Conditions Governing Use:

Before reproducing or quoting from any materials, in whole or in part, permission must be obtained from the Special Collections Research Center, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library.

Conditions Governing Access:

Collection is open to all researchers. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Preferred Citation:

Van Black Collection, Special Collections Research Center, Swem Library, College of William and Mary.

Processing Information:

Accessioned and minimally described by Steven Bookman, University Archives Specialist, in February 2015. Fully processed by Kim Sims, University Archivist, March 2015, updated in April 2016.

Biographical / Historical

Administrative History:

Biographical Information:

Van Black was a student at the College of William and Mary from 1971-1975 and was a President's Aid.

Administrative History:

Van Black graduated from William and Mary in 1975.  He was a member of the Flat Hat Club Society, editor of the "Green and Gold," senior class president, area coordinator (resident assistant), and orientation aide. He served on Interhall and Honor Council and won the Sullivan Award in 1975. Black was also a Presidential Aide to President Thomas Graves.

Scope and Contents

This collection contains color slides of the William and Mary campus, student life, sports, and other activities during the mid-1970s and a quilt.

Most of the slides were created by Bill Leonard and Scott Takane, both 1978 graduates of William and Mary.  They depict life in the residence halls of the Bryan Complex, Old Dominion Hall, and Monroe Hall and include images of the buildings, student activities, and dorm life. The quilt was given to Van Black by female residents of the Stith Hall, where Black served as an area coordinator (resident assistant).  The squares are symbolic to the women who made them and pertain to something specific about the either the university or the Bryan Complex, such as a square of the Crim Dell and squares representing the insects that invaded the Bryan Complex.  There is a document which lists each square and the names of the women who created them. Additionally, there is a handwritten note to Black from President Thomas Ashley Graves, Jr., acknowledging the quilt.

Also included in the collection are three paintings commissioned by Black to commemorate 5 years of the Staying Connected: Together Serving Others initiative.

Related Material

Oral History, conducted 2015 July (contact Special Collections Research Center for more information)

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Buildings and Grounds
• College of William and Mary--History--20th century
• College of William and Mary--Students