Other General Files- Petition for delay (1958) and failure of petition, n.d.

File — Box: 4, Folder: 10

Identifier: MC 1364 2

Staff Only

Letter requesting transfer of Kay Mott from Little Rock Horace Mann High School to Central High School.

Statement to FBI denying having requested the use of the Arkansas National Guard to assist in school integration.

Statement by Virgil Blossom to FBI regarding past conversations with Governor Orval Faubus.

Letter from Virgil Blossom to Baptist minister and segregationist leader Wesley Pruden answering several questions arising from integration of students at Central High School.

Scope and Content Note

From the Collection:

Papers pertaining to Virgil T. Blossom's career as Superintendent of the Little Rock Public Schools, 1953-1958, especially his role in the desegregation crisis in 1957-58.

The papers pertain to the Central High crisis. Blossom became a central figure in the controversy, and he was removed as superintendent in November 1958. He wrote an account of the crisis, published as a series of articles, "The Untold Story of Little Rock," in Saturday Evening Post (May 23 - June 27, 1959) and then as a book, It Has Happened Here. After a short stay in New York, Blossom went to San Antonio, Texas, to continue his career in education.

Dates

n.d.

Conditions Governing Access

From the Series:

Restriction. Some legal papers pertain to suspensions or expulsions of pupils from Central High for racial incidents. Between September 1957 and Feb 1958, 184 pupils were suspended. Many of these students are well known because of radio broadcasts or newspaper reports. The records, however, are restricted according to the student records policy of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (U. S. Code). Researchers desiring access to the material should consult with the Head of Special Collections.