Journal and Courier from Lafayette, Indiana • 33

CAMPUS WEEKLY COVER STORY 7 WEDNESDAY OCT 13 1993 SjMPfe To become a member this club the applicant must be White mint live south of the Ohio River must have witnessed al least one Lynching and must understand the various mechanisms of the so I led lilimi 7 'ier" INSIGNIA OICIAL LOWER A Bit of Hemp Dog ennel 'Rinj Leaders II May Instigator of I) Lynch Committee on Lynching 11 McIver Leader of the Whitecaps IL Harris Keeper of the Neck The Mob () 1 Smith Authority on Lingo WC Curd Gardener of the Mint beds 1 1 1 1 Dew Drop Distiller Burch DcinoiistralorofNiggerologv I Principal Academy of Deep Wading Authority on Duel Etiquette A Kimmell 'fellow ever Refugee Br inghurst Compounder of rog Powders A Chinn Corn Juice Destroyer NC Thixton Toll Gate Raider I Barbee Wildcatter and Moonshiner Renner Official Nigger Lyncher I Wilder Brewer of Chid Tonic I lispenser of Sure Shot for Shakers ER Johnson Superior lacchanalian Artist Burks Cotton Picker and Log Roller Robertson Overseer of the Ohl Plantation Prank advertisement for the in the 1902 Debris 9 Xj i ej 4 4 It took a gov order in 1946 to desegregate dor mitories at Purdue Indiana University in Bloomington desegregated its dorms willintf Myron White BA 1991 Industrial Management Some bust ROM THE COVER students did not have cooperatives They were even allowed to rent private rooms in West Lafayette Some took rooms in Lafayette and others lived at the Lafayette YWCA which was integrated by 1931 nesses in Greater Lafayette refused to serve blacks until the late 1950s was not uncommon" says Bob Taylor was I believe the only black student in my engineering classes" says Taylor who attended Purdue in 1954 and 1955 and graduated in 1960 He is director of engineering at Eli Lilly and a member of the Purdue Board of Directors found myself in classes where the other people had fraternity files and study groups I often wondered how people were finishing labs so quickly Later I learned about 'dry lab data collected by someone else Poring through Exponents from 1957 Cornelius learned that a visit from Harry Belafonte sparked a drain reaction in Lafayette that led to desegregation The singer was refused a post concert drink at a tavern on State Kappa Alpha Psi 1973 Street where the Chocolate Shop stands today Public outcry forced the tavern to desegre gate and other local businesses followed Purdue media were always positive about black entertainers who visited campus over the years like Belafonte Marian Anderson or Johnny Mathis says Cornelius they were always described as exceptions" Cornelius says she found reluctance to accept" blacks in other walks of life In 1965 only 129 students out of 20 176 were black Today 1281 students out of 35161 are black Black students are still socially isolated on campus says Myron White a 1991 industrial management graduate who will speaking at 1 pm Thursday at the Krannert School of Management social scene made enough progress on campus "he says systems are vehicles for leadership in the school eyes and many black fra ternities are distanced from IC (Interfraternity Council) and PanHel (PanHellenic Association) so they participate fully" White who is working on MBA at Harvard Business School won the GA Ross Award for the outstanding graduating senior male at Purdue did not expect it It was the greatest experience" he says was important to me that I was the first African American to win the award" Taylor thinks Purdue has changed with the times A larger population of black stu dents makes it easier to socialize says Taylor whose two daughters graduated from Purdue during the 1980s presence of the Black Cultural Center strengthens cultural opportunities for Purdue students" he says There are more cross cultural experiences on campus for all Purdue students" He remembers well the social atmos phere on campus during the 1950s He lived in a dormitory and then in a West Lafayette apartment: my days we were kind of breaking the ice There were maybe 50 black students on campus (out of 10561 students) and we were limited socially We were isolated We would go to Lafayette Gary and Indianapolis for social events" Taylor says "But social isolation strengthened bonds between us Practically all of us keep in touch to this day".