Abstract
A Touch of Greatness: A History of Tennessee State University by Bobby L. Lovett. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press, 2012, 340 pp., $35.00, hardcover.In a historical account entitled A Touch of Greatness: A History of Tennessee State University, Dr. Bobby L. Lovett chronicles the journey of Tennessee Agricultural and Industrial (A & I) State Normal School for Negroes1 through a merger with the University of Tennessee at Nashville (UTN), to current-day Tennessee State University (TSU). Lovett's demonstration of authorship, professional and academic expertise in American history were skillfully and eloquently presented throughout this informative work. His insertion of facts related to the establishment and legacy of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) align with the mission of The Journal of Negro Education (JNE).Since their humble beginnings in the early 1800s, HBCUs provided educational opportunities for African Americans, low-income and academically disadvantaged who may otherwise be denied a higher education. Additionally, Lovett provides a detailed description of the inequitable funding for HBCUs despite the provisions of the second Morrill Act (Redd, 1998).The introductory chapter provides a thorough description of legislations and resulting social, economic, and educational inequities underlying the foundation for upcoming chapters. Whether the reader is a native Tennessean or one who has no familiarity with the state, Lovett's comprehensive coverage of historical facts pave a path on which the reader can visualize the social, political, and economic climate between 1909-1922. In subsequent chapters, the author describes the tenure and legacies of TSU's seven presidents from 1911 to 2010. Under the inaugural leadership of President William Hale, TSU's goal was to impart knowledge, discipline the mind, train the hand, and influence the heart of its students (p. 27). From its inception, the roles of TSU were instrumental in the history and development of TSU. A continuous acknowledgment of student involvement is threaded throughout Lovett's work. For example, he vividly describes how in 1912 carried chairs from class to class and assisted in facility projects (i.e., painting, cleaning, construction), to who embraced activism during the Civil Rights Movement, through participation in demonstrations, sit-ins, and freedom rides.Lovett outlines the impact of Jim Crow and de jure segregation on higher education in a manner laymen can follow. While reading his historical account, I was reminded of the strength and resiliency of an oppressed population. Lovett further explains the contributions of northern philanthropist agencies that began holding joint education reform conferences with southern leaders. The goal was to create ways to move public and private elementary, secondary, and higher education poverty-stricken regions into the twentieth century. Consequently, much of the funding needed to build Tennessee Agricultural & Industrial State College was provided by northern philanthropists.A substantial amount of Lovett's work documents an official act of government, the 32-year Geier v. Tennessee case (597 F2d 1056), which conspired to destroy TSU by subverting it either to the control of University of Tennessee (UT) during Jim Crow or losing its status and function. The intent of the original plaintiffs was to address disparities in funding, curricula, facilities, and faculty at still segregated TSU and to eliminate statewide policy and practices that perpetuated a dual system of higher education in Tennessee. …
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