Western Union Telegram

When Charlene Hunter moved into Myers Hall, a dormitory at the University of Georgia, the riots reached an all-time high on campus. According to an article in Today in Georgia History, rocks were thrown and broke windows as the students of UGA started fires and yelled obscenities in an effort to riot against integration. At the time Governor Ernest Vandiver was pro segregation and threatened to have the university shut down after the admittance of the two black students. Not only were students protesting integration, some people of power in and around Georgia were doing so in their own ways. This Western Union Telegram from Lawrence. R. Arkin in Alabama expresses how Dean Tate’s statement in favor of the two black students “falsified” and “lowered esteem in the eyes of the alumni.” The dean’s statement to support Charlene Hunter and Hamilton Holmes, in the eyes of Arkin went against “every standard” of the UGA Alma Mater. There was no description as of how this was achieved in the telegram, but Arkin went on to exclaim how he was withdrawing all future donations to UGA as a result. He expected the “situation” to be “rectified” in order for Dean Tate to reserve the right to his position and continue receiving contributions from Arkin as an alumni. This telegram was written two days after the admittance of both students onto campus on January 11th 1961.