Lest We Forget: WSSU Black History Facts
As we honor Black History Month, we commemorate Winston-Salem State University’s long and distinguished list of firsts and its contributions to the transformative milestones of the collective African American journey.
Dr. Simon Green Atkins, education visionary and social justice advocate, had a bold dream to create an institution where every student would meet the challenges of their day, and where students were equipped with an education designed to intellectually prepare the “head, hand, and heart.” He founded the university on Sept. 28, 1882.
Lamson Hall was completed in 1896. It was named after the Rev. C.M. Lamson of Hartford, Conn.
The first homecoming football game was held in 1945 with Coach Brutus Wilson and assistant coach “Big House” Gaines. WSSU played the VSU Trojans.
In 2007, WSSU began offering the first baccalaureate major in motorsports management in the nation. The program enjoys close ties with NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program.
Other firsts
- 1978 – Gilbert Hill, first male nursing graduate
- 1981 – Graduate programs are first authorized
- 1982 – Clarence “Big House” Gaines selected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He became the first inductee to have spent his entire career at an HBCU.
- 1983 – WSNC begins broadcasting
- 1983 – First piece of outdoor sculpture garden unveiled
- 1990 – Diggs Gallery opens
- 1997 – First female athletics director, Ann Little.
- 2013 – First doctoral graduates (24 physical therapy students)
