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Greensboro Historical Museum Archives
MSS. Collection #90
Bert A. Hall Papers, ca. 1940-1985. 1 box (9 folders) ca. 78 items.
Introduction
Biographical Note
Scope & Content Note
Series Descriptions
Folder Listing
Index to the CollectionNOTE: The numbers cited in parentheses, e.g. 1:5, refer the researcher to the Series #: Folder# in which that name or topic will be found.
The bulk of the Bertrand (Bert) A. Hall papers date from 1973 to 1976, when he retired from his position as Agricultural Agent for Guilford County and during his tenure as a Guilford County Commissioner. Researchers interested in African-Americans in Guilford County and Guilford County government will find this collection useful. This collection illustrates an important glimpse of one man’s accomplishments during and after Segregation. Hall was the fourth black man to hold the position of Agricultural Extension Agent for Guilford County, beginning in 1940. Hall had a reputation for treating both blacks and whites fairly and worked for over 30 years helping poor farmers obtain economic autonomy. At the time of his retirement, Hall continued his work for Guilford County by being appointed to the Board of Commissioners, the 2nd African-American to hold that position.
The collection contains newspaper articles, certificates, and biographies detailing Hall’s accomplishments as Agricultural Agent and Commissioner. The scrapbook contains corresp., newspaper clippings, and photos as mementos of Bert Hall Day. Also of interest is a framed photo of Hall with musician Jester Hairston.
Arrangement: The Bert A. Hall Papers are organized into four series by document type. Each series is then arranged alphabetically by subject. Series are: Corresp., Misc., Printed Materials, and Scrapbooks.
Provenance: The collection was donated to the museum in 1990 by Mr. Carl Codrup, 1100 Ross Ave, Greensboro, NC 27406. Codrup was Hall’s brother-in-law. The accession number is 1990.19.2. Also associated with the collection is an engraved plaque honoring Hall’s service on the Guilford County Board of Commissioners from 1975-1978; it is located in the main collection.
Processing: J. Stephen Catlett began organizing the collection prior to 2000. Christine A. Dumoulin, Archives Assistant completed the final arrangement and finding aid, March, 2001.
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Bertrand (Bert) A. Hall was born on May 16, 1908 in Hartford, CT. His mother, a redheaded Portuguese woman, died when Bert was a child. His paternal grandparents in Massachusetts reared Bert; there is no information about his father. Growing up, he worked on their farm, where they raised apples, tobacco, and dairy cattle. He earned his bachelor’s degree in science from the Massachusetts State College, studied at the Tuskegee Institute, Cornell University, N.C. State University, and the University of Arkansas. In 1936, he landed a vocational agricultural job in Burlington, N.C. While in Burlington, he married Mae Codrup, a schoolteacher. In 1940, he began his career as Agricultural Extension Agent for Guilford County, a position he held for 35 years. During his tenure, he made a concerted effort to help both poor white and poor black farmers improve their farming skills and economic conditions. He encouraged black farmers to apply for government loans to obtain better lands to farm, part-time city jobs to supplement their income during year, and growing multiple crops. Upon retiring from his position as Agricultural Agent, he received numerous awards and acknowledgements for his work in improving the conditions of Guilford County farmers. He was also involved in 4-H clubs in the surrounding counties and won several national awards. After retiring in 1973, he was appointed to the Guilford County Board of Commissioners after the untimely death of the first black county commissioner, Zoe Barbee. He was formally elected to the position, serving 4 years. Memberships/honors include: board of trustees for the St. James Presbyterian Church, Tau Omega Chapter of the Omega Psi Fraternity, Beta Epsilon Boule (chapter) of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Federal Retirees Organization, and a life member of the Nat Greene Sertoma Club. He passed away on February 7, 1983 at the age of 74 after fighting an illness.
Biographical Sources: The biographical information was gathered from materials within the collection, such as newspaper clippings (3:3), biographical sketches (3:1), and scrapbooks (4:1-4:6)
SCOPE & CONTENT NOTE
The types of materials in this collection include newspaper clippings, certificates, corresp., photos, and a scrapbook. The series Correspondence contains two biographies of Hall, detailing his life and accomplishments and several letters of congratulations for his appointment as county commissioner (1:1, 1:3). Hall took over Zoe Barbee’s position after she was killed in a car accident; he was re-appointed for a full term.
The Misc. series contains a framed photo of Hall with musician, Jester Hairston; it was taken shortly before Hall’s death. Hairston was a longtime family friend. The certificates in the series Printed Materials detail the many accomplishments as Commissioner. Among them include: an induction into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, a possible agricultural fraternity, a Distinguished Service Award, and an Achievement in Human Relations award for his work with youth at the Hayes-Taylor YMCA. (3:1)
The newspaper clippings include remembrances, and honor Hall at the time of his death in 1983. (3:2) There is also a memorial program from his funeral service held at the St. James Presbyterian Church. (3:3) The scrapbook contains corresp., mostly a group of letters of congratulations from several prominent individuals around the state. Some of them include: Guilford County Board of Commissioners manager, John Witherspoon, Chairman of the state Appropriations Committee on Education for the state of NC, Rep. Charlie Phillips, Senator Howard Coble (1973), and promotions manager for Sears Roebuck & Co., Raleigh Luter. (4:1) It also contains newspaper clippings on different aspects of Hall’s career (4:4) and two photos of Hall.
The main weakness of this collection is the size. While it contains some important information about African-Americans in Guilford County, the bulk of the materials are limited to a three-year period and are repetitive in their content.
SERIES DESCRIPTION
1. Corresp. (3 Folders) 8 items. 1976-1983.
This series contains 2 biographical sketches and 5 letters. The bio sketches in folder 1:1 were possibly for a news release and includes a photo of Hall. Folder 1:2 contains a letter from the executive secretary of the Sigma Pi Phi fraternity sending his condolences to Mrs. Mae Hall on the death of her husband. Folder 1:3 contains 4 letters from friends and constituents congratulating Hall on his election to the Guilford County Board of Commissioners and 1 newspaper article.
2. Misc. (1 Folder) 1 item. 1983.
The item for this series is a framed photo of Bert Hall and longtime friend and supporter, musician Jester Hairston. Included is an editorial from the Greensboro News and Record after Hall’s death. Eleanor Peeler gave the piece to Mae Hall on February 10, 1983.
3. Printed Materials. (4 Folders) 25 items. 1971 - 1983.
This series contains mostly materials relating to the death of Bert Hall and his contributions to the community. Folder 3:1 is a collection of certificates of appreciation Hall received upon retiring as agricultural extension agent and county commissioner. They include achievement in human relations and service to youth for the Hayes-Taylor YMCA, distinguished service by the National Association of County Agricultural Agents, service as executive member of the Greensboro Council on Alcoholism, and a proclamation for Bert Hall Day. Folder 3:2 contains 13 newspaper clippings about his death, including remembrances, biographical sketches, and detailing his numerous contributions as Agricultural Agent and Guilford County Commissioner. Folder 3:3 is a memorial program from Hall’s funeral held at the St. James Presbyterian Church. There is also a program from the Distinguished Service Award banquet, which Hall was given for his work as Agricultural Extension Agent.
4. Scrapbook. (7 Folders) Approx. 45 items. 1949-1976.
This scrapbook is a compilation of letters, newspaper articles, photos, and certificates commemorating Bert Hall. Hall was honored upon retiring from his position as the Guilford County Agricultural Extension Agent. The contents of the scrapbook were removed from the book itself and re-arranged into individual folders.
Subseries 4:1 contains several letters from members of the NC State Agricultural Extension Program, such as the Assoc. Dean and Director of the program, George Hyatt and Chairman of the McDowell County Extension, Robert L. Love. Letters from NC A & T include Chancellor John T. Caldwell and Assoc. Director and Dean R.E. Jones. Finally, there is a congratulatory letter from Howard Coble as Agent for the State of NC Dept. of Revenue (1973).
Subseries 4:2 contains materials from the Guilford County American Revolution Bicentennial Committee, which Hall was member of county commissioner.
Subseries 4:3-4:4 contain a travel log, list of contributors, and nametags for Bert Hall Day. Subseries 4:5 contains newspaper clippings of Hall discussing not only his retirement as Agricultural Agent, but also several issues in Greensboro that Hall had to deal with as commissioner.
Subseries 4:5 and 4:6 contains photos of Hall and programs from events in honor of Hall.
FOLDER LISTING
Series
Folder Contents 1
1
Correspondence-- Biographies--Bert Hall (1976-1983)
2
“ -- Condolences (1983)
3
“ -- Congratulations (1976-1977)
2
1 --
Misc. (1983)
3
1 --
Printed -- Certificates (O’size, vertical) (1973-1978)
2 --
“ -- Newspaper Clippings (1983-1985)
3
“ -- Programs (1973, 1983)
4
--
Scrapbook-- (O'size, vertical- book only) (1949-1976)
1 --
“ -- Corresp. (1973)
2 --
“ -- Guilford County American Revolution Bicentennial
3 --
“ -- Misc.
4 --
“ -- Name Tags (1976)
5
“ -- Newspaper Clippings (1949-1976)
6 --
“ -- Photos (1976)
7 --
“ -- Programs (1973, 1975)
Index to the Bertrand A. Hall Papers
Note: The numbers following the name/subject entry -- e.g. 1:1 -- indicate in which Series#:Folder# (or, if no ":", Series only) that name/topic can be found. The bulk of the materials date from 1973-1976 unless otherwise noted.
American Revolution Bicentennial Committee: 3:1, 4:2, 4:4
Barbee, Zoe: 1:1, 3:2, 4:1
Caldwell, John T.: 4:1
Churches:
St. James Presbyterian (Greensboro): (1983), 1:1, 3:2-3:3
Clubs & Organizations:
4-H: 1:1, 3:2, 4:6
Nat Greene Sertoma: 1:1, 3:2
Coble, Howard: 4:1
Colleges and Universities:
Massachusetts State College: (1949) 1:1, 3:2, 4:5
North Carolina A & T: 4:1, 4:5
North Carolina State University: 1:1, 3:2, 4:1, 4:5
University of Arkansas: 1:1, 3:2, 4:5
Tuskegee Institute, Cornell University: 1:1, 3:2, 4:5
Cooper, John: 4:1
Dowdey, Lewis C.: 4:1
Federal Retirees Organization: 1:1, 3:2
Foil, J.E.: 4:1
Fraternal Organizations:
Epsilon Sigma Phi: 4:5
Omega Psi: 1:1, 3:2, 4:5
Sigma Pi Phi: 1:1-1:2, 3:2, 4:5
Greensboro Center for Alcohol Rehabilitation Educational Services: (1971) 3:1
Greensboro Council on Alcoholism: 3:1
Guilford County:
American Revolution Bicentennial Committee: 3:1, 4:2, 4:4
Board of Commissioners: 1:1, 1:3, 3:1-3:2, 4:5
Agricultural Extension Agency: 1:1, 3:1-3:2, 4:1, 4:5
Greensboro Center for Alcohol Rehabilitation Educational Services: (1971) 3:1
Greensboro Council on Alcoholism: 3:1
Interagency Task Force on Water Quality: 3:1
Hairston, Jester:photograph (1983), 2:1
Hall, Mae Codrup: 1:1, 1:2, 3:2-3:3
Hayes-Taylor YMCA: (1978), 3:1
Heird, Jim: 4:1
Hunt, Geneva Collins: 4:1
Hyatt, George: 4:1
Jones, Guy L.: 4:1
Jones, R.E.: 4:1
Love, Robert L.: 4:1
Luter, Raleigh: 4:1
Massachusetts State College: (1949), 1:1, 3:2, 4:5
Miller, Grady: 4:1
National Association of County Agricultural Agents: (1973) 3:1
North Carolina A & T: 4:1, 4:5
North Carolina State University: 1:1, 3:2, 4:1, 4:5Order of the Long Leaf Pine: (ca. 1973) 3:1
Peeler, Eleanor: 2:1, 4:5
Phillips, Rep. Charlie: 4:1
Rice, Calvin T.: 4:1
Sandin, Emilie: 4:1
Sandin, Tom: 4:1
St. James Presbyterian Church (Greensboro): (1983), 1:1, 3:2-3:3
Tuskegee Institute, Cornell University: 1:1, 3:2, 4:5
University of Arkansas: 1:1, 3:2, 4:5
Upjohn, Chip: 4:1
Williford, W.C.: 4:1
Witherspoon, John V.: 4:1