Archives Rotating Images Information, Set 1,
2012 - September 20, 2017
WVSU Archives & Special Collections

Civilian Pilot Training Program 1939
Students enrolled in the Civilian Pilot Training Program take time to pose in front of one of the training planes. The program consisted of 72 hours of course work and 35 to 50 hours of flight instruction.

WVCI 1900
In this early image of WVCI, East Hall (left), the original Water Tower (center), and the first Fleming Hall (right) are visible. Fleming Hall, built in 1892, was the first academic building on campus. East Hall, built in 1895, served as the home to the President in the early years of the college. It was moved to the west side of the campus in 1940. The Water Tower has a long history on the campus. Today it serves as one of the most recognizable structures at WVSU.

Train Station 1910-1919
As the Industrial Age made its way through America our transportation system underwent immense changes. Those attending West Virginia State were no exception as the train station provided them with updated transportation opportunities. The small train station located in the Institutie/Dunbar area is estimated to have been in use from 1900 to 1940. Community members and students alike were able to utilize the modernizing of transportation via rail, solidifying the idea of infrastructure and industrial advancement as a reality throughout the nation.

James McHenry Jones and WVCI Specials Class 1908
James McHenry Jones became the leader of the West Virginia Colored Institute in 1898. He served in this position until 1909. Here, he is visible in the center with the 1908 WVCI Specials Class.

George Spencer "Spanky" Roberts and Wife Edith Norle Roberts 1943
George Spencer "Spanky" Roberts was born in London, WV in 1918. After graduating from West Virginia State College in 1938, he began civilian pilot training at WVSC in 1939. By 1941, Roberts was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and took his pilot training as a member of the Tuskegee Airmen in the 99^th Fighter Squad. After serving in the Northern Africa and Italian theaters during World War II, Roberts became the Senior Air Corps ROTC instructor at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. He retired as a Colonel in 1968.

A snapshot of a WVSC class registration in 1961. Before computers became common place, registration could be an all day process, with students standing in lines to collect "computer cards" for a class, filling out the forms, standing in line to submit the cards, and standing again to pay for their classes. Class cards were one method to prevent overbooking a class pre-computers; each card was one position in a class. When cards were not available, the class was filled... You could add/drop a class by going through the whole process again.