u003eOrganization\u003c/head\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e\n        \u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e\n      \u003c/arrangement\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries I Administration of Dr. Allix B. James 1970-1979:\n            James started working at Virginia Union University in 1947\n            as a Bible instructor. He was promoted to Dean of Students,\n            then Dean of the Graduate School of Religion. He was Vice\n            President under Dr. Henderson before being appointed\n            President when Henderson died in 1970.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDuring his tenure, James oversaw many accomplishments,\n            including the establishment of a vigorous corporate gift\n            program, the most notable being a $2 million donation from\n            Mr. and Mrs. Sydney Lewis matched by the Ford Foundation on\n            a challenge from Lewis. Other corporate donors included\n            Rockefeller, Lilly, Mellon, Phillip Morris and Kellogg.\n            These gifts allowed renovations to the aging campus\n            facilities among other things. The old Department of\n            Commerce was upgraded and named the Sydney Lewis School of\n            Business Administration, achieving full accreditation in\n            the process.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eCoburn Hall burned in James' first year as President; it\n            wouldn't get rebuilt until Dr. Simmons' administration.\n            Dave Robbins was appointed basketball coach under James,\n            creating some controversy because he was not\n            African-American. This contention was set aside, however,\n            when Robbins coached the Panthers to a record number of\n            championship wins.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eTwo Homecoming programs in the James years featured\n            actors Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier and TV \"Mission\n            Impossible's\" Greg Morris. Community Learning Week was\n            established as a city-wide celebration after beginning as a\n            university holiday to mark the assassination of Dr. Martin\n            Luther King Jr. Upward Bound, a preparatory program for\n            college-bound youths, was started on campus during James'\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eDr. James stepped down from the presidency in 1979 and\n            took a year's sabbatical leave. He returned as a full\n            professor of theology and retired completely from Virginia\n            Union University in 1993.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries II Administration of Dr. S. Dallas Simmons\n            1985-1999: Simmons was known as a businessman credited with\n            turning around the university's $6 million deficit and\n            eliminating it within 6 years. He was only the second\n            president of Virginia Union University who was not a\n            clergyman. The first was Dr. Henderson. Before coming to\n            Virginia Union University in 1985, Simmons was president of\n            St. Paul's College in Lawrenceville. He had taught business\n            at North Carolina Central University previously, and holds\n            a Ph.D. from Duke University.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eBesides pulling the university from the brink of\n            bankruptcy, Simmons is most notably credited with the\n            construction of the university's first library building.\n            The L. Douglas Wilder Library was opened in 1997.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eOther accomplishments, according to a full-color\n            brochure \"A Decade of Achievement,\" include reinstating 11\n            endowed scholarships and establishing 57 new ones,\n            rebuilding Coburn Hall finally after it burned in 1970,\n            bringing a police academy to campus in a cooperative effort\n            with the Richmond police, bringing the headquarters of the\n            Baptist General Convention to campus, tripling the\n            university's overall endowment, and earning the highest\n            auditors' ratings after establishing a strict internal\n            accounting system and hiring 4 CPAs to staff the university\n            accounting office\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSimmons resigned in 1999.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSeries III Administration of Dr. William J. Clark\n            1919-1941: Clark was the third president of Virginia Union\n            University and the president of the longest tenure. He was\n            a professor of church history and theological instruction\n            at Virginia Union University before becoming president.\n            During his administration, the university merged with\n            Hartshorn Memorial College, a sister college adjacent to\n            the Virginia Union University campus. The Hartshorn\n            property was sold to balance the Virginia Union University\n            books which suffered during the Depression. See Virginia\n            Union Bulletin, Centennial Issue, June 1965, \"A Century of\n            Service to Education and Religion\" for overview of Clark's\n            administration.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eby year\u003c/p\u003e"]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/virvu_virvu00014_c02_c68"}}],"included":[{"type":"facet","id":"repository_ssim","attributes":{"label":"Repository","items":[{"attributes":{"label":"Virginia Union University","value":"Virginia Union University","hits":1918},"links":{"remove":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+Union+University\u0026view=list"}}]},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog/facet/repository_ssim.json?f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+Union+University\u0026view=list"}},{"type":"facet","id":"collection_ssim","attributes":{"label":"Collection","items":[{"attributes":{"label":"1867-1899","value":"1867-1899","hits":43},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=1867-1899\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+Union+University\u0026view=list"}},{"attributes":{"label":"Baptist General Convention of Virginia, 1931-1977","value":"Baptist General Convention of Virginia, 1931-1977","hits":8},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Baptist+General+Convention+of+Virginia%2C+1931-1977\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+Union+University\u0026view=list"}},{"attributes":{"label":"Delver Woman's Club Collection, 1960-2019","value":"Delver Woman's Club Collection, 1960-2019","hits":39},"links":{"self":"https://arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bcollection%5D%5B%5D=Delver+Woman%27s+Club+Collection%2C+1960-2019\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Virginia+Union+University\u0026view=list"}},{"attributes":{"label":"Dr. Henry H. 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