This finding aid was produced using the Archivists' Toolkit March 09, 2010 Describing Archives: A Content Standard Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History 315 East Warren Avenue Detroit, Michigan, 48201 313-494-5800
Table of Contents Summary Information... 3 Biographical History...4 Administrative History...5 Scope and Contents note... 6 Administrative Information...7 Controlled Access Headings...7 Collection Inventory... 9 Business...9 Personal... 12 - Page 2 -
Summary Information Repository Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History Creator Lewis College of Business. Title Lewis Business College and Violet T. Lewis Collection Date [bulk] Bulk, 1929-1978 Date [inclusive] Bulk, 1929-1978 1928-2003 Extent 2.2 Cubic feet General Physical Description note 1 Archives, 1 Half-Size, 1 Oversize Language English Abstract The Lewis Business College and Violet T. Lewis Collection (1928-2003, bulk 1929-1978), documents the College and its founder, Dr. Violet T. Lewis. The bulk of the collection is composed of newspaper clippings, promotional materials, graduation ephemera, minutes, personal correspondence and photographs. Among Dr. Violet T. Lewis' personal correspondence are letters from Lydon B. Johnson, George Romney, Jerome Cavanagh and Nicholas Hood. The collection contains many early photographs of Lewis and of Lewis Business College students. The collection does not contain extensive financial documentation, nor does it contain extensive business or personal correspondence. Lewis Business College is one of three Historically Black Universities and Colleges (HCBU) founded by a woman in the United States and was instrumental in changing hiring practices in Michigan. - Page 3 -
Biographical History Dr. Violet Temple Lewis, founder of the Lewis Business College, was born May 27, 1897 in Lima, Ohio to William David Harrison and Eva Brown Harrison, the second child of six. In 1920, she married Thomas Garfield Lewis, a self-employed house painter, a carpenter, janitor, and classical musician. She had two children, Ms. Phyllis Lewis Ponders (b. ca. 1920) and Dr. Marjorie Lewis Harris (b. ca. 1922). Lewis divorced from her husband in 1942. In 1915, Dr. Lewis graduated from Lima High School and enrolled in the secretarial program at Wilberforce University. She graduated from Wilberforce in 1917. Around 1918, Lewis obtained her first professional job as secretary to the President of Selma University and instructor in Selma University business department in Selma, Alabama. She noticed that there were no secretarial classes so requested and received permission to start teaching secretarial subjects. From there, Dr. Lewis applied for and was accepted into employment at the Madam C.J. Walker Company in Indianapolis, Indiana as a bookkeeper. In 1920, Lewis took a better paying job at the Indianapolis Recorder where she worked until 1927. While working for the Indianapolis Recorder she noticed that there were many unemployed young people, which prompted the idea of starting her own secretarial school. In 1927, Lewis left the Indianapolis Recorder and started working for a local businessman, Mr. Sea Ferguson who offered her three months rent-free use of one of his storefronts if she could establish a secretarial school within that time frame. On January 28, 1928 she opened the Lewis Business College (LBC) however was unable to attract enough students to cover the expense of the school and her family s living expenses which led her to take side jobs and eventually move the school into her home. In 1930, Lewis became the first African American stenographer to work for the Indiana State Legislature while continuing to build her school enrollment through bartering tuition for childcare and evening meal preparation. In 1932, Dr. Lewis started her own radio program called The Negro Melody Hour in order to promote LBC while also becoming the first African American radio announcer in Indiana. The program was very successful and, as a result, Lewis was able to move the school from her home back into its own building. In 1936, Lewis opened three other businesses, a nut shop, letter shop and ice cream parlor, which hired LBC students. Dr. Lewis opened a Detroit branch in 1939, closed the Indianapolis branch in 1940, and opened a Cleveland branch in 1960. For more information on the history of LBC see Administrative History. In 1943, Lewis helped found the Gamma Phi Delta Sorority. In 1952, she founded the March of Dimes Fashion Extravaganza. Between 1953 and the time of her death in 1968, Lewis focused much of her energy on family, friends, travel and community activism. Dr. Lewis died from a recurring cancer on March 22, 1968. - Page 4 -
Administrative History The Lewis Business College (LBC), founded by Dr. Violet Temple Lewis, opened at 453 Indiana Avenue in Indianapolis on January 28, 1928. In 1939, a Detroit, Michigan branch was opened at 4617 West Warren Avenue with the distinction of being the first business school in Detroit to accept African American students. In August 1940, the Detroit branch moved to 5450 John R Street, while the Indianapolis school was closed. Harrison Residence Hall was opened at 222 East Ferry Street, Detroit in 1947, and Eva Hall was opened at 263 East Ferry Street, Detroit in 1956. In 1960, a branch in Cleveland, Ohio was opened at 10010 Euclid Avenue with the distinction of being the only school in Cleveland that accepted African American students. In 1976, the Detroit branch moved to its final location at 17370 Meyers Road. Initially the school offered nine month courses. Early courses included typewriting, shorthand, ledger bookkeeping, letter composition, filing, office machines, secretarial practice, stenography, accounting, business correspondence, penmanship, office practice, business English, business spelling, economics, and business psychology. In 1947, LBC began offering less feminine curriculum in response to WWII veterans taking advantage of the G.I. Bill. Three new programs were developed: The Business Administration Curriculum, The Higher Accounting Curriculum, and the Junior Accounting Curriculum. Between 1945 and 1950, LBC was instrumental in changing hiring practices in Michigan. LBC students and graduates were selected to be the first African Americans hired at Michigan Bell, the National Bank of Detroit, the city of Detroit, Wayne county, the state of Michigan, Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford Motor Company. In April 1978, the Detroit and Cleveland branches merged to create the Lewis College of Business, receiving accreditation from the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA) as a junior college. In August 2007, the NCA determined that Lewis College of Business no longer met their criteria for accreditation. Subsequent to legal action initiated by Lewis College of Business, NCA agreed that the school would be able to begin the re-accreditation process after January 1, 2008. In its first fifty years LBC educated over 20,000 students. By 2003 the College had served 40,000 students and enrollment peaked at 550 in the mid-1980s. Ms. Phyllis Ponders, daughter of the school s founder, was elected as the Chairperson of the Board and served in that capacity until 1978. Dr. Marjorie Harris, second daughter of the school s founder, was elected to the office of president in 1968. Recognizing the institution s historical significance, the Michigan Historical Commission erected a Michigan historical marker in 1987 at 5450 John R Street. That same year, the U.S. Secretary of Education designated Lewis College of Business as a Historically Black College and University (HBCU). LBC is one of three HCBUs in the United States founded by an African-American woman. - Page 5 -
Scope and Contents note The Lewis Business College and Violet T. Lewis Collection contains a variety of materials documenting the history of Lewis Business College as one of the earliest African-American colleges, and the life of Dr. Violet T. Lewis, its founder. The Collection is arranged into two series, BUSINESS and PERSONAL. The collection does not contain extensive financial documentation, nor does it contain extensive correspondence. The series BUSINESS is made up of materials created during the daily functioning of Lewis Business College, with some materials dating from the period after Lewis Business College became the Lewis College of Business. It contains the following subseries: Publicity/Promotional Materials, Student Relations, Administrative Materials, and Business Photographs. The subseries, Publicity/Promotional Materials, contains a Newspaper Clippings file, and Pamphlets and Advertisements file. The Newspaper Clippings file refers to Indianapolis, Detroit and Cleveland schools, students and staff. Clippings are from newspapers including: The Indianapolis Post, Indianapolis Recorder, The New Bethel Booster, The Pittsburgh Courier, The Michigan Chronicle, The Detroit News and The Detroit Free Press. The Pamphlets and Advertisements file contains materials from Detroit including postcards, Christmas cards, fliers, and business reply mail; this file contains no material from Indianapolis or Cleveland. Many items relate to the opening of the Detroit schools. The subseries, Student Relations, includes an application form, diploma, The Free Man's Manifesto (1950), and event programs as well as a Newsletters/Yearbook file, Bulletins file, Catalogs file, and Graduation file. The Newsletters/Yearbook file contains materials from Detroit; this file contains no material from Indianapolis or Cleveland. The Bulletins file contains school bulletins from Indianapolis, Detroit and Cleveland. They contain brief information on the school s history, course descriptions and pictures. The Catalogs file contains school catalogs from Detroit; this folder contains no material from Indianapolis or Cleveland. The Graduation file contains programs, invitations and tickets from commencements and receptions in Indianapolis, Detroit and Cleveland. It also contains photographs. The subseries, Administrative Materials, includes a program from the unveiling of the Lewis College of Business Historic Marker, a Michigan State Board of Education License, and financial information as well as a Minutes file, Business Correspondence file, and Invitations file. The Minutes file contains school progress reports that contain financial information. The Business correspondence file contains documents regarding real estate sales and mortgage payments for Detroit properties only. Correspondents include former Detroit City Council Member Nicholas Hood ( 1/ 11). The Invitations file contains 3 invitations: Brunch, Open House Dedication of Eva Hall, and Celebration of the Detroit Historical Marker. The subseries, Business Photographs, includes photographs of students, teachers, staff, school grounds, classrooms, special events and school excursions from the 1920s through the 1980s. - Page 6 -
The series PERSONAL is made up of materials relating specifically to Dr. Violet T. Lewis, including the documents: "Firsts in the Life of Mrs. Violet T. Lewis," "Funeral Services for Dr. Violet Temple Lewis," and three subseries: Certificates, Personal Correspondence, and Personal Photographs. The subseries, Certificates, includes: "D-Day H-Hour Career Citation," "The March of Dimes Certificate of Appreciation," and an "Appreciation Award from the Class of 1967." The subseries, Personal Correspondence, includes the following noteworthy correspondents: Lyndon B. Johnson, Nicholas Hood, George Romney and Jerome P. Cavanagh. Also included are pages from a conference pamphlet for the Regional Conference of Community Leaders on Equal Employment Opportunity. The name Violet was written in gold ink on the cover of the folder in which these materials were originally housed, suggesting their importance to Lewis. The subseries, Personal Photographs, includes photographs of Lewis, her daughters, extended family, and friends. Administrative Information Publication Information Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History Conditions Governing Access note There are no access restrictions. Conditions Governing Use note Some photographs are stamped by the photographer and may entail copyright restrictions. Processing Information note Collection arranged and described by Emily R. Gibson, Wayne State University graduate student, Summer Term, 2009. Controlled Access Headings Corporate Name(s) - Page 7 -
Lewis College of Business. Lewis Business College and Violet T. Lewis Collection Personal Name(s) Johnson, Lyndon B., 1908-1973, (Lyndon Baines) Lewis, Violet T., (Violet Temple), 1897-1968, Businesswoman, Community activist, Founder of Lewis Business College - Page 8 -
Business Collection Inventory Business Newspaper Clippings Bulk, 1928-1978 1928-1987 (Bulk, 1928-1978) 1 1 Pamphlets/Advertisements Bulk, 1939-1954 1939-1969 (Bulk, 1939-1954) 1 2 Student Relations 1932, 1950, 1986, 1987 1 3 Newsletters/Yearbook 1945, 1971, 1990 - Page 9 -
Business 1 4 Bulletins 1932-1961 1 5 Catalogs 1953, 1969, 1971 1 6 Graduation 1929-1988 1 7 Administrative Materials 1962, 1964, 1967, 1986, 1987 1 8 Minutes 1941-1967 - Page 10 -
Business 1 9 Minutes 1968-1976 1 10 Business Correspondence 1942-1970 1 11 Invitations 1946, 1960, 1988 1 12 Photographs undated 2 1-2 - Page 11 -
Personal Graphic materials 3 2 Personal Certificates undated, 1967-1968 Graphic materials 1 14 3 1 Personal Correspondence 1937-1967 1 15 Photographs undated 2 3 - Page 12 -