Black 14 (Laramie, Wyo.) Films, 1969-2009
Acc. #10963
In October 1969 fourteen Black college football players were dismissed from the University of Wyoming football team because they wanted to wear armbands when playing against Brigham Young University to protest the alleged racial policies of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in promoting members to the priesthood. Sympathetic protests took place in Wyoming.
The collection contains a silent, 2:18 minute film which portrays protesters, some with black armbands, staging demonstrations at the University of Wyoming. The film was found in a vault of the Wyoming governor's office in 1979. Additionally, the collection contains a DVD of the 40th Anniversary Black 14 Panel Discussion, which included Mel Hamilton, John Griffin, Clinton Isaac Jr., Charles Graves, Kevin McKinney, and Ryan Thorburn.
Robert Harold Brown Papers, 1941-1994
Acc. #400081
Robert Harold Brown was the head of the Department of Geography (and Recreation) at the University of Wyoming. He acted as a consultant on a project concerning Historic Wyoming Ranches. Brown authored an article on Wyoming Snow Fences along the interstate highway and a book on Wyoming geography. Brown also authored a book titled "The Pervasive Spirit, Concepts for a Personal Religious Philosophy."
Box 9 contains correspondence about the Black 14 Incident.
Dolores Saucedo Cardona Papers, 1971-2015
Acc. #400075
Dr. Dolores Saucedo Cardona received a PhD. from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In 1985, Dr. Cardona was hired as the second director of the University of Wyoming, Minority Affairs Office and then the Associate Dean of Students for Multicultural Affairs. Many of her responsibilities included administering the Multicultural Affairs Office, the Veteran's Center, nontraditional students, advisor to MEChA, and gender issues. Dr. Cardona played many key roles in obtaining funds for the Minority High School Student Research Apprentice Program (MHSSRAP) and establishing the William Randolph Hearst Minority Scholarship and the University of Wyoming Minority Scholarship.
Box 2 contains materials relating to the Black 14.
Deborah Hardy Papers, 1982-1985
Acc. #400039
Deborah Hardy was born in 1927 to Doris and Frank Hursley, known as the screenwriters and creators of the soap opera, "General Hospital". Hardy received her Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Russian History. She was chair of the History Department of the University of Wyoming. In 1986 she published "Wyoming University: the First 100 Years" as part of the Centennial Celebration of the university.
Box 3 contains materials relating to the Black 14.
Stanley K. Hathaway Papers, 1924-2005
Acc. #11480
Stanley Hathaway was elected Governor of Wyoming in 1966 and was re-elected in 1970. He declined to run for a third term.
His tenure as Governor was marked by the reorganization of State government and passage of environmental laws – the enactment of air and water quality standards, surface mining regulations, and the creation of the Department of Environmental Quality. In 1975, Hathaway was appointed Secretary of the Interior by President Gerald Ford. He was Wyoming’s first cabinet officer. During his brief tenure, he was responsible for moving the federal coal leasing program forward.
The Stanley K. Hathaway papers contain personal and professional correspondence, newspaper clippings, and photographs from his career as Wyoming Republican State Committeeman, Governor of Wyoming, and U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Box 7, Folders 20-22 contain material related to the University of Wyoming Black 14 incident.
Gale W. McGee Papers, 1916-1992
Acc. #9800
Gale McGee (1915-1992) was a Wyoming U.S. senator who served from 1959 to 1977. Born on Saint Patrick's Day, March 17, 1915, in Lincoln, Nebraska, McGee attended public schools, where he was prominent in debate. He wanted to study law, but the depression forced him to attend Nebraska Teaching College, where he graduated in 1936.
Box 728 contains correspondence about the Black 14 Incident.
Richard S. Putney Oral History, 2016-2017
Acc. #400094
Richard Putney was a minister with the United Common Ministry Church, part of the University of Wyoming campus ministry. He and his family were involved with several liberal movements in Laramie including but not limited to service to honor and mourn Martin Luther King Jr. after his assassination, the Black 14 protests, civil rights demonstrations, the peace movements, and Vietnam War protests. The Putney family included Reverend Richard S. Putney, his wife, Audrey Putney, and their two sons. Richard Putney and his family lived in Laramie in the 1960s and the 1970s.
This collection contains an oral history interview with Richard and Audrey Putney conducted by Irlanda Jacinto, University Archivist for the University of Wyoming, American Heritage Center. The interview topics include but are not limited to a memorial service for Martin Luther King Jr. after his assassination, the Black 14, peace movements, Vietnam War protests, civil rights demonstrations, gays in Wyoming, race relations, and the University of Wyoming. Also included in the collection are correspondence and material from the University of Wyoming Institutional Review Board for protections of human subjects research.
Paul L. Roach Papers, 1947-2007
Acc. #400090
Paul Roach was the head coach of the University of Wyoming football team from 1986-1990 and served as the university’s athletic director from 1986-1995, and was the director of the Cowboy Joe Club from 1985-1986. He was an assistant coach for the Wyoming Cowboys from 1962-1970 under Lloyd Eaton. Roach also coached at the University of North Dakota (1957-1962), and the University of Wisconsin (1970-1972). He coached professionally for the Oakland Raiders (1972-1962), the Green Bay Packers (1975-1977), and the Denver Broncos (1977-1980). While at Denver, the team advanced to the Super Bowl in 1978.
Box 1 contains materials relating to the Black 14.
Irene L. Kettunen Schubert Black 14 Collection, 1969-1970
Acc. #10405
Collection contains materials collected by former University of Wyoming employee Irene Schubert regarding the dismissal of 14 black players from the University of Wyoming’s football team in October 1969. The players wanted to wear black armbands to protest the alleged racial policies of the Church of Latter-Day Saints, which operates Brigham Young University. On October 17, 1969, the day before the football game with Brigham Young, the players met with coach Lloyd Eaton regarding the armbands and Eaton dismissed them from the team for violating team rules regarding political activities.
The collection includes armbands, audiotapes of meetings, biographical data of the dismissed players, statements and press releases, photographs of demonstrations, newspaper clippings from around Wyoming and the country, issues of the student publication "Free Lunch" and other protest newsletters, and miscellaneous other materials.
Milward L. Simpson Post Senatorial Files, 1892-1995
Acc. #26
Milward L. Simpson was born in 1897, in Jackson, Wyoming to parents William and Margaret Burnett Simpson. He graduated from Cody High School in 1916. After serving in WWI, he graduated from the University of Wyoming in 1921. At UW, he captained the football, basketball, and baseball teams. He attended Harvard Law School for several years before taking over his father's law practice in 1924. Simpson married Lorna Kooi in 1929. They had two sons, Peter and Alan. In 1955, Simpson became Governor of Wyoming and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1962. He retired in 1967. After retiring, Simpson helped create the University of Wyoming Political Science Foundation and the Wyoming High School Athlete of the Year program. During his lifetime, Simpson served on many boards including Husky Oil, the Boy Scouts of America, the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, the Gottsche Foundation, the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission. Simpson died in 1993.
Box 578 contains correspondence about the Black 14 Incident.
University of Wyoming, African American and Diaspora Studies Program Records, 1968-2016
Acc. #545015
African American & Diaspora Studies (AADS) was one of seven interdisciplinary programs at the University of Wyoming. They provided individuals with the opportunity to study African people in America and throughout the world with a focus on history, culture, media, and life from ancient times to present day.
The collection contains publications, photographs, newspaper clippings, and flyers relating to the department; a map of Bayou Boeuf country, Louisiana, the area in which Solomon Northup was enslaved; information on the Black 14; a thesis on black settlement in rural Wyoming; and student projects from the 2016 “Reimagining the West Symposium”, created by Dr. Kerry Pimblott’s ‘The Black West’ seminar class.
University of Wyoming's President's Office, William D. Carlson (1968-1979) Records, 1936-1999
Acc. #510000
President William D. Carlson assumed office on January 1, 1968. He was selected by an advisory hiring committee made up of faculty members and senior administrators. Despite a quiet first few years in regard to student unrest across the country in the late 1960s, the incident known as the "Black 14" occurred during Carlson's term in 1969. This scenario led the Carlson administration to put a focus on recruitment and creating a culture of acceptance of minority students. There were several political and social protests on the UW campus during Carlson's tenure. The Athletics Program, specifically football and basketball, underwent a decline. Academically, the university improved thanks to a flush economy and Carlson's goal to "put Wyoming on the map academically." Faculty who were well-known and respected in their given fields were hired and money was spent on state of the art research equipment. Carlson resigned in July 1978.
Boxes 437 and 438 contain a variety of materials on the Black 14 from Carlson’s tenure.
University of Wyoming's President's Office, Philip L. Dubois (1997-2005) Records, 1996-2011
Acc. #510000
Philip L. Dubois took office as President of the University of Wyoming in 1997. He led the development and implementation of academic, support services, and capital construction plans. Private contributions to the institution more than quadrupled during his tenure. He also oversaw the aftermath of two of the university's most historic tragedies: the murder of Matthew Shepard and the deaths of eight cross country players in a car accident. Dubois resigned in spring 2005 to become the chancellor of the University of North Carolina Charlotte.
The collection contains digital materials relating to the Black 14 from Dubois’ tenure.
UWTV Records, 1980-2015
Acc. #514003
University of Wyoming Television (UWTV) was established to promote and market the University of Wyoming through various television productions of events, lectures, projects, and programs created and sponsored by the University from 1980-2017. In July 2017 UWTV was merged with University of Wyoming, Institutional Marketing.
Boxes 34 and 72 contain materials relating to the Black 14. There his also digital materials as well.
Philip White Papers, 1969-2006
Acc. #12568
Philip White was the editor of the Branding Iron, the University of Wyoming student newspaper, in 1969. He covered the events of the Black 14 controversy when fourteen African-American football players were dismissed from the University of Wyoming team. White resigned as editor shortly after the controversy began. He later became a staff writer for the Casper Star Tribune and covered the controversy surrounding the installation of MX missiles at F.E. Warren Air Force Base, Cheyenne, Wyoming.
The collection contains materials dealing with the Black 14 controversy at the University of Wyoming in 1969, including articles from the Branding Iron as well as articles from other papers throughout Wyoming and the region. There is material pertaining to coach Lloyd Eaton including information on the civil trial that followed the suspension of the fourteen football players. Also included are retrospective articles from the 1980s and 1990s and memorabilia from the Treagle Train in 1970.