First African American Undergraduate Students

The board of trustees approved the admission of all races to all programs of the university at its fall 1960 meeting. Three African American students registered for the winter quarter 1961, which began January 3: Charles Edgar Blair, Willie Mae Gillespie, and Theotis Robinson Jr. Robinson and Blair were 18-year-old graduates of Austin High School, and Willie Mae Gillespie was a 41-year-old housewife and a graduate of Austin Evening School. Robinson, a dry cleaning deliveryman, had applied in the summer of 1960 but was denied admission. He made clear his intention to pursue admission legally if he was not admitted, and in November the board of trustees voted to integrate the undergraduate, as well as the graduate, aspects of UT. Robinson indicated at the time that he planned to study political science. Blair, a messenger for Hamilton National Bank was, like Robinson, married. He indicated at the time that he intended to study accounting. Gillespie, whose husband worked at Alcoa and who had two sisters who had already done graduate work at UT, indicated that she would study education.