The Mission of the Committee
George Mason College Commencement Program, 1966
The George Mason College Advisory Committee was prominently honored at campus events. The 1966 commencement program listed Advisory Committee members and the districts they represented.
George Mason College Advisory Committee By-Laws, 1970
The 1970 by-laws governing the George Mason Advisory Committee ensured that the "interests of the citizens of Northern Virginia" regarding "higher education" were respected.
Presiding over GMC's development in the 1960s and early 1970s, the Advisory Committee shaped the institution's responses to civil rights investigations. The committee included politicians, business leaders, and community liaisons; there were sixteen members in total. Committee responsibilities ranged from advising Chancellor Thompson and acquiring campus land to devising employment policies and funding the student newspaper.[1] George Mason College communicated the Advisory Committee’s importance by printing its names in the commencement program and seating members “on the Platform” in “cap and gown” for graduation ceremonies.[2]
The Advisory Committee’s adversarial reactions to reports highlighting GMC’s lack of Black students betrayed its founding purpose: ensuring George Mason College met the educational needs of all Northern Virginia residents. The Advisory Committee's by-laws stated its mission was to foster "the interests of the citizens of Northern Virginia with regard to the conduct and needs of higher education at George Mason College.”[ 3] University of Virginia President Edgar Shannon remarked in 1970 that the Advisory Committee was established to help GMC with its "community relations and the educational needs of the community." Advisory Committee member Elizabeth Campbell wrote in 1971 that the Advisory Committee was necessary for “good public relations in Northern Virginia."[4]
The Advisory Committee aimed to represent certain local populations in Fairfax, Arlington, Alexandria, and other “important . . . geographic subdivisions in the Northern Virginia area.”[5] In 1970 and 1971, its brain trust included Judge Albert Bryan Jr., construction executive Preston Caruthers, attorney Harrison Mann Jr., communications executive Arthur Arundel, attorney and former Fairfax Town Mayor John C. Wood, and television executive Elizabeth Campbell.[6] With no Black members, the Advisory Committee was a voice for Northern Virginia’s white community.
Map of George Mason College and Surrounding Landmarks, 1967
George Mason College Chancellor Lorin Thompson included this map in his 1967 campus development plan. Landmarks shown near the college included the Fairfax County Courthouse and the Fairfax Country Club.
Itinerary for the GMC Advisory Committee's Meeting at the Segregated Country Club of Fairfax, 1964
In July 1964, the George Mason College Advisory Committee held its inaugural meeting at the segregated Country Club of Fairfax. This was possible because the Committee had no Black members. Throughout the 1960s, the Committee continued to meet at this nearby club.
Letter Requesting Use of Facilities at the Segregated Country Club of Fairfax, 1965
George Mason College Director Robert Reid requested the use of athletic facilities at the segregated Country Club of Fairfax for the college tennis and golf teams.
George Mason College was urged repeatedly to add Black members to the Advisory Committee. The Fairfax Council for Human Relations recommended this specifically in a January 1971 report.[7] The Campus Ministry Association for George Mason College also asked Chancellor Thompson to make the “Advisory Committee . . . more representative of the total Northern Virginia Community.”[8] GMC administrators claimed that Black members could join the Advisory Committee on the “same basis as whites – abilities – experience and potential contribution to guidance of college policies.”[9] In July 1971, the VSAC recommended adding a Black member to the “board of advisors when the next vacancy occurs,” but the college did not follow this suggestion.[10]
Had a Black person been appointed to the Advisory Committee, they would have had to attend official meetings at the segregated all-white Country Club of Fairfax. The club was less than a mile from campus and hosted the Advisory Committee for its first official meeting on August 5, 1964. The committee continued to meet at the exclusive club throughout the 1960s.[11] Advisory Committee member and former Fairfax Town Mayor John Wood was a founding director of this club.[12] George Mason College sent its golf and tennis teams to play at the segregated facilities in the late 1960s.[13] Chancellor Lorin Thompson’s 1967 development plan for GMC included a fold-out map featuring the three major neighboring landmarks: the Fairfax County Courthouse, Fairfax City Hall, and Country Club of Fairfax.[14]
By Anthony Guidone
[1] It is helpful to think of the Advisory Committee as an institutional predecessor of George Mason’s present Board of Visitors (BOV). The two bodies had similar campus roles with the exception that George Mason College was a branch of the University of Virginia. This meant that GMC's Advisory Committee did not have the current BOV's formal independent authority.
[2] Commencement Program, 1966, Office of the President Records, Series 3, Box 8, Folder 1, Special Collections Research Center, University Libraries, George Mason University; Lorin A. Thompson to George Mason College Advisory Board, 1 April 1971, John C. Wood Papers, Box 1, Folder 3, Special Collections Research Center, University Libraries, George Mason University. By the 1970s, the Advisory Committee had rebranded itself the “Advisory Board," but I use the original name for consistency throughout this exhibit page.
[3] By-Laws Advisory Board of George Mason College, June 1970, Office of the President Records, Series 3, Box 3, Folder 8, Special Collections Research Center, University Libraries, George Mason University. The by-laws also stated that members “shall be representative, so far as possible, of the principal geographic jurisdictions of Northern Virginia.”
[4]Edgar F. Shannon to Ted R. Bradley, 27 January 1970, Office of the President Records, Series 3, Box 2, Folder 6, Special Collections Research Center, University Libraries, George Mason University; Mrs. Edmund D. Campbell to John Wood, 26 April 1971, John C. Wood Papers, Box 1, Folder 2, Special Collections Research Center, University Libraries, George Mason University.
[5] Edgar F. Shannon to Ted R. Bradley, 27 January 1970, Office of the President Records, Series 3, Box 2, Folder 6, Special Collections Research Center, University Libraries, George Mason University.
[6] George Mason College Advisory Board 1969 & 1972, Office of the President Records, Series 3, Box 2, Folder 6, Special Collections Research Center, University Libraries, George Mason University.
[7] Fairfax County Council on Human Relations – Final Report of the Special Committee on George Mason College, January 12, 1971, John C. Wood Papers, Box 1, Folder 3, Special Collections Research Center, University Libraries, George Mason University.
[8] Campus Ministry Association for George Mason College to Lorin A. Thompson, 4 February 1971, Office of the President Records, Series 3, Box 7, Folder 4, Special Collections Research Center, University Libraries, George Mason University.
[9] “Answers & Comments on Truro Church Hearing – Civil Rights Commission,” April 13, 1971, Office of the President Records, Series 3, Box 14, Folder 11, Special Collections Research Center, University Libraries, George Mason University. UVA President Shannon appointed Advisory Committee members.
[10] U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, Press Release, 21 July 1971, Office of the President Records, Series 3, Box 14, Folder 8, Special Collections Research Center, University Libraries, George Mason University.
[11] Robert H. Reid to John C. Wood, 24 July 1964, John C. Wood Papers, Box 1, Folder 5, Special Collections Research Center, University Libraries, George Mason University; Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes, 16 March 1967, Office of the President Records, Series 3, Box 3, Folder 6, Special Collections Research Center, University Libraries, George Mason University.
[12] Personal Biography of John C. Wood, John C. Wood Papers, Box 1, Folder 5, Special Collections Research Center, University Libraries, George Mason University.
[13] Eloise Severinson to Lorin A. Thompson, 11 June 1970, Office of the President Papers, Series 3, Box 13, Folder 5, Special Collections Research Center, University Libraries, George Mason University.
[14] Development Plan for George Mason College of the University of Virginia, 1967, Office of the President Records, Series 3, Box 1, Folder 1, Special Collections Research Center, University Libraries, George Mason University.