ASU History: Timeline & Exhibits (Brief Review)

ASU’s long history spans $150$ years with key events, leaders, and civil rights milestones.
Founding-era milestones include Founders Day in $1901$ and formal adoption in $1903$ .
Move from Marion to Montgomery, funding battles, and periods of growth shaped the university’s evolution into a university.
The 20th–21st centuries brought expansion, new programs, and civic activism by students and faculty.

LWLC houses a 2-part, museum-style experience: a 500 sq ft exhibit space and a 30 ft timeline wall, plus two multimedia displays.
Exhibits on the First Floor Library trace ASU origins, development, and pivotal civil rights contributions.
A dedicated Levi Watkins administration exhibit (1962–1981) highlights leadership, independence of the ASU board, and ASU’s transformation from college to university.
The Levi Watkins exhibit covers athletics milestones, Watkins’ publications, and the broader era of growth under his administration.
The Knight vs. Alabama desegregation exhibit (1981–2005) explains the case origins, plaintiffs, defendants, and funding outcomes that expanded ASU’s offerings.
The Center also includes a 1921-origin library exhibit (evolution from Annie Doak to 1972 integration by Dr. Harry Robinson) and the shift to modern digital catalogs (OPAC).
The LWLC totals ~ $146{,}000$ sq ft and includes a cafe, gardens, and tech/learning spaces across five floors.

Recessed wall exhibit introduces the desegregation case and the conditions of racial segregation in higher education.
Identifies plaintiffs (e.g., John Knight, Alma Friedman) and defendants (state of Alabama, UA, Auburn, Troy State, Alabama Commission on Higher Education).
Demonstrates the lawsuit’s goal to eliminate vestiges of segregation and highlight chronic underfunding of historically black universities.
Outcome contributed to expanded offerings at ASU and increased state funding for construction ( $125{,}000{,}000$ ).

First Floor center features a wall exhibit on the 1921 origins of ASU’s library, evolving from separate resources to integrated services by 1972.
From a card catalog to today’s OPAC system with full-text databases and multimedia resources.
Levi Watkins Learning Center is a modern, multi-use library facility with five floors and diverse amenities.
Feb. milestone: Dr. Janice Franklin helped found the HBCU Library Alliance, highlighting ASU’s leadership in librarianship.

A 30 ft recessed exhibit documents ASU’s 150-year history, including pivotal leaders and name changes.
Chronicles origins in deep Alabama Black Belt and obstacles to existence.
Highlights include relocation to Montgomery, early funding struggles, and sustained perseverance through crises.

Founders Day ( $1901$ ); institutional adoption ( $1903$ ).
1920s–1930s: expansion to Mobile and Birmingham; first bachelor’s degree in $1931$ ; jazz ensemble formed under fiscal strains.
Postwar era: notable artists and a thriving campus culture; Isaac Hathaway the “dean of Negro ceramics”.
1946–1951: ASU coin designs honoring Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver; national recognition.
Civil rights era: student and faculty activism, Montgomery Bus Boycott connections, and Alabama sit-ins.
1960s–1970s: New constitutional cases (e.g., Saint John Dixon v. Alabama State Board of Education) and voter rights demonstrations; Klan intimidation events on campus.
Levi Watkins administration and expanded academic programs culminate in PhD programs and increased funding.
1974 bicentennial time capsule is buried; opened in 2024 expectations noted.
1984: WVAS FM radio station opens; Golden Ambassadors established.
1998: Historic District on NRHP; 2003: PhD in Microbiology approved; 2005: ASU graduates many African Americans in education.
2011: Site of the Montgomery Interpreter Center (Selma-to-Montgomery National Historic Trail); 2012: Turkey Day Classic stadium opening (26{,}500 seats).
Timeline continues beyond 2012, using interactive monitors.

Two-phased civil rights space covers desegregation and student activism in the early 1960s.
Highlights include ASU students, faculty, and alumni bridging local and national Civil Rights leadership.
Freestanding exhibits honor ASU-connected leaders: Ralph David Abernathy, Fred Gray, and Fred Shuttlesworth.
Civil rights interactive space features literacy tests and critical figures discussing experiences.

Special Collections on the First Floor houses non-circulating and circulating ASU history materials, periodicals, newspapers, theses/dissertations, and yearbooks.
Edgar Daniel Nixon Museum (≈ $300 ext{ ft}^2$ ) documents Nixon’s life as a union organizer, civil rights activist, and Montgomery Improvement Association treasurer.
Nixon exhibit covers Nixon family history, union work, involvement with Elks, housing projects, and civil rights campaigns.
Space hosts book talks and related events focused on black life and Alabama State University history.

The exhibits compile ASU’s evolution, civil rights role, and leadership that shaped Alabama higher education.
The LWLC and Special Collections preserve essential primary sources and artifacts for research and public education.
Key figures (Levi Watkins, Joanne Robinson, Fred Gray, Ralph Abernathy, Fred Shuttlesworth) illustrate ASU’s outsized influence on civil rights history.
The timeline demonstrates how court cases, funding, and expansions enabled ASU’s growth and program diversification.

LWLC size and layout: $500 ext{ ft}^2$ exhibits + 30-ft timeline wall + two multimedia displays.
Levi Watkins administration: $1962$ – $1981$ ; independent board; ASU’s college-to-university transition.
Knight vs. Alabama: $1981$ – $2005$ ; underfunding evidence; funding boost: $125{,}000{,}000$ .
Library evolution: Annie Doak → Dr. Harry Robinson integration (1972) → OPAC.
Civil rights milestones: Montgomery Bus Boycott links; sit-ins; New York Times v. Sullivan; Saint John Dixon v. ASU Board of Education; 1965 voting rights.
Notable sites: WVAS FM (1984); NRHP Historic District (1998); Selma-Montgomery Interpreter Center (2011); Turkey Day Classic stadium (2012).
Nixon Museum: life of Edgar Daniel Nixon; union organizing; MIA involvement; politics and housing projects.