"Most Powerful Pages on The Planet"
February 19, 2010
Volume 3 - No. 1
Darwin Campbell, Executive Publisher
A Weekly Publication
Preserving Black History: Prairie View A&M Walks The Walk
Prairie View, Tx. - Holley Hall and C.W. Luckie Hall were designed to educate the community and preserve the university's history.
Prairie View A&M University recognized the value of that history to Black history and education by dedicating two permanent historical markers on campus where each building once stood.
Founded in 1912, the residential facility Luckie Hall was named in honor of late English and Latin professor C.W. Luckie. The facility which was nearly 12,000 sq. ft of useable space, first served as a men’s dormitory and was later used for administrative offices and classrooms.
Holley Hall served as a dorm for male freshman students from 1972 until 1999. The four-story facility was developed for approximately $3 million and included 16 large group lounges that were comprised of rooms for forty-eight residents.
Prairie View A&M University, the first state supported College in Texas for African Americans, was established during the Reconstruction Period after the Civil War.
Founded in 1876, Prairie View A&M University is the second oldest public institution of higher learning in the state of Texas. With an established reputation for producing engineers, nurses and educators, PVAMU offers baccalaureate degrees in 50 academic majors, 37 Master’s degrees and four doctoral degree programs through nine colleges and schools. A member of the Texas A&M University System, the University is dedicated to fulfilling its land-grant mission of achieving excellence in teaching, research and service.
The dormitory was demolished in 1999 due to its inability to accommodate the needs of the growing student population. In the fall of 2000, PVAMU and housing developer American Campus Communities, opened University College, a residential community designed to a provide comprehensive living and learning experience for first-year students on the land where Holley once stood.
The C.W. Luckie Hall dedication led by Student Government Association executive secretary Alyssa Rhode and Frank D. Jackson, mayor of the City of Prairie View and PVAMU governmental affairs office.
jacskon poured libations in honor of the contributions and sacrifices that were made by those that once used and maintained the buildings.
Marshall Brown, a professor of architecture, led the C.W. Luckie building dedication litany, while Lettie Raab, director of University College, facilitated the litany for Holley Hall.
At the close of both dedication ceremonies, students read the text featured on each bronze marker and unveiled the markers.
“I don’t think you can actually measure how important it is to continue with marking these historical buildings with these markers. Those that come back to visit the campus 10, 20 or even 40 years from now will be able to see where demolished buildings were located and will have a glimpse of the history behind them,” said Nelson Bowman, director of development. Bowman presided over the ceremonies.
The two dedication ceremonies mark the fifth and sixth installment of the university’s goal of placing historical markers to honor significant buildings and residence halls that once stood on the university’s campus.
The Historical Marker Committee and alumni donations to the PVAMU historical marker fund, helped fund the project, which will be a permanent features to the campus landscape. University College and American Campus Communities provided funding for the Holley Hall Marker.
Donations are now being accepted for markers featuring Suarez-Collins dormitory and L.O. Evans Hall.
