^Jahie op (Contents Page Calendar 3 George Alexander Towns, 1870-1960 4 Charter 5 Day .... ... Slimmer School Convocation 8 Summer School Activities 10 Campus Briefs 13 Faculty Items 19 The Alumni Association . — _ 23 Alumni News 25 In \Iemorian) 30 • ON THE COVER • \ ☆ The late George Alexander Towns, 1894 with the plaque presented to him by tht * Series III DECEMBER, 1960 No. 112 Second Class Postage paid at Atlanta, Georgia 2 Atlanta University Bulletin CALENDAR SIMMER SCHOOL — FORUM: June 14 M. Carl Hol¬ FORUM: September 30 — Dr. Edward K. Weaver. man, Chairman of the Atlanta Committee for Coop¬ School of Education. Observation of Nigerian In¬ erative Action, Department of English. Clark Col¬ dependence. lege. “A Community Looks at Itself: Techniques of TEA: October 2 — Atlanta University Alumni Associa¬ Social Analysis.” tion at Home to Students, Faculty and Staff. SUMMER THEATRE: June 16, 17, 18 — “Simply AT HOME: October 6 — President and Mrs. Rufus E. Heavenly by Langston Hughes. Clement to the Faculties and Staff of the Atlanta SUMMER SCHOOL FORUM: June 21 — L. H. Pitts, University Center. Executive Secretary of the Georgia Teachers and LECTURE: October 10 — Dr. Jo W. Saxe, Research Education Association. “The Negro Self-Image.’’ Associate. Harvard Center for International Affairs. BOOK REVIEW PROGRAM: June 22 — A Dark Pil¬ “United States Policy in Africa. grim by Frans Venter — Reviewed by Dr. Irene BOOK REVIEW PROGRAM: October 12 Parties Dobbs Jackson. Department of French, Spelman Col¬ and Politics in America by Clinton Rossiter — Re¬ lege. viewed by Dr. Arthur C. Banks, Jr., Department of SUMMER SCHOOL FORUM: June 28 — Dr. Howard Political Science, Morehouse College. Zinn, Professor of History, Spelman College. “The CHARTER DAY CONVOCATION: October 16 — Dr. National Election: Primary Issues and Party Pro¬ James A. Colston, President of Knoxville College. cedures.” CHARTER DAY DINNER: October 16 — Honoring SI MMER THEATRE: June 30, July 1, 2 — “Visit to New Members of Faculty and Staff. a Small Planet by Gore Vidal. LECTURE: October 16 — Dr. John McDowell, Dean of SUMMER SCHOOL FORUM: July 5 — James T. Har¬ Boston University School of Social Work. “The ris, American Society of African Culture. “African Challenge of Social Work Education to the Com¬ Nationalism: A Progress Report. munity. TOWN MEETING: October 27 — Dr. Robert H. Bris¬ BOOK REVIEW PROGRAM: July 6 — To Sir, With bane, Morehouse Love by E. R. Braithwaite — Reviewed by Dr. College, T. M. Alexander. Sr.. Miss Lynette Saine, School of Education. Willie Mae Kieth. Daniel Mitchell. “Who Should Win the Presidential Election?" SI MMER SCHOOL FORUM: July 12 — President ATLANTA-MOREHOUSE-SPELMAN PLAYERS: No¬ Benjamin E. Mays, Morehouse College. “The Meth¬ vember 7, 8, 6 — “Speaking of Murder" by Audrey odology of Social Protest. and William Roos. SI MMER THEATRE: — July 14, 15. 16 “The Ridicu¬ BOOK REVIEW PROGRAM: November 6 — New lous Young Ladies” by Moliere. Maps of Hell by Kingsley Amis — Reviewed by Dr. James Birnie. SUMMER SCHOOL FORUM: July 16 — James Mac- Department of Biology. Morehouse kay. Representative to the Georgia General Assem¬ College. bly from DeKalb County. “The Value of Your Vote FORUM: November 15 — Dr. Richard Bardolph, Pro¬ in Georgia." fessor of History, Woman’s College of the l niver- sitv of North Carolina. “The Negro Vanguard: Ret¬ BOOK REVIEW PROGRAM: July 20 — The New- rospect and Prospect. comers by Oscar Handlin — Reviewed by Miss Rub\ Pernell. School of Social Work. TOWN MEETING: December 1 — Reverend Samuel W. Williams, Morehouse College. Dr. Lonnie Cross. SI MMER SCHOOL FORUM: July 25 — Dr. Tilman Atlanta University, Miss Lana Taylor. Bernard Lee. (7 Cothran. Department of Sociology. “The Socio- “Non-Violence and Social Change. Psyehological Implications of the Student Sit-in Movement.” ATLANTA-MOREHOUSE-SPELMAN PEA'i ERS: De¬ cember 1. 2. 3 — “Othello 1>\ William Shakespeare. SUMMER SCHOOL CONCERT: August 2 — The BOOK REVIEW PROGRAM: December 7 — The Summer School Chorus with Soloists. Fear Makers by \\ ilfred Schilling Reviewed b\ OPEN HOUSE: August 3 The Atlanta University President Rufus 17 Clement. Atlanta l niversitv. Alumni Association at Home to the Graduating EECTt RE: December 8 — Dr. Israel E. Glover. Chair¬ Class, Faculty and Staff. man, Department of Mathematics. Prairie View \. SI MMER SCHOOL CONVOCATION August 1 and M. College. “An Introduction to the ‘Set No¬ The Honorable Gilbert Okeke. Minister of Educa¬ tion and Its l se in Sccondarx School Education. tion for Eastern Nigeria. CHRISTMAS CAROL CONCERT: December 6. 1(1. 11. EXHIBITION: September 16-23 Annual News Pic¬ Atlanta-Morehouse-Spelman Chorus. Morehouse tures of the Year. College Glee Club. Spelman College Glee ( dub. December, 1660 3 George Alexander Towns, 1870-1960 sistant to the president and then as acting president, a position he held until Fort Valley became a state in¬ stitution. Throughout his life he was active in community affairs. He was a charter member and an officer of the first Atlanta chapter of the NAACP and subsequently organized branches in other Georgia cities. In the days when Georgia still had a poll lax, he was active in encour¬ agement of Negro registration and voting. He was a member of a com¬ mittee of Negro citizens which suc¬ ceeded in obtaining county teacher training schools in Albany and For¬ syth. the first publicly supported teacher training institutions for Ne¬ George A. Towns with the College class of 1894: Front row, N. W. Collier, George A. Towns, 5. A. Stripling, J. De Baptiste Jackson; back row, James Weldon Johnson, groes in the state. J. T. Hodges, B. F. Allen. Mr. Towns was active, too, in his church. For the With the death of George A. horn in Albany, Georgia, on March past thirty years he had been teacher of the Men’s Bible Towns on December 20 an era in 5, 1870. He came to Atlanta Uni¬ Class. the growth of Atlanta University versity at the age of fourteen and His interest in education extended became history. For more than sev¬ was graduated in the class of 1894. to Harvard enty-five years Mr. Towns had been After teaching at the University for University, and he was active in the Alumni Association of associated with the University, as two years, he enrolled in Harvard that institution and in 1955 attended student, as professor of English, as University, where he was graduated the loyal alumnus, as active participant with honors in 1900. He then re¬ fifty-fifth reunion of his class. in University affairs till the last. turned to his alma mater where he Mr. and Mrs. Towns were familiar In 1942, on the occasion of the was Professor of English and coach figures at all University and alumni seventy-fifth anniversary of the of the debating team until 1929. functions. Their quiet, gracious, in¬ terested chartering of Atlanta University, he Of these years Myron Adams says presence has long stood as a was selected by his fellow alumni as in his History of Atlanta Univer¬ symbol of the continuity between the “old"' Atlanta one of the ten outstanding gradu¬ sity, “Professor Towns is one who University and the “new. It is ates. The citation was a simple one, devoted his life to Atlanta Univer¬ particularly fitting, that he had been instructor and sity. The first year after his gradu¬ then, that Mrs. Towns has asked those who wish to honor his professor at the University, that he ation he taught elsewhere, but after memory should contribute to the Atlanta had travelled widely in the interest that, except for his two years as a of Atlanta l niversity campaigns, student of Harvard, he has been l niversity Alumni Centennial Fund. that he was founder and editor of continuously on the staff of the in¬ Surviving Mr. Towns are his wi¬ the Crimson and Gray. The sim¬ stitution. Eager, enthusiastic, he has dow. Mrs. Nellie McNair Towns of the class of plicity was inevitable, for there n as been valued not only for his work 1897; four children. Mrs. Grace Towns no wav of assessing and reducing in the classroom and an unusually Hamilton, George to concrete measurement the influ¬ good coach of debating teams, but Towns. Jr.. Myron B. Towns. Mrs. ence he had had on generation after also as one who would go into the Percy Jenkins; grandchildren. Mrs. generation of students or his con¬ field and obtain donations from Charles Payne. Jr.. Myron Towns, tribution to the growth of the l ni- friends." Jr.. Theodore Towns, Percy. Regi¬ versitx. Upon his retirement, he went to nald. Carolyn and Jerome Jenkins: George Alexander Towns was Fort Valley where he served as as¬ and three great grandchildren. 4 Atlanta University Bulletin Charter Day Atlanta L niversity celebrated the ninety-fifth anniversary of its found¬ ing. the ninety-third of the granting of its charter by bringing one of its own graduates hack as convocation speaker. Dr. James Allen Colston, who had attended the l niversity High School, graduated with the B. S. degree from Morehouse College, received the Master of Arts degree from the University in 1933 and then went on to doctoral studies at New York 1 niversity, which awarded him the Hh.D. in 1950. Now president of Knoxville College. Dr. Colston has had both administrative and teach¬ ing experience in secondary schools, colleges and universities. He has been Director of Ballard School at Macon. Georgia. Director of Public Relations at Hampton In¬ stitute, Professor of Education at A. and I. College. Lecturer in High¬ er Education at New Aork Univer¬ sity and President of both Bethune bookman and Georgia State Col¬ leges. In his Charter Day address Dr. Colston said that education should President Jcmes A. Colston, President of Knoxville College, Charter Day Speaker.