The Georgia Southern University (GSU) First 500 is an association of African American alumni who attended the University during the years of 1965 to 1985. The GSU First 500 were the first African Americans to integrate the University. And, like all Georgia Southern alumni, the First 500 came to the university filled with a desire for a quality education that would lead to purposeful, meaningful lives for themselves and their descendants.
Since their days at GSU, the First 500 alumni have gone on to become substantial contributors to the world—doctors, attorneys, corporate and civic executives, entrepreneurs, educators and professionals from every imaginable discipline. With that history of educational achievement as a basis, the GSU First 500 united in the year 2012 to give back by engaging in philanthropic initiatives with the GSU Alumni Foundation.
GSU, for its part, seeks to increase the participation of African American alumni in Foundation and University development while expanding its Foundation scholarship portfolio. Acknowledgement of and collaborating with the GSU First 500 African American students accomplishes both goals.
The First 500 Organization is a collaboration with Georgia Southern University Alumni Relations/Annual Givings Department
Georgia Southern recognizes integration of the University with commemorative marker
May 17, 2017 A new commemorative marker on Georgia Southern University’s campus pays tribute to a special part of Georgia Southern’s history and the University’s first African-American students who courageously paved the way and provided hope for a better way of life for students who followed. The Integration of Georgia Southern marker, prominently placed on Sweetheart Circle in front of the University’s Marvin Pittman Administration Building, recognizes the efforts of the African-American students who, in their pursuit of higher education entered an inhospitable environment, counted the costs and found education worth it.
“The marker will serve as a constant reminder of the bravery and perseverance of our first African-American students, and the community they built,” said Georgia Southern University President Jaimie Hebert, Ph.D. “Their work was the foundation upon which this University built its mission — integrity, civility, kindness, collaboration, and a commitment to lifelong learning, wellness, and social responsibility.”
Former Georgia Southern President Guy Wells (1926-1934) set out to address racial injustices and the duty to honor and respect all people without respect to race. In 1933, Wells and the president of what is now Savannah State University brought esteemed African-American scientist Dr. George Washington Carver to speak to the student body and Bulloch County community. Following Wells’ presidency, former University President Marvin Pittman (1934-41 and 1943-47) continued the work through his commitment to progressive educational and political ideas in a climate that rejected them.
In January 1965, John Bradley became the first African-American student at Georgia Southern University. In the fall of 1965, Bradley was followed by six undergraduate African-American students: Clavelia Love Brinson, Arlene Marie Daughtry, Ulysee Mosley, Shirley Anne Woodall, Jesse Zeigler Carter and Catherine Davis, a sophomore transfer student who later earned the first bachelor’s degree awarded to an African-American graduate in the University’s history. Read more...
Thanks again to everyone who made a donation in the past and was instrumental in helping First 500 reach our initial goal. Please re-consider making a monthly pledge or donation to the First 500 Endowment fund so that we can raise the final $2K of our $100K goal this year. You can make a pledge by phone or online using the #3708 designation. To make a contribution/donation online click the button below.
2019 First 500 Scholarship recipients and BAGS Scholarship recipient
2018 First 500 Scholarship recipient - Christina Moore
As a small child, I always loved the idea of growing up to become an elementary school teacher. I believe this is because my elementary school teachers had the biggest influence in my life, and I would be honored to influence others how those teachers influenced me. I am a firm believer that teaching is the most important profession there is. Although many other professions are extremely important, even the best doctors, lawyers, and astronauts had to be taught by someone. So it starts with teachers. Click here to read more...
I have grown up in a diverse household. My mother who was from Ethiopia worked as a flight attendant and I would go to Ethiopia to visit relatives fairly often. This is when my first urge to help others became very real to me. My grandparents were well to do and lived in a nice gated house in Addis Ababa. My mother and I would walk to the market and there would be mothers and children begging and living on the side of the roads. Click here to read more...
2018 First 500 Scholarship recipient - Candace Moon
Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity 40th Year Celebration at Georgia Southern University October 2017