Cleveland F. Lassiter (1921-2007) was a school and church counselor. He received his A.B. of History degree from Virginia Union University in 1946, and his Masters of Social Work from Howard University in 1949. Mr. Lassiter served in the 10th U.S. Army Air Force, 849th Engineer Aviation Battalion during World War II in the China-Burma-India theater from 1943-1945. He married Dorothy Ann Tate (b. 1922) in 1946. She received her A.B. of Sociology from Virginia Union University in 1946 and her Masters of Science in Library Services from Columbia University in 1960. She worked as a librarian and media specialist in many public and academic libraries. Their children are Keith, Brian, and Mark Lassiter.
Reverend Nelson D. Tate (b.1870) was founder and pastor at the Second Baptist Church in Metuchen, New Jersey. He was the father of Dorothy Ann Tate.
Eleanor Lassiter Harris (d. 2002) was married to Clayton K. Harris, and is a graduate of Virginia State College and Columbia University. She was a singer, and choir director for several high school and traveling choirs and choruses. Her children are Clayton K. Jr., Valerie, and Jocelyn Harris. She is the sister of Cleveland F. Lassiter.
This collection contains correspondence, photographs, writings, and printed material covering the Lassiter and Harris families, through wartime, college education, and church life. It features written sermon notes, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority materials, church histories, and a complete set of letters written from Cleveland Lassiter to Dorothy during his time in Burma during WWII. The collection also has a wealth of printed material regarding choral performances that were recorded throughout Georgia and New York.
The audiovisual materials related to this collection are housed in the Walter J. Brown Media Archives. Though the collection is open for research, the audiovisual recordings do not have reference copies; however, reference copies are available upon request. Audiovisual research requests are dependent upon the format and condition of the recordings.
