William Tate family papers, 1830-1992

Summary

Creator:
Tate family
Date:
1830-1992
Extent:
4.8 Linear Feet 7 document boxes, 3 half boxes, 1 oversized box, 2 oversized folders
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

William Tate family papers, ms2034, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of correspondence, printed material, manuscripts, financial records, account books, and scrapbooks. Correspondence between Tate family members relates to news of family and friends. Correspondents include Carter Tate, Edna Tate, Philip May Tate, Susan Tate, and William Tate. Earlier materials pertain to Athens businessman Asaph King Childs, including account books, cash books, bills and receipts, correspondence, and timebooks documenting Childs' involvement with or management of the Cliff House (Tallulah Falls, Ga.), Childs & Moss (Athens, Ga.), and Childs, Nickerson & Company (Athens, Ga.). The collection also contains Civil War correspondence between Shatt C. Mitchell of the 13th Georgia Infantry Regiment and his wife Chloe including letters describing the battle of Antietam (Md.). Additional materials include scrapbooks containing clippings relating to Corra Harris.

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.

Access and use restrictions

Preferred citation:

William Tate family papers, ms2034, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, University of Georgia Libraries.