Jessie Carney Smith '1950 - Miss A&T 1949-1950, historian, author, Dean and Dean Emerita of the Fisk University Library.
Rev. Sampson Buie '1952 - A&T Alumni Association leader, minister, pastor, former Student Council (SGA) president
Justice Henry E. Frye, Sr. '1953 - First African American in NC House of Representatives in the 20th Century, First African-American NC Supreme Court Justice and Chief Justice, NC General Assembly, lawyer, professor of law & criminal justice, co-founder of Greensboro National Bank. Shared namesake of Frye Hall on NCA&T Campus.
Shirley T. Frye '1953 - Greensboro YWCA leader, NC A&T Real Estate Foundation, professor of special education, assistant vice chancellor for Development and University Relations at A&T, Emmy Award winning producer for WFMY-TV. Shared namesake of Frye Hall on NCAT
Dr. Velma Speight '1953 - First female member of NCA&T Board of Trustees, Chairwoman of NCAT Board of Trustees, National Alumni Association President, founder of Alumni Scholars Program. Namesake of Speight Hall on A&T Campus.
Image from School of Nursing Collections, University Archives and Special Collections, F. D. Bluford Library.
North Carolina A&T State University is an 1890 Second Morrill Land-Grant Act public university located in Greensboro, North Carolina.
NAME CHANGES TO REMEMBER:
1891 - 1915 - Agricultural and Mechanical College for the Colored Race
1915 - 1957 - Negro Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina
1957 - 1967 - Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina
1967 - present - North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
1951
The Senior Air Force R.O.T.C. Program was instituted.
1953
The School of Nursing was established.
1955
December 21 - Dr. Ferdinand Douglass Bluford passes away at the L. Richardson Hospital. He was 73 years old. Dr. Bluford had served A&T as president for 30 years, the longest leadership tenure in the university's history. Dr. Warmoth T. Gibbs is named acting president shortly after by the Board of Trustees.
1956
Dr. Warmoth T. Gibbs Sr. is inaugurated as A&T's 4th president on November 9. Digitized 16mm footage of the ceremony is available at: https://digital.library.ncat.edu/atfootball/108/
1957
The first class in the School of Nursing graduated.
The North Carolina General Assembly redefined the purpose of A&T College as follows:
"The primary purpose of the College shall be to teach the Agricultural and Technical Arts and Sciences and such branches of learning as related thereto; the training of teachers, supervisors, and administrators for the public schools of the State, including the preparation of such teachers, supervisors, and administrators for the Master's Degree. Such other programs of a professional or occupational nature may be offered as shall be approved by the North Carolina Board of Higher Education, consistent with the appropriations made therefore."
The name of the College was changed to "Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina".
Rodney Jaye Miller of Greensboro becomes the first white male student admitted to A&T.
1959
A&T was fully-accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
Zeta Phi Beta - From the Ayantee 1955.