Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

Permission to publish material form the Virginia Tech Black History Oral History Collection must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech.

Conditions Governing Access

The collection is open to research, with the exception of some materials not available to the public.

Existence and Location of Copies

The collection has been digitized and is available online .

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Black History Oral History Collection, Ms2003-011, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

These oral history interviews were conducted by the former Univeristy Archivist between 1996 and 2003.

Processing

The collection was partially processed in June 2024 and completed in April 2025.

Biographical

Dr. Essek Finney, Class of 1959, one of the first three black graduates of Virginia Tech.

Jerry Gaines, Class of 1971, first black scholarship athlete at Virginia Tech.

Irving Linwood Peddrew III, the first black student at Virginia Tech.

Rev. Phillip Harmon Price and his sister, Anna Christine Price integrated Blacksburg High School in 1961.

Dr. James Darnell Watkins, Class of 1971, one of six charter members of Groove Phi Groove.

Dr. Charlie Yates, Class of 1958 first black graduate of Virginia Tech.

Scope and Contents

This collection includes oral history transcripts and cassette tapes from various African Americans with experience at Virginia Tech and/or in the Blacksburg area between the 1950s and the early 2000s.These oral history interviews were conducted by the former university archivist between 1996 and 2003.

Arrangement

Transcripts are in folders according to interviewee and cassettee tapes are in seperate box.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Blacksburg (Va.)
• Local/Regional History and Appalachian South
• Montgomery County (Va.)
• Oral histories (literary works)
• University Archives
• University History
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute (1944-1970)
• Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (1970-)

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Black History Oral History Collection by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).