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By Nichole Delasalas
Collection Overview
Title: Celestyne Diggs Porter Papers, 1880s-2011
ID: 001/01/MSS 0000-036
Primary Creator: Porter, Celestyne Diggs (1911-2012)
Extent: 2.0 Boxes
Arrangement: Arranged by record type.
Date Acquired: 10/27/2010
Subjects: African Americans, African American women, African American women educators, Art, History--Study and teaching, International travel, Norfolk (Va.), Organizations, Public schools--Virginia--Norfolk, Schools
Forms of Material: Awards, Booklets, Business cards, Certificates, Clippings (information artifacts), Contracts, Correspondence, Invitations, Nametags, Pamphlets, Passports, Photographs, Postcards, Posters, Programs, Report cards, Theater programs
Languages: English
Scope and Contents of the Materials
Personal papers, photographs, awards, certificates, and newspaper clippings belonging to Celestyne Diggs Porter of Norfolk, Virginia. The collection spans Porter's life, particularly her career as a schoolteacher for the public school system in Norfolk and a celebration of her life and accomplishments. Photographs include Porter as a young woman at Hampton University, school groups and local organizations associated with Porter, and family photographs.
Biographical Note
Celestyne Elizabeth Diggs Porter was born on August 24, 1911 in Mathews County, Virginia. Her parents were Wilbur and Susan Diggs. She graduated from Booker T. Washington High School and received a B. S. degree from Hampton Institute and a M. A. from the University of Pennsylvania. Porter married Leroy Porter on March 25, 1948 in Norfolk, Virginia. Porter taught social studies at Booker T. Washington High School and was the first African American coordinator of social studies in Norfolk, Virginia. She died at the age of 101 on September 27, 2012 in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Subject/Index Terms
Administrative Information
Repository:
Sargeant Memorial Collection
Access Restrictions:
This collection is open to all researchers.
Use Restrictions:
The status of copyright for these materials is governed by Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U. S. C.). Copyright restrictions may apply.
Acquisition Source:
Estate of Celestyne Diggs Porter by donation
Preferred Citation:
Celestyne Diggs Porter Papers, MSS 0000-036, Sargeant Memorial Collection, Norfolk Public Library, Norfolk, Virginia.
Processing Information:
Processed August 21, 2017.
Box and Folder Listing
Browse by Box:
[Box 1: Papers, 1880s-2011],
[
Box 2: Oversized Materials, 1972, 1994],
[
All]
- Box 1: Papers, 1880s-2011
- Folder 1: Personal Papers, 1925-2002, undated
- Includes passport, copy of birth certificate, grades from the University of Pennsylvania, and other ephemera. Also includes a booklet compiled by Celestyne D. Porter titled "Epochs in the History of the Negro in America" (circa 1968).
- Folder 2: Employment Records, 1934-1963
- Includes teacher contracts, salary correspondence, and school health regulations.
- Folder 3: Pamphlets and Programs, 1951-2004, undated
- Folder 4: Moles, Inc. Information, 1951-2006
- Includes one 1951 program, two 1955 handbooks, one 1999 booklet of by-laws, and one 2006 book "Molerama."
- Folder 5: Newspaper clippings (Folder 1 of 2), 1999-2011
- Clippings relating to the life of Celestyne Diggs Porter.
- Folder 6: Newspaper clippings (Folder 2 of 2), 1942, 1989, 2002, 2005, 2006
- Clippings referencing African Americans in the news.
- Folder 7: Photographs (Folder 1 of 4), circa 1930s-1990s
- Includes one circa 1980s Kodak disc film, one batch of photographs from July 1960, and various small family photographs spanning the life of Celestyne Diggs Porter.
- Folder 8: Photographs (Folder 2 of 4), circa 1880s-2000s
- Folder 9: Photographs (Folder 3 of 4), circa 1911-2007
- Photographs relate to personal life, family, organizations, school, etc. Some individuals and photographers are identified on the reverse side.
- Folder 10: Photographs (Folder 4 of 4), circa 1950s-1960s
- One large photograph of African American women, possibly the Moles. Identified individuals include Celestyne Porter, Gin D. Williams, and Josephine Walker Jones.
- Folder 11: Awards, 1933-2001
- Digital scans of three-dimensional awards and plaques belonging to Celestyne Diggs Porter and Leroy "Spongy" Porter are available upon request.
