Collections : [UNF Library Special Collections and University Archives]

**Please Note: The University of North Florida Thomas G. Carpenter Special Collections and University Archives Afro-American Life Insurance Company Collection DOES NOT contain information on insurance policies or policyholders. Please contact the Florida Department of Financial Services through their website, https://www.myfloridacfo.com/, or call 1-877-693-5236 regarding any policy or insurance claim questions.**

As Director of the Jacksonville Expressway Authority during the pivotal transportation years of 1956-1972, Mr. Sollee was a major influence in the development of the Jacksonville, Florida road system in Duval County, Florida in the mid-twentieth century. The collection consists primarily of correspondence, subject files and reports, and newspaper clippings relating to transportation projects in Duval County. It includes extensive documentation on the development of Jacksonville's road system, circa 1950-1970, consisting chiefly of numerous, albeit irregular, primary reports / studies; beach erosion / bulkhead data; and personal notes on Jacksonville transportation issues from the perspective of a prime participant. Historical source documents include project files relating to plans for Metropolitan Park and the Duval County Courthouse, and correspondence / newspaper clippings relating to the University of North Florida site selection. Few personal items are included.

This collection contains awards, correspondence, memorabilia, printed materials, photographs, personal papers, and writings. Many printed materials and photographs relate to politics and political activism. There are numerous photographs and newspaper clippings, as well as Dr. Saffy's dissertation. The collection contains many memorabilia items, particularly from various political events, and there are two large portraits of Dr. Edna Louise Saffy.

The collection consists of printed materials, artifacts, and memorabilia relating to the Drew Family and their businesses in the Jacksonville area. Many of the items in this collection belonged to Horace Rainsford Drew, Jr. The collection is divided into two series: personal papers and business records.

The primary source materials in this collection provide historical documentation and evidence of selective elections and political campaigns held in Duval County and Jacksonville, Florida. The earliest items are Duval County election records dated 1904; the majority of the materials date from the late twentieth century to the present decade. Printed materials include sample election ballots and guides, voting brochures and pamphlets, and a voting registration receipt card. Artifacts and memorabilia include political campaign buttons and stickers from Jacksonville mayoral, U.S. Senate, and Presidential campaigns.

Documents pertaining to issues and activities, including correspondence, newspaper clippings, presentations and speeches by Dr. G. Dekle Taylor, minutes of various Committee meetings, reports, brochures and fact sheets on the 1971 University Hospital complex, and two photographs of Dr. Taylor being inducted in 1969 as President of the Center's Medical Staff.

The collection consists of more than 1,000 items, primarily twentieth century material relating to Jacksonville, Florida. Includes letters, documents, and notes relating to the personal, political, and business activities of Eartha M. M. White. Some subject files include publications, reports, programs, photographs, and memorabilia. Of particular interest are materials pertaining to: Prominent African American leaders, e.g., James Weldon Johnson, A. Phillip Randolph, and Simuel Decatur McGill; Historic Jacksonville business, charitable, and religious organizations including Afro-American Life Insurance Company, Bethel Baptist Institutional Church, Clara White Mission, Community Chest Association, and Jacksonville Negro Welfare League; Florida social and educational organizations including Florida State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs, Florida Baptist Academy / Florida Normal and Industrial Institute. The bulk of the collection are photographs depicting friends, relatives and events from her long life. Sizes of the photographs vary, ranging from 5x7 to 12x16 inches. A significant amount of her business and personal correspondence is also included. An extensive subject index is available for use with the collection. The collection also contains 156 black and white photographs of southern African American religious and labor groups, circa 1946-1949, by photographer R. Lee Thomas of Mound Bayou, Mississippi. His imprint contains the caption: Made by R. Lee Thomas, Mound Bayou, Mississippi, The Oldest Negro Town in America. Mr. Thomas was an African American photographer active in the early twentieth century in the southern United States, whose work provides photographic documentation of southern black social life during that time period. The majority of the photographs depict groups from Birmingham, Alabama, and adjacent areas.

The collection contains correspondence, publications and printed materials, project and subject files, and photographs relating to Mr. Simons' personal and professional activities throughout his adult life, from his college years until his retirement in 1970. The chronology begins with documentation of his higher education activities, including class notebooks, his thesis (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1915) and correspondence with professors. His professional career as a planning, zoning and municipal consultant is well-documented with extensive business files, including contracts and agreements, notes, correspondence, and working papers for many of the municipal planning, land use, and zoning projects undertaken by Mr. Simons. One strength of the collection is its depth of project publications, reports and plans created by Mr. Simons over a forty year professional career, 1928-1970. Subject files also show Mr. Simons' broad-ranging interests in various urban planning and financial topics. The Jacksonville, Florida, connection is well-documented in his personal papers. Mr. Simons was a longtime resident and civic leader in Jacksonville with broad personal interests, and the collection contains printed materials, including ephemera, relating to his numerous memberships in local clubs and organizations, and his religious affiliation with Riverside Presbyterian Church. Also, included are rare photographs of early Jacksonville residential construction scenes (Venetia), snapshots of Jacksonville landscapes and buildings, city parks, and numerous group photographs from Mr. Simons' participation in professional and social organizations.

This collection is home to the personal papers of Grace Brooks Solomon, a political activist in Jacksonville, Florida, most notably known for her work during her presidency of the Minority Women's Coalition. These papers provide insight into the professional career and personal life of Grace Brooks Solomon as well as her efforts to memorialize her sister, former Jacksonville City Council Member, Sallye Brooks Mathis. Furthermore, this collection grants a look into the many racial issues and desegregation efforts made by women of color as well as school board members in Florida during the 1980s and 90s.

The collection contains selective print newspapers, sections and clippings of The Florida Times-Union and the Jacksonville Journal which detail and document Northeast Florida history from 1890 to date. Anniversary and commemorative editions, and selective daily newspapers describe historical developments, the achievements of notable figures, and provide valuable insights into daily life in Northeast Florida. A preponderance of articles feature commentary and analysis on Jacksonville's growth and development through the twentieth century. The earliest newspapers are souvenir trade editions dated 1890; the vast majority of the selective papers date from the late twentieth century to the current decade. The additional selective newspapers in the collection mark significant local subjects, events, people, and places. Topics include: Race relations, mayoral elections, deaths of area leaders, St. John's River, September 11, 2001 attacks on New York City, hurricanes and tropical storms, notable local authors, architecture and building developments, and urban issues. Of note is the continuity of certain subjects, such as race relations, downtown development, and pollution in the St. Johns River, which are recurring themes in articles over many years.