Gregory H. Swanson 75th Anniversary Commemoration collection

Online content

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Access and use

Location of collection:
University of Virginia, Special Collections Dept.
Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library
University of Virginia
P.O. Box 400110
160 McCormick Rd
Charlottesville, Virginia 22904-4110
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Brenda Gunn
Phone: (434) 924-1037
Phone: (434) 243-1776
Fax: (434) 924-4968
Restrictions:

There are no restrictions on access to the materials in this collection.

Terms of access:

Because of the nature of this collection, copyright status varies across the materials. Copyright is assumed to be held by the original creators of the content until it passes into the public domain.

Online content

Summary

Extent:
1.95 Gigabytes
Creator:
University of Virginia. School of Law. Arthur J. Morris Law Library
Language:
English

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of digital files documenting the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Gregory H. Swanson's admission to the University of Virginia School of Law. These include the following:

1. Announcements and Marketing Materials (e.g., posters, brochures, online announcements)

2. Photographs of the Walking Tour

3. Script, Map, and Description of the Walking Tour

4. Local Television and Radio News Stories Related to the Commemoration

5. A Multimedia Online "Story Map"

6. A Video Version of the Walking Tour

The digital files are in the following file formats: .pdf, .docx, .mp4, .jpeg, and .wacz.

Biographical / historical:

On September 15, 1950, Gregory H. Swanson enrolled in the University of Virginia's School of Law and became the first African American student to attend the University. Seventy-five years later (2025), the following institutions and organizations in Virginia's Charlottesville-Albemarle area collaborated to commemorate the anniversary of this event: Black Law Students Association at the University of Virginia, Jefferson-Madison Regional Library, Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP, Charlottesville Albemarle Bar Association, County of Albemarle Government, City of Charlottesville Government, Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, University of Virginia School of Law, and the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center.

The commemoration included two events in Charlottesville, Virginia, that were free and open to the public. The first event was held on September 5, 2025, in the Swanson Room of the Jefferson-Madison Regional Library's Central Branch. At that event, attendees listened to speakers talk about Swanson and his legacy. The speakers included Representative Jennifer McClellan, University of Virginia Law School Dean Leslie Kendrick, U.S. District Court Judge Jasmine Yoon, Derek Collins (President, Black Law Students Association at the University of Virginia), and Albemarle-Charlottesville NAACP President, Lynn Boyd.

The second event, a walking tour, occurred on September 6, 2025. During that tour, participants were guided along Swanson's daily walk to class, highlighting five sites along the way that were significant to Swanson's tenure at the University of Virginia and in Charlottesville.

In addition to the live events, partners produced an online multimedia "Story Map" exhibit that served as a virtual version of the walking tour. Also, the commemoration partners made a video version of the walking tour that aired on a local public access television station.

Acquisition information:
In September of 2025, archivists at the University of Virginia Law Library gathered the files in this collection and processed them into the Library's archive.
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard