William Tate papers, 1903-1981

Summary

Creator:
Tate, William, 1903-1980 and University of Georgia
Date:
1903-1981
Extent:
128.75 Linear Feet (135 boxes)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

William Tate papers, UA97-085, University Archives, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

The William Tate Papers are composed of both personal and administrative files from Tate's tenure as Dean of Freshmen, Dean of Students, Assistant to the President, Dean of Men, Associate Professor of English, Dean Emeritus, and volunteer fund raiser with the UGA Alumni Society. These papers consist of: the personal correspondence of the immediate Tate family, relatives and friends (incoming and outgoing) for the period of 1924-1930; the administrative fields of the Dean Tate spanning the years 1924-1971; and Tate's personal reference file for the years 1925-1980.

Biographical / historical:

William Tate (1903-1980) was the Dean of Men, University of Georgia, 1946 to 1971. In 1981, the University of Georgia Tate Student Center was named in his honor.

Tate attended Fairmount High School and the Georgia Military Academy. He then entered the University of Georgia, earning a Bachelor's degree in 1924 and a Master's in 1927. He went on to do graduate work at Columbia University, Harvard University, and the University of Chicago.

From 1924 to 1929 he was an instructor in English and Debate Coach at the University of Georgia. From 1929 to 1936 he was Head of the English Department and Track Coach at the McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In 1932 William Tate married Susan Frances Barrow, a granddaughter of University Chancellor David Barrow. They had two sons, Ben and Jeff.

In 1936 Tate returned to the University of Georgia as Dean of Freshmen and Assistant Professor of English. He then went on to become Dean of Students, Assistant to the President, and in 1946 became Dean of Men, a position he held for twenty-five years. Tate was a very asute and popular faculty member who ruled over the student body with a reputation for being strict but fair. He is well-known for his role in overseeing students during UGA's desegregation by the first two African American students, Charlayne Hunter and Hamilton Holmes, in 1961.

Arrangement:

The collection is basically organized according to subject and date.

Access and use restrictions

Preferred citation:

William Tate papers, UA97-085, University Archives, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries.