“What are you going to do if a Negro Student Presents Himself for Registration in the Fall?” Missouri College Presidents Respond to Demands for Desegregation in 1950

Drawing upon letters and memos to and from the five state college presidents, the presidents at the University of Missouri, and Lincoln University, and the dean of the Missouri School of Mines, I will talk about the “behind the scenes” discussions of presidents prior to and following Cole County Circuit Court Judge Sam C. Blair’s declaratory judgment in 1950 that the Missouri School of Mines and the University of Missouri must admit three African American students who wanted to pursue degrees not offered at Lincoln University, the state’s only college for black students. Collectively, the presidents’ responses varied from caution to opposition to desegregation. Only Sherman Scruggs, the president at Lincoln University, called upon the state to open the doors of all public colleges to students regardless of race. In large part, the timid responses of these presidents reflected the reality that they led colleges in a deeply segregated state. Ultimately, this will be a talk about how challenging it was in 1950 to desegregate higher education prior to the 1954 Brown decision.

The Challenges of College Sports Rivalries: The 1968 University of Missouri-Rolla and Southwest Missouri State College Basketball Melee

Intense college sports rivalries often contribute to stronger student support for their institution and a closer bond among fans.  However, in 1968, the basketball rivalry between the University of Missouri-Rolla (UMR) and Southwest Missouri State College (SMS) reached a frightening level for those attending the February 19 game in Rolla.  Fans and administrators reported an almost constant roar of obscene language and gestures during the game and confrontations between fans and damaged vehicles in the parking lot after the contest.  Picking up on rumors that UMR fans might try to block the interstate highway, the Missouri State Highway Patrol escorted the SMS team bus when it departed for Springfield.  The near riot led the teams’ conference, the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association, to implement new protocols to provide a more secure environment for contests.  This talk is based upon newspaper accounts, reports of investigations of the incident conducted by both institutions, and interviews with those in attendance.