N.C. A&T Alumni Times

Bluford Library Archives: Remembers the Impact of the 1945 and 1920 Commencements

“This year we may feel that peace will soon come, in fact, sooner than we had expected.” That quote came from a January 1945 editorial by Ohrea L. Bagwell ‘45 from the A&T Register. She was one of several students whose entire enrollment took place during World War II. Like the rest of her peers from the class of 1945, Bagwell had no way of knowing that Victory in Europe Day known as V-E Day was only 4 months away. They also could not have known how much a wish for a year of peace still resounds, 75 years later in the COVID-19 pandemic. What our new class, the class of 1945, and even the centennial class of 1920 have in common is experiencing commencement amidst international struggles, and the hope for a better tomorrow.

For the class of 1945 there were constant reminders the realities of the war. Aggies who lost their lives in battle included horticultural instructor Sgt. James E. Reid ‘39 (Reid Greenhouse) and Lt. Sam Bruce. Hundreds of Aggies served in the Armed Forces, the Air Force, the Reserve Corps, and the historic B-1 Navy Band. The Basic Training Center (BTC) and the Greensboro Overseas Replacement Depot (ORD) were only a short walk way, as well as the local canteen for Negro soldiers.

The May 28, 1945, commencement was the first peacetime ceremony since 1941. Almost 70 degrees and seven trade certificates were conferred; an additional 30 were awarded on August 19. Due to the military service, all but 16 of these graduates were women. Among the honors graduates were Gloria Swanston Holland, Ernest Herman Stanback, Muriel Monzella Traynham and Angeline Tynes Roberts, a former Miss A&T (1944-45). Words of hope and encouragement were given in the baccalaureate sermon by Rev. E. E. Smith Jr., son of the famed Fayetteville State University leader and former A&T summer school teacher. Hope and caution about new opportunities for people of color in post war America were given in the commencement address of prominent civic leader, Lester B. Granger.

Students from the class of 1920 had endured “The Great War”, and three international flu pandemic outbreaks. They exclaimed “Excelsior”, Latin for “ever upward” as their class motto, two years before author, Stan Lee was born. Five bachelor’s degrees, four for agriculture and one in mechanics were awarded. Three of those five men (enrollment was all male at the time), would continue their education to become dentists in North Carolina communities. Dr. James Henry Barnhill practiced in Bethel, N.C., Dr. Robert McKinley Bell in Sanford, and Dr. William Morris Jenkins in Greensboro. George Henry Ghant B.S.M worked as an engineer in White Plains, N.C., and Charles Henry Couch B.S. A. continued his education at Princeton University and became a strong community figure in Burlington, N.C. One special degree was awarded to S. Akagoo Lagamah from Freetown, Sierra Leone, one of our earliest international students.

The May 28, 1920 commencement from 100 years ago was extra special for the A&T College. That week marked the beginning of James B. Dudley’s 25th year as president of the college. The commencement also meant the return of a very dear friend to Aggieland as the speaker, the Rev. Dr. Charles Edwin Stewart. Before he was pastor of the Ebenezer A.M.E. Church of Baltimore Maryland, he was a professor, coach, and band leader at the A&M College (A&T before 1915). His greatest gift to Aggieland was composing the music to Susie B. Dudley’s lyrics for “Dear A&T” which has been heard at nearly every commencement since 1909.

A complete list of the class of 1945 graduates is available in the 1945-1946 Bulletin of A. & T. College. The F. D. Bluford Library Archives continues to make Aggie history accessible during COVID-19 via our digital collections, and new Archives and Special Collections LibGuide. For more about A&T History or if you have more information on this story please contact us at libraryarchives@ncat.edu.