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Preferred Citation

"The Key" Aesthetic Club Annual, Bluefield State College, West Virginia, C0446, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries

Acquisition Information

Purchased by Lynn Eaton from Caroliniana Rare Books in September 2024.

Processing Information

Processing and finding aid completed by Meghan Glasbrenner in April 2025.

Biographical and Historical Information

Bluefield State University, a recognized Historically Black College and University (HBCU), is located in Bluefield, West Virginia. Created as Bluefield Colored Institute in 1895, the school officially opened with 40 students in January 1897. The school's name was changed to Bluefield Institute in 1929 and then again two years later in 1931, becoming Bluefield State Teachers College following curriculum changes. The school went through two more name changes, first becoming Bluefield State College in 1943 and finally in 2022, following the introduction of master's degree programs the previous year, being granted university status.

Othello Maria Jefferson was born on February 23, 1905 in Brenham, Texas. After earning her bachelor's degree in education from then Bluefield Colored Institute, Jefferson joined the teaching staff of the school circa 1929. During her time working at the school, which spanned approximately 30-40 years, Jefferson founded the school's Aesthetic Club. Initially aimed at students interested in theatre, over time the club would take on more political interests, including civil rights activism, eventually merging with the local NAACP chapter. Jefferson herself was locally known as an active fighter for civil rights in Bluefield, West Virginia, including aiding in the desegregation of lunch counters and earning recognition from the local NAACP in 1965. She passed away on September 25, 1988 at the age of 83 and is buried in Bluefield's Woodlawn Memorial Park cemetery. In 2000, Bluefield State named the Othello Harris Jefferson Student Center in her honor.

Scope and Content

Edition of "The Key" Annual created by members of the Aesthetic Club at West Virginia's Bluefield State College in 1946 and edited by club organizer Othello Maria Harris Jefferson and associate editor Shirley Painter. Jefferson and Painter are pictured and credited on the inside back cover of the publication. The Annual consists of 16 pages of black and white text, images, and photographs inside of a light-green cover with a hand-drawn pencil illustration on the front. Contents include a series of portraits of members arranged to form a tree, a page devoted to the children of former club members (titled "small fry"), a page of drawings and portraits accompanied by congratulatory notes from community members, two pages of portraits of college Greek society members, a one page program for a club play titled "The Strange Case of Blondie White," and several pages of ads for local African American businesses. The back cover includes a stamp for Philips' Printing Company in Charleston, West Virginia and two partially legible names signed in pen.

Arrangement

This is a single item collection.

Related Material

The Special Collections Research Center holds other materials related to African American performing arts and history, such as the Mildred Davenport dance ephemera collection and African American women real photo postcards .

The University Archives holds a collection of George Mason University student publications .

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• African American college students
• African American women
• African Americans
• African Americans -- Civil rights -- History -- 20th century
• Bluefield State College
• Harris-Jefferson, Othello Maria, 1905-1988
• Historically Black colleges and universities
• Performing arts
• Women -- Societies and clubs