{"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Baccess_subjects%5D%5B%5D=African+Americans\u0026f%5Bcreators%5D%5B%5D=Bluefield+State+College\u0026view=compact","last":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Baccess_subjects%5D%5B%5D=African+Americans\u0026f%5Bcreators%5D%5B%5D=Bluefield+State+College\u0026page=1\u0026view=compact"},"meta":{"pages":{"current_page":1,"next_page":null,"prev_page":null,"total_pages":1,"limit_value":10,"offset_value":0,"total_count":1,"first_page?":true,"last_page?":true}},"data":[{"id":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_746","type":"collection","attributes":{"title":"\"The Key\" Aesthetic Club Annual, Bluefield State College, West Virginia","creator":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_746#creator","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"Bluefield State College","label":"Creator"}},"abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_746#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"Edition of \"The Key\" Annual created by members of the Aesthetic Club at West Virginia's Bluefield State College.","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vifgm_repositories_2_resources_746#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"id":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_746","ead_ssi":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_746","_root_":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_746","_nest_parent_":"vifgm_repositories_2_resources_746","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/GMU/repositories_2_resources_746.xml","title_filing_ssi":"\"The Key\" Aesthetic Club Annual, Bluefield State College, West Virginia","title_ssm":["\"The Key\" Aesthetic Club Annual, Bluefield State College, West Virginia"],"title_tesim":["\"The Key\" Aesthetic Club Annual, Bluefield State College, West Virginia"],"unitdate_ssm":["1946"],"unitdate_other_ssim":["1946"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["C0446","/repositories/2/resources/746"],"text":["C0446","/repositories/2/resources/746","\"The Key\" Aesthetic Club Annual, Bluefield State College, West Virginia","African American college students","African Americans","Historically Black colleges and universities","Women -- Societies and clubs","African American women","African Americans -- Civil rights -- History -- 20th century","Performing arts","There are no access restrictions.","This is a single item collection.","McGehee, C. Stuart. 2025. \"Bluefield State University.\" E-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia Online. February 20, 2025. https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/entries/536.","\"Orthello Maria Jefferson.\" n.d. City of Bluefield, West Virginia. Accessed April 16, 2025. https://www.bluefieldwv.gov/community/page/orthello-maria-jefferson.","\"Othello Jefferson (1905-1988).\" n.d. Find a Grave. Accessed April 16, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/255596831/othello-jefferson.","Peeks, Edward. 1964. \"Smoldering Spark in Bluefield.\"  Sunday Gazette-Mail , February 16, 1964. https://www.newspapers.com/article/sunday-gazette-mail-smoldering-spark-in/118313542/.","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.","Processing and finding aid completed by Meghan Glasbrenner in April 2025.","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 .","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.","The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)","Edition of \"The Key\" Annual created by members of the Aesthetic Club at West Virginia's Bluefield State College.","R 71, C 1, S 7","George Mason University. Libraries. 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February 20, 2025. https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/entries/536.","\"Orthello Maria Jefferson.\" n.d. City of Bluefield, West Virginia. Accessed April 16, 2025. https://www.bluefieldwv.gov/community/page/orthello-maria-jefferson.","\"Othello Jefferson (1905-1988).\" n.d. Find a Grave. Accessed April 16, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/255596831/othello-jefferson.","Peeks, Edward. 1964. \"Smoldering Spark in Bluefield.\"  Sunday Gazette-Mail , February 16, 1964. https://www.newspapers.com/article/sunday-gazette-mail-smoldering-spark-in/118313542/."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBluefield 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.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eOthello 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.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical and Historical Information"],"bioghist_tesim":["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. 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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.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content"],"scopecontent_tesim":["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."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)"],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract id=\"aspace_c76536b6e828adde19d2c800007f257d\"\u003eEdition of \"The Key\" Annual created by members of the Aesthetic Club at West Virginia's Bluefield State College.\u003c/abstract\u003e"],"abstract_tesim":["Edition of \"The Key\" Annual created by members of the Aesthetic Club at West Virginia's Bluefield State College."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_7bf68b9918bafaf41f30abde19d4e00b\"\u003eR 71, C 1, S 7\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["R 71, C 1, S 7"],"names_coll_ssim":["Bluefield State College","Harris-Jefferson, Othello Maria, 1905-1988"],"names_ssim":["George Mason University. 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Stuart. 2025. \"Bluefield State University.\" E-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia Online. February 20, 2025. https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/entries/536.","\"Orthello Maria Jefferson.\" n.d. City of Bluefield, West Virginia. Accessed April 16, 2025. https://www.bluefieldwv.gov/community/page/orthello-maria-jefferson.","\"Othello Jefferson (1905-1988).\" n.d. Find a Grave. Accessed April 16, 2025. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/255596831/othello-jefferson.","Peeks, Edward. 1964. \"Smoldering Spark in Bluefield.\"  Sunday Gazette-Mail , February 16, 1964. https://www.newspapers.com/article/sunday-gazette-mail-smoldering-spark-in/118313542/.","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. 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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.","The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)","Edition of \"The Key\" Annual created by members of the Aesthetic Club at West Virginia's Bluefield State College.","R 71, C 1, S 7","George Mason University. Libraries. 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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."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\"The Key\" Aesthetic Club Annual, Bluefield State College, West Virginia, C0446, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["\"The Key\" Aesthetic Club Annual, Bluefield State College, West Virginia, C0446, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries"],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eProcessing and finding aid completed by Meghan Glasbrenner in April 2025.\u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["Processing and finding aid completed by Meghan Glasbrenner in April 2025."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Special Collections Research Center holds other materials related to African American performing arts and history, such as the \u003ca href=\"https://aspace.gmu.edu/resources/c0189\"\u003eMildred Davenport dance ephemera collection\u003c/a\u003e and \u003ca href=\"https://aspace.gmu.edu/resources/c0396\"\u003eAfrican American women real photo postcards\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe University Archives holds a collection of \u003ca href=\"https://aspace.gmu.edu/resources/r0154\"\u003eGeorge Mason University student publications\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Materials"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["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 ."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEdition 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.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Content"],"scopecontent_tesim":["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."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Use Restrictions"],"userestrict_tesim":["The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)"],"abstract_html_tesm":["\u003cabstract id=\"aspace_c76536b6e828adde19d2c800007f257d\"\u003eEdition of \"The Key\" Annual created by members of the Aesthetic Club at West Virginia's Bluefield State College.\u003c/abstract\u003e"],"abstract_tesim":["Edition of \"The Key\" Annual created by members of the Aesthetic Club at West Virginia's Bluefield State College."],"physloc_html_tesm":["\u003cphysloc id=\"aspace_7bf68b9918bafaf41f30abde19d4e00b\"\u003eR 71, C 1, S 7\u003c/physloc\u003e"],"physloc_tesim":["R 71, C 1, S 7"],"names_coll_ssim":["Bluefield State College","Harris-Jefferson, Othello Maria, 1905-1988"],"names_ssim":["George Mason University. 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