"The Key" Aesthetic Club Annual, Bluefield State College, West Virginia

Access and use

Location of collection:
George Mason University
2400 Fenwick Library
Special Collections Research Center
Fenwick Library MS2FL
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Mieko Palazzo
Phone: (703) 993-2220
Fax: (703) 993-2669
Restrictions:

There are no access restrictions.

Terms of access:

The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)

Preferred citation:

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

Summary

Extent:
.01 Linear Feet 1 folder
Creator:
Bluefield State College
Abstract:
Edition of "The Key" Annual created by members of the Aesthetic Club at West Virginia's Bluefield State College.
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

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

Background

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.

Biographical / historical:

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.

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.

Arrangement:

This is a single item collection.

Physical location:
R 71, C 1, S 7
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard