| In 1890 Charles Owens began working Virginia Tech | | | | Church. |
| (VT) as a janitor in one of the barracks. Soon after, he | | | | It was 15 years later when the first black student |
| joined band students as a large snare drummer. Floyd | | | | graduated from VT as he received a B.S. in |
| Mead was introduced into the Virginia Tech family | | | | mechanical engineering. This student was Charlie |
| when, after living with the Thomas Family, Thomas | | | | Yates who later served as one of Virginia Tech's |
| would bring Floyd to hang around the barracks as a | | | | faculty members. A year later in 1959, Mr. Whitehurst |
| young child. The cadets took quickly to Floyd and | | | | became Virginia Tech's first black member of the |
| made him the mascot of the VT athletic teams. When | | | | Board of Visitors. He was also the first black man to |
| he got a little bit older, he got a job working in the Mess | | | | go to the Ring Dance. |
| Hall. He later handed down his mascot work to the | | | | While black men had previously matriculated through |
| turkey he trained to cheer for the football team as he | | | | the college, black women didn't show up at Virginia |
| paraded it on a leash. | | | | Tech until 1966. Now that blacks were gaining more |
| The next black man to work at VT was John Sears in | | | | privileges and winning more honors, scholarships soon |
| 1917; who came to be known as John the Barber, a | | | | followed. The first was an athletic scholarship, given to |
| nickname the cadets gave him as their favorite barber. | | | | Jerry Gaines for running track. He was also the first |
| Soon after in 1919 Pat mills became the janitor and a | | | | black to be accepted into the Virginia Tech Hall of |
| well liked debater. He even was awarded a win in a | | | | Fame. |
| debate about Old-Time Negros. | | | | In 1968, after the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. |
| In the 1950s desegregation came to VT's Blacksburg | | | | Virginia Tech students held a vigil in his honor. On a |
| Presbyterian Church. After desegregation, black | | | | lighter note, in that same year, the first black woman |
| students started attending Virginia Tech with Irving L. | | | | was elected as homecoming princess. As the 60s |
| Peddrew III leading the way in 1953. That same year a | | | | come to a close, more and more black students are |
| group that later becomes the Council of Human | | | | playing and starting on athletic teams at VT. This is just |
| Relations is created by Jerry Bonet. Fittingly, their | | | | a small look into the accomplishments and |
| meetings were held in the Blacksburg Presbyterian | | | | achievements of black members of the VT family. |