History of the UF Division of Student Affairs | Page 24

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to desegregate UF graduate schools, starting a nine-year legal battle. Between
1946-1958, 85 Black students who applied to UF were denied admission. In
1958, Hawkins withdrew his application to the UF Law School in exchange for the
desegregation of UF graduate and professional schools. In 1958, George Starke,
a WWII Air Force veteran, became the first Black student admitted to the UF Law
School. He initially attended class under police protection; he withdrew from UF
after three semesters. The first Black female student was admitted in 1959. The
first UF Black law student graduated in 1962. In 1962, UF admitted seven black
students including the first black student to complete an undergraduate degree.
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination on the basis of race, color,
national origin, religion, and sex. This legislation forced social changes to occur
more quickly than they were normally proceeding, especially in the South. The
initial integration of UF proceeded peacefully. However, by 1968 campus unrest
fueled by both peaceful and militant ant i-Vietnam War demonstrations and civil
rights protests had peaked nationwide. The general consensus was that the UF
administration had not done enough to encourage Black student enrollment
and the hiring of Black faculty and administrators. In response to this, President
Stephen C. O’Connell convened an Action Conference in May 1968 to discuss
student concerns that included students, faculty, and administrators. From
this conference, an Advisory Council was formed with similar membership to
continue the dialogue. General progress was made in regard to the university’s

Flavet III playground 1950s
Photo Credit: UF Archives Digital Collection

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