UGA proposes naming Science Library, new dorm for distinguished Black alumni

At the request of University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead, the University Cabinet has voted unanimously to recommend that two UGA facilities be named for some of the institution’s earliest and most distinguished African American graduates: the Science Library in memory of Shirley Mathis McBay, the first African American to earn a doctorate from UGA; and a new residence hall in honor of Harold A. Black, Mary Blackwell Diallo and Kerry Rushin Miller, the first African American students to enroll as freshmen and complete their undergraduate degrees.

The namings are subject to approval by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.

“Through these namings, we acknowledge the importance of these pioneers in the history of our institution,” Morehead said. “We celebrate their remarkable achievements and recognize the profoundly positive, lasting impact they have made on the University of Georgia.”

More: UGA breaks ground on Poultry Science Complex that will boost Georgia agriculture

The Science Library would become the Shirley Mathis McBay Science Library. McBay earned a doctorate in math from the university in 1966, after earning master’s degrees in math and chemistry from Atlanta University (now Clark Atlanta University). She began her career as a math professor at Spelman College, and then went on to become MIT’s dean for student affairs and chair of the National Science Foundation’s committee on equal opportunity in science and engineering. She later launched the Quality Education for Minorities Network (QEM), a nonprofit that she led for more than 20 years. McBay championed the need for diversity in the STEM fields throughout her life and was the subject of a Georgia Groundbreaker profile by the university earlier this year. She died on Nov. 27, 2021, at 86.

The university’s newest residence hall, rising at the corner of Baxter Street and Cloverhurst Avenue, would be named Black-Diallo-Miller Hall. It will house 525 first-year students in double-occupancy rooms beginning in fall 2022, the 60th anniversary of the year that Black, Diallo and Miller enrolled as freshmen. Construction of the five-story, $50 million project began last December.

More: A new UGA dorm is coming to Baxter Street in 2022. Here are the details

Black is UGA’s first African American male freshman and the first African American graduate of the Terry College of Business. He retired as professor emeritus of the University of Tennessee-Knoxville after 24 years as the James F. Smith, Jr. Professor of Finance. Black, a native of Atlanta, earned his master’s and doctoral degrees from the Ohio State University. Through the years, he served on the faculties of American University, Howard University, the University of North Carolina and the University of Florida.

Diallo was the first African American student from Athens to enroll at UGA. She earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in French literature from UGA and her doctorate from Emory University. She taught at Morehouse College and at Florida A&M University (FAMU), from which she retired earlier this year after a long and productive career. Diallo served as coordinator of language and study abroad programs and as an associate professor of French. She had previously served as president of FAMU’s faculty senate and as a member of the university’s board of trustees.

Miller was the first African American to earn a bachelor’s degree from UGA in mathematics in 1966 and shortly thereafter began an extensive professional career in the telecommunications industry. She retired from BellSouth after 29 years, primarily based in Charlotte, N.C. Miller was a participant in Leadership Charlotte and received numerous accolades for her service to the Charlotte community.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: UGA proposes naming 2 facilities for distinguished Black alumni